Elwin hadn't expected Fang Senyan to dare to strike at this moment, but his nature was equally fierce. With a wild cry, he raised his right hand to meet the incoming blade head-on! At the same time, he drew his own sword to slash back at Fang Senyan—if he could just buy a moment, he could call his trusted subordinates nearby for aid! But as blood flashed, Fang Senyan didn't dodge or retreat either; he raised his left hand and grasped Elwin's descending strike, blood oozing between his fingers. As if unaffected, Fang Senyan used the momentum to press his own attack forward!

Elwin shrieked, clutching his shoulder as he staggered back. But Fang Senyan gave him no chance to breathe, stepping forward with a heavy kick squarely into Elwin's abdomen, sending the unfortunate man flying off the gunwale, trailing a long, piercing scream as he splashed into the seawater with a resounding thud.

Only then did Fang Senyan turn around, casually flicking the blood dripping from his hand. He looked at the stunned confidantes of Vicious Fang Elwin and asked:

"What was his rank on the ship?"

Fang Senyan's sudden movements—as still as the untouched water, yet as swift as a startled rabbit—left a profound impression. Under his sharp gaze, a thin, dark pirate instinctively shuffled back half a step, stammering:

"H-He was... the Second Mate."

Fang Senyan pressed:

"What is your name?"

The dark, lean pirate jumped:

"My name is Robben; they call me Long-Legged Robben."

"You are the Second Mate now. If you don't want to become dinner for the Caribbean sharks in a few minutes, then take them immediately and reinforce the port side deck—now!" Fang Senyan commanded, his voice stern and fierce, a hint of menace flashing in his eyes!

Robben was dizzy, overwhelmed by this sudden windfall. Any thought of avenging Elwin had long since vanished into thin air. Roared at by Fang Senyan, he immediately drew his cutlass and rushed toward the port deck, shouting, driving back the group of Spanish sailors who were already swarming aboard. Armand, watching from a distance, saw the entire scene. He knew Elwin had rushed over to snatch credit now that the tide had turned, but he hadn't anticipated Fang Senyan would be so ruthless as to draw steel and kill upon meeting!

Elwin had reached the rank of Second Mate because he was one of Armand’s earliest and most trusted core members. Because of this history, when the already grievously wounded man was struck down and kicked into the ocean, a sharp pain convulsed in Armand's chest. Yet, Fang Senyan’s effort to turn the tide was undeniable; whether by sentiment or reason, Armand could do nothing! More than that, he had to reward/win over Fang Senyan.

Firstly, he needed to demonstrate fairness in reward and punishment. Secondly, and more critically, Armand's elite personnel had suffered heavy casualties in this battle: Boatswain Kalon was dead, First Mate Scar Henry was gravely injured and unconscious, and Second Mate Elwin had been dealt two blows before being kicked into the deep sea. If they counted the elite pirates killed holding back the Corpse Rot, Armand’s direct forces had diminished by at least sixty percent in this engagement!

Under these circumstances, if Armand failed to clearly establish rewards and punishments, morale would plummet, and the crew would become ungovernable. Furthermore, Fang Senyan’s reputation would surely skyrocket among the pirates after this battle. If Armand attempted to dispose of him later, Fang Senyan might even collaborate with Charles and effectively usurp Armand’s authority.

As the battle progressed, the British allied forces gradually gained the upper hand. After all, they commanded four Legendary-class warships whose strange abilities manifested ceaselessly. Although the Spanish Armada possessed sturdy ships and superior firepower with rigid discipline, they could not withstand the enemy’s slow, persistent attrition. Their defense began to contract. The great merchant Fernandes, sensing the danger, initiated a strategy of abandoning ship, consolidating his best crew onto his largest merchant vessel, discarding heavy cargo in favor of only light, valuable items.

Under this turn of events, Guttas, tasked with intercepting Armand, also lost the will to fight on. Armand, likewise, had no desire to prolong the engagement. The two sides exchanged a final blow and leaped backward simultaneously, establishing a tacit truce. When Armand returned to his ship, Fang Senyan, with impeccable timing, knelt on one knee, presenting the captured cutlass with both hands, declaring respectfully and loudly:

“Mighty Son of the Black Sea, welcome back!”

