The power transmitted from empty space was utterly overwhelming. With a sudden, resounding clang overhead, star-like sparks erupted. Midshipman Bass felt his vision blacken, a surge of metallic sweetness flooded his throat, and he was violently knocked back nearly eight meters by a splash of blood from an unseen strike. In his retreat, he even collided with seven or eight pirates and sailors caught in the melee, knocking them down like tumbling gourds—a testament to the force of that blow!

As Midshipman Bass still lay sprawling on the deck, he turned his head in alarm and saw a powerfully built young man slowly approaching, holding a magnificently ornate, deep-blue long saber. This man stood in the confines of the ship so ordinarily, yet he exuded a crushing presence, like a sprawling, immutable mountain range!

He looked over with an expression of regretful sigh:

“My sincere apologies, Midshipman. Phillip is my right and left hand now, so I cannot allow you to influence him further. Therefore... your opponent is now me!”

Bass had served aboard ships for nearly thirty years; he had weathered every manner of storm and large wave imaginable. But upon seeing this man, a sudden quiet descended upon everything around him. The cacophony of shouts and killing mingled nearby seemed entirely shielded from his eardrums.

He could feel the fierce wind whipping across his skin, prickling the fine hairs on the back of his hand. He could sense the intense, salty stench of blood hanging heavy in the air. In his ears, he even heard the deep, steady, and broad rhythm of waves slapping against the hull!

On the vast ocean, beneath the dark clouds of the sky, amidst the savage battlefield, old Bass inexplicably recalled the emerald slopes of his homeland, the black-and-white cows, and the scent of milled grain! He slowly straightened his body, wiped the blood from his lips, and asked in a strained voice:

“Who... are... you?”

Fang Senyan stated plainly:

“I am the demon Phillip spoke of.”

Old Bass roared in fury, his slender rapier flashing, and he thrust directly at Fang Senyan’s chest. Instinctively, he had already prepared several subsequent maneuvers, but what he hadn't anticipated was that the thrust would so cleanly pierce the body of the enemy before him.

Yet, this powerful foe wore an expression of utter nonchalance. On the contrary, capitalizing on Bass’s wide-open vulnerability, he brought his saber down in a sweeping arc from above! Bass, having already fought fiercely against the pirates for a long time, was utterly exhausted. At this moment, one mistake meant total defeat, and seeing the inescapable blow coming, his heart turned icy cold. Just then, Phillip, watching from a distance, shrieked:

“No!”

A ghostly smile flickered across Fang Senyan’s face. He suddenly twisted his blade, using the flat side to smash down onto the back of Midshipman Bass’s head, instantly knocking the wounded and weary old officer unconscious onto the deck. With the British sailors suddenly leaderless, their rout became even more pronounced.

However, these sailors soon discovered that the pirates who had mixed in behind them were willing to accept their surrender, even confirmed by their former comrades that their lives would not be threatened. Meanwhile, the pirates who had initially attacked the ship, those belonging to Xiwale’s faction, grinned maliciously, showing no quarter. Under these circumstances, the rational choice was obvious for everyone.

Soon, once the sailors aboard the warship were eliminated or surrendered, Fang Senyan’s crew of pirates inevitably faced a confrontation with Xiwale’s pirates. Both sides gripped their weapons tightly, radiating murderous intent, facing each other across a distance of two or three meters. A pirate who looked particularly fierce and strong recognized Kanbi and shouted loudly in a hoarse voice:

“You are Iron Hammer Kanbi? Didn’t they say you were already dead?”

Kanbi looked at the pirate with a flicker of fear:

“Lord Blood Anchor?? That was just a misunderstanding.”

Fang Senyan observed that the stout pirate was tall, seemingly no less imposing than Scarface Henry. Trailing behind him was a massive, indescribably rusted anchor stained with blood; this likely explained the moniker Blood Anchor.

Someone had already informed Fang Senyan that this Blood Anchor had previously been the Second Boatswain on Xiwale’s flagship. He was known for extreme brutality, having been exiled to another vessel as a boatswain only after killing someone while drunk. Yet, even in exile, he remained fiercely tyrannical; rumor had it his authority on the ship far surpassed that of the Captain!

Then, Blood Anchor erupted in a loud laugh:

“The life or death of a low-ranking fool like you is irrelevant. This isn't your concern. Clear off now! Do you expect me to toss out a few bones for you dogs to chew on? That’s simple enough: all of you kneel down and bark a few times!”

