Pirates' Max Level System

In the end, Olivia almost blushed as she forced herself to make up an excuse.

"The South China Sea White Cherry, a flower unique to the South Hillraf Islands in the South China Sea, blooms year-round. When in full bloom, it displays a sacred, pure white color and possesses a delicate fragrance, used locally to express remembrance of deceased loved ones. It's said that through a special extraction method, a fragrance powerful enough to captivate elephants can be extracted from the flowers of the White Cherry. However, this extraction method has long been lost."

"See? A fragrance that can easily charm even an elephant. I doubt..."

Olivia was interrupted by Qin Luo before she could finish her words. "Don't doubt it. The craft has been lost. You are just reading from the book."

"Ah, Qin Luo, you bastard, sleep in the living room tonight."

Olivia never thought that what she had guessed would come true.

"Shanks, hold your breath. The fragrance in the air is a powerful drug." However, Qin Luo's reminder was a little late. Except for the stronger Shanks, Hawkeye and Beckman, the other members of the Red Hair Pirates were already weak and looked like they might fall asleep at any time.

Qin Luo's reminder was like a revelation. Shanks and the other two, whose consciousness had not yet completely subsided, quickly shook their heads and covered their mouths. As for the others, they fell to the ground with a "thump".

Of course, this situation did not only happen on Qin Luo's side. Long before the three members of the Red Hair Pirates fell to the ground, those places near the tombstones in the center of the island had already collapsed, whether they were members of the Doomsday Sect or some other forces.

With precautions, the effect of this drug would not be so strong that anyone who smelled it would fall down, especially since Beckman had made a few simple makeshift respirators by wetting handkerchiefs with sea water.

...0

The effect of this drug extracted from white cherry seems to be related to human vitality. After a period of time, except for some people with combat capabilities above the rank of major general, only those who majored in close combat were still able to hold on.

"Here it comes." Beckman said suddenly.

As if to confirm his words, a rustling sound was heard from the coast, and many ships were approaching the island slowly and bit by bit.

It certainly wasn't the ship from the Chamber of Commerce, which hadn't appeared in the past, nor was it the ship from the newspaper that vanished upon entering the Lost Sea. The only people capable of orchestrating such a move on the small island in the heart of the Lost Sea were the remaining members of the Guardian family who had been hiding.

After charming most of the people on the island, the Guardian family finally decided to show up.

One after another, wooden ships slightly smaller than merchant ships landed on the island, led by the priests of the maritime festival.

The people at the Chamber of Commerce were also amused. They said they had prepared backup priest candidates, but it turned out that these backups were all members of the Guardian Family in disguise. Moreover, even the crew of the priests' ship at the festival had been replaced by members of the Guardian Family. Qin Luo saw several people dressed in sailor uniforms.

"I don't know which one of you is Lord Qin Luo. We are here to pick up our tribesmen as ordered." The high priest who was walking in front took off the mask on his face and said while bowing to the people who were still awake on the island.

Chapter 559: The Importance of Appearance

The high priest looked at the people who surrounded him with a mocking look on his face. His expression clearly said, "If you don't seek death, you won't die. It's your own fault that you were stupid and bumped into the trap. How can you blame me for this?"

The old ones are still the wisest. That plain and simple sentence that sounded like an excuse, coupled with that expression, showed off his sarcasm to the max.

Without saying a word, those who were still awake rushed towards the high priest in anger and humiliation.

"Haha." The high priest chuckled, and a team of people dressed in priestly attire emerged from behind him and headed towards the attacking enemy.

This group of priests were relatively young, numbering exactly eighty-one. Their weapons were long weapons similar to Zen staffs, with sharp blades on the top.

These eighty-one men, each formed into a team of three, formed a unique attack formation. Even if their individual strength was somewhat inferior, they could leverage the power of their combined attacks to easily defeat those far superior. From time to time, the trio would also launch a combined attack, causing their opponents to cry out in pain.

Coupled with the increasing levels of drug intoxication in their bodies, the physical strength of the remnants of the Doomsday Cult and other forces was gradually weakened. Their defeat was basically certain.