Armand’s eyes flickered, noticing that nearly all the surviving pirates on the Bell and Glass were staring intently, especially Robben, whose gaze was the most fervent—because if Fang Senyan secured his position and earned the Captain's approval, Fang Senyan’s appointment of Robben as Second Mate would be instantly half-legitimized! Seeing this scene, Armand knew the mood of the crew favored this outcome; it was the way things were trending. With an internal sigh, he drew the silver rapier from his waist, pressed the flat of the blade onto Fang Senyan’s shoulder, and proclaimed in a solemn, loud tone:

“You have done excellently! Sailor Yan from the East, from this moment forward, you are the Boatswain of the Bell and Glass!”

A light flashed in Fang Senyan’s eyes, but he remained silent. However, a large portion of the pirates remaining on the Bell and Glass erupted in cheers. Most of them understood clearly: without Fang Senyan, they would have surely been overrun by the Spanish sailors. Their fates would have been one of two outcomes: stabbed to death or drowned overboard. Following this, Armand could only reluctantly appoint Robben as "Acting" Second Mate, while simultaneously, Fang Senyan received a prompt from the Nightmare Mark:

“You have received an appointment from the Ship Captain of the Bell and Glass: Armand, a Leader-tier Story Character.” “You have become the Boatswain of the Bell and Glass.” “Your reputation among pirates has increased by 1200 points, rising from Indifferent 77/1000 points to Friendly 277/3000.” “You have gained the Hidden Achievement: Pirate Leader.” “You have gained the Hidden Title: Pirate Leader.” (Title effect when equipped: When aboard a ship, Strength +2, Constitution +2. All allied units within 30 meters of you gain +10% Attack Power.) “You have gained the Hidden Achievement; your Merit Score +1.” (Each Hidden Achievement increases your Merit Score.)

Armand at this moment was quite exhausted and mentally scattered; the events of this short period had been too numerous. Thus, he naturally took charge on the ship, while the newly appointed Boatswain Fang Senyan, following Armand's orders, took responsibility for eliminating the remaining enemies and looting the merchant ship before them. However, most of the remaining pirates were acutely aware of Fang Senyan's ruthlessness—even Elwin, who had sailed with Armand for ten years through life and death, had been hacked at and kicked into the sea to feed the sharks. Consequently, they obeyed him meekly and without question.

At this point, Kree, who had taken refuge in the lower hold, emerged, plastering a smile on his face, ready to congratulate Fang Senyan. But he saw Robben hurrying over, clutching a cutlass backward, urgently reporting:

“Boatswain! That monster crawled out of hell is blocking the cargo hold!”

Fang Senyan’s heart stirred:

“What monster?”

Robben said urgently:

“It’s the Corpse Rot the damned Spanish let loose! Half of its head has been burned off, and it attacks anyone who gets close! No one dares approach!”

Fang Senyan placed his hand on the hilt of the blade at his waist and said calmly:

“I’ll go see.”

During the preceding battle, although Fang Senyan had fought in the front lines, the actual rewards he reaped—aside from benefits related to the Boatswain position—were meager: perhaps two or three gray keys. The shoddy treasure chests summoned by these keys mostly contained tattered coin purses, usually holding only two or three shillings, and some were even empty, yielding a total income of less than one British pound. Now, however, that maddened Corpse Rot undoubtedly carried a very high chance of dropping high-level items, prompting eager anticipation in Fang Senyan.

Led by Robben, Fang Senyan quickly reached the second deck of the merchant vessel. After some intense fighting, the entire compartment was a wreck. Furthermore, the Bell and Glass had smashed a large hole in the merchant ship’s side, causing it to leak water, and the vessel was noticeably beginning to list. It would sink in perhaps half an hour. It was clear Armand had considered this beforehand: if Fang Senyan couldn't deal with the powerful Corpse Rot quickly, the process of salvaging goods would be delayed.

And what was the fundamental motivation for pirates to risk their lives at sea? Beyond characters steeped in romance and adventure like Jack Sparrow, perhaps ninety percent were motivated by substantial profit. If the newly appointed Boatswain Fang Senyan botched this task, Captain Armand could legitimately dock the pirates' shares in the distribution of spoils, claiming it was due to Fang Senyan’s failure to secure sufficient treasure. Naturally, the pirates’ resentment would then shift entirely onto Fang Senyan.

For Armand, this was undoubtedly a double benefit: he could secretly pocket a portion of the wealth while simultaneously weakening Fang Senyan’s authority. If this happened a few more times, Armand could then legitimately remove Fang Senyan from the Boatswain position, replacing him with his own man, and no one could object.

........... Notice: The next chapter, "Fang Senyan’s Scheme," will be updated around 11 o’clock. (To be continued, please visit for the latest chapters:.)