As the saying goes, an expert reveals their mettle with the first move. Fang Senyan knew instantly from the way Black Sail entered the water that the man hadn't been boasting. With a dark, lacquer-black knife held in his teeth, he quickly swam to Fang Senyan's side, guarding him vigilantly.

The dark seawater stretched out endlessly, appearing like a bottomless abyss concealing untold dangers. Fang Senyan surfaced, took a deep breath, and then submerged again, using the firelight to see beneath the bow of the ship. From the depths of the sea, what seemed like thick, twisted, black cables grew, weaving together into dense nets directly in front of the bow, blocking the vessel's passage.

Fang Senyan, skilled and bold, swam directly toward the thick black ropes. Only upon drawing near, illuminated by the light emanating from them, did he realize these were not ropes at all. They appeared to be some kind of densely interwoven marine plant, like the tight braids of a young girl's hair.

These rope-like structures resembled both the wet, matted hair of corpses and freshly harvested, undried kelp, exuding a sickening odor that nearly induced nausea. When Fang Senyan reached out to touch them, they felt intensely cold and clammy, yet surprisingly tough and elastic.

"I think I've seen something like this before," Fang Senyan suddenly recalled an experience from sailing in the real world. On that occasion, while crossing the Atlantic, they had passed through the notoriously mysterious Bermuda Triangle. Because the captain was engaged in smuggling, they had deviated from their course to meet a delivery midway, then turned west along the Gulf Stream.

On that infrequently traveled route, Fang Senyan and his crew encountered no true oddities, only witnessing a spectacular sight: a "grassland" on the ocean.

The water depth there averaged over four thousand meters, with no islands, yet the sea surface was entirely covered with acres of rootless, green seaweed—Sargassum—creating a scene reminiscent of prairie landscapes. Driven by the sea breeze and currents, the floating Sargassum formed a massive olive-colored carpet stretching into the distance. The sheer volume of Sargassum was immense, covering millions of square kilometers.

The massive black ropes Fang Senyan witnessed now bore a striking resemblance to the Sargassum from the real world. However, the former were several, perhaps even ten times, larger than the latter! They were likely related species thriving in the Caribbean world. It was probable they were breeding heavily during this season, causing the male and female strands to intertwine and clog the shipping lane—making the phenomenon appear eerie, but ultimately mundane once explained.

At this moment, Black Sail swam over as well. He tentatively touched the Sargassum ropes with his hand, then shrugged with an expression of disdain. Next, gripping the knife held in his mouth, he swept it across the mass with force, the blade proving exceedingly sharp as it sliced the structure in two.

But the bizarre happened immediately after: the severed end of the Sargassum rope instantly released a faint black mist that rapidly dispersed through the water like smoke. Following this, the surrounding Sargassum strands quickly converged, suddenly ensnaring Black Sail.

The one-eyed giant was caught fast, his whole body bound. Although he possessed the strength to tear them apart, it was like cutting tangled threads; the more he struggled and pulled, the tighter the disgusting ropes bound to his body seemed to constrict—a clear case of the more he fought, the worse it became!

However, just as Fang Senyan prepared to rush to the rescue, Black Sail waved him back, signaling him to swim further away. Then, the seemingly unremarkable pirate calmly unscrewed the handle of the knife he held, from which tiny, rice-grain-sized eggs immediately floated out.

These eggs rapidly adhered to the giant Sargassum, hatched, and quickly formed black beetles the size of ping-pong balls. These beetles possessed flea-like long legs, paddling leisurely through the water. They swiftly moved along the giant Sargassum strands, devouring them as silkworms consume mulberry leaves, showing an astonishing appetite. In an instant, they consumed all the surrounding giant Sargassum ropes until nothing remained.

Witnessing this, Fang Senyan nodded slightly, concluding that Black Sail was indeed a talent. Judging by his methods, he likely practiced some form of black magic akin to Voodoo. Having such a subordinate could fill the current gap for spell-casting contractors in their team.

But just then, Mogansha’s voice suddenly crackled urgently over the team channel:

"Boss! Get back on the ship quickly! What were you two doing down there? It looks like a big one is coming!"

As he spoke, the dark-skinned man fired a flare toward the water in the distance, immediately revealing to Fang Senyan and Black Sail a horrifying sight. Further away lay an astonishingly vast network of giant Sargassum nets, and a colossal shadow was rapidly approaching. This shadow was encircled by countless fine bubbles, giving the impression of dark storm clouds bearing down on the sky, and the shadow itself was constantly shifting in form, like ink dissolving in water!