In order to prevent these people from taking desperate measures, the high priest who had been watching the show and several people who looked like elders entered the scene carrying their weapons.

The weapons of these elders were relatively simple, consisting of a white jade staff engraved with various patterns. The ends and the middle of the staff were covered with layers of talismans.

Qin Luo saw it clearly. When the high priest waved his long stick, a faint pure white light spread out from the talisman. At the same time, a faint light emanated from his body, resonating with the light of the talisman.

The same was true for several other elder-like people. As they urged, white light began to spread from the talisman to the entire stick and their bodies.

As the fight went on, the old men transformed into war gods clad in white armor. The pure white armor outlined ferocious patterns, and the armor on the chest resembled a white hawk trying to break free.

Behind the armor, white tail flames rippled into the air, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing, which reminded people of the wings of a phoenix.

Unlike the black Armament Haki, these armors created with pure white light did not make the crisp sound of metal clashing when colliding with weapons. The weapons that struck the pure white armor either shattered the white light directly or disappeared without a sound, like a stone sinking into the sea.

Qin Luo was stunned watching from the side. Turtle, this was the first time Qin Luo saw the Guardian Family's secret technique. No wonder so many people were spying on it. This appearance was much more powerful than the Armament Haki.

Regardless of time and space, the world is all about looks. The Guardian Family's secret techniques are much more impressive than the armed haki of an African immigrant dressed in black. Who would want to pretend to be unlucky when they can be European?

There is a saying that goes, "A white complexion can hide a hundred flaws." Sorry, but the secret technique of our Guardian family is that we can do whatever we want in this regard.

But in fact, according to Qin Luo's analysis, the power and effect of the Guardian Family's secret technique are actually no different from the Armament Haki.

If Armament Haki is a reflection of one's aptitude and combat prowess, then this Guardian Family's secret technique is generated through the resonance of the body and the power of the talisman. It's hard to say which is superior, but both are used to arm and strengthen the self.

Visually, Qin Luo also leans towards the Guardian Family's secret technique, but this secret technique that relies on external forces seems to have quite a big drawback...

Of this group alone, only the high priest possessed the strength of a candidate general, while the rest of the elders were barely at the peak of major general status. Not to mention the younger ones, who couldn't even emit white light. In a real battle, they were little more than cannon fodder.

If this is the entire strength of the Guardian Family, it would be difficult to keep the secret technique.

After sacrificing half of the eighty-one-man team's battle and seriously injuring two elders, the Guardian Family finally defeated their opponents with the help of drugs.

After the battle, the other members of the Guardian Family, who had been watching and cheering, began to clean up the battlefield. Their job was to carry and treat the wounded, and tie up those who had been knocked down or drugged to prevent them from waking up and attacking.

"Strange, didn't you say you were here to pick up qualified family members? Wake one up and ask if he knows where Qin Luo is." The high priest leaned his stick on the ground and said to the younger generation of the family.

"You are looking for me." After seeing the Guardian Family's secret technique, Qin Luo and the others no longer had any doubts about the identities of these people.

"What, there's someone else? Everyone be on alert." The sudden voice scared the high priest so much that he staggered.

Qin Luo was speechless. The fog on the island was indeed quite thick, but it was not so thick that he could not see Qin Luo and his companions. What else could he say? Guarding the seal did not require vision.

"No, this is a keepsake."

Qin Luo threw the token he got from Shanks over, a jade pendant with a special pattern, which used to represent the identity of the young patriarch until someone took it away when they eloped.

The high priest took the token thrown by Qin Luo with doubt. They naturally had their own verification method.

Similar to a secret technique, as the high priest's hand and the jade pendant resonated and emitted a faint glow, the guardian family, who had been waiting in high spirits, let down their guard.

"You must be Lord Qin Luo. I wonder where the two children of my tribe are now." The high priest glanced around Qin Luo and confirmed that there were no so-called children around him except Hawkeye and a few others.

