Game of Thrones: The Road to Pirate King

Chapter 226 Public Execution

Deep within the chaotic and tumultuous pirate alliance, the cunning and shrewd Captain Edwin Ramirez stands out from the crowd.

Even as the war drums sounded and the two fleets were about to collide like bulls, he had already quietly directed his fleet to skillfully change course, avoiding the main charge and sliding towards the edge of the battlefield like a shadow.

He wasn't afraid of fighting; rather, he was cooperating with Euron in a more cunning game.

While the entire alliance was caught up in the frenzy of "Bloody Hand" Marin's call, he remained aloof, already foreseeing a different outcome. After the war began, he used the initial chaos as cover, constantly sending small boats between familiar or pre-existing pirate allies.

Amidst the clashing of ships and the whistling of arrows, he whispered to the captains he thought he could win over, his words dripping like venom into their already suspicious ears: "That fool, 'Skull King' Mor Bonewhistle, broke the decades-old rules by plundering protected merchant ships. He courted death; why should we all be dragged down with him?"

"And Marin! Our Pirate King! He protected his cronies for his own selfish desires, starting this senseless war, and now we have to pay the price with our blood!"

"And look at how he treats us on a daily basis! The best spoils are always embezzled by him and his cronies, and the golden dragons we get are probably not even enough to repair the ship! When has he ever been fair?"

Finally, he lowered his voice and uttered his most weighty words: "Look at the other side! That is the true Son of the Drowned God! Haven't you heard the rumors? He possesses magical powers beyond our comprehension! We have no chance against him, and we will suffer a utterly devastating defeat—we won't even be able to leave a complete corpse!"

Initially, many captains wavered between loyalty, fear, and self-interest.

When those eight sea monsters, existing only in the deepest nightmares, tore through the sea and crushed the Alliance fleet with overwhelming force, all hesitation and doubt were instantly evaporated by the most primal fear.

Edwin's prophecy came true in the most terrifying and visceral way!

"Ramires! Ramirez is right!"

"Quick! Follow Ramirez's ship! Get out of here!"

Those allied ships that had been struggling or bewildered now saw this as their only lifeline. They turned their ships around desperately and frantically gathered and fled towards Edwin Ramirez's fleet. They preferred to believe this cunning traitor rather than linger for even a second longer to face the behemoths that were like embodiments of the abyss and the merciless gods they represented.

On the sea, the apocalyptic scene is nearing its end.

Thanks to the overwhelming intervention of the eight "friends" from the abyss, the losses suffered by the Iron Islands coalition were reduced to an astonishingly low level.

Their appearance not only shattered the pirate alliance's lines and morale, but also bore the brunt of the main frontal assault.

When pirate warships frantically attempt to ram Ironborn longships, they may be smashed to dust by a giant tail in the next second; when a hail of rockets is fired at the Redwyn family's ships, the rising body of a behemoth becomes the most reliable shield.

The allied forces were able to efficiently execute cut-off, encirclement, and annihilation missions from the rear, their swords landing more often on the backs of panicked enemies than on arduous parries. Nearly 90% of the wreckage and corpses floating in the sea belonged to the pirate alliance.

The balance of war tipped completely the moment the behemoth appeared.

Apart from a very few pirates like Edwin Ramirez, who had a keen sense of danger and fled the battlefield as quickly as possible when things went wrong, the vast majority of the pirates summoned by "Bloody Hand" Marin were now forever left in this sea stained with blood and fire.

Their ambition, greed, and fear ultimately became food for sharks and giants, or slowly sank into the cold, dark seabed.

The instigators of this war did not achieve their goal of dying in battle or escaping.

Pirate King "Bloody Hand" Marin and his loyal ally "Skull King" Mor Bonewhistle were placed on the highest priority "special care" list from the very beginning of the war.

