Chapter 393 - 291: Iron Rakshasa, Blood Rose

Chapter 393: Chapter 291: Iron Rakshasa, Blood Rose

Staring at her gracefully swaying back, Iron Rakshasa suddenly felt a fire burn within him. He grabbed a nearby serving girl and, ignoring her struggles and cries, turned and headed for his chambers.

Meanwhile, in the largest restaurant in town, Annabelle was having the worst meal of her life.

Although the ingredients were fresh, the cook’s skills were unfortunately lacking, rendering the entire spread of dishes an unpalatable mess.

This was to be expected. After all, what kind of decent person would come to a hellhole like this?

Only those with nowhere else to go would flee here for refuge, so it was only normal for the food to be terrible.

After all, the people here were either fugitives or pirates. For this crowd, as long as there was alcohol, the taste of the food wasn’t particularly important.

However, Annabelle’s mind clearly wasn’t on the food. She put down her knife and fork after a few bites and watched Wu Liangchen across from her, who was wolfing down large mouthfuls of roasted meat from some unknown creature. She found herself completely captivated.

The roasted meat was the only edible thing on the entire table.

There was no telling what kind of creature it came from, but the meat was quite tender. Although it was a bit overcooked, it was still palatable with the dipping sauce.

Soon, Wu Liangchen had polished off the entire large platter of roasted meat. Then, he looked up at Annabelle.

"What is it?"

Annabelle blushed and quickly said, "Thank you!"

Wu Liangchen smiled. "Think nothing of it."

He knew Annabelle was thanking him for what had happened earlier.

After all, this business had nothing to do with him. The terms of his deal with Orlando were to eliminate any pirates they encountered and ensure the voyage’s safety, not to handle such trivial, messy affairs.

But Annabelle was reading too much into it. The reason he had attacked the man pleasuring himself on the street wasn’t to protect her. It was because...

’Damn it, that bastard was actually getting off while looking at *me*!!’

Even though he was one of the most powerful beings in this world, the mere thought of it still made Wu Liangchen’s skin crawl.

Of course, he could never tell Annabelle this.

"That group clearly works for a pirate crew," Annabelle said, her face clouded with worry. "Even though they’ve retreated for now, I doubt they’ll let this go. It’s highly likely they’ll attack us at sea."

Even with Wu Liangchen by her side, she still felt uneasy.

After all, this wasn’t a typical duel between Martial Artists. This was a large-scale confrontation, a clash between two fleets with cannons blazing.

Although Wu Liangchen had captured Hoffman, she wasn’t sure how much of a difference one man’s personal might could make in a situation like this.

In contrast to her anxiety, Wu Liangchen was far more composed.

Just a moment ago, despite the great distance, he had already clashed with the person on the third floor.

The result, unsurprisingly, was a resounding victory for him.

And that was without him using his full strength. If he had gone all out, that person would likely have been severely injured on the spot.

The reason Wu Liangchen hadn’t done so was simple.

He had, after all, made a deal with Orlando to clear out the pirates entrenched in these waters.

If he were to unleash his full power now, he might scare them off, causing the pirates to go into hiding.

In that case, after he boarded his own ship, Annabelle would inevitably be in danger on her return journey.

Although their relationship was purely transactional, and he held the absolute upper hand, Wu Liangchen had no intention of deceiving her.

The fleet then resupplied at Black Stone Reef for three days. During that time, everything was peaceful; nothing happened.

But the more peaceful it was, the more it suggested that the next leg of the journey would be anything but.

This was the calm before the storm.

The atmosphere spread to the crew. Everyone’s mood was heavy as they hurried through their tasks with solemn expressions.

Even those without work to do had to pretend to be busy.

In contrast to the crew’s tension, as if facing a great enemy, Wu Liangchen was much more composed.

He even got himself a fishing rod and sat leisurely at the bow, fishing.

Perhaps influenced by his carefree attitude, the tense atmosphere among the fleet gradually began to ease.

Annabelle, who had been wound as tight as a bowstring, felt her anxiety melt away the moment she saw Wu Liangchen sitting at the bow, as steady and unmoving as a mountain.

