Lord: I can see loyalty.

Southern Border, Bordór, Earl's Castle.

Vio was sitting at his desk, with Gina holding an inkstone beside him.

He dipped his quill in ink and wrote the last line on the parchment. The sunlight outside the window was just right, illuminating the study, but he had no time to appreciate it.

The letter to His Majesty King Albert in the capital has been written.

He gently blew on the ink stains, checked it over again from beginning to end, and spoke with appropriate tact and composure.

It provided a complete report on the movements and intentions of the Western Pirates, without revealing any intention to request aid, or even mentioning that it had already won a battle.

But that's enough.

Vio only wanted a letter as "evidence," which would be the best evidence should those Western nobles who colluded with the pirates later use the "unauthorized attack on the Western Territory" as grounds for their claims.

It was the pirates from the Western Frontier who struck first; the Southern Frontier was merely acting in self-defense.

He didn't care whether the king would reply or what he would say in his reply.

Vio folded the letter, sealed it with sealing wax, and stamped it with his own count's seal and the seal of the Southern Territory, thus bringing together a castle and a sword.

Vincent.

The door was pushed open, and Captain Vincent of the Royal Guard strode in.

"Give this letter," Vio handed it over, "send it to the capital as quickly as possible and present it to His Majesty Albert."

Vincent accepted the gift with both hands, nodded solemnly, and turned to leave.

Vio leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.

Although the battle at Gahai was won, and won brilliantly, the pirates of the West will never let it go.

Especially Philip, that arrogant and cunning self-proclaimed Lord of the West, who lost seven ships and nearly two hundred men in one go. Given his nature, he's probably preparing a large-scale attack in Freedore to avenge his defeat.

So what follows is the real battle.

He still needed intelligence, the more the better.

Just then, hurried and chaotic footsteps came from outside the door, clearly not from one person, but from several people.

"My Lord Earl!"

Vincent's voice rang out from outside the door, carrying a hint of barely suppressed urgency. He had just left, and his return so soon must mean something important had happened.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Vincent stepped aside to let two people in.

Leading the group was Cohen, the Brotherhood's leader, still dressed in the gentlemanly attire typical of the capital, his face showing the weariness of a long journey, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

Following behind him was Vance, who also looked exhausted, but his back was ramrod straight.

After gathering intelligence on Philip last time, Cohen quickly set off again for operations in the West, and now, less than a few days later, he's back.

Vio stood up, walked around the desk to meet him, and was amazed by the speed of his actions.

"Cohen." He looked the other man up and down. "You must have had a long journey."

"Serving the Earl is not hard work at all." Cohen bowed slightly, then said seriously, "My lord, the situation in the Western Territory has been thoroughly investigated this time."

Vio's eyes lit up.

"Speak."

Cohen took out a neatly folded parchment from his pocket and presented it with both hands. Vio took it but did not unfold it immediately, instead gesturing for him to continue speaking.

"Just as rumored, there are five groups in total." Cohen held up his palm. "The pirates in the Western Territory mainly consist of five forces."

Vio nodded, walked to the round table and sat down. Gina stood silently behind him, Cohen and Vance sat down opposite him, and Vincent stood guard at the door.

"The first one was that of Philip."

Cohen began his report, his voice steady and clear: "We occupy the eastern part of the Western Territory, which borders the Southern Territory, including Freedor and the surrounding area. We have about twenty warships under our command, of which we estimate about ten are truly capable of fighting."

"This person is the most ambitious, calling himself the lord of the Western Territory. He is the one who decided to take action against the Southern Territory this time."

Vio didn't interrupt, but listened quietly.

"The second group, Derek," Cohen continued, "occupies several ports in the southern and central parts of the West. The number of their main warships is comparable to Philip's, but their personnel are more diverse. He appears reckless but is actually shrewd, experienced in combat, and physically strong."

He paused, then looked at Vio.

"He even worked with our Captain Axel when he was young, and he's said to have extensive connections... even reaching the northern part of the continent!"

Vio nodded slightly. This was indeed astonishing; it wasn't just the northern part of the kingdom, but the northern part of the continent!

It's important to understand that the Kingdom of Rovia is a country located in the southern continent, yet their connections extend all the way to the northern continent...

"The third group, Timothy." Cohen's voice remained calm: "The only female pirate captain in the Western Territory, with her base in the north of the Western Territory. Her fleet is very strong and disciplined compared to other pirates. She has little interest in the Southern Territory and has been keeping an eye on the North."

"Did Philip invite her to join this operation as well?" Vio asked.

"Yes," Cohen nodded, "but her attitude was ambiguous; she neither explicitly agreed nor refused."

Vio's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.

Ambiguous attitude...

"The fourth group, starting from here, consists of people not mentioned in the previous intelligence," Cohen continued.

"Ulysses Quinn is a special person. He is the Baron of the West, which is the identity of a 'knight'."

