Lord: I can see loyalty.

Southern Border, Bordór, Earl's Castle.

Outside the fortress, a messenger almost tumbled off his horse and rushed inside.

"My lord! Gahai reports!"

Vio stood up from his chair, took the secret letter, damp with seawater, and quickly scanned it. The handwriting on the letter was messy and simple, clearly Axel's own:

"Seven warships from the western border launched a surprise attack on Caislow, but have been repelled. Three warships and ten enemy soldiers have been captured, while the remaining four warships have fled westward. We have thirty lightly wounded and eight dead. Details will be reported in person."

Vio raised an eyebrow slightly.

Seven warships raided Caithro, almost the same number as the Black Pearl pirates. Axel won, though with some casualties, but not too many.

He put down the letter and turned his gaze to the azure sea beyond the window.

The Western pirates, as expected, couldn't hold back any longer and made their move, even faster than he had anticipated.

If we don't seize this opportunity now, and they escape back to regroup, the next time they might come, it could be twenty or even thirty pirate ships in several groups.

He couldn't wait any longer.

Vincent.

"What are your orders, Earl?" The captain of the personal guard stepped forward.

"Summon all the new sailors and warriors who are ready to go to sea, and draw fifty elites from the Sky Peak Knights and one hundred good swimmers from the militia."

"And about Black Pearl... have Axel bring out all the ships that weren't damaged in this battle, as well as the new ones." Vio paused. "Tell them to assemble at Gahai Wharf in one hour."

Vincent paused for a moment, then clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "Yes, sir!"

…………

Gahai Wharf in Caislow Village.

Seven warships lay quietly in the bay, rising and falling gently with the waves.

The two ships at the front were brand-new large warships built by craftsmen. Their hulls were the same as the old warships of the Black Pearl, but their sides were higher, their decks were wider, and each was equipped with several large ballistae.

This is the result of an entire winter of hard work by the old craftsman Ruian, along with the old craftsmen from the blacksmith camp and Black Pearl.

Although it cannot match the craftsmanship of the shipbuilding families in the capital, it is sturdy and durable. With key parts reinforced with magic ore, it is much more resilient than ordinary warships.

Then came two old warships chosen from the Black Pearl pirates, which had not yet participated in the battle. Their hulls were mottled and full of traces left by naval battles, but their fierce momentum was as strong as ever.

Finally, there were three medium-sized fast boats, which were fast and agile, and were specifically designed for reconnaissance and pursuit.

The deck was now bustling with noise.

The Azure Peak Knights were not wearing heavy knight armor, but rather light leather armor, with magic ore longswords hanging at their waists. They were gathered in twos and threes, talking quietly.

Although they had received training, most of them were going to sea for the first time, and their faces showed undisguised nervousness.

The hundred men drawn from the militia were even worse off, looking around nervously, and one or two even got seasick.

The old pirates, pipes dangling from their lips, slapped their thighs and laughed heartily.

"It's like this the first time! You get used to it after a while!"

"Don't grab the mooring lines, grab the gunwale! The mooring lines will sway!"

"If you really can't manage, just jump into the sea and swim for a while. You'll get tired and won't feel seasick anymore!"

Vio stood at the bow of the largest warship, personally leading the charge, with Gina standing silently beside him.

Axel walked up from behind, his face still showing the excitement of the battle.

"Your Excellency, are you really going in person?"

Vio didn't turn around, but just stared at the shimmering sea in the distance.

"They've already come to our doorstep. If I don't return the favor, wouldn't that be incredibly disrespectful?"

Axel grinned and didn't try to persuade him any further.

"Weigh anchor!"

With a shout, seven warships slowly sailed away from the dock, their sails billowing in the afternoon sun, their hulls cutting through the waves as they sped towards the western border.

The sea breeze howled, making the flags flutter.

Vio took a deep breath, feeling the rise and fall of the boat beneath his feet.

This was his first real voyage to sea in both his lives, a feeling completely different from being on land...

With no solid ground and no fixed reference points, everything swayed with the waves.

But he still quite liked this feeling—freedom, vastness, and unrestraint.

It was as if the whole world was at his feet, waiting for him to witness and conquer it.

The entire fleet sailed for about half an hour.

The sun had begun to set in the west, turning the sea a golden-red hue, and finally, a few blurry black shadows appeared on the distant horizon.

"My Lord!" came an exclamation from the lookout tower, "A fleet has been spotted ahead! It appears to be the remnants of the Western Frontier!"

Vio squinted and looked in that direction.

Four warships were floating precariously on the sea, their sails tattered, and several figures lying haphazardly on the decks could be vaguely seen.

They are just drifting with the waves.

