Lord: I can see loyalty.

After the sea bear left the Kingdom of Rovia, Derek quickly led his remaining troops back to his port of Soldato at full speed.

At the dock, a group of elite warriors wearing helmets and holding long axes were already standing still, waiting to greet them.

"The Warriors greet Lord Derek."

The soldiers spoke in unison after landing in Derek.

Derek's face had been extremely grim the whole way, but he didn't get angry at the group of elite warriors at this moment. He simply waved his hand and walked towards his stone fortress.

Behind him, Karl followed closely to one side, his expression equally serious.

Surrounded by his warriors, Derek quickly returned to his stone fortress and sat back down on the high chair at the end of the hall.

The soldiers on both sides quickly returned to their positions, and the entire scene was unusually quiet with no one speaking.

"Karl".

Finally, Derek spoke first, asking, "What's the attitude of the other pirate leaders? Do they know about this?"

Karl slightly turned his head and glanced at a few soldiers not far away. Soon, one of them stepped forward, came to his side, and whispered something to him.

After hearing the intelligence, Karl finally answered, "Lord Derek, the other three pirate captains should also know about the defeat."

"If Timothy has not made any surprises, he should have already joined the Southern Territory and must already know this news. Ulysses has had spies on our side for a long time, and they probably already know as well."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Old man Finn is mysterious and unpredictable. We can only assume that he has already obtained the information."

Throughout the entire conversation, Derek kept a gloomy face, his gaze shifting between light and shadow as he scanned the map of the Kingdom of Rovia on the wall.

"So what's their attitude? Do they plan to send reinforcements?"

Karl paused for a moment before speaking, "Timor West has made no statement, and old man Finn has consistently chosen not to intervene, but Ulysses..."

"When he first learned that we had brought in Arnold the Sea Bear, he was willing to send troops to cooperate, but due to the short time frame, his men did not arrive until Arnold the Sea Bear left."

"Damn it...!"

Derek's expression gradually turned ferocious, and coupled with his physique, which was no less impressive than that of Arnold the Sea Bear, he also appeared somewhat fierce.

"Have the men prepare for battle at any time... and get the escape boats and carriages ready."

Derek's expression calmed down, as if he had thought of Philip's fate, and he added, "Also, we need to plan out the route that connects us to Ulysses' territory first, so that those Southern forces don't take it over first."

After this battle, he fully understood that he was no match for the Earl of the Southern Border on his own.

The enemy's army was far larger than they had imagined, and its strength was not to be underestimated!

"Yes, sir." Karl bowed slightly in response and gestured to the soldiers beside him to carry out the task.

Derek sighed and turned his gaze to Gahe outside the window.

The sea was calm and still, seemingly no different from before.

At the dock, fishermen under pirate rule were fishing, suggesting that the entire western region was still the domain of pirates.

But Derek knew that the pirate world in the West was coming to an end!

The Southern Earl's power has completely overwhelmed every Western Pirate, unless they can unite.

However, the pirates in the West could not even trust their own allies within their own borders, as they were all selfish and self-serving, let alone have allies from other places.

In other words, it's only a matter of time before the Western Territory is taken over by the Earl of the Southern Territory.

He was too arrogant, actually thinking that he could defeat the count of the Southern Territory with that bunch of oddballs and fifty or so people from the Northern Continent.

If it weren't for that Philip provoking the Earl of the South first...

Derek slammed his fist on the wooden handle beside him, making the whole chair shake.

But it's not entirely hopeless...

He had heard about the recent events in the capital. As long as he could wait for the new regime to take power, or for the current king to stabilize his rule, the Earl of the Southern Territory would definitely have to divert his attention to dealing with the affairs of the Northern Territory.

After all, the King cannot ignore the Earl of the South's current immense power; in that case, the Earl will have to deal with both sides alone.

That was also their opportunity as pirates.

Derek then understood why another pirate captain, Ulysses, had gone to such lengths to obtain a so-called title.

With a new identity, it will be much easier to turn against the Earl of the South once you join a new regime.

Derek breathed a sigh of relief, looking as if he had aged a few years and had lost his fighting spirit.

He was not from the Northern Continent after all, and did not believe in any Valhalla or Valkyries.

He didn't want to die; he would fight for any way to survive!

"Lord Derek!"

A trembling, terrified voice came from outside the door, interrupting his thoughts.

A pirate stumbled into the fortress, but before he could take more than a few steps, he was pressed down by the elite warriors on both sides and forced to kneel before Derek.

A pirate stumbled into the fortress, but before he could take more than a few steps, he was pressed down by the elite warriors on both sides and forced to kneel before Derek.

"What's going on? Stop talking nonsense." Derek was a little impatient, but at the same time he was also a little uneasy, vaguely guessing what was going on.

"Lord Derek..." The pirate was still trembling, but he had indeed calmed down considerably: "It's a warship from the Southern Territory! It's coming from the direction of Freedore Port!"

Derek slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his brow furrowed.

"These bastards, they've recovered so quickly?" He paused, then looked at Karl beside him.

"Karl!"

"My lord, what are your plans?"

Derek's gaze fell on the map again, and he hesitated for a moment, which was unusual for him, before finally speaking: "Have the elite soldiers prepare for battle and be ready to fight at the docks."

"Soldiers! It's time for you to go into battle!"

"Here you go!"

Inside the hall, the group of elite warriors wearing spectacled helmets slammed their long axes into the ground, responding with a powerful shout.

The soldiers and the pirate who reported the incident quickly left the fortress and headed towards the docks.

Derek, who was standing in front of the high chair, suddenly sighed and sat down on it.

"Karl, quickly have them prepare the carriages and boats."

"My lord, what do you mean?"

Derek glared at him, his brow furrowing. "What, do I have to explain myself? Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

"I dare not," Karl quickly nodded in agreement and walked alone towards the outside of the fortress.

Finally, inside the entire stone fortress, only Derek remained, making it seem exceptionally desolate.

He stretched out his scarred hands, staring intently, his pupils momentarily dilating.

"Damn it!"

He seemed to suddenly come to his senses, his hand clenched into a fist, then he stood up, grabbed the battle axe beside him, and walked out of the fortress.