"Ulysses Quinn is a special person. He is the Baron of the West, which is the identity of a 'knight'."

Vio raised an eyebrow slightly. "A Baron Knight?"

"Yes." Cohen took out another document from his pocket and spread it on the table. "According to the information we found, this identity was bestowed by a local count named Norfolk in the West, but the truth is that Ulysses led a fleet to surround the count's castle and forced him to grant it."

Vance added from the side, "We captured a merchant from the West. He's a relative of the Earl of Norfolk's steward. According to him, the Earl committed suicide less than two weeks after being forced to grant Ulysses the title."

Vio's lips curled into a slight smile.

Forcing a count to grant him a knighthood? That's not something an ordinary pirate would do.

The other party clearly didn't just want to be a pirate captain; what he wanted was the legitimacy to rule the Western Regions "orthodoxly" in the future.

"He occupies a peninsula at the westernmost edge of the West, called 'Eagle's Beak Cliff,'" Cohen pointed to the location on the map. "It's the furthest from the South, so he didn't participate in the operation against the South this time."

Vio nodded, his gaze falling on the long, narrow peninsula on the map.

"The last one," Cohen said in a lower voice, "Finn Griffin."

Vio looked up from the map.

"This man is the most senior pirate we can currently investigate in the Western Territory. He is estimated to be over fifty years old. On the surface, he has the fewest men under his command and only occupies a small island in the southernmost part of the Western Territory, called 'Shipwreck Island'."

"Shipwreck Island?" Vio repeated.

"Yes." Cohen nodded. "It's said that the area is named that because there are many reefs and many ships have sunk there."

"But that's not the point. The point is that this person is extremely secretive. Even other pirates in the Western Regions don't know how many ships he has, how many men he has, or what he does on a regular basis."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious.

"The only thing we can be sure of is that Philip treated him with the utmost respect. The information we gathered is that Philip looked down on all the other pirates, but he was always very polite, even respectful, to this man every time they met."

Vio remained silent for a moment.

For someone as arrogant as Philip to command respect, it's definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface. Either his strength is unfathomable, or... there's some other reason.

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the shimmering sea in the distance.

The victory at Gahai was just an appetizer; the five pirate groups are still alive.

They each had their own thoughts and plans. Philip wanted to annex the South, Derek wanted a piece of the pie, Timothy was still observing, Ulysses had his own plans, and Finn hadn't made a move yet...

"Sir," Cohen's voice came from behind, "what should we do next?"

Vio did not turn around.

Outside the window, seagulls soared across the sky over the beach, emitting long cries.

In the direction of Caislow village, seventeen warships are quietly moored by the dock, waiting for their next voyage.

That's what he earned in exchange for a whole winter, but it's still not enough.

"Philip and Timothy," he suddenly said softly.

The people behind him were all stunned.

Vio turned around, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Cohen and the others before finally settling on the huge map of the Kingdom of Rovia on the wall.

"Take care of Philip first."

He walked to the map and pointed to the location of Frido Port.

"He's the closest to us, and he's the most ambitious. He's already made his move. Even if we don't go after him, he'll come after us."

Vio's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty: "Instead of waiting for him to gather all his forces to attack, we should strike first and catch him off guard."

Cohen nodded thoughtfully. "Then..."

"Cohen, try to get in touch with Timothy."

Upon hearing this, everyone around was stunned.

"Sir, are you perhaps going to...?" Vincent asked, somewhat incredulously.

"I want to see what she thinks...if possible," Vio didn't state his thoughts directly, but said vaguely, "We've already had the same experience once before, don't forget the Black Pearl pirates."

The Cohens exchanged glances, their eyes revealing either shock or worry.

"We don't need to worry about the others for now," Vio interrupted him. "Derrick and Ulysses are far away. As long as we act quickly enough, Finn shouldn't have time to make a move."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Once we take over Philip's territory, and have Freetown and that coastline in our hands, they'll have to think twice before doing anything."

The study was quiet for a moment, then Cohen stood up and gave a solemn bow.

"Everything shall be done in accordance with the Earl's orders."

Vance also stood up and bowed, his face showing barely suppressed surprise.

Vio simply waved his hand.

"You've all worked hard these past few days." He looked at Cohen. "The Brotherhood should continue to keep an eye on the West. Report to me immediately if there's any trouble."

"Yes."

"Vans, go to the village of Kessel and tell Axel to get those new sailors ready. Next time they set sail, their opponents won't be those ragtag soldiers."

Vance clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "Yes, sir!"

The two left, their footsteps fading into the distance.

The study fell silent once more. Vio stood before the large map, his gaze fixed on the inconspicuous words "Frido Port" on the map of the Kingdom of Rovia, and lingered there for a long time.

Outside the window, the sea breeze is rising, causing the flags to flutter loudly.