Chapter 560 Leaving the Sea

This time, the high priest, following the ancestor's instructions, came to retrieve a pair of exceptionally gifted children, rumored to be the children of the young patriarch who eloped several years ago. To this end, he personally led the team, bringing out all of the family's remaining fighting force. If he hadn't picked them up, the situation would have been very difficult.

"Wait a moment." Not wanting to perform a magic trick in front of so many people, Qin Luo found an excuse to return to Shanks' ship and released Olivia and the other four people from the Shenwei space.

The two children were still a little confused after coming out of the Shenwei Space. Because he was worried that the two children would feel uneasy in the dark environment in the Shenwei Space, every time he sent them in, Qin Luo would use illusion to make them fall asleep.

Shanks and the others saw Qin Luo enter the kitchen alone, and when he came out, there were five people instead of one. Shanks touched his nose. He had been to the kitchen before to find something to eat, and he was sure that there was no one hiding in the kitchen. He didn't know how Qin Luo had conjured up four living people.

After handing the two children over to the high priest, Qin Luo thought it would take some time to prove the identities of the two children, but judging from the situation, he was overthinking it.

The moment he saw the two children, the high priest half-knelt down, touched the older boy's head with his hand, and murmured, "Resemble, so much alike, exactly like An when he was a child."

An is naturally the name of the two children's father.

"Thank you very much, everyone. We will take the two children away now. If there is a chance, the Guardian Family will naturally thank you." As he said this, the high priest was about to pull the two children towards the Guardian Family's boat.

"Wait." Hawkeye and others stepped forward and stood between the high priest and the two children. Shanks naturally slapped the high priest's outstretched hand away.

"Kids, come behind your uncle first." Shanks said to the two children, and Nai also ran over and protected the two children behind him like chickens.

Compared to the tribesmen they just met, the two children must trust Shanks and his crew more who have been protecting them for many days, not to mention that they also have a certified aunt, Nai.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to ask for benefits, my Guardian Family can afford it even if ours is in decline. Just tell me directly." It was obvious that the high priest regarded Shanks and others as people who were spying on the family.

"Hmph." Being looked down upon, Hawkeye gave the high priest a fierce look in displeasure.

"We don't want any reward, but we promised the father of the two children that some high priests must agree before we can hand over the two children to you." Beckman said to the high priest.

"Call me the Second Elder. This priesthood is temporary." With Beckman's explanation, the suddenly tense atmosphere eased.

Afterwards, Shanks and his companions told the high priest everything about how they met the father of the two children and how they were entrusted with the mission, as well as the father's request.

One is to send the two children back to the family, and the other is to let the clan recognize the identity of the children's mother and take her into the clan.

Of course, if the family is still unwilling to accept the mother of the two children, the father hopes that Shanks and others can take the mother and daughter to a peaceful place to live a stable life.

There was a long silence as Shanks and the others waited for the Second Elder's decision. They did not want to fight with the Guardian Family unless absolutely necessary.

"If that's all, there's no problem at all."

Shanks and Beckman breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the second elder's words.

"The Guardian Family is no longer what it used to be. Those pretentiousness and rules certainly need to be changed. But are you sure? The family's situation is not good right now. For a woman without any strength, this is like jumping into a fire pit."

The Second Elder's words were true. For a long time to come, the Guardian family would be living in hiding. For an orphan and a widow, such a life would be even more difficult than trying to make a living on their own.

"What do you know? For my sister, my brother-in-law and children are the most important. As long as my brother-in-law wants her to, she can do it."

The second elder was shocked by what he heard. It was also the first time that he noticed this female reporter.

Through the face of Xi Na, the memories that should have been forgotten came back to me bit by bit, that weak girl who finally had the courage to elope with the young patriarch.

If it weren't for the repeated obstruction by myself and the clan leader back then, perhaps many things would have been different.

After that, Shanks told the two children to go with the tribe first. After the storm died down, the Guardian Family would contact the Red Hair Pirates and go with them to pick up the children's mother.

Of course, this also means that Shanks and his friends have to stay in the South China Sea for a while longer.

After tying up all the unconscious and knocked-out people and throwing them onto the boat, the Guardian Family began to prepare to leave.

