New World, [The Drifter].
A day later, the Pirate Captains were once again summoned together.
Lafitte called them today because he claimed to have found the culprit. Many of the well-informed Captains already knew about all their gains from last night and wanted to hear how he would explain the events of the past few days.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, its scorching rays beat down on their skin, making many of them impatient.
Just as everyone’s annoyance was growing, Lafitte, accompanied by Burgess, finally appeared in the square.
However, the attention of the crowd was not drawn to Lafitte but instead focused on Burgess… because on his shoulders, he carried a silver-white submarine, every step he took causing the wooden foundation to groan under the weight.
With a thud! A gap was opened in the center of the square as Burgess tossed the submarine in, creating a large splash.
“Everyone, we have found the real culprit!”
Lafitte tipped his hat slightly to the many Captains, then got straight to the point: “Please, take a look. This is the identity of the culprit!”
Following his direction, everyone looked in confusion, and one Pirate Captain asked, “You’re not suggesting that the culprit is a submarine, are you?”
“Naturally not. What I want everyone to see is this!”
Lafitte, as expected, jumped onto the submarine without changing his expression and tapped twice on a seamlessly integrated armor.
“Sorry for the wait, everyone. After all, this submarine has advanced technology, and opening the hatch is not an easy task.”
As he spoke, Lafitte’s hands didn’t stop. After the armor fell off, he took out a roughly made key from his pocket and inserted it into the exposed keyhole.
Others exclaimed in surprise. If Lafitte hadn’t produced the key, they wouldn’t have noticed the keyhole on the smooth surface behind the armor.
Puff… Click…
The airtight hatch emitted a sound of venting air, and then, under the puzzled gaze of everyone, two armor plates that showed no signs of abnormalities on the surface suddenly retracted into the gap left by the armor, revealing a dark spiral switch underneath.
Lafitte grabbed the switch and twisted it forcefully. After a few turns, he pulled it back, finally opening the door.
Although this submarine wasn’t large, the internal space was utilized efficiently, and even with ten people inside, it wouldn’t feel cramped. On the control panel directly in front, complex Device indicator lights flashed continuously, and finally, with a buzz, a sound resembling an engine starting emanated.
Standing on the submarine emitting a faint buzz, Lafitte grinned. “This is what we found on the culprit’s ship last night. Now, do you all believe that the explosions from the past two days have nothing to do with us?”
“What’s this supposed to prove? How can a submarine prove your innocence?”
Most pirates were illiterate, and amidst the clamor, someone questioned.
But illiteracy was just a matter of knowledge. Most of the Pirate Captains who could make a living in the New World were mostly shrewd in their thinking and immediately understood.
“Wicked, so it was the Marines!”
The technology of this submarine was beyond what this group, who were still using sailing Pirate Ships, had ever seen or heard of.
It was completely beyond the reach of ordinary pirates!
They couldn’t understand it, so it proved that this wasn’t the work of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Only the Marines and the World Government would have such miraculous high-tech creations.
If Lafitte had presented human evidence today, perhaps they wouldn’t have believed it much, but technology wouldn’t lie. Furthermore, considering that Lafitte and Burgess hadn’t concealed their whereabouts at all last night, many people saw them carrying this submarine back from the sunken Pirate Ship at the harbor.
In order to grasp the key points, the pirates instantly awakened to the truth.
Damn it, I’ve been deceived!
Observing the expressions of the pirates, Lafitte breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the mastermind “Whird” had escaped, they couldn’t interrogate him face-to-face to completely clear their suspicion of orchestrating the events. But as long as they had this, at least the discerning individuals would be a bit more cautious.
Compared to the previous days when everyone was paranoid and completely distrustful, this bit of caution would ensure that the League Conference could continue.
“Wicked!”
In the rear of the crowd, Dante, disguised, clenched his fists. Those around him thought he was angry at being deceived by the Marines, never suspecting that he was actually the culprit they were looking for.