On the Invincible Ironborn, Euron's icy gaze locked onto the flagship's location like a falcon's. Several of the most ferocious sea monsters, especially the swift and ghostly "Sea Cat" and the long and deadly "Venomous Sea Serpent," abandoned their other prey the instant they received an unseen command. Like assassins carrying out top orders, they silently and with unparalleled precision pounced on the two flagships.

Their mission is not destruction, but capture.

The "Sea Cat's" claws tore apart the rudder and all the sails of "Bloodhand" Marlin's flagship, the "Bloodblade," with astonishing skill, rendering it completely immobile, like a tiger with its teeth and claws pulled out. Meanwhile, the "Venomous Sea Serpent" tightly coiled its massive body around "Skull King" Mor Bonewhistle's distinctive longship, carefully controlling its strength to prevent the ship from disintegrating while completely extinguishing any possibility of resistance.

Subsequently, the Iron People's elite warriors boarded the ship like wolves and tigers, encountering almost no decent resistance—because the pirates on board were already terrified by the giant monster so close at hand—and bound the two once-famous pirate leaders and their core confidants hand and foot, escorting them back to Blackrock Island.

As for the other pirates on the battlefield?

Euron's orders were simple, clear, and ruthless from the beginning, leaving no room for questioning:

Do not take prisoners.

Do not accept surrender.

Leave no enemy alive.

The orders were carried out without fail.

Whether the enemy throws down their weapons and begs for mercy on their knees, or jumps into the sea to escape, all that awaits them is the cold blade and bloodthirsty fangs.

The Iron People's warriors, expressionless, cleared away every enemy ship that was still able to float, sending every enemy who was still breathing into the Drowning God's Flowing Water Palace as a sacrifice.

Those who jumped into the sea were quickly torn apart by the circling sharks, and the spreading crimson circles on the sea surface were their final resting place.

This was a complete and utter extermination. Euron Greyjoy used the most direct method to announce to the entire Narrow Sea the end of the old order and the establishment of new rules. Those who obey me will not necessarily live, and those who oppose me will surely die.

In the sea breeze, a mingled scent of gunpowder and blood, the banners of victory fluttered proudly on the ships of the Iron Islands, Dorne, and Redwyn. Beneath them lay the remnants of battle, a scene straight out of hell, and the new god who stood at the prow, calmly observing it all.

Two more enormous and terrifying landmarks have now been added to the desolate and steep coastline of Grey Gallows Island.

Echoing the previous three, they together form a blasphemous spectacle of death. All the Alliance pirates who perished in this great naval battle, whether infamous or unknown in life, are now decapitated. Their heads are harvested with almost ritualistic efficiency by the Ironborn warriors, mixed with lime, and roughly yet systematically stacked to form two new "Crowns of the Sea."

As Euron Greyjoy had previously declared, anyone who opposes the Iron Islands will ultimately become part of this crown.

These five monuments, built of flesh and bones, stand silently, immensely large and menacing, before every sailor who sails through this place, becoming an absolute terror that cannot be ignored or forgotten.

The sea breeze swept over those empty eye sockets and distorted expressions, emitting a low, mournful whistle, mixed with the lingering, heavy stench of blood and decay, announcing that this sea had welcomed its sole master.

When the victorious fleet returned to Blackrock Island, Euron Greyjoy stood atop the Invincible Ironborn and calmly announced to all the warriors below and the forces that had submitted to him: "The war is over."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable sense of finality, like the law itself.

He then issued another decision, one that, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, would surely create ripples: "Seven days from now, at noon, in this very place, I will publicly execute Pirate King Bloodhand Marin and Skull King Mor Bonewhistle."

He swept his gaze across the crowd below and the spies and informants from various factions in the distance, and continued, "At that time, I will invite the leaders of all the islands, all the city-states, and all the forces that consider themselves to have a place in the Stone Steps Archipelago to attend the ceremony."

This was not merely an execution, but a coronation ceremony of power, an ultimatum to all potential adversaries.

The invitations were written with swords and stamped with heads, and everyone knew the consequences of refusing to attend.