Chapter 8: Seizure and Management
The Stepstones, Cutthroat Isle
"Clang..."
Sword in hand, Jon was the first to strike. His steps were light and swift, the tip of his blade drawing elegant arcs as he sought an opening in his opponent's defense.
On the other side, "Skullcap" Bill, wielding his axe, steadily parried Jon's blow. Though startled by Jon's strength, Bill was a battle-hardened old pirate; he quickly regained his composure and began to respond calmly to Jon's assault.
"Skullcap" Bill's axe traced heavy trajectories through the air, each swing carrying the whistle of breaking wind as he tried to cleave Jon apart.
"Clang... Bang, bang..."
The two figures blurred across the battlefield, sword light and axe shadows colliding in the air, releasing a series of metallic clangs.
"Skullcap" Bill's combat technique leaned toward close-quarters fighting, with flexible and tricky moves, while Jon's style was grand and sweeping, each strike a heavy, powerful blow.
Every time their weapons met, "Skullcap" Bill intended to use finesse to deflect Jon's slashes, but each time, Bill's hands were numbed by the shock of Jon's uncanny strength.
What frustrated Bill the most was that after several heavy clashes, Jon's weapon showed absolutely no nicks or damage.
Although his battle-axe wasn't his finest, this high-quality weapon from the Iron Islands was already considered top-tier in all of The Stepstones.
"Damn it!"
As the fight dragged on, "Skullcap" Bill grew increasingly alarmed and irritable under Jon's pressure. When Jon feigned an opening, Bill immediately swung his axe, hacking toward Jon's left shoulder.
Jon, however, dodged the strike with great agility, and his longsword slashed upward at an angle, carving a gash under Bill's armpit.
"Splat..."
After the iron sword tore through flesh, Jon followed up with a lightning-fast thrust toward "Skullcap" Bill's heart. Hampered by the pain, Bill couldn't react in time.
This allowed Jon's longsword to easily pierce the man's chest. Once the heart was punctured, a surge of blood gushed from the wound.
With his back to Jon, "Skullcap" Bill was unable to make any further moves. After a few agonizing struggles, he collapsed to the ground like a pile of soft mud.
"Surrender and live!"
After "Skullcap" Bill died, Jon wiped the blood from his iron sword against the leather armor on his left elbow. He then performed a flourish with his blade and spoke those words to all the pirates.
"Surrender and live!"... Seeing Jon's actions, The Chainbreakers let out excited roars. Their momentum made the pirates' hearts skip a beat involuntarily.
"Clang..."
Amidst a series of weapons hitting the ground, the pirates, holding various crude armaments, all raised their hands in unison.
These men lived by the blade; the desperate counterattack of a dying man was the most terrifying thing, and Jon didn't want the strength he had painstakingly gathered to be wasted here.
Therefore, killing the leader to induce surrender was the best way to minimize losses. As long as these men were given hope, they wouldn't fight to the death.
"Tie them all up and herd them into their own prison."
Under Jon's command, The Chainbreakers rounded up the pirate captives in an orderly fashion.
After replacing the tainted wine, Jon used the food left behind by the pirates to reward The Chainbreakers who followed him.
"Host has successfully occupied a piece of unclaimed land. Hidden mission complete. Distributing rewards..."
"Host base established. Mission module importing..."
"Unknown error occurred..."
"Unknown energy interference source detected. Module data gathering..."
Just as Jon was gathering the four members of The Ring Guard Squad, Narsas, and Garo to drink happily together, a series of synthesized electronic voices from the system flooded into his mind.
However, with the appearance of that last segment of synthesized sound, Jon, who had been feeling slightly excited, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.
The system had always been cold and detached. Jon thought it would remain that way forever, but to his surprise, it had actually unlocked new functions.
Yet, after those notification sounds, the system fell silent again. