As soon as he stepped into the cabin, Fang Senyan pulled Keri, who was hiding behind him, out and said, word by word: "Who was it that made the bet with you first?" Keri pointed with his finger: "Him, him, and this one-eyed man." Fang Senyan said flatly, with his eyelids drooping: "You fellows have done a fine job. Hand over the things you used to set up the extortion against him, and I'll pretend this never happened today." But the three of them exchanged glances, and the one-eyed man was the first to say lazily: "Christ above!

To abide by a lost bet is a rule that has stood for centuries. We didn't just take Mr.

Keri's things for free; we also put up real silver as stakes. If we had lost the bet, we would have handed over the goods too, not turned around and tried to take it back like this.

This logic holds up anywhere. Why don't we ask the First Mate and the Navigator to judge?

If even one of them agrees, we'll hand back everything we won with both hands!" As the saying goes, money moves the heart. These three knew Fang Senyan's identity, and the fact that they dared to touch his "cousin" showed they weren't idiots.

The tallest and thinnest among the three was named Rat-Mount Shasta; this man had nothing else going for him, but he possessed a unique talent for weather forecasting and calculation, making him the right-hand man of Navigator Shall. He even held sway with Armand because he was Shall's designated substitute should Shall ever be indisposed.

As for the one-eyed man, he was known for perpetual scams and villainy, yet he managed to thrive even among such hardened villains because he lost that eye saving Scar Henry. Behind these two scoundrels were the influences of two major figures: Shall and Scar Henry.

Coupled with Armand's profound suspicion of Fang Senyan, if Fang Senyan insisted on pressing the matter, he would inevitably find himself constantly obstructed aboard the Bell and Cup. His interests would be severely damaged.

For Fang Senyan, who had painstakingly climbed to his current position through sheer luck and effort, he could not risk letting such a situation arise through reckless action. Therefore, upon learning their identities from Ben Morgan—that fickle opportunist who rushed over upon hearing the commotion—the slight glimmer of hope that had surfaced in Keri's heart sank deep once more.

But life is always full of surprises. Faced with this situation, Fang Senyan walked up to the three men, fixed them with an intense stare, and said chillingly, word by word: "Then do you dare to say out loud, in front of me: that you played no tricks while gambling with Keri?" It was obvious these three had laid a trap for Keri to fall into; how could they possibly have played no tricks?

Fang Senyan’s eyes were coldly fixed on them. Rat-Mount Shasta and his companion naturally felt a pang of guilt and dared not retort.

But the one-eyed man, buoyed by drink and possessing a certain brazenness, slammed his hand on the table and sprang up, pointing his right index finger directly at Fang Senyan’s nose and shouting: "You damned yellow monkey, I say I played no tricks! What are you going to do about it?" A cold light flashed in Fang Senyan's eyes.

He suddenly gripped the finger that had been impudently pointed at his nose, then exerted upward force. His strength had now reached a staggering 14 points.

The one-eyed man immediately let out a piercing scream, involuntarily rising onto his tiptoes, his whole body trembling violently. Just then, a loud voice suddenly called out from a distance: "Stop!" The voice clearly belonged to Scar Henry, and his strides were incredibly fast and long, involuntarily evoking the image of a giant predatory grizzly bear that had lived in Alaska for thirty years.

But Fang Senyan delivered a cruel, sudden burst of force! With a light crack, the one-eyed man emitted a bloodcurdling scream; his finger was bent at a distinct unnatural angle, clearly and brutally snapped by Fang Senyan's merciless strength!

Scar Henry roared. Already immensely muscular, his brass-bell eyes widened, revealing a ferocious countenance.

A faint silver light flickered across his body as he clenched his fist and lunged forward, giving the impression of a solid wall bearing down. Only at this moment did one realize that this outwardly burly and forthright man was, in fact, a ruthless, bloodthirsty pirate.

Yet, in that instant, Fang Senyan noticed the thick red veins woven through Scar Henry’s eyes. Fang Senyan shot out a hand and, with a smack, caught Scar Henry’s fist.

He took half a step back, and the two were locked in a tense stalemate, their gazes clashing in the air as if sparking a string of fire! Fang Senyan’s eyes seemed to ignite as well, and he spoke coolly, word by word: "No one insults the color of my skin to my face!

No one!" He immediately escalated the matter to racial insult, leaving Scar Henry momentarily speechless. Shall also arrived upon hearing the noise.

