I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The fake distress caller drifted on the sea on a piece of driftwood for a short while, and then spotted the outline of his own fleet from the leeward side of an unnamed island.

The two boats, the smaller one being the original one, with a gray-black hull, several patches on the sails, and a faded black flag.

The larger ship was long and slender, with a relatively new paint job. The words "White Egret" were still visible on the bow, half of which had been scraped off—this was the merchant ship they had recently stolen by faking a shipwreck.

The original crew members have all been killed, and their bodies have sunk to the bottom of the sea.

At that moment, a dozen pirates on the deck were sorting through the cargo hold of the Egret, and rude laughter and curses could be heard from time to time.

The fake distress caller waded onto the ship, climbing onto the gunwale soaking wet, and was immediately spotted by the sharp-eyed pirate leader.

"Oh, you're back so soon?"

The pirate leader sat on an overturned wooden barrel, wiping the blade of his longsword with a coarse cloth, a smug smile on his lips.

He was a burly human in his early forties, with an old scar on his left eyebrow, tanned skin, and a faded badge of a high-ranking mage hanging from his waist.

This man calls himself "Blood Shark," and he is a well-known figure in the waters near the southern border.

The fake distress caller quickly stepped forward. "Boss, I just encountered an elven merchant ship, a medium-sized sailing ship, with few crew members, but I didn't dare to get close."

Blood Shark raised his head, a glint of greed in his eyes.

"An elven merchant ship? Good stuff. Elven cargo is always valuable—spices, gems, magical materials—one heist there is worth as much as robbing three human merchant ships."

"That was a ship from the Elven Royal Court. Have you forgotten what happened seven hundred years ago? That demigod from the Royal Court wiped out the pirates completely—"

"What's there to be afraid of! That woman from the Elven Royal Court only forbids pirates from taking advantage of the elves' kindness, she didn't say anything about not being allowed to raid them head-on."

"Just intercept the ship, plunder the goods, and leave them a way out, right? Surely the elves wouldn't send a demigod for a few boxes of cargo?"

"But those elves are not to be trifled with! They are natural archers, and perhaps even mages..."

Blood Shark scoffed, "Don't forget, I'm a high-level mage and swordsmanship master. Our ship is equipped with the most advanced rotating turrets. Have we ever encountered an opponent in these waters who can defeat me? It's just an elven merchant ship; how many guards could it possibly have?"

The fake person who was asking for help opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something more, but seeing the leader's smug expression, he swallowed his words and silently retreated to the side.

Blood Shark abruptly stood up, shoved his longsword into his waistband, raised his chin, and loudly commanded:

"Men, grab your weapons! Head due north, the elven merchant ship! Quick and decisive! Sail the ship there!"

The two ships quickly weighed anchor, their sails billowing in the wind, and headed after the Sea Sparrow.

……

Meanwhile, on the deck of the Seagull, Lilith was still savoring the story the captain had just told.

"So, from then on, will the elves be able to do whatever they want at sea?"

She couldn't help but start imagining the elves roaming the seas.

Evelyn smiled upon hearing this and shook her head, saying:

"That's not it. Her Majesty's decree is only to prevent elves from being taken advantage of because of their kindness."

If someone were to directly attack an elven ship, that would be piracy, not deception, and would be governed by the general rules of maritime warfare, with corresponding legal punishments, though not very severe.

Of course, the main reason was that a small number of elves, with the support of the royal court, started to go to sea as pirates, and they had to abide by the rules of the sea, but this was not something that could be said to outsiders.

She slowed her speech and added in a calm tone:

"Those pirates aren't stupid. Those who dare to attack elven merchant ships are usually either newcomers who don't know the ropes, or seasoned veterans who think they're strong enough and unafraid of retaliation. But they usually only rob the cargo, not—"

"captain!"

The second mate's voice came from the mast lookout tower.

"Two ships are rapidly approaching from the northeast! Their speed is abnormally fast, it looks like they're heading straight for us!"

Evelyn raised an eyebrow slightly, squinted at the northeast direction, and after a moment a knowing smile appeared on her lips: "See, here comes an example."

Ji Tian looked in the direction indicated by the second mate and saw two ships rapidly approaching from the left and right flanks.

The ship to the left front is slightly larger, with fresh paint, and the bow still bears the merchant ship's emblem, half of which has been repainted.

The ship to the right front is the original ship of the pirates. It is old and has a shallow draft, clearly having long been accustomed to the undercurrents and shallows of this sea area.

Captain Evelyn's gaze swept quickly across the two ships without panic. She turned to Ji Tian and said:

"Hero, this is probably heading our way; it might be a bit bumpy later—"

"No need, I'll be right back."

Before he finished speaking, he lightly stepped on the edge of the ship's gunwale with his toes, and his whole body swept across the sea like an arrow released from a bow.

The pirate captain stood on the forecastle of the White Heron, in high spirits instructing his men to adjust the sails, when he suddenly caught sight of a white figure leaping up from the distant elven merchant ship, tracing an almost straight arc in mid-air.

"The shell's trajectory isn't like that, what is that thing!?"

Before he finished speaking, the figure had already landed on the deck of the Egret, making a dull thud.

A piece of the deck plank broke off, and the crack spread outwards. The entire ship suddenly sank down and bounced back, splashing the forecastle with the spray.

The pirates were all stunned.

They had seen charging pirate ships and close-quarters boarding battles, but no one had ever seen someone jump across when the two ships were nearly two hundred feet apart, the impact of which caused the entire ship to tilt for a moment.

Is this even human?!

Ji Tianzhi stood up and patted off non-existent dust from his robes.

Who is the captain?

The pirate captain descended from the forecourt, his right hand resting on the scimitar slung at his waist, his steps steady, his eyes wary.

"That's who I am. We were just passing by and had no intention of offending you. May I ask who you are?"

This is a lie. If it weren't for the other party's inhuman physique, he would have already ordered the guns to be opened fire and then moved the ship closer.

"Ji Tian, ​​the current hero. Your ship was recently stolen, wasn't it? There's a merchant ship's emblem on it that's been altered. Where are the remains of the original crew members?"

The pirate captain's expression instantly fell.

"Hero?! You're not from the Elven race—"

Ji Tian didn't give him a chance to finish speaking. He pulled back his strength and delivered a powerful kick to the chest, sending the other man flying. The kick broke through the railing of the forecastle and embedded itself deep inside the hull.

The other person coughed up blood and struggled for a moment before losing consciousness.

"It seems I have good control over my power, preventing you from escaping using Blood Escape."

Amidst the terrified yet reluctant gazes of the surrounding pirates, Ji Tian stepped forward, grabbed the pirate captain by the back of his collar with one hand, and dragged him to the center of the deck like a dead dog.

"From now on, I have taken control of these two ships."