The once-bustling streets had devolved into trenches running with blood; the fierce blaze of firelight reflected screaming and roaring, the pirates' savage laughter echoing through this port ruled by peace for seventy years.() Having landed, the selected hundred-plus pirates stood scattered, their eagerness and frenzied eyes suggesting they were desperate to join the pillaging immediately. Were it not for Scar Henry’s authority and Fang Senyan’s ruthless severity keeping them in check, they would have undoubtedly scattered in a rush into the shops long ago.

Amidst the curses and shouts, the pirates from the Bell and Cup quickly and chaotically charged toward Tortuga Castle. Their driving force, naturally, was the legendary hoard of riches within. Underfoot, they trod on still-warm corpses, their breaths mingling with the metallic stench of smoke and blood. Many veteran pirates felt an involuntary surge of excitement, howling with their chests flung open.

Fang Senyan, having never experienced such a scene, was momentarily stunned, but he quickly regained his composure, shouting and cursing at the pirates around him to hurry up, ordering them to strike and shoot without hesitation at anyone blocking their path! Such barbaric and bloody actions would normally invite severe trouble, but in this chaotic and wealthy port, it proved remarkably effective.

"Look!" A pirate rushing ahead cleverly picked up a small piece of a head wrap from the side. "This is Old Butch's; it seems they took this route to the castle too."

Fang Senyan took the half-wrap and noticed it was unstained by blood, and the tear looked quite rough. His eyes flickered, his pupils contracting slightly, yet he loudly commanded: "Everyone, put more effort into it! Old Butch was so excited he even dropped his head wrap—our comrades are probably guarding piles of treasure, waiting for us to move it."

The pirates beside him instantly felt their blood boil, raising their cutlasses and letting out a wild roar! They ran even faster. Scar Henry had also intended to examine the half-wrap, but at that moment, Fang Senyan had already led his men rushing to the front of the group. His head also suddenly throbbed with a sharp, piercing pain, forcing him to immediately pull out his liquor flask and drain a mouthful of rum to numb his damnable nerves, then forcing himself to clutch his head and follow the main body.

When this group of pirates reached the main gate of Port Tortuga, they discovered that the majestic and grand castle was completely dark, filled with a deathly silence, as if it had been abandoned for hundreds of years, leaving behind only sorrowful ghostly shadows, cobwebs, and dust. The previous brilliant lights they had seen seemed nothing more than an illusionary mirage. The castle gates stood wide open, dark like the maw of a giant beast waiting for prey to deliver itself. The advance party sent earlier seemed to have completely evaporated from the face of the earth!

Faced with this eerie situation, all the pirates fell silent—only the crackling of burning torches was clearly audible. The pirates stared at each other, their faces exchanging bewildered looks; some of the more timid looked visibly shaken. In their projections, the place should have been either heavily guarded or in complete disarray; this strange scenario was utterly unexpected.

This was the moment for Fang Senyan to make the decision. He walked to Scar Henry’s side and whispered low: "This must be the enemy bluffing."

Scar Henry said sternly: "How so?"

Fang Senyan calmly replied: "Based on the intelligence we have, Little Folk initiated the attack on the Black Pearl. That means he had ample time to plan this. Little Folk’s main force is still on the Black Pearl—he must have insufficient men left guarding the castle—which is why he’s resorting to smoke and mirrors with this setup, intending to attack the enemy when our forces are dispersed after entering the castle. Otherwise... wouldn't it be better to just shut the gates and keep the enemy out?"

"Then what about Charles and the others?" Henry asked.

Fang Senyan responded with resolute finality: "I suspect they scattered inside the castle looking for treasure and are likely trapped now. If we go in immediately, there's still time to save them!"

Fang Senyan was the main leader for this expedition—Scar Henry was merely supposed to supervise. Though Henry felt something was amiss, he was currently tormented by the constant, intense throbbing in his head and could find no reason to refute Fang Senyan. Fang Senyan then relayed his deductions directly to the pirates. Given his established authority, even if someone harbored doubts, they kept them buried deep.

Fang Senyan next divided the incoming pirates into six groups, with the smallest group having at least twenty men. Each unit was reasonably and impeccably outfitted with melee fighters armed with swords and shields, alongside long-range musketeers. He then used the lure of treasure to further incite the pirates one last time before charging into the castle first, brandishing his torch.

