Chapter 348 - 340: The Pirate King and His Friend Dory

Chapter 348: Chapter 340: The Pirate King and His Friend Dory

"From this day on, you have no name." Barbossa’s single eye was inches away, filled with a predatory glint. "You are my prize."

The surrounding pirates erupted in jeers and lewd whistles.

Barbossa released his grip and pushed a cup of wine in front of Mia. "Drink it."

Mia looked at the murky liquid, her stomach churning. But she obediently picked up the cup and took a small sip.

The harsh liquid burned her throat, making her choke and cough.

Seeing her wretched yet submissive state, Barbossa let his guard down a little more. ’Maybe I really was overthinking things. I just got lucky and picked up a treasure, that’s all.’

Satisfied, he sat back down in his seat and waved a large hand. "Keep drinking!"

The celebratory atmosphere was rekindled.

Mia was made to sit beside Barbossa. Men constantly came over to toast the boss, their ill-intentioned gazes raking over her body.

Mia maintained the facade of a frightened fawn, playing the part of a helpless maiden to perfection.

The banquet continued late into the night.

Barbossa was already dead drunk, stumbling as he walked. He roughly grabbed Mia’s wrist and dragged her toward the fourth floor of the tavern.

The fourth floor was his private domain.

The door was kicked open, and Barbossa staggered in, reeking of alcohol. His single eye gleamed with undisguised lust as he prepared to lunge at Mia.

But before he could make a move, Mia acted first. Instead of dodging, the young woman gave him a seductive smile, her voice bewitching enough to melt bones.

"Captain, dear... Don’t be in such a hurry..."

She deftly sidestepped Barbossa’s outstretched hand, walked to the table, picked up a goblet, and poured him a drink.

In the dim candlelight, she silently tilted a tiny crystal vial, soundlessly mixing the "Last Knight’s Tournament" into the wine.

Holding the goblet, she swayed gracefully over to Barbossa, her breath sweet. "Come now, Captain. Drink this first... We have all the time in the world."

Barbossa, aroused by her unexpected submissiveness and bold advances, didn’t think twice. He took the goblet and downed it in one gulp.

The drug took effect with startling speed. Barbossa’s single eye quickly became bloodshot, his reason washed away by a torrent of desire.

’Now’s my chance.’

A faint light glowed at Mia’s fingertips, and she waved it before his eyes.

The illusion took hold.

In his muddled vision, the beauty on the bed gave him a sly smile, then transformed into an illusion that began a game of hide-and-seek around the room.

"Come and get me, Captain~" With a satisfied roar, Barbossa began clumsily chasing the non-existent phantom around the room.

Mia slipped silently to the door, opened it a crack, and beckoned to the pirate guarding the stairwell.

With a coy and bashful look, she whispered in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, "Um... could... could you help me bring a sheep up?"

The guard was stunned for a moment, then a vulgar, knowing smile spread across his face. He lowered his voice and asked, "You mean the boss’s favorite? The one with the black hooves?"

The bashful look on Mia’s face froze.

’She never would have guessed... This vicious pirate captain was so sentimental?’

A moment later, the pirate did indeed lead a bewildered goat upstairs.

Mia took the goat, closed the door again, and handed the docile animal to Barbossa, deftly casting a deeper Illusion Technique on him as she did.

As for the unspeakable scenes playing out in Barbossa’s dream, that was no longer Mia’s concern.

"Oh, heavens, Lillian. The way you make me feel... reminds me of a friend. Her name was ’Dory.’"

Mia shook her head.

Ignoring the scene, her body began to change.

A flash of silver light, and her mature, seductive body swiftly shrank, reverting to the form of a malnourished girl of twelve or thirteen.

She walked over to a chair and began searching Barbossa’s coat—she needed to find something that could serve as his token.

Keys, a dagger, a glass marble, and a few Gold Coins from some unknown kingdom.

She then felt the inside pocket, her fingertips touching something cold and hard. By the dim candlelight, she saw it was a die carved from some unknown animal bone. Each face was etched with a twisted skull, and one side was worn smooth from constant handling.