"Second Elder, I have something to discuss with you."

On the way back, Olivia found the second elder of the Guardian Family. So far, it was Shanks and his team who had achieved their goal. It had always been their mission to escort the child to the Guardian Family's holy land. Qin Luo and his team were just doing it as a favor.

Olivia's only goal was to study the history of the Guardian family and the Undead Fleet, hoping to find a way to control the Undead Fleet.

Of course, it would be even better if the Guardian Family was willing to show Olivia their family's secret techniques.

"What's wrong, young lady?"

The second elder spoke the last two words very lightly. This old man, who had seen countless people, saw through Olivia's disguise at a glance.

Olivia did not deny it, nor did she feel embarrassed about having her identity revealed. She said calmly, "I would like to borrow some of your family's books. I wonder if it's possible. I come from..."

Olivia didn't make any sound when she said the last few words, but the second elder could tell from her mouth shape that those three words were "O'Hara".

"If it's you, then there's absolutely no problem. My ancestors have already instructed me to invite you to our ancestral land if you're willing."

The so-called distinguished guests here are naturally Qin Luo and his companions. Shanks is not on this trip. Once they leave the Lost Sea, the Guardian Family will separate from the Red Hair Pirates.

The Guardian Family's research on the Lost Sea was indeed thorough. Even with the Red Hair Pirates' ship, they were able to advance rapidly through the Lost Sea. The speed of the other ships on the way here was nothing compared to this.

As the brightness ahead continued to increase, everyone knew that they were about to leave the Lost Sea.

Chapter 561: Failed Night Attack

Facing the afterglow of the setting sun, everyone escaped from the fog, which also meant that the Lost Sea had been left behind by them.

Qin Luo and others started from the lighthouse clock tower of South Hilllove and headed towards the center of the Lost Sea. Now they came out from the other side. Before they knew it, they had already completed the crossing of the Lost Sea.

Others probably would never have imagined that the Guardian family's ancestral home would be so far away from South Hillraf.

Not to mention that they hadn't reached the Guardian Clan's ancestral land yet, just the journey from South Hillraf to where they were now, even if they had to sail around the Lost Sea, would take an average ship at least four days, and that was at full speed.

Because of this, after sunset, the guards didn't take any special measures. The Guardian family seemed very confident in the safety of their "exclusive route."

In comparison, the Red Hair Pirates' night watch is much more rigorous. As pirates, they are well aware of the lethality of sneak attacks at night.

"Deputy Captain, the people of the Guardian Family are too casual." Fatty Laki, who was asked to keep watch, complained a little.

The fat man felt unbalanced when he saw those people in the Guardian Family who were responsible for vigilance chatting and keeping watch, while he could only stand alone on the high platform of the mast and enjoy the wind.

"Just do our own thing, we don't care about other people's affairs."

Beckman patted Laki's fleshy shoulders. He knew very well that these people from the Guardian Family were too relaxed, but he couldn't run over to remind or warn them.

Firstly, he has no stance, and secondly, even if he reminds others, they may not take him seriously.

Beckman decided to ignore the matter, figuring the Red Hair Pirates would only be sailing with the Guardian Family for one night. Given the Guardian Family's confidence in this route, nothing should go wrong.

As soon as tonight is over, the Red Hair Pirates will leave alone to pick up the mother of the two children.

So why should we set a flag? Even if it is unintentional.

Because there were no extra rooms on Shanks' ship, Qin Luo, Olivia and Nai were invited by the second elder to board his ship as distinguished guests who were going to the Guardian family's ancestral land.

The second elder also opened his private collection of books to Olivia, which contained many books from thousands of years ago. This was an irresistible temptation for the historian.

At around twelve o'clock in the night, there was a knock on the door of Olivia's study.

Who else would come to see her at this time?

With doubts, Olivia opened the door, and in front of her were the neatly dressed Qin Luo, Xi Na and two sleepy children.

"Get ready, guests are coming." Qin Luo said as he asked a few people to follow him. Now the safest place in the entire fleet was next to him.