He was secretly hoping Scar Henry and Fang Senyan would clash immediately, so he watched from the sidelines. However, Scar Henry was too seasoned; he snorted and retracted his fist, much to Shall’s disappointment.

Seeing his backing arrive, Rat-Mount Shasta couldn't resist fanning the flames: "Even if he said one wrong word, is that reason enough to break a man's hand?" Fang Senyan turned his head, looking at him coldly: "And would you be happy if I called you a black bastard?" Rat-Mount Shasta's face instantly contorted into an ugly mask. He looked as if he wanted to draw his knife and lunge forward immediately, but ultimately lacked the courage.

At this juncture, however, Shall could not stand idly by. He stepped forward, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and said: "Sailor Yan, your tongue is truly ten times fouler than Old Boke's privy." Fang Senyan shot him a sidelong glance, yet showed absolutely no intention of backing down: "There’s no need for gentlemanly conduct towards liars and schemers who deserve the gallows." Shall’s face flushed red.

With a sharp hiss, he half-drew the rapier at his waist. But just then, a silver rapier seemed to fly from beyond the heavens, plunging thwack right in front of them, shaking slightly, its blade shimmering with a watery glow—it was Armand’s infamous, lethal personal rapier!

Immediately after, Armand walked in. He swept the scene with eyes like a hawk, then suddenly lowered his voice: "Can someone tell me what happened here?" No one answered.

Armand suddenly erupted in fury, slapping the table in front of him with a crack that sent splinters flying everywhere. He roared: "What in blazes is going on!!

What is happening! We reach Hope Island in less than half an hour, and now the Boatswain, First Mate, and Navigator of the Bell and Cup are fighting amongst themselves!

Are you trying to disgrace me in front of every pirate on the high seas?" At this, Scar Henry stepped forward, ignoring the one-eyed man who was half-dead from pain, and questioned a nearby pirate for a few moments, quickly piecing together the whole story. He then moved close to Armand and whispered a few words.

Armand’s expression shifted between dark and light as he listened. Suddenly, he looked at Fang Senyan coldly: "Are you truly going to champion him?" Hearing this, Keri’s entire body, down to his marrow, tensed up.

Even a blind man could tell Armand held deep suspicions toward Fang Senyan, and now he was clearly setting the stage for Fang Senyan to pay a heavy price. But Fang Senyan answered without hesitation: "The same blood flows in our bodies, and I owe him a life!

Captain!" Armand snorted, then slowly said: "This matter is clear: you believe they set a trap to cheat him, but you have no proof, correct?" Fang Senyan replied plainly: "Yes." Armand swept his cold gaze over Rat-Mount Shasta and the other two, looking at them as if they were mere refuse: "However, I know the usual character of these three. Here is the arrangement: by pirate custom, there is no rule about returning lost goods.

But, I will give you a chance to win them back. You will gamble against these three one time.

If you lose, this matter ends here. If you win, the goods are returned to their rightful owner.

Regardless of win or loss, this matter stops here! What do you all think?" This resolution aligned perfectly with pirate principles—the chance to win back what was lost.

As for the three scoundrels—Rat-Mount Shasta and the others—they were highly confident in their gambling skills and certainly dared not disrespect Armand. They readily agreed.

For Fang Senyan, possessing 3 points in Perception, winning at the gambling table was not a major obstacle. In all fairness, Armand was even slightly leaning towards Fang Senyan, as Fang Senyan didn't need to put up any stakes at all; even if he lost, he wouldn't lose anything substantial.

Armand’s ruling surprised most people. But only Scar Henry, who had followed him for years, faintly grasped his true intentions.

While Fang Senyan had seemingly offended everyone aboard, this actually demonstrated that he held no ambition to form factions. What Captain Armand feared most was a talented and ambitious subordinate, as that would severely threaten his own position.

No matter how magnanimous Armand was, he could not tolerate such a threat. But now, Armand felt a sense of relief, having personally witnessed Shall nearly provoked to drawing his sword by Fang Senyan.

There is a saying: 'Where you sit determines what you think.' For Armand, whose ambition was set on ruling the Seven Seas, the insubordination, ruthlessness, or even greed of his crew were not critical flaws—they could even be advantages. A captain aspiring to be Pirate King who lacked the tolerance for such personalities should simply retire ashore and buy a noble title to enjoy life.

As long as the man did not gather followers or win popular support, his immense talent and defiant nature were merely a sharp knife in Armand’s hand!