How to describe it? It was as if she had suddenly found her pillar of strength.

The fleet sailed on. They encountered nothing for the first two days, but no one let down their guard. They simply did their jobs, remaining on high alert for anything that might happen.

This peace lasted until the fifth day.

On this day, Wu Liangchen finished his daily training as usual and brought his fishing rod to the bow to fish.

The weather was poor that day—overcast and looking like rain, with a gentle breeze stirring.

Though it was called a gentle breeze, out here in the deep ocean, the slightest gust could create enormous swells.

Fortunately, the fleet’s ships were built by master craftsmen with extensive experience, making them highly resistant to wind and waves. Otherwise, they would never dare venture into these far-flung waters.

Even so, some lurching was unavoidable.

But no matter how the ship pitched and rolled, Wu Liangchen sat firmly at the bow, completely unperturbed.

Standing behind him in attendance, Graham couldn’t help but marvel silently at the sight.

Nothing else needed to be said; this level of tranquil composure alone was far beyond what an ordinary person could achieve.

After his moment of admiration, he habitually glanced toward the distant horizon.

In the next second, he froze.

Amidst the wind and waves, he had vaguely glimpsed the shadow of sails.

"It’s a fleet... there’s a fleet up ahead!" Graham cried out in alarm.

At almost the same moment he shouted, the lookout in the crow’s nest blew the warning whistle for a pirate attack.

The shrill whistle carried far on the sea wind.

The distant pirate fleet immediately accelerated, charging toward them.

Everyone was stunned when they saw the full extent of the pirate fleet.

It was an enormous fleet, comprising twenty to thirty ships.

The ships formed an impassable line across the sea, bearing down on the merchant fleet with the force of a thunderbolt.

Two flags fluttered in the wind among the fleet.

One depicted a ferocious Rakshasa; the other, a blood-red rose.

"It’s Iron Rakshasa and Blood Rose!" Graham’s expression became incredibly grave as he spoke to Wu Liangchen in a low voice.

At this moment, even he, who had witnessed Wu Liangchen’s power firsthand, couldn’t help but feel a sliver of doubt.

After all, the pirate force they now faced was simply too powerful.

Twenty to thirty large ships were lined up on the water like a dark cloud, a sight so overwhelming it was suffocating.

’This time... can we still win?’

The thought flashed through Graham’s mind.

Annabelle also felt a mix of doubt and despair. She had never imagined they would run into a combined fleet of two major pirate crews.

’Could it be that the Bell Clan, after a century of honor, is truly going to fall here?’

Meanwhile, within the pirate fleet, Iron Rakshasa watched the panicked merchant ships with a smug expression, feeling victory was already within his grasp.

He might have struggled to take on this merchant fleet alone, but with Blood Rose’s forces added to his own, they could do more than just take on the Bell Clan—they could even hold their own against the Folangji Royal Navy.

And aboard her flagship, Blood Rose gazed almost greedily at the man sitting on the bow, growing wet without even realizing it.

Compared to him, all the so-called handsome young talents she had captured and conquered in the past seemed like a complete joke.

And just as all eyes were fixed on the scene, Wu Liangchen, still seated at the bow, suddenly lifted his rod. A sea fish traced a graceful arc through the air before landing on the deck.

Wu Liangchen let out a soft sigh. "Just as a fish takes the bait, you all show up to ruin the mood. How vexing."

After saying this, Wu Liangchen reached for the bow and arrow beside him. Without even rising, he drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and fired it toward the opposing fleet.

Iron Rakshasa almost burst out laughing at the sight.

’Trying to fight us with a bow and arrow? Never mind whether an arrow can even hit its mark in this howling sea wind. Even if it does, what’s it going to do, explode or some—’

BOOM!

A loud explosion cut off Iron Rakshasa’s thought. He then saw flames erupting from one of his ships.

"That’s one."

Wu Liangchen said calmly. He then picked up another, newly improved explosive arrow, drew his bow, and aimed at the two flagships flying their banners in the center of the formation.