Axel leaned closer, looked for a moment, and then sneered.

"It was them, the four ships that escaped."

"Why isn't it moving?" Gina asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Too many sailors are injured, they can't row anymore." Axel pointed to the boats. "The sails are torn, they can't escape even if they want to. These bastards are at their last gasp, just waiting for us to fish them out."

Vio nodded.

"Move closer and prepare for battle."

The seven warships spread out in a fan shape, encircling the four wrecked ships.

The other side had obviously spotted them too, and the once quiet deck erupted into chaos.

Some people raised their tattered sails and fled, some jumped into the sea, and a few knelt on the deck and surrendered.

"Ballista, prepare—!" Axel raised his hand.

"Wait." Vio pressed down on his arm.

Axel paused, then looked at him.

Vio's gaze fell on the wrecked ships, then swept over the nervous new sailors on his own deck.

"Let the new recruits come," he said. "Let them practice this time."

Axel paused for a moment, then realized what was going on and grinned.

"clear!"

He turned and roared, "Knights, and those militiamen and new sailors, come here! Today you'll get your hands dirty!"

The new sailors looked at each other, but couldn't hide their excitement. They gripped their weapons and rushed toward the ship's side.

The two sides are getting closer and closer.

Fifty meters. Thirty meters. Twenty meters.

"Boarding!"

The planks were laid on the enemy ship, and the new sailors had no choice but to grit their teeth and rush aboard.

The boarding action erupted instantly!

But it was less of a battle and more of a one-sided crushing defeat.

The Western pirates were exhausted; some could barely hold their weapons, others had just climbed out of the sea, soaking wet, and some had even simply lay on the ground pretending to be dead.

Although the new sailors were nervous, they quickly gained the upper hand against this group of defeated soldiers.

"what!"

With a scream, a novice sailor was kicked into the sea by his opponent. He thrashed about in the water, choking on several mouthfuls of water, and was about to sink.

"catch!"

Immediately, a rope was thrown down from one of the surrounding boats. He grabbed it desperately and was pulled aboard by his companions.

He finally lay on the deck, gasping for breath, his face pale, but he was still alive.

Similar scenes kept playing out, but no one died.

Vio stood at the bow of the ship, watching all this quietly. Around him, several small boats shuttled back and forth, specifically responsible for rescuing people who had fallen into the water.

This was arranged before departure: those who fall in will be retrieved immediately, and those who are injured will be rescued immediately.

"Your Excellency," Gina said softly, "this is for...?"

"Training," Vio said without turning around. "A hundred training sessions are not as good as one real battle, but throwing them directly into a real battlefield would be too wasteful of lives. This kind of endgame situation is just right."

Gina paused for a moment, then nodded.

The battle lasted less than ten minutes.

All four enemy ships were captured. Most of the Western Pirates were killed or wounded, and the remaining few dozen knelt on the deck, trembling. They had long since given up resisting and allowed the Southern Pirates to tie them up with ropes.

"Report!" A blue-crowned knight rushed over, his face still smeared with enemy blood. "All four warships have been captured; not a single enemy escaped!"

Vio nodded.

"What about casualties?"

"Ten lightly wounded, no fatalities!"

Vio's lips curled up slightly as he turned and looked towards the western border, where the setting sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, turning the sea red.

It's time to go back; the ocean is too dangerous at night.

"Pass down the order: return to port."

"Yes, sir!"

The seven warships changed course, towing four captured enemy ships, and slowly sailed towards the southern border.

On deck, the new sailors slumped together, panting heavily, discussing the battle they had just fought.

The old pirates, pipes dangling from their lips, looked at the greenhorns with disdainful smiles.

Vio stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the western seas that were gradually receding into the distance.

Axel came over and handed him a jug of wine.

"Your Excellency, would you like a sip?"

Vio took it, thought for a moment, and took a sip. It was a very poor quality wine, spicy and astringent, but at that moment, drinking it brought an indescribable sense of pleasure.

"Axel."

"Does the Earl have any questions for you?"

"Are all the Western pirates under Philip's command? I heard he has nearly twenty warships?"

Axel grinned, revealing two rows of teeth. "What do you mean twenty ships? Half of them are converted merchant ships, so their actual level is probably about the same as ours."

"However, only one of the warships that came this time is a real large warship; the rest are the merchant ships I mentioned that were converted. It seems that this is just a test."

Vio nodded. He could clearly sense that neither the pirates nor the warships that had arrived were the enemy's true elite forces.

But in any case, they dealt a heavy blow to the opponent at a very low cost.

The fleet continued onward, towing a long string of captured warships, and the winds of the sea once again raised the flags of the southern territories.