Chapter 233: “Coral Bug” and “Three Demons of Central Lands”

The day after refusing Kane, Sizar quickly ate breakfast and began waiting for the second group that intended to take him in.

Feeling bored alone, Sizar went to Em’s room and started asking about the background of the second group. If Kane was Em’s enemy, and the Major did not want to mention her, then what kind of relationship did the people coming today have with him?

Hearing Sizar’s question, Em seemed to be poked right in a sore spot, looking very embarrassed. No matter how much Sizar pressed, he kept his mouth shut and only replied that they would find out soon.

About half an hour before lunch, the big door opened once again. A foolish young man with an afro, wearing a flowery shirt and overalls, bounced in excitedly. He shouted in a heavy foreign accent, “Brother Em, your little brother has come to visit you! The favor of a chicken leg deserves an ostrich in return! And you even treated me to a whole roasted pig back then! This time, no matter who it is, I will ask our boss to take him out. Besides, my boat is short a dishwashing hand anyway!”

Looking at this guy dressed in flashy, ugly clothes, bouncing around like a monkey when he walked, and speaking in a weird accent, Sizar felt like he was seeing a “mentally challenged, rural, foolish, shamat youth.” In short, this guy resembled a normal person in no way. Probably anyone who knew him would feel deeply ashamed. No wonder Em did not want to mention this fellow.

“Starfish, how have you been?” Em turned around, twitching the corner of his mouth as a sort of smile.

“Brother Em, we finally meet again! It’s been two years; each day felt like a year. Little brother finally has a chance to help you out; I’m so happy!” Rushing into cell number three, the afro-headed youth named “Starfish” leaped up and tightly hugged Em, shouting excitedly, just like a little brother who hadn’t seen his big brother for a long time acting spoiled.

“Ha, you’ve grown taller than before!” Pushing away the tearful, snot-covered Starfish with effort, Em said with a laugh.

“Yeah! All these years, I ate sea cucumbers every day; too many nutrients! By the way, big brother, I’m a squad leader now. I have twenty brothers under me, specifically responsible for catching mermaids. Do you want some, old brother? I can get you two underage ones to keep in the bathtub. When you take a bath, it’s really something else!” After greeting, the rural youth wiped his snot away, then leaned in closer, grinning cheekily.

“Ahem, thanks for the offer. Why did you come this time? I clearly contacted ‘Swordfish’.” Not wanting to lose face in front of Sizar, Em actively avoided the topic of “underage mermaids” and changed the subject.

“Ah! I came with ‘Swordfish Brother’ this time; the boat is docked above. We just arrived this morning. On the way here, our boss acquired a new batch of goods and gave them all to the warden; he’s counting them now! Brother Em, you don’t know, that ship came from Southern Continent, full of gems and spices. Isn’t there a Demonic Calamity over there recently? The worse the Demonic Calamity gets, the more these things rise in price! I bet this shipment can buy twenty slots…” The rural overalls-wearing youth, smelling strongly of fish, totally ignored Sizar and kept blabbering on.

“Ahem, don’t talk to me about this. We have different positions; the more you say, the more awkward it is for me.” Em rolled his eyes and coughed dryly.

“Tch! Big brother, I told you there’s no future in ‘Military Mango’. How much savings have you got now? Still not married, right? Just quit and come ‘surfing’ with us. The pretty girls in the sea, you can scoop up a whole net full; too many to choose from. From the start of the year till now, I pulled three jobs, took only two months in total, and earned this much!” The rural fisherman made a hand gesture that Sizar didn’t understand, then said proudly, “So, Brother Em, more than you’ve earned your whole life, right? I only worked three months; the rest of the time I was in ‘Steel City’ enjoying the sun and massages from pretty girls!”

“Ahem, can we not discuss this? I’m doing fine in the Corps and have no plans to change jobs. By the way, when is Swordfish coming over?” Seeing Starfish drifting further off-topic, Em stopped him in time and asked proactively.

“Boss? Oh, I remember! Swordfish Brother said he has a deal to discuss with ‘Tiger-striped Whale Shark’ from West One District. That guy is the representative sent by the Red Sea local boss. You know, our two sides don’t get along well. If we talked on the sea, probably both sides would end up dead. So we need a good spot. Divine Prison is the top choice, a perfect negotiation site. No worries about getting chopped; if the talk fails, no one dares to double-cross. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come! Also, our group got another job this time: rescuing a boss from North Two District. The other side paid a deposit of this much!” The rural fisherman stretched out his hand again, expertly made another gesture, then showed a brilliant smile.

Listening to the rural fisherman’s talk and looking at his extremely strong body, along with the fierce tattoos and several scary scars he inadvertently revealed, Sizar felt he was definitely no ordinary fisherman but the tough type who killed and robbed.

“Eh? Big brother, who’s this guy hiding beside you? He heard our conversation; should we take him out to silence him?” After babbling for a long time, Starfish finally noticed Sizar and asked directly, completely disregarding Sizar’s feelings.

