Chapter 158: Sunken Ship Bay

  At the same time Mo Yan was busy with the affairs of the Leifengya Haiyuan College, a large number of pirates were also flocking to the Anas Islands in the northwest of the Xīlì Continent. This is the largest gathering place for pirates on the entire Xīlì Continent, and all the famous pirates on the ocean have their own lairs here, with each small island serving as their hiding place.

  The entire archipelago is enormous in size, almost comparable to a medium-sized country. There are extremely complex ocean currents here, and beneath the "waves" of seawater are hidden reefs and rocky outcrops. This has become the best defense facility for the Anas Archipelago; if someone who doesn't know the route leads them into the archipelago, they will most likely face shipwreck and death.

  In the very center of the Anas Islands, there is the largest island in the entire archipelago, which is also the most peaceful place in the entire archipelago. The entire island has been designated as a public area for pirates in the flexible and ever-changing "law" of the pirates, where all pirates can sell their loot and replenish their supplies. In addition to those pirates who never take baths year-round, it is also home to a large number of cheap women who engage in special professions, as well as some merchants who come to redeem their stolen goods.

  It is more economical to buy back the stolen goods at a low price here than to repurchase them at normal prices. Although in most cases, these pirates will not rob these poor merchants again. However, there are no absolutes, and some new pirates who do not follow the rules may appear, guarding these merchant ships near Anas and looting them again until they are empty-handed.

  Although the code stipulated that this was not allowed, pirates only needed to kill all those who knew about it, and they would not have violated any rules. Every pirate knew that they were really wrong only when they were caught, and normally these were within the scope of "flexibility".

  But only newcomers who have just started out would do such a thing, any established and reputable pirates would never break this rule. They are the makers and protectors of this system, they know how important it is to protect these merchants who fence for them, so once those who break the rules are caught, what awaits them is not just death, but being thrown into the caves on the island filled with blood-sucking insects, where the screams of pirates can be heard at all times.

  The most prosperous place on the entire island is a port called Shipwreck Bay, and the most distinctive feature of this place is its buildings. The entire Treasure Bay is composed of ships that cannot sail, which were somehow lifted onto the island by some kind of force, and one by one, they were modified beyond recognition, stacked together in a jumbled mess.

  Originally used for cargo storage, the entire area has been transformed, with some becoming commercial areas for sales, while most are taverns providing entertainment for sailors. Anyone who sees the night view of Sunken Ship Bay for the first time is shocked by the black ships with lights lit up like stars.

  "How is it?" On the beach at night, a pirate who had just come down from a small boat said to a companion who had recently become a pirate: "Looks very shocking, right? Haha... Welcome to the pirate's paradise! My friend! Here you can find anything you want, of course... as long as you have money."

  The pirate who spoke was named Lex, and although he wasn't very old, he was already a seasoned pirate. He was born in Treasure Bay, known as the Pirate's Paradise, to a tall and ugly woman, while his father was unknown, possibly one of the dead pirates.

  He became a pirate at the age of ten and can now be considered a veteran. He has a good sequence of plunder distribution on the ship. If he doesn't die for various reasons next year, and the pirate group he is in hasn't been destroyed, then he may become the youngest bosun in the entire pirate group.

  And beside him, this rookie pirate named Roger, was originally just an unknown resident of a small island, but since childhood he had been yearning for the sea, especially fond of the legendary treasure-hunting pirate stories. After passing the pirate captain's test not long ago, he finally joined a small pirate group.

  The whole pirate crew thought this man was a weirdo, after all, no one in their right mind would want to become a pirate, such a dangerous and abnormal profession that no one wants to do. Even Lex, who had been saved by him, still couldn't understand his friend's way of thinking until now.

  "It's a great place." Roger looked at the pirates passing by him, singing loudly with their arms around each other and raising their cups, his mouth with a slight eight-shaped mustache 'exposed' a hearty smile. Although it looks very 'chaotic' here, he caught a glimpse of the free and uninhibited life he was pursuing.

