I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The dark clouds on the sea gradually dispersed, and strands of golden light peeked through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the sea that had been shattered by the battle.

The pirate ships that had survived the aftershocks of the battle gradually came to a stop, and the pirates stood blankly on the deck, as if they had just woken up from a long nightmare.

Their gazes fell upon the figure locked onto by the cannons they controlled, watching him bend down to pick up the fallen golden crown, store it in his spatial ring, and then scan the pirates with his eyes.

If nothing unexpected happens, the other party is the source of my nightmare.

Even with their bodies under control, the pirates could still sense their surroundings.

They didn't know much about magic, but the fact that the body was immune to cannon fire and could kill sea monsters in an instant was enough to terrify them.

Ji Tian raised his hand and pointed to the nearest pirate ship:

"Lay down your weapons, and everyone who can move, get on that ship. If anyone disobeys, I guarantee your ship will sink to the bottom of the sea within ten breaths."

Ten breaths is a conservative estimate; if Ji Tian wanted to, he could sink the ship in an instant.

No one dared to disobey.

About half an hour later, the twelve relatively intact pirate ships were strung together into a long chain, and the remaining pirates were either squatting or sitting on the deck and tied together in a string.

"I'll come back and take you to where you need to go after I've finished dealing with the rest. Don't try to run away."

He glanced at the trembling faces on the deck, then lingered. He stepped on the edge of the ship's gunwale, causing the entire ship to rock, and he soared into the air like an arrow, flying towards the sea shrouded in the forbidden dark spell.

The sea breeze whistled past my ears, and the sea beneath my feet changed from light blue to dark gray, and then from dark gray to pitch black.

When Ji Tian landed on the deck of a pirate ship, he saw that all the crew members and even living creatures had turned into charred black spots on the deck, while the ship itself was almost undamaged.

This dark-attribute forbidden spell was ingeniously designed; its power bypassed the ship itself and specifically took away the lives on board.

He stood up and glanced across the sea.

A rough count suggests that nearly a thousand pirate ships still float on the inky black sea, their sails drooping low and swaying gently with the aftershocks, resembling an abandoned ghostly empire fleet.

Ji Tian looked around and found that the influence of the forbidden spell's domain had not completely dissipated, but the caster was no longer present.

This is not surprising.

Most magicians are glass cannons; even archmages who unleash forbidden spells cannot stay in the spell zones they create for long.

Clearly, the spellcaster quickly withdrew after releasing the forbidden spell, leaving behind the ships and their cannons, waiting to reap the rewards after the aftershocks subsided.

"That saves a lot of trouble."

Ji Tian had not forgotten that his mission was to seize the new cannons. Even if the archmage had taken the cannons and ships away beforehand, he would still go to retrieve them.

He planted the holy sword on the deck, walked to the location of the cannon, and began to disassemble it with practiced ease.

Time is tight and the task is heavy. After the demolition is finished, we still need to go to the island to join in the fun.

His figure moved between the ships, each landing accompanied by the crisp sound of bolts breaking, and the internal space of the spatial ring was rapidly filling up.

……

Meanwhile, in the open-air venue of the Lonely Reef Territory, a subtle change was taking place.

The lone reef stood in the center of the stone platform. Behind him, the wooden board with the terms of the "Joint Front at Sea" written on it had been covered with a new layer of parchment, covered with dense text.

He was reading the text aloud, line by line, in a loud voice, as if he were issuing a decree.

"Article 23: All members joining the front must sign a written agreement promising not to actively plunder civilian merchant ships, not to kill unarmed crew members, and not to sell prisoners of war into slavery..."

A commotion began to break out in the audience.

"No killing? Then are we still pirates?"

"Never mind, he only said he wouldn't kill civilians, but he'll still ask their families for ransom later, so it's totally understandable."

"That's right! Lord Lonely Reef is very thoughtful."

But what the reef said next completely unsettled them.

"Article 24 stipulates that the frequency and number of direct plunderings should be gradually reduced. Direct plundering of merchant ships is short-sighted and should be replaced by a 'toll' collection model for shipping routes. The specific collection standards shall be agreed upon internally by the Alliance and no unauthorized obstacles shall be set up."

The pirates below the stage could no longer remain calm.

What does "draining the pond to catch all the fish" mean?! Didn't pirates do the same thing for thousands of years?

Even if it is, it must be a sustainable, exploitative approach!

A burly pirate captain slammed his fist on the table, his finger trembling as he pointed at the isolated reef:

"What the hell do you want? I've been a pirate for over thirty years and I've never heard of your bullshit rules! We're here to hear you talk about how to unite and rob more ships, not to listen to your nonsense! You wouldn't happen to be sent by the kingdom to try and recruit us, would you?"

The lone reef stopped reading and its gaze fell on the man's face.

"Are you done talking?"

"That's it! What the hell do you mean?!"

The lone reef withdrew its gaze, its tone remaining calm:

"You said you were a pirate for thirty years, so you should know very well that the money you plundered in those thirty years would be enough for you to live a peaceful life in any port. But you didn't, because you dared not go ashore. Why? Because you were afraid of being recognized, afraid of being hunted down, afraid that one day someone would sneak onto the ship and slit your throat in your sleep."

As he spoke, he took a step forward.

"All you want is the thrill of risking your life at any moment, while what I want is for the people on this sea to no longer have to live like desperados."

"Say that again—!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lone Reef suddenly appeared in front of the pirate leader and grabbed him by the neck.

A crisp sound.

The pirate leader didn't even have a chance to react before his body went limp. He was casually released by the lone reef and collapsed onto the stands like a dead dog.

The entire room fell silent.

Behind the stone platform, two figures dressed in dark gray robes emerged from the shadows.

Their magical energy fluctuations were made without any concealment, spreading outwards like a tide and forcing the pirates in the stands, who were about to get up, back into their seats.

Two archmages, one human and one orc.

From the shadows around the stands, where they were difficult to see, fully armed orc warriors and mages wielding staffs poured out, surrounding the entire open-air arena like an iron barrel.

The lone reef turned and walked back to the center of the stone platform, sitting once more on the whalebone throne.

"Most of your pirate ships have already been dealt with by my men."

This pirate king, known for his adherence to the rules over the years, has finally realized the true value of his good reputation today.

But the audience on stage clearly didn't think so; they started shouting and became agitated.

"What! How is that possible?"

"Damn bastard! We trusted you so much!"

"Damn it, do you want to die at sea? Don't forget, you're not the only pirate king on the high seas!"

Lone Reef listened to the insults and threats from the crowd, completely unfazed, until someone insulted his half-orc identity. At that moment, the half-orc archmage beside him instantly killed the person, then sneered:

"Your first mate, second mate, and boatswain, those who weren't on the island are gone forever. You are the last remaining men in your respective fleets. Your ships are gone, your men are gone, and everything you once had at sea is gone."

In a state of extreme panic and unease, the stands were completely silent.

Lone Reef's gaze slowly swept over the various expressions on the faces of the people in the stands, and then he said:

"But you are still alive. Since you are alive, you still have a choice. To be used by me, or to be killed by me, the choice is yours!"

There was no response from the stands for a long time.

The pre-arranged actors worked again; the first pirate loosened his clenched fist and lowered his head, followed by the second, the third…

These pirates weren't stupid; they understood the simple stakes involved. They just couldn't swallow their pride and weren't willing to be the first to surrender.

Like dominoes, the pirates abandoned their standoff one by one.

Lone Reef smiled and nodded, slowly taking out a brand-new roll of parchment from his bosom, unfolding it, and covering the wooden board with it.

"Very well. Since you are all willing to stay, let's sign this new agreement clause by clause."