“He’s the ship’s doctor I recommended to you, Sizar.” Em patted Sizar’s shoulder, giving the youth a look that said ‘keep calm’, then said, “Alright, you two chat a bit first. We’ll discuss the details after Swordfish arrives.”

“No problem! Little brother, you’re a ship’s doctor? Come, let’s get friendly.” The fishy-smelling youth, hearing Sizar’s identity, brightened up, reached out to put an arm around his shoulder, and started talking intimately. “Come, let Brother Starfish tell you about the long history of our ‘Coral Bug Pirates’. Oh, and I’ll give you this ‘Lucky Clam’ as a meeting gift!”

While taking out a cigarette, a leftover “clam” snack fell out of his pocket. Starfish picked it up without changing his expression, wiped off the dust, and casually stuffed the trash into Sizar’s hand as a gift, as if this thing that cost two bucks for a big pack was something precious.

As the rural fishy-smelling youth explained, Sizar finally understood what kind of group this was.

Currently, the Ceylon Planet was in a period of rapid development. Technology advanced quickly, vehicles were built bigger, and speeds increased. Connections between continents became frequent, and the shipping industry flourished as well. Thus, the so-called “Great Navigation Era” officially began.

Decades ago, the three great nations and numerous small countries had already established good trade relations with Heat Continent and Eastern Continent. Southern Continent, which was slightly weaker, became a colony of various Central Continent countries, growing sugarcane, corn, marijuana, mining, digging for gold, gems, trafficking people, monsters, Deities…

Although humans had built super cargo ships and even Airships the size of carriers, Ceylon was several times bigger than Earth. Sea routes usually took months, and this world had no radio or radar. Therefore, the pirate industry was also extremely prosperous, like an upgraded version of Earth’s “sails and matchlocks” era—the great pirate era of another world with “steam engines and Rocket Launchers”.

Fortunately, this world had no Pirate King, no Devil Fruits, and no treasure of Gol D. Roger, so few were willing to drift on the vast, boundless sea. Because the seas of this world were just too dangerous. Not only were there storm and lightning disasters, but also countless ancient sea monsters that had survived from the Primordial Era. The ocean was much bigger than the land, with countless World Veins in the deep sea, and Calamity Level living fossils so numerous it was terrifying.

Sizar had never seen legendary things like Spatial Gates or teleportation arrays. They might exist but were definitely not common. As trade between continents became more frequent, the sea became extremely important. Building navies, developing trade, conquering sea gods, establishing friendships with the Sea Clan, taming or slaughtering sea monsters, building giant cities in the ocean…

Every country, big or small, wouldn’t give up this huge cake. But navies were so fragile; even if equipped with hundreds of Magic Cannons, they could be easily dragged away by awesome deep-sea giant octopuses to their lairs, to be used as cribs for their unhatched sons. So, things like royal pirates and letters of marque came onto the stage one after another.

The rural fishy-smelling youth, afro-headed “Brother Starfish,” belonged to an organization called “Coral Bug.” It was a royal pirate group formed by the former Federation navy admiral “Bal,” with seventeen fleets, even capable of rivaling the official navy.

Moreover, “Coral Bug,” along with the “Sticky Tentacles Pirate Group” formed by retired Federation navy admiral “Mephisto,” and the “Thunder and Demonic Flames Pirate Group” formed by defected admiral “Diablo,” were collectively called the Federation’s Three Major Royal Pirate Groups. These three admirals each possessed their own World Veins, dominated the seas, killed countless people, and were called the “Three Demons of Central Lands” by the Sea Clan.

As Brother Starfish explained, Sizar listened with great excitement. Though it wasn’t an adventure like the Grand Line, this “fantasy + steam” otherworldly Caribbean pirate life was also thrilling and something to yearn for. Sizar, whose worldview differed from normal people, very much looked forward to such a life. Besides, Elsa said he couldn’t return to Central Continent, so living on the sea for a while and seeing the world’s most spectacular sights seemed like a good alternative?

While Sizar was lost in thought, Brother Starfish spared no effort in praising his own fleet. What was most needed in sea voyages? Not someone who could pick up soap, a flower to relieve midnight loneliness, but a doctor who could save lives in critical moments! Learning that Sizar was a “highly skilled” professionally trained Ability User, Starfish tried every way to pull him into the team.

“We have all the equipment; food and lodging are free. One pair of board shorts, one pair of flip-flops, one semi-automatic rifle, 3000 common currency base salary + commission, all-day mobile sea-view suite. More work, more pay. Just one big job, and buying property in Central Territory is no longer a dream. Two big jobs, and you join the Federation’s upper class. Don’t hesitate any longer! Give us a sea, and we’ll exchange it for a miracle in your life!”

With Brother Starfish’s endless stream of temptations, Sizar was finally moved!