Chapter 195 Joseph and the Oath of the Black Tide
Li Wen coughed and spat out a mouthful of salty seawater, her vision gradually clearing from blurriness. She found herself lying on a soft bed, the hem of Moriah’s priestly robes beside her. The young priest was wiping her pale cheeks with a damp cloth. Seeing her awake, he breathed a sigh of relief, “Miss Mephistopheles, you’re finally awake.”
“Where is this…” Li Wen propped herself up, her soaked clothes clinging to her skin, sending a bone-chilling cold. She looked around, finding no trace of the Twin-tailed Mermaid statue. The surroundings were familiar – it was her room on the Adventurer.
“You were swept into the sea by the tide. When I rescued you, you were unconscious,” Moriah’s voice was as calm as ever. “Those who were missing have returned, but they are not in good condition. Captain Remington is treating them and questioning them.”
Li Wen took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.
“What about the statue?”
Before Moriah could reply, a violent shake interrupted their conversation. Li Wen’s expression changed. She quickly got out of bed and looked out the window, only to see the sea surface outside the ship’s hull churning in a bizarre way – massive palms formed from flesh and blood slowly rose from the deep sea, lifting the Adventurer out of the water.
Something had happened, and it wasn’t caused by the Twin-tailed Mermaid.
Without much thought, Li Wen could tell what was happening. The Twin-tailed Mermaid statue had been controlled by her incantation and its consciousness released. Moreover, to lift a 40-meter-long ship with hands made of flesh and blood was a power far beyond the statue’s capabilities. This change could only mean that a Transcendent who had been lurking in the shadows for a long time had finally made their move.
Li Wen and Moriah exchanged a look, and the two of them quickly left the cabin and came onto the deck.
Captain Remington was already a step ahead of them, standing at the end of the deck, looking at the mast with the flag.
“Colonel, what is the meaning of this?”
At the top of the mast, Grant, dressed in an officer’s uniform, stood ramrod straight, unaffected by the violent shaking as the giant hand lifted the ship.
Colonel Grant held the Twin-tailed Mermaid statue, his expression casual, not even looking at the people on the deck.
“All my efforts over the years were not in vain,” he chuckled. “However, things seem to be more interesting than I imagined.”
Captain Remington stood at the prow, confronting Colonel Grant from afar, his face terrifyingly gloomy. “Colonel Grant, actually… I recognize you,” he said slowly. “Not long ago, I had the honor of meeting you. At that time, you were a very respectable, young, and vibrant Navy officer. But now, you make me feel like a stranger.”
“No wonder you’ve been defying my orders. It seems you guessed it long ago,” the Colonel laughed heartily. “Yes, I am not Colonel Grant of the Navy. I am Joseph Vilburad, the pirate you called ‘Blood Hook’ and have been hunting for decades!”
With that, he reached up and tore off his facial skin. In the bloody mess, his face looked like it had been gnawed by a sea beast, but as he spoke, new muscle and skin rapidly grew, finally forming a sinister smile. “As expected, it’s too much to ask someone like me to play the dog of the Navy. Don’t you think so, Remington?”
“Joseph… what do you really want?” Mysterious light, like the sea, appeared in Remington’s palm. “This ship cannot accommodate an old subordinate of Roberts like you!”
Joseph tossed the statue into the air and caught it steadily, his scarlet eyes sweeping over Li Wen and Moriah. “When Hyde’s fleet sank us, a damned salvage ship took away the captain’s most important possession. Now, I’m just here to retrieve our inheritance.”
Is that so?
Li Wen watched the man on the mast coldly, having expected it. More than thirty years ago, Roberts’ fleet was sunk by Hyde’s fleet in the Endless Sea. Also more than thirty years ago, Old Joey’s salvage ship found that evil statue in a shipwreck on the edge of the Endless Sea, which led to everything that happened today.
“Joseph, let everyone on the ship go, or I will fight you to the death!” Remington shouted sternly, his mighty body bulging with muscles.
“Let them go?” A flicker of confusion crossed Joseph’s arrogant, defiant face, after which he burst into laughter. “Of course, we can let them go, by the traditions of the sea!”
He drew his saber from his waist and threw it in front of Remington.
“The ‘Oath of the Black Tide,’ a one-on-one duel. The survivor decides this ship’s fate, how about it? Don’t worry, I can smell it on you. You are also a pirate, right? At least you were. Although you hide it well, I can still smell that unusual scent on you, that rebellious, freedom-craving blood of the sea. Now, let’s decide everything by the rules of pirates.”
Joseph raised his hand and dug into his chest. Then, without changing expression, he stuffed the Twin-tailed Mermaid statue into it.
Blood flowed down the mast and spread, enveloping the entire ship.
Captain Remington didn’t hesitate. He took off his coat, picked up the saber, and a determined glint flashed in his eyes.
“Then come, Joseph, risking both our lives.”
Moriah looked at him questioningly, but Remington nodded confidently. The wooden planks beneath his feet overflowed with salty seawater. With a slight effort, he leaped tens of meters into the air, drawing his saber. The blade, gleaming with a sapphire light, slashed towards Joseph at an incredibly fast speed.
But the blade, capable of cutting through waves and reefs, merely tore Joseph’s military uniform and left a white mark on his rust-copper skin.
“Too slow.”
Joseph said coldly, then kicked Remington away. At the same time, the blood in his hand transformed into a long whip, tightly entangling the flying captain.
“Stage Four of the Disaster Path, the Tide General, right? I saw it once from a defeated opponent. His head still hangs on a cliff on some nameless deserted island. I know that your class can only be effective when you touch the waves, but I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. The ‘Oath of the Black Tide’ is the way pirates duel on ships. As long as either party’s feet leave the ship, they lose. ”
He grabbed the captain by the neck, lifting him within extremely close range with one hand, and whispered tauntingly:
“This is not a fair duel, so I have decided… I will stand here. As long as you can make my feet leave this mast, you win. Otherwise, I will kill everyone on this ship, one by one, in front of you, leaving only you.”
“Then you will have to be responsible for your arrogance.”
Blood trickled from Remington’s lips; the previous kick had almost shattered his internal organs. Joseph was right. As long as he remained on the ship, victory was almost impossible.