  "You're not dead yet, old guy." Lex hailed a one-eyed old man by the roadside. As a local snakehead, Lex took Roger on a tour of Sunken Bay. Their captain and first mate had gone to find buyers for their loot, enough to spend all the money they'd stolen this time around.

  "Can you tell me about the famous pirates around here?" Roger glanced at the old man with two missing fingers on his left hand, and gestured to Lex with his middle finger. He dodged a drunkard who was chasing after a sow with a foolish grin and asked Lex, "I want to hear about those great pirates, what kind of people were they?"

  "What's the point of knowing that?" Lex looked at Roger and said, "Although it sounds harsh, but you're just an ordinary sailor now. Even if you know the names of those great pirates, it won't do any good. As long as the captain can recognize their flags and ships, we'll at least avoid fighting the wrong people and dying in vain."

  "I'm rather fond of pirate stories," Roger said with a grin. "Who knows, maybe one day I'll become a famous pirate in history too. It can't hurt to listen to the stories of these seniors, and who knows, maybe I'll even learn something from them. If possible, I'd also like to take a look at these people myself, see if they really have octopus heads and other bizarre appearances like in the stories I've seen before."

  "That's all nonsense, most pirates are just human." Lex kicked away a dirty child who was trying to get close to him, yelling at the little "bastard" to scram. He said to Roger, "While there are some other racial pirates out there, they're not as exaggerated in appearance as you say. At most, it's just beastmen, '精' spirits, or higher undead."

  "Can 'fairies' become pirates too?" Roger and Lex walked into a tavern, pushing open the door and asking in surprise: "Aren't those 'fairies' always staying in the forest of the mainland? And everyone has been saying that they are a peaceful-loving tribe all along."

  "Peace? Ha ha... " Lex laughed and said: "That 'woman' can be the most brutal existence among the great pirates. If you fall into her hands, even if you want to die immediately, she won't let you do so. She will tear you apart bit by bit! The so-called love of peace is not applicable in the pirate world."

  "Oh... looks like your luck isn't bad." Lex scanned the interior of the tavern, ignoring those hugging 'fat' women and pirates dancing to the chaotic music, and spotted a man sitting in a private room with half a door remaining. He patted Roger's chest and said: "Your wish to meet the great pirate will be fulfilled soon."

  Roger followed Lex's gaze and also saw the man sitting there, quietly drinking alone. The man was already very old, with a large black beard being the most prominent feature on his face, but in the wrinkled eye sockets were a pair of exceptionally sharp eyes that seemed to reveal their owner's bad mood.

  "It's not often that someone like him shows up around here." Lex ordered two mugs of ale from the bar and handed one to Roger, walking towards the man as he spoke: "But recently Blackbeard's fleet has been utterly defeated, even his sea monster was killed, and his beloved 'daughter' was stolen from him... tsk tsk... how pitiful... haha..."

  Although Lex says miserable things, his mouth is always smiling and not closing, other people's miserable experiences can be said to be the best seasoning, making the foamy beer in his hand even more pure. Isn't there a saying: What makes you unhappy, say it out loud and let me be happy?

  Laxus and Rogue sat down not far from Blackbeard, pretending to be uninterested in him, saying: "Since you want to hear some great pirate stories, I'll tell you some of what I know. Now the seven most 'famous' pirates in the entire Anas Islands are Cuirass Kuraudo, Magic Sword Hiruna, Flame Bill, Giant Fist Basu..."

  "What a thrilling story!" Roger gulped down the beer in his mug, wiping off the foam from his mouth and said: "So... what about that Blackbeard? Didn't you say he was also one of the great pirates at the beginning?"

  "That's a thing of the past." Lex looked at Blackbeard not far away and said, "Maybe a few months ago he could still barely be considered a great pirate, but now he can only be considered a pretty good pirate. His subordinates, ships, and most importantly, sea monsters have all been destroyed by others."