Since Fang Senyan had adopted a "charge with me" posture rather than a "charge for me" one, Scar Henry felt awkward staying behind. He led another group into the castle. With both leaders fighting at the vanguard, the pirates, already hardened desperadoes, had nothing more to say. Coupled with the courage afforded by their torches, they roared and rushed inside. According to the prior arrangement, whenever a group encountered a fork in the path, they would dispatch a smaller contingent to scout ahead. Soon, the vast Tortuga Castle had split and swallowed the six pirate teams.

Having dispersed into small unit clusters, Fang Senyan still led the way at the very front, torch held high. However, his demeanor appeared rather relaxed, as if certain of the environment's complete safety, seemingly showing no guard whatsoever. Fang Senyan’s prestige among the pirates was considerable now; the crew followed him without question. They occasionally exchanged a few words during their advance, but otherwise, the atmosphere maintained a surprisingly silent solemnity.

The furnishings inside Tortuga Castle were exceedingly lavish. Under the torchlight, their feet trod upon thick camel-hair carpets transported from the Middle East. Beyond their exquisite patterns, the soft, plush texture alone provided great comfort, giving the pirates a sense of wide-eyed wonder. However, all the light and valuable items, such as golden candlesticks and silver cutlery, were nowhere to be seen, clearly hidden away by their owner in advance. This unintentionally supported Fang Senyan's earlier hypothesis. Suddenly, a pirate ahead stopped dead, his hand flying to the hilt of the sword at his waist. He turned back urgently and called out: "Careful, there's a smell of blood!"

Everyone immediately took several deep breaths and indeed detected a faint, metallic odor in the air. For these ruthless cutthroats, this was an all-too-familiar scent. The situation instantly grew tense; many pirates drew their weapons. Fang Senyan lowered his torch toward the ground, discovering a barely discernible, pale brown bloodstain on the thick, soft carpet. Following the trail of blood, they halted abruptly before a seemingly solid granite wall.

"It's a secret passage!" one pirate's voice trembled with excitement. The series of bloodstains curved and terminated before this wall, appearing utterly sudden... The wounded man couldn't have simply evaporated, could he? The only explanation was escape into a hidden tunnel. Without the guidance of the blood trail, who would ever suspect a secret passage lay behind this seamless, hard stone surface?

With a clue in hand, the pirates scrambled everywhere, searching desperately. Among these seasoned hands, there were naturally experts in such matters. Soon, they found a small handle beneath the edge of the carpet. Two pirates exerted immense effort pulling it, and a harsh grinding sound of heavy iron chains echoed from within the wall. Then, the granite section rumbled and slowly rose, revealing a pitch-black secret passage.

Under the torchlight, the scattered items on the floor of the passage emitted a conspicuous and alluring glow. All the pirates’ breathing became heavy. Glistening gold coins, exquisite silverware, and silks smooth as milk were strewn sporadically throughout the tunnel, clearly the result of hurried transport. Undeniably, greedy roars erupted from the pirates' throats as they lunged toward the wealth, pursuing the scattered treasures deep into the hidden passage. Only Fang Senyan remained standing where he was, holding his torch, his expression complex—a mix of regret and relief.

Then, he tossed the torch aside, took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and slammed his right shoulder heavily against a nearby full-length window! The rusted iron frame supporting the window quickly yielded, twisted, and snapped under the immense force. The stained-glass window instantly shattered, bursting into thousands of spraying shards. And Fang Senyan used the momentum to launch himself out of the castle, tucking his knees and abdomen mid-air before landing!

His soles hit the ground first, followed by his arches. As his heels contacted the ground, his center of gravity shifted forward, translating the downward momentum into forward propulsion. Fang Senyan felt acute pain in his feet, knees, and elbows, but it was only pain. He rolled continuously five or six times on the ground, then pushed up straight with his hands. Despite having jumped from the third floor of the castle, his controlled landing resulted only in minor injuries; less than one-fifth of his vitality was expended. In a non-combat state, this would replenish automatically in under five minutes.

Fang Senyan pulled out that small piece of headscarf from his tunic and sighed softly: "I’m truly sorry. I knew this was a trap, but I still led you all into it."