She stuffed the peculiar die into her clothes, and then, barefoot like a nimble cat, she slipped silently out of the room through the window.

As a scout who spent her life operating in the shadows, Mia knew exactly how to gather intelligence.

The best place was always the kitchen.

She avoided the patrolling pirates and easily slipped into the kitchen of the "Sea Siren’s Song."

It was just as messy here. A few cooks and kitchen hands were gathered, cleaning up the post-feast chaos.

When they saw a strange little girl swagger in, they immediately stopped what they were doing, their eyes turning wary.

"Who are you? This is no place for you!" a fat cook exclaimed, grabbing a bloodstained cleaver from the counter.

Mia said nothing, merely pulling the smooth, bone die from her clothes and flashing it at them.

Seeing the token that represented Barbossa’s personal authority, the fat cook’s belligerence instantly vanished. The tough flesh of his face contorted into a fawning smile.

"The boss sent me to look after the ’honored guests,’" Mia said in a tone that was both innocent and commanding. "He wanted me to ask what they need."

"Honored guests?" The kitchen hands exchanged glances. One of them hesitated, then lowered his voice and asked, "Little girl, you mean... those weirdos who lock themselves up in that separate building in the backyard all day?"

Mia’s heart skipped a beat. She nodded.

"Hah, don’t even get me started!" the fat cook immediately began to complain. "Those weirdos asked for hot water and white bread again. They’re so high-maintenance. I’ve never seen any pirate who doesn’t drink or eat meat, and who keeps themselves wrapped up so tightly all day."

"Are they that strange?" Mia asked, feigning curiosity. "I heard they’re very powerful?"

"Keep your voice down!" another scrawny kitchen hand nervously tugged the fat cook’s sleeve. He leaned closer to Mia and whispered a warning, "I heard they kill without batting an eye, even more ruthless than us! The boss gave orders that no one is to go near that building."

"Especially the woman," the fat cook added, also lowering his voice and pursing his lips. "The way she looks at you... ice-cold. It’s damn creepy."

’A woman? The building in the backyard?’

’Bullseye!’

Mia now had a clear picture, and a triumphant smile crept onto her lips.

She committed the key information to memory, then waved her hand with feigned impatience. "Got it. What a pain."

With that, she grabbed some food at random and left the kitchen, leaving the cooks to stare at each other in confusion. Using the shadows for cover, she slipped out of the main tavern building and circled around to the back.

Sure enough, in the deepest corner of the yard, there was a small, separate building, isolated from the surrounding clamor.

There were no guards at the building’s entrance.

’The lack of guards was even more suspicious.’

Mia hugged the wall, cautiously approaching.

She found a tiny crack between the wall and the doorframe. She pressed her eye to it.

She pressed her eye to it.

The room inside was lit by a candle.

A woman in a black robe was sitting and polishing a short dagger. She looked like the woman Xiaolan had described.

Across from her sat three men, also in black robes. Their posture was ramrod straight, completely out of place in the coarse surroundings.

"Still no word from Carlos?" one of the men asked.

"None," the woman replied. "According to the plan, he was supposed to signal us immediately after he succeeded. He’s long past the agreed-upon time."

"That heretic leader is strange. Carlos might have failed," another man analyzed. "We can’t wait any longer. We have to withdraw before the ’Crimson Festival’ ends. Too many pirate eyes here; it’s not convenient to operate."

"One more day," the lead man decided. "If Carlos isn’t back by nightfall tomorrow, we execute the backup plan and leave. The Lord’s mission must be completed."

Outside the crack, Mia held her breath.

’Four of them.’

’Plus the dead one makes five in total.’

Her mind raced, memorizing their faces and their conversation.

Then, she heard one more sentence.

"Don’t worry, that little Namiya leader isn’t getting away," the woman polishing the dagger sneered. "With our ’Purifier’s Kiss,’ even a single drop will continuously burn their bloodline power until their life is exhausted. No one can cure it, unless a god intervenes personally."