# Chapter 37: Overwhelming
Boom!
A cannonball wrapped in black energy landed on the port of Bato Island. Orange-red flames shot into the sky, shattering a large area of warehouses on the dock. Fire blazed fiercely. With a single shot, buildings within an 800-meter diameter were nearly leveled to the ground.
Screams and curses rang out from within the port. A large group of pirates rushed toward the dock, only to find the dock itself engulfed in flames upon arrival.
A black tide surged from above the captain's cabin of the Doom Number. This was no black tide—it was a swarm of Black Curse Crows.
Within the swarm of Black Curse Crows, Su Xiao gazed at Bato Island ahead. He had little interest in the residential area of the island, especially since it was beyond the range of the Annihilation Heavy Cannon. The port, however, intrigued him. He wanted to know: if he flattened this port, would the West Sea King continue to hole up in his stronghold?
350,000 Black Curse Crows circled above Bato Island, blotting out the sky. The Cursed Men, meanwhile, transformed into shadows, skimming swiftly through the seawater near the Doom Number.
Boom!
Another cannonball was fired. The screams at the port gradually subsided. The once-bustling crowd now fled inland toward the heart of Bato Island.
"Amuns, take 400 Cursed Men and land on the island. Kill every pirate at the port."
"Understood."
Amuns transformed into a gray shadow and vanished into the sea. Moments later, an explosion rang out from the dock. A ring of gray flames expanded, sending over a dozen skeletal pirates flying backward.
A ghostly green apparition shot forth. Upon reaching the port, it hurled a pair of hooked daggers. The daggers turned into blurs, one of them plunging into a pirate's chest. At the end of each hooked dagger was a chain as thick as a pinky finger, the other end held firmly by the apparition.
The one-eyed pirate struck by the dagger cried out in pain. He raised his hand to grab the dagger's hilt, but at that moment, the apparition, over ten meters away, yanked its arm. The one-eyed pirate, with the hooked dagger embedded in his chest, was pulled flying through the air.
While the one-eyed pirate was still mid-flight, a massive axe covered in dried blood and gore came swinging down. The blade tore through the air.
Pfft.
The upper half of the one-eyed pirate's body was cleaved off. The last thing he saw was a towering figure wielding a giant axe, clad in tattered clothes.
"The captain ordered: kill all pirates at the port."
"Any way we want?"
"However you like."
"Good enough."
Roars and battle cries mixed together. The sea breeze carried a hint of blood. What had been a prosperous, orderly dock was now utter chaos. Ordinary pirates, facing the Cursed Men, barely managed to parry a few blows before falling dead on the spot.
Boom!
A cannonball landed behind a group of Cursed Men. Some wore grim expressions, others grinned savagely, their weapons still dripping blood.
"How long has it been since we tasted blood?"
The Hangman extended his over-ten-centimeter-long tongue, licking the blood from his hand. A faint red glow flickered in the depths of his eyes—a result of the War Lord's "Blood·Soul Power" ability.
Not far away, the silent Ghost Shadow passed by a large iron cage. With a flick of its dagger, the cage swung open.
The Ghost Shadow, its lower face covered by a metal mask, seemed unable to speak. It pointed at the female slaves inside the cage, then toward the inner part of Bato Island. In the next instant, the Ghost Shadow appeared behind a pirate. It leaped low, its hooked daggers stabbing repeatedly, piercing through the pirate's skull. This method of killing was not only brutal but also inflicted unimaginable suffering on the victim in a short time.
Crack, crack…
The hooked daggers tore out fragments of bone and brain matter, splattering everywhere. The attacked pirate let out only half a scream before collapsing with a thud.
The Ghost Shadow flicked its daggers, shaking off the gore, and began searching for its next prey. Not far away, the female slaves huddled inside the iron cage were nearly frightened into unconsciousness.
Clang, clang, clang!
Sparks flew as metal clashed. A pirate over two meters tall was backing away step by step. Facing him was Amuns, wielding a rapier.
This pirate was named Kalon, one of the West Sea King's trusted subordinates, responsible for managing Bato Island.
Kalon now held a metal rod nearly two meters long. The front half was as thick as a bowl and covered in spikes.
Clang!
Amuns' rapier slashed out a gray shadow. His fighting style was steady and relentless—sharp yet composed. Once an enemy fell into a disadvantage, it was hard for them to recover.
Kalon took several more steps back. His face was covered in cold sweat, his breath came in ragged gasps, and he could barely hold his weapon steady.
His entire left arm was burning with a strange gray flame. The flame consumed the flesh on his arm and shoulder, leaving only white bone. Strangely, the bones of his hand were not reduced to ash.
"Who are you?! This is the West Sea King's territory!"
Kalon stared at Amuns. He hadn't recognized Amuns as a Cursed Man because the latter's appearance had changed drastically. Apart from pitch-black eyes, the Cursed Men's skin was no longer deathly pale. Plus, Amuns had changed his clothes, making it even harder for outsiders to identify him.
Kalon was stunned. There were no threats, no negotiations, no intimidation—just cannonballs and blades. They killed anyone they saw and burned anything valuable. Even the most vicious pirates wouldn't act like this.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Kalon roared. Amuns didn't answer. He shifted his stance and delivered a horizontal slash. The blade whistled through the air. At the same time, Kalon suddenly raised his left arm. The two fingers of his skeletal hand plunged straight into his own eyes. After all, who would guard against an arm that had already been burned to bone?
After Amuns' Death Flame consumed an enemy's flesh, he could control the remaining skeleton.
If an enemy was reduced to nothing but bones, Amuns could also control them. He would make the skeleton charge at another enemy, then explode, releasing a torrent of Death Flame.