With his comrades killed and himself powerless to act, Dante’s eyes reddened with a mix of frustration and anger, a palpable killing intent emanating from him.
But at that moment, a cry caught his attention.
“Captain, there you are!”
His subordinates had all been killed in last night’s ambush, yet someone was still calling him Captain…
Instantly, Dante turned around, warily eyeing the pirate behind him.
“Who are you?”
Dante lowered his voice, his hand reaching for his sword.
The man, not surprised by Dante’s vigilance, approached and whispered, “I’m one of us. Come with me.”
Dante felt helpless. With Lafitte using his only trump card as evidence to clear their names, and with Rowen nowhere to be seen, it was uncertain whether he could leave this ship alive.
“Alright, I’ll come with you.”
The departure of an unknown, insignificant pirate didn’t attract anyone’s attention. Pirates were accustomed to freedom, and even the Pirate Captains in the center of the square were too preoccupied to notice, let alone the ordinary pirates on the outskirts who could only watch the spectacle.
Following the newcomer, Dante soon arrived at the main body of [The Drifter]’s ship. Seeing the shocked expression on his face, the newcomer nodded slightly.
“Rear Admiral Dante, please. The Captain is waiting for you!”
Dante’s own people were on this ship? This news startled him.
As they boarded the ship, Dante continued to be surprised. The ship was sparsely populated, far below the standard for a large vessel.
“Most people have evacuated these past few days. The ones left are just some insignificant merchants accompanying the ship. They’re busy doing business in the small town and have no idea about this.”
Seeing Dante’s confusion, the man explained with a smile.
Dante nodded, remaining silent.
For some reason, he had a bold guess forming in his mind.
Soon, the two arrived at a small room inside [The Drifter]. The newcomer knocked on the door and respectfully said, “Edie, Rear Admiral Dante is here.”
“Alright, let him in.”
“Yes, sir!”
The newcomer nodded in response and gestured to Dante.
“Rear Admiral Dante, please!”
Then he turned and left.
Nervously swallowing, Dante stood in front of the door, took a deep breath, and pushed it open. Inside was a luxurious room, adorned in gold, with the famous “Lame Wolf” Edie sitting behind a crimson wooden table, a pipe clenched between his teeth.
“Time is running out, Rear Admiral Dante. We must leave in half an hour. Ask your questions quickly.”
“Why are you helping me? Are you a Marine spy, or a government agent?”
Dante didn’t hesitate, getting straight to the point.
“Neither!”
Edie shook his head. “Gold Emperor wants to give Vice Admiral Cang Long face, and Umit wants to give Gold Emperor face. I’m just Umit’s subordinate, so naturally, I must obey his orders.”
Seeing Dante’s confusion, Edie seemed to anticipate his question and said directly, “Furthermore, don’t ask me about the plan… I don’t know either! That’s something the bigwigs above should consider.”
“My task is simply to ensure that you leave [The Drifter]… and I didn’t need to show my face. The submarine on your ship was enough for you to escape. But because of your reckless actions last night, losing the submarine, I had to show myself and help you retreat with us.”
“You know, if my connection with you is discovered, my career as a merchant will be over. Lord Umit will bury me, and I’ll have to start from scratch.”
“Is that so? I’m sorry to have caused you trouble.”
Dante smiled bitterly.
Indeed, with the trump card given to him by Rowen, the state-of-the-art submarine crafted by Vegapunk himself, even if all else failed, escaping would not have been a problem.
But Lafitte had found his way onto the ship directly, making it extremely difficult for them to retreat.
Originally, Dante had planned to delay and wait for soldiers to operate the submarine and then jump into the sea to escape. But he hadn’t expected Burgess to toss a bunch of explosives over, blowing up not only the ship but also the submarine, taking it as evidence.
Taking a deep breath, Dante looked solemnly at Edie and voiced his inner thoughts, “Do my crew members have to die?”
…(End of this chapter)
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