Chapter 1 The Prison

A prison.

A dim prison.

Crazy Eye had been in countless prisons, but this one on the Queen Anne's Revenge was clearly different; otherwise… a character like Crazy Eye couldn't be contained.

Dong—dong—

Suddenly, a very distinct sound of footsteps rang out.

It penetrated the sound of the surging waves, going from soft to loud, from far to near, entering Crazy Eye's ears.

Crazy Eye didn't need to look to know that the person coming was Blackbeard.

"Are you here to humiliate me?" Before the other party could even stand still, Crazy Eye had already opened his mouth to ask.

"I… don't have the capital to humiliate you." The next second, Blackbeard's figure walked out of the shadows, appearing under the not-so-bright light.

Crazy Eye raised his head and glanced at the other man; through the bars of the prison, he saw a face with a complex expression.

"The victor is always right," Crazy Eye continued. "'Victory,' isn't that the capital?"

"Victory?" Blackbeard repeated those two words, sneering as he retorted, "What victory? What did I win?"

Crazy Eye didn't answer this question.

"Fame?" Blackbeard denied as he spoke, "I'm already the overlord of the Sea of Chaos, what kind of fame do I still need?" He paused. "Wealth?" He revealed a disdainful expression. "Let's not even talk about your ship, and everything on it, already being sunk into the sea… even if it hadn't sunk, the only thing on that ship that could interest me is the ship itself."

Speaking to this point, his smile intensified, but a hint of sarcasm was revealed in his laughter: "Heh… taking a step back, even the 'thrill of the kill' and the 'sense of accomplishment' are things I didn't get; what's the point of such a 'victory'…?"

"Then what did you come to me for?" Crazy Eye responded. "Don't tell me you're planning to let me out to fight you one-on-one?"

"Ha!" Blackbeard let out a dry laugh, lowering his eyes to look at Crazy Eye's right shoulder.

At this moment, below that shoulder… there was no longer an arm.

"Let's wait until your hand grows back before we talk," Blackbeard said, shaking his head.

"What do you mean? You're still planning to let me live?" Crazy Eye's expression changed slightly as he probed.

"Yes," Blackbeard replied calmly.

"That joke isn't funny," Crazy Eye said, and he indeed didn't laugh when he said this.

"When… have you ever heard…" Blackbeard also put away his smile, looking down at the other man with a condescending gaze as he said in a deep voice, "...that I, Blackbeard, would joke?"

Crazy Eye was stunned. Then, he was silent, he pondered…

More than ten seconds passed, and Crazy Eye understood: "What do you want to get from me?"

"Just answer a few questions for me," Blackbeard continued.

"Hmph…" Crazy Eye's attitude was still terrible. "I can't guarantee that I'll tell the truth."

But Blackbeard didn't seem to care about this. He ignored the other party's "ungrateful" reaction and asked directly: "Honghuan… is he still alive?"

This "Honghuan" he spoke of was also a notorious pirate; according to what Blackbeard knew, the Brown Algae was supposed to be Honghuan's ship, not Crazy Eye's.

"So that's what you want to ask…" Crazy Eye thought for a moment, then replied, "He's dead."

"You killed him?" Blackbeard followed up with a question.

"What? You want to avenge him?" Crazy Eye answered the question with a question.

"Not necessarily." Blackbeard used an ambiguous reply to kick the ball back.

"Heh…" Crazy Eye sneered. "Whatever… anyway, you're no match for 'him'."

"'Him'?" Blackbeard's eyes sharpened as he continued, "Is this 'him' you speak of… the one who killed Honghuan?"

"That's right," Crazy Eye replied. "There's no need for me to hide this from you… anyway, many people saw it, and it won't be long before the news spreads throughout the Sea of Chaos…" He paused for a second, reminiscing, "It was about two days ago, I was drinking with a few of my men in a tavern on Jifei Island, and Honghuan was there at the time; at dusk, 'he' came… wearing a monk's robe, like an invisible ghost; the moment 'he' walked into the tavern, it was as if the seasons had changed… turning into winter." Speaking to this point, Crazy Eye swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "'He' walked straight to Honghuan after entering, and said something in a volume that only the two of them could hear; I don't know the specifics of the conversation, I only know… that Honghuan immediately flew into a rage and was prepared to directly kill someone in the tavern."

"But… in the end, it was Honghuan himself who lost his life?" Hearing this, Blackbeard interjected.

Crazy Eye nodded slightly and continued, "I've never seen such a person… if 'he' can even be considered a 'person'." He shrugged his shoulders. "In my judgment, his power is at least at the same level as that Mo Jian Yan Di (Demon Sword - Yama Emperor) that Feng Bujue took out before, or even stronger… so, when 'he' turned Honghuan to ashes and then walked in front of me, asking me 'if I was interested in becoming the captain of the Brown Algae', I answered 'yes'."

"You're trying to say…" Blackbeard continued, "That you leading the pirate crew to attack me was actually 'his' intention."

"Ha! Hahahaha…" As soon as these words came out, Crazy Eye burst out laughing. "Stop trying to flatter yourself, Blackbeard. In 'his' eyes, you… me… are all small fry. It's pure coincidence that I met you today, and attacking you… was my idea; 'he' just expressed his approval after I proposed this idea."

"Then… what was 'his' original 'purpose'?" Blackbeard asked again. "Also… where is 'he' now?"

"Tch… I'd like to know too," Crazy Eye muttered resentfully. "Just before the attack started, that guy suddenly found an excuse and ran into the cabin, and I haven't seen him since. As for 'his' 'purpose'… do you think he would tell me? The only thing I know is that the place he wants to go… is Jumo Island."

The moment the three words "Jumo Island" came out, Blackbeard immediately fell into deep thought.

Blackbeard took a moment to sort out his thoughts before speaking again: "One last question…" He paused for half a second and asked, "What exactly was that cannonball that you initially fired?"

"Ha?" Crazy Eye was clearly stunned upon hearing this, and only reacted after a few seconds. "Oh… you're talking about that one. That cannonball was created out of thin air by 'him' not long before it was fired; according to him, it was 'a preemptive strike laid in advance for insurance purposes'." He spread out his hands and continued, "But other than flying particularly far… I completely failed to see anything extraordinary about that thing."

"Hmph…" Hearing this, Blackbeard sneered and muttered, "I see…"

"Judging by your tone…" Crazy Eye sensed something. "Is there something wrong with that cannonball?"

"Of course there's a problem, and a very serious problem…" Blackbeard replied. "Half an hour ago, I sent my first mate to the bottom of the sea to check on the situation of that cannonball." His face darkened. "As a result… he hasn't returned yet."