Blinded, Kalon grunted in pain. He immediately felt a cold sensation at his neck—as if something was cutting through it.
Clang.
Kalon's head flew into the air. Gray flames spread from the severed neck, quickly reducing his headless body to a skeleton. The bones clattered to the ground.
Thud. A white skull hit the floor. Gray smoke drifted from the eye sockets.
Kalon, one of the West Sea King's three trusted subordinates, was decapitated ten minutes into the battle.
Facing the Doom Number's assault, the pirates on Bato Island were in full retreat. Initially, the Doom Number had submerged beneath the sea, approached Bato Island, and launched a first wave of surprise attacks.
This forced the pirates on the island to rush toward the dock, trying to board ships and take out the Doom Number, which was continuously firing cannonballs.
As for the gun batteries on either side of the dock, the enemy ship was too far away. The enemy's target was the entire port. Only by hitting the enemy ship would their attacks be effective. The disparity in attack range was too great, and the enemy was moving at high speed across the sea.
Just as the pirates boarded their ships, a surprise awaited them. They found holes in the bottoms of all their vessels. Not only could they not sail, but the ships would sink in no time.
This was Su Xiao's preemptive arrangement. While the Doom Number was still submerged, he had released 390 Cursed Men. After shadowifying, they had infiltrated the waters near the dock and waited.
Surprise attack → Destroy enemy ships → Eliminate enemy pirates on the dock → Remaining Cursed Men attack the port → Mutual reinforcement.
Throughout this process, the Doom Number kept bombarding, firing three cannonballs per minute for a total of 46 shots. Each shot covered an 800-meter diameter, bombarding the entire port several times over.
Facing this continuous saturation bombardment, the pirates at the port were in despair. Some even knelt to surrender, only to be met with cannonballs.
Blazing flames raged. The entire port turned into a sea of fire. The Doom Number docked at the pier. Ice spread, freezing a path through the flames.
"Ghost Shadow, did you find the person I need?"
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Ghost Shadow nodded and made a throat-slitting gesture.
"Don't kill him yet. Take me to him."
Ghost Shadow nodded again, turned into a ghostly green blur, and led the way.
Su Xiao walked along the icy path, flames rising on either side, and entered the West Sea King's territory. Of course, he had to greet the man. If he could provoke the West Sea King into leaving his lair, that would be ideal.
Passing through the port district, Su Xiao arrived at the commercial street behind it. The street was empty. He stopped in front of a three-story mansion and signaled to Ghost Shadow, who stepped forward.
Thump, thump, thump.
Ghost Shadow knocked on the door with the pommel of its dagger. Watching this, Baha, perched on Amu's shoulder, laughed.
"Damn, got some manners."
The door opened. An old butler stood in the doorway.
"Gentlemen, we're not just with the West Sea King—we also represent the Empire. You need to think carefully—"
Before the butler could finish, Ghost Shadow lunged forward. Its dagger pierced through the butler's chin, drove through the top of his skull, and flicked upward.
Ghost Shadow was the epitome of a man of few words—no, it didn't speak at all.
Su Xiao entered the three-story mansion. Reaching the second floor, he saw a middle-aged wealthy merchant.
"Can you contact the West Sea King?"
"Yes!"
"Then contact him."
Hearing this, the middle-aged merchant took out a conch shell. A pulse of energy emanated from it. About half a minute later—
"What is it?"
The West Sea King's voice came from the conch.
"It's me. The captain of the Doom Number."
"You're… at Bato Island?"
A cracking sound came from the West Sea King's end. It was clear he was barely suppressing his rage.
"Yes. I'll wait for you here for one hour."
With that, Su Xiao crushed the conch shell in his hand.
…
Inside a lavish banquet hall, the smells of alcohol, tobacco, and food mingled. Nearly a hundred pirates were feasting. Dancers swayed on the dining tables, flaunting their charms. The surrounding pirates shouted and laughed, the atmosphere lively.
At a nearby round table, the West Sea King held the conch shell in one hand, his lips trembling slightly. Nearly 20 years of painstaking effort—gone in an instant.
Bang!
The West Sea King slammed his palm onto the table, shattering it. Plates and cups flew everywhere. The banquet hall fell silent. All eyes turned to the West Sea King. No one dared to speak.
"Kukulin Bai Ye!!"
The West Sea King's roar echoed far and wide, even reaching the servants in the manor's courtyard.
Su Xiao's attack was actually more devastating than directly assaulting the West Sea King's lair. It was a "True Damage" to the psyche—and it came with a nice bonus.
…
Dark clouds filled the sky. On an unknown stretch of sea, waves rolled endlessly.
A small boat floated on the surface. On it sat a man in full-body armor, holding an oar. This was Gluttony, and he was pursuing an enemy.
"Your stamina will run out eventually. Then it'll be your time to die."
Gluttony rowed the boat, his gaze resolute. But after chasing for so long, with food and fresh water in his storage space sealed, and his large ship shattered by a giant wave, Gluttony was starving.
He worried that stopping to catch fish would delay him, allowing his enemy to escape beyond tracking range. So he decided to endure the hunger. He hadn't stopped since the chase began. The enemy was fast, so they must be exhausting themselves too.
Grrr…
Gluttony's stomach growled in protest, seemingly scolding him for his foolish tactics. After a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the edge of the small boat, tore off a plank, opened his helmet's breathing holes, and stuffed the wooden fragment into his mouth.
Crunch, crunch…
Gluttony chewed. He discovered that, when starving, as long as his stomach could handle it, wood actually tasted pretty good—especially wood soaked in seawater.
"I… will not give up."
Gluttony tore off another piece of wood and shoved it into his mouth. As he rowed, he chewed on the splinters. The more he chewed, the more flavorful they became.