The Wizarding World's Forbidden Book Administrator

The Black Goat has been back in the Scorching Heart Islands for half a month.

Henry used this time to carry out a complete overhaul of the Black Goat.

They also successfully recruited one hundred sailors for the ship and replenished them with sufficient supplies and military equipment.

In this way, the sea monster has recovered at least 80% of its fighting strength.

He also allowed his underlings to run rampant in the archipelago for a period of time.

When Henry orders the ships to set sail again, morale on board will surely be high.

Raymond and Riley's fleets were also distributed in various ports of the archipelago.

Henry had met the two men a few times and exchanged lewd jokes with them; the communication was fairly smooth.

They seemed unaware of Henry's scheme that time, but even if they were aware, they would never allow anyone to mention it in front of them.

Such an embarrassing incident is undoubtedly a stain on their reputation, and for now they can only swallow their pride and bear it.

In short, the atmosphere among pirates in the archipelago was quite good during this period.

If Henry were to actually approach Raymond Riley to discuss a collaboration at this point, they might very well accept.

Of course, the prerequisite is having a promising project.

Everything seemed to be going in a good direction, and with spring already here, Henry felt it was time to put the plan to return to the kingdom's coast on the agenda.

"Bang bang!"

A rude knocking sounded outside the captain's cabin.

"The door's unlocked, come in."

Then the door was pushed open, and Benson appeared behind it:

"Boss, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes," Henry nodded, pointing to a chair next to the table, "Sit down."

Benson nodded and sat down, and Henry sat down opposite him.

On the table was a map that detailed the terrain around the Flameheart Sea and the southern coast of the kingdom, as well as the distribution of islands.

Benson spoke first, asking:

"Boss, have you heard? The pirates are all talking about you now, saying that you've completely replaced Edwin and become the new pirate leader on par with Raymond and Riley."

Henry didn't take this honorary title too seriously.

However, it cannot be denied that this was related to his ability to recruit crew members so easily.

and:

"What I want to talk to you about is related to this matter. The confrontation with Raymond and Riley at sea made me famous overnight, and at the same time, it also misled many small-ship octopuses into thinking that the Black Goat had begun to expand its fleet."

"Oh! That's a good thing! If word gets around in the Scorching Heart Islands that you scared off the two pirate leaders with your fishing boat, those two will definitely do everything they can to trip you up."

Henry, having foreseen this, nodded and continued:

"The key point is that some octopuses use this as an excuse to join me and attach themselves to the Black Goat."

Benson pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then looked up and asked Henry:

"Boss, what do you think?"

"Before Joachim died, no pirate dared to show off in front of him. Back then, pirates fought alone. I, on the other hand, made my comeback on the Soaring, and it's been less than a year since then. My understanding of pirate fleets is not thorough, so I wanted to ask for your opinion."

"Even now, fleets are rare. At least in the Flameheart Sea, only Raymond and Riley lead fleets, and in my opinion, this has both advantages and disadvantages."

"Tell me more," Henry pressed.

"Having ships willing to follow us will naturally expand our strength. However, having more ships will also make them harder to control, bringing many uncertainties."

So what's your opinion?

After hearing Henry's question, Benson considered for a long time before speaking:

"The shock of being attacked by the giant crossbow for the first time still resonates intensely in my mind, giving me a premonition that the sea may be about to change. Boss, fighting alone is undoubtedly the tradition of the past, but if we don't want to be eliminated by the times, we have to try new things."

Looking at the shifty-eyed Benson in front of him, Henry felt that Benson was becoming more and more like a first mate.

They are able to view issues from a higher perspective and offer some forward-looking suggestions.

In that case, Henry decided to trust Benson this once.

However, "this will take time to reorganize the fleet, and the Black Goat's return to the kingdom's south coast will be delayed."

"That's right, boss. But if you want to catch fish, you must first weave a net. Besides, spring has just begun, so what's ten or fifteen days?"

Henry found this reasonable, so he followed Benson's advice and stayed in the Burning Heart Islands to build and reorganize the fleet.

Finally, in mid-April, the Black Goat, leading a total of five cubs, set off from the Scorching Heart Islands in a grand procession.

At the bridge of the Black Goat, Victor complained to Henry:

"Sir, your ship is already repaired, why did you still pull us aboard? We never wanted to be pirates."

Henry simply smiled: "Because of your excellent skills, Victor, and your keen eye, I need you to be my advisor."

"But you didn't even ask for our opinion!"

"Now I'll ask you, Mr. Victor, are you willing?"

"No!" Viktor refused without hesitation.

"Is that so? Then please swim back yourself. The Black Goat won't turn around easily."

Viktor seemed to realize he had been tricked and stormed down to the deck.

In early May, the Black Goat, with its four large sails, finally caught sight of the coastline of the Ancent continent.

Benson asked, "Boss, what's our next move?"

Henry had no good idea about this.

Although he wanted to use his underlings to go to the mainland to collect intelligence extensively in order to find Natalie's whereabouts.

However, he also currently holds the position of leader of the fleet.

Managing a pirate crew was also part of his duties.

Since becoming the Octopus, Henry has never ordered the plundering of any merchant ships, fishing villages, or ports.

But if they wanted to feed the pirates on six ships, they couldn't avoid doing these things.

But Henry hesitated to make a decision.

"Boss?" Benson urged.

Henry snapped out of his reverie and asked Benson, "What do you think?"

Benson said, "I have no idea, boss, but there are two ships of Octopus that want to try their luck on the Sogo River, and two other ships that think there are many opportunities in Bone Marrow Harbor."

"Then let them go," Henry said with a sigh of relief.

"You mean the fleet will split up?"

"Having so many ships clustered together actually reduces efficiency. Since they have their own ideas, let them work their own way."

"I understand, I'll tell them. But there's another octopus that wants to follow you. Also, what's the Black Goat's destination?"

"Damn it!" Henry blurted out.

If we want to find Natalie, we have to go back to where it all started and start our investigation in the port.

Benson frowned: "Boss, I don't think you've forgotten how stubborn a hunter Loyal Dog is. I think it's best if we don't provoke him easily."

That's true; Henry didn't want to be targeted by the loyal dog again.

However, he had to go to the port of Caogang.

"I don't intend to attack Chau Harbor," Henry said. "Anyway, let's get going."

The fleet split into three groups south of Elbow Point: one group headed north to the mouth of the Sogo River, while the other remained in the vicinity to look for opportunities.

Henry, meanwhile, sailed the Black Goat, with the Harpoon in tow, towards the Trough Harbor.

Two weeks later, the Black Goat arrived in the waters near the port.

Henry sent men to secretly infiltrate the harbor and inquire about Natalie.

On the other hand, he also had to order the hijacking of several passing merchant ships.

June arrived quickly, but there was still no news about Natalie.

One day, Benson told Henry:

"Boss, something bad has happened! We just received intelligence that the four longships heading to the capital and those left at Elbow Horn are being pursued by the kingdom's fleet. We request your support!"

Henry frowned: "What have they done to provoke the fleet?"

"I don't know, but one thing is certain: the intelligence was delivered to us at least half a month ago."

Benson said,

"We must set off immediately, or we won't even have time to collect their remains!"