Brothers are united in heart, their strength is invincible

Uriel’s mouth hung open, the unfinished curse—“Traitor!”—choked back down his throat,replaced by a meaningless, dry “Kah!” sound.

His eyes locked onto the map, then snapped back to Black’s face—which wore a smug, exaggerated expression of “injury.”

What the document in front of him was had become painfully obvious.

A wave of overwhelming embarrassment—so intense he wished he could burrow into the ground and vanish—engulfed Uriel.

His cheeks visibly flushed, shifting in an instant from furious crimson to the deep red of a boiled shrimp.

“Uh… ahem.”

Uriel struggled out of near-silence, forcing out an awkward, strained cough.

“Bro, that was all a misunderstanding! We’re practically the same person—ironclad buddies, best roommates ever!”

“Don’t you remember back in the ship’s public bath,when we scrubbed each other’s backs? You even complimented how firm my glutes were!”

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone—including Black—was utterly dumbfounded.

Black’s eye twitched.

He hadn’t expected his “good roommate” to switch faces this fast.

“Pfft, pfft, pfft! When the hell did I ever say that?!

That was you! You were the one who said my glutes were tight—  and now you’re flipping the blame on me?!”

The two grown men kept volleying back and forth about bathhouses and glutes in Chinese,making the other pirates shudder in disgust,eyeing them with visible revulsion.

Even Hans, the first mate, looked stiff and uncomfortable.

“Oh come on, brother—when hearts are united, even metal can be severed!

What I say is what you say!”

“Screw off! Who’s your brother?

I’m the traitor, the spy, the biggest scumbag there is~”

After a few more rounds of playful bickering, Black turned serious.

Seizing the moment when no guards were patrolling nearby,he waved the blueprint in front of the group, then handed it to Hans,his tone turning grave.

“This map shows the escape route from the Welton.”

Hearing Black confirm it himself,the pirates finally let out a collective sigh of relief—their faces lighting up with unrestrained joy.

Some even looked ready to tackle-hug Black and smother him with kisses.

Their attitude had done a complete 180-degree flip.

Hans’ hands trembled as he accepted the precious document.

With this map, the White Pearl Pirates still had a fighting chance.

Someday, they’d get their revenge on the imperial royal family!

“Black… why are you alone? Where’s Captain Loyel?”

After tucking the map away, Hans glanced behind Black,

not seeing the familiar figure, and asked with concern.

“Well…”

Black hesitated.

He couldn’t exactly tell them Loyel had tried—and failed—to assassinate the Empress.

That would only cause unnecessary panic.

Besides, he knew from the game’s storyline that Loyel would be fine until the final ending.

“She’s carrying out a secret operation. She’s safe for now.”

Black answered vaguely.

“If you say so, then I believe you.”

Hans exhaled in relief—he trusted Black had no reason to lie to them.

“Now, about the timing of the breakout—

I need to go over it with you.”

“In about two days…during the battle with the Sea Dragon King…that’s when you make your move.”

“Follow the route to the White Pearl and wait for me there.

If I don’t show up after a while, just leave without me.”

“Don’t wait for Loyel or me—that’s what we both agreed on.”

To ease their worries about their captain, Black deliberately added that last line.

Twice.

Hans nodded firmly—he fully agreed with the plan.

While the royal fleet was locked in combat with the Sea Dragon King,the Dragon-Slaying Guards wouldn’t have a spare moment to chase after them.

It truly was the perfect opportunity.

“Then it’s settled!

I’ll be waiting for you two on the White Pearl!

You’d better make it back!”

The rest of the crew echoed the same sentiment.

“Of course,” Black replied.

After all, this was his ticket back to the fishing village.

“Oh, and First Mate Hans—there’s one more important thing I need to ask you.”

“In general, for a military-grade behemoth like the Hodyr,how would someone sneak into its heavily guarded ammunition depot?”

This was the second major reason Black had come to the Welton tonight.

He hoped Hans—being a seasoned sailor familiar with ship layouts—

could offer insights on infiltrating the Hodyr’s ammo storage.

As for why he needed this information, his motive was simple.

In the game’s prologue, the Draconic Parliament’s conspiracy

had three key factors that influenced the ending.

He’d already sabotaged the first two.

But one remained:

the Purple Dragon infiltrating the ammo depot and triggering a massive explosion.

This event was critical—it significantly altered the story’s trajectory.

Black could’ve chosen to ignore it,but the plot had already shifted dramatically—

like Orex appearing early in today’s Dragon Tide.

All he could do now was minimize further risks.

The Hodyr’s ammunition depot was arguably the most vital location on the entire ship.

It stored munitions for ballistae, cannons, arcane artillery—and countless high-yield spell scrolls.

Against tens of thousands of sea dragons,these supplies were indispensable.

Thus, the depot’s importance was self-evident.

Its defenses were said to be flawless—sealed by multiple layers of complex high-tier protective spells.

Only authorized personnel could enter freely.

No one else—regardless of rank, not even imperial princes or princesses—was permitted inside without explicit clearance.

Of course, one could attempt a brute-force breach.

But the moment those defensive spells were attacked,

the Dragon-Slaying Guard command would detect it instantly.

So a direct assault was out of the question.

In the original game, the Purple Dragon hadn’t used force.

He’d slipped inside through some mysterious method—

the cutscene glossed over the details entirely.

What Black did know was how the Purple Dragon sabotaged the depot.

Instead of casting a destructive spell on the spot—which would’ve killed him in the resulting blast—he used a high-tier spell called “Doomsday Countdown.”

This spell functioned like a timed explosive.

Once cast, it would detonate automatically after a set duration,triggering a chain reaction that would obliterate the entire depot.

By then, the Purple Dragon would have long escaped.

Therefore, if Black could disrupt the “Doomsday Countdown” spell,he could prevent the explosion altogether.

And fortunately, he knew exactly how to dismantle that spell.

The only problem?

He had no idea how to bypass the depot’s magical defenses and get inside.

Without access, everything else was meaningless.