"Rose, do you feel any different? What have her powers done to you?"

Dawn couldn’t help but be filled with worry as she questioned the glowing Roseus.

Every pirate hated the Orthodox Gods, as it was believed that the Orthodox Gods hated them. After all, it was known that these gods aided the empire, whilst the pirates abandoned the Orthodox Gods to worship the Sea Gods and seek their aid.

Because of this, they were all extremely cautious when they heard the woman mention the title of the God of Knowledge.

They were also able to figure out exactly why Lavender had been so reserved as of recent times. She had spent her days praying to her god.

Captain Roseus remained silent for a few seconds as he listened to Rai’zac and stared out into the ocean towards the navy ship that was closest to them.

With Blodwen aiding their speed, they would be able to sail past it. It was as though they were being powered by more steam than the steam-powered ships themselves.

They could be safe, perhaps. They would continue towards the Maze Sea, leaving the navy fleet to deal with Treasure-Eater Nammon.

If the navy managed to survive, they would be back on the Redflowers’ trail once again. After all, the chaos they had brought to this sea would cause their bounties to skyrocket.

However, Roseus had a thought.

If they were inevitably going to be pursued, why not make life easier for themselves by getting rid of one of these threats preemptively?

"Rose?" Dawn repeated.

The captain turned to face her and the others.

"We continue towards the Maze Sea, but along the way, we make a stop by that navy ship."

"What? Why would we do that?" Kruger’s voice bellowed. The idea sounded like death to the ex-navy man.

Instead of answering with words, Roseus lifted his Greycloud Longsword in a two-handed grip.

He aimed the weapon at a random spot in the ocean, with the tip of the blade pointing towards it.

Then, he closed his eyes and answered Rai’zac.

[Let us use this temporary pact to benefit us both. I smite down my foes, and you display the power of the great Sea God, Rai’zac.] Roseus answered in his spirit.

...

His arm was tired as he continued holding out his sword. He wondered whether his answer would be ignored.

And then...

Crash!

A bolt of golden lightning shot from the Greycloud Longsword like cannon fire. It caused his weapon to recoil backwards aggressively, and the sound of thunder roared through the seas. The lightning bolt crashed into the water, sending its currents through the waves and creating light in the darkness.

Smoke slowly curled from the blade as it lost some of its golden light.

As he recovered from the recoil, a voice called out to him.

[Rai’zac’s Temporary Offering:]

[You receive: An extra positive effect on the Greycloud Longsword]

[You lose: the Greycloud Longsword after five uses of the new positive effect]

Roseus let out a sigh as a smile curled at his lips.

It seemed that Rai’zac was a much kinder and more honest god than the Treasure-Eater.

This is a good pact. A worthy trade-off.

[I accept.]

[And I wish you the best with your goals after our pact is severed.]

Afterwards, Roseus heard no more of the god’s inner conflicts. Instead, he was made aware of the new positive effect added to the blade.

[Positive Effect III ~ Shoot a significant bolt of lightning from the tip of the blade, able to travel up to a distance of one kilometre.]

Roseus turned his attention back to his crew and smiled.

"With this, we will escape this turmoil," he said confidently.

...

On the HMS Lukewarm Warship...

Lieutenant Ulysses stood in the crow’s nest, staring out into the depths of the chaotic ocean.

From his height up by the sails, he could see the situation clearly. Currently, his two allies, the patrol ship and HMS Redwind, were being attacked by the strange golden worm.

The mother of this golden worm remained suspended in the ocean.

This made Ulysses curse.

The navy Lieutenants had done a great job at keeping the First Ocean relatively safe for the past year. There were only a few seas within it that could be seen as supernatural and completely dangerous to travel.

Now, with this situation, if they didn’t dispose of these creatures, this area of the ocean would earn a new name and become one of the most dangerous seas in the First Ocean.

In other words, it would change everything about the First Ocean.

"Fuck!" Ulysses cursed, grabbing a handful of his brown hair and tugging at it aggressively. "The higher-ups are gonna fucking kill me."

Then, he lifted his gaze towards the fleeing pirate ship that was travelling faster than it had any right to.

"No... The higher-ups might not kill me, but they most certainly will if I let these rookie pirates escape."

He looked down at the sailors below. His face scrunched in anger.

"Loose the cannons! Forget about keeping them alive. Fucking destroy—"

Crash!

Before Lieutenant Ulysses could even finish his sentence, he felt his body suddenly convulse as great pain spread through it. A flash of golden light surrounded the entirety of the ship for a split second, followed by the smell of smoke.

"Agh!"

"Lieutenant!" the Executive Officer called out from the deck.

The man, whose name was Giorgos, looked up at his Lieutenant. There, he saw that the man’s clothing had been burned and melted into his now bright pink flesh. His hair had fallen from his body, and he had become rigid.

However, Ulysses wasn’t dead. Being a Salt Blood, third rank in the sailor system, he was able to withstand many of the elements to a certain extent.

However, the sudden strike of lightning had left him in a very vulnerable position.

He winced as he tried to move.

"If only I could—" he croaked.

Crash!

Ulysses was struck again.

This time, Executive Officer Giorgos watched as the life in his Lieutenant’s eyes was blotted out.

He fell from the crow’s nest and landed onto the deck as a charred mess, causing the jaws of all the sailors to drop.

It wasn’t everyday that you could experience the death of a lieutenant.

...

Back on the Redflower Pirates’ ship...

[You have defeated: Salt Blood Human]

[Elite Soul Absorbed]

[The Ocean Beckons You...]