Black Sail’s eyes widened suddenly; his expression suggested he recognized the entity. He immediately made frantic gestures at Fang Senyan, urging him to board the ship. As the two surfaced, Black Sail urgently exclaimed:

"Careful! It's the Chupacabra!!"

Fang Senyan questioned curiously:

"What is that?"

Black Sail stated gravely:

"A colossal sea beast that hunts on the edge of life and death. Its appearance is said to herald great disaster. Boss, now that we know the guardian of this 'Dead Man's Hair' is the Chupacabra, we really shouldn't risk angering it by proceeding."

"Based on the stories I've heard, the Chupacabra greatly enjoys consuming the fruit of the Dead Man's Hair (the giant Sargassum), and it only takes half a day for the 'hair' to bear fruit—to put it plainly, this monster will leave in six hours, and then we can safely cut through the Dead Man's Hair and pass."

"Six hours..." Fang Senyan calculated, then immediately spoke into the team channel: "This must be a prerequisite for triggering a hidden mission! Something significant must be happening in that place called Tortuga right now. If we rush there immediately, we'll hit the main event! But if we arrive within the mission's deadline, we'll only get scraps."

With this realization, Fang Senyan shouted toward the deck:

"Can anyone tell me what fun things are happening in Tortuga lately?"

The pirates immediately burst into a clamor of voices:

"Boss, you don't know? These few days are Tortuga’s Tsigane Festival! Those wandering Tsiganes (Gypsies) from the mainland come to Tortuga for a short stay, buy some unique divination materials from the ocean, and then continue wandering."

A gleam flashed in Fang Senyan's eyes, and he said seriously:

"Keep talking."

"Let me think... the Tsigane Festival lasts exactly 12 days. Today should be the final day. All Tsiganes absolutely never stay in one place for more than this duration, because thirteen is the Devil’s unclean day. So, before the sun rises tomorrow morning, all the Tsiganes will have already left, due to their deep-seated aversion to the number thirteen," the old sea dog told Fang Senyan.

Just then, as the Chupacabra approached, Mogansha began to aim, but Black Sail immediately shouted:

"No! Do not provoke it!"

The dark-skinned man remained silent but transmitted a series of data points to Fang Senyan:

Chupacabra (Tier Three Legendary Creature) Length: 17.33 meters. Weight: 14 tons Strength 35 Agility 8 Stamina 10 Perception 1 Charm 1 Intelligence 20 Spirit 15 Marine Organism Tier Three Legendary Creature Ability: Parasitic Algae Armor. Grants the owner an additional 40,000 Health and the Algae Bubble Shield effect. Note: While active, the Algae Bubble Shield refracts light, causing enemy vision to deviate, making it difficult to pinpoint its true form, reducing enemy hit chance by 10%, and reducing the owner's critical hit chance by 10%. The Algae Bubble Shield has 1,000 Health and regenerates within 180 seconds of being broken. Special Ability: Tail Lash, summons massive waves to attack enemies or ships; this skill deals an additional 100% damage to ships. Special Ability: Devour, once activated, inflicts fixed damage on Contractors and has a chance to instantly kill other creatures of smaller volume. Special Ability: ??? Special Ability: ??? Description: This is an extremely powerful Legendary Creature. If you intend to provoke it, you must be prepared to be eaten.

As soon as Fang Senyan saw the words "Tier Three Legendary Creature," he let out a long sigh of relief. Even if this monster gained a combat bonus in its home environment, it would at best reach Tier Four Legendary status... But compared to the Legendary Creatures they had faced before—Hecatoncheires, Balrogs, Death Spirit Beasts, and even top-tier existences among Legends like the Death Spirit Beast Knight and the Overlord Phantom Wyvern—they had already seen and either defeated or eliminated them! Seeing a Tier Three Legendary Creature naturally gave them a psychological advantage.

Fang Senyan considered that even though his group was on the ship, they had plenty of trump cards. He nodded, and the dark-skinned man immediately pulled the trigger. With the Wasp Pistol in hand, he fired three quick shots, then switched to sustained fire.

My apologies for the late update today; there will be an extra chapter update at 12 AM for recommended tickets. Thank you all for your support. RO