With that declaration, the other pirates roared with laughter. Fang Senyan, however, quickly scanned Blood Anchor’s attributes and was quite surprised to find the fellow's Strength stat was only thirty-three points! His Stamina and Vitality were also low, not even measuring up to One-Eyed Hog. This level of capability being a core element on Xiwale’s flagship puzzled Fang Senyan.

But time was of the essence. Fang Senyan had no time for further contemplation. With a wave of his hand, Reef abruptly raised his shield and charged straight toward Blood Anchor. Fang Senyan naturally followed closely behind Reef, waiting for the moment Reef’s area-of-effect ability, Heart-Rending Roar, concluded before concisely following up with a Curse Potion.

Simultaneously, the hidden Black Dude pulled the trigger from his distance. The da-da-da-da-da five-round burst sounded like a bugle call, directly igniting the fuse of the ensuing firefight.

The fiery bullets were naturally faster arriving. They plunged deep into Blood Anchor’s chest, spraying dotted blood rapidly, and moreover, they triggered the effect of Viper Wolf’s Whisker. A viper wolf the size of a German Shepherd instantly materialized from the void, its ferocious fangs sinking deeply into Blood Anchor’s lower calf, beginning to tear and pull with force.

Blood Anchor let out a painful bellow, suddenly throwing up both arms. The piercing sound of clanking chains could be heard, and then, under the influence of his monstrous strength, that colossal blood-red anchor flew straight up, hurtling down towards Fang Senyan and his group!

The rushing, roaring sensation was like a small hill tumbling toward them.

Reef, brimming with confidence, raised his shield to meet it. Although he was still following Fang Senyan’s advice and had not yet become a Colonizer, his Stamina had long been maximized at 49 points. In this relatively low-difficulty world, this level of defense was seemingly negligible.

However, the moment Reef collided with the giant anchor, a deafening CRASH erupted, and the result of the impact was utterly shocking. The pirates on Fang Senyan’s side gasped, their morale immediately weakening...

Reef, long considered the core bedrock of the team, was violently thrown back, bleeding, not merely staggered but launched off the ground like a hockey puck—a projectile veering off course—crashing directly into the adjacent cabin. Continuous booming and cracking sounds emanated from within, clearly indicating that the momentum of the blow had not dissipated, and the flying Reef had certainly smashed through numerous things!

The viper wolf summoned by Black Dude also happened to be within the attack radius of the massive bloody anchor. It had already been struck by a few pirates, and this final blow smashed it into a bloody pulp!

Fang Senyan’s pupils constricted in an instant. He realized Reef’s health had been smashed down by nearly a third. This creature’s attack was terrifyingly potent??? Reef immediately roared in frustration through the team channel:

“Damn it! Something must be wrong! Isn’t this a B- level difficulty world? This idiot just hit me with a crush and a critical strike!!”

Clearly, this blow severely wounded Reef’s pride. Being bested in the very domain where he was strongest and most self-assured, especially in front of a crowd of admirers, was infuriating.

Black Dude, however, gloated:

“There are always exceptions. I can take this guy down myself. Boss Reef, you better rest up.”

Fang Senyan remained calm:

“Although his Strength is only showing in the thirties, I suspect this fellow might be carrying some extremely powerful magical story-based equipment! That would explain everything. However, while his attack power is immense, his weaknesses are equally clear: slow movement speed, extremely sluggish attack frequency, low accuracy, and critically low defense. If it were just the three of us facing him, the swarm of other pirates would be troublesome... But now, hmph, it’s not too big of a problem. Don’t rush to attack him; let me see if this guy can crush me.”

At this moment, Blood Anchor was laughing wildly as he re-gripped the clanking, bloody chains:

“One maggot has already gone to hell. Now it’s time for you idiots who dared offend my authority!”

“Is that so?” Fang Senyan suddenly drew his +7 West and charged forward. Blood Anchor roared, and the small-mountain-like giant anchor was hoisted once more, sweeping toward Fang Senyan amidst a shower of debris and dust. This time, it was like a massive truck ramming forward—the speed might not be extreme, but the momentum was irresistible!

Fang Senyan slightly lowered his center of gravity, one foot forward and one back, and used the flat side of his +7 West to block directly in front of his body!

Amidst the gasps of all the pirates, a clear, sharp CLANG echoed. A large amount of deep-blue light scattered and drifted away as if shattered! But Fang Senyan was not sent flying as expected; he was only shoved back four or five meters. Two deep indentations appeared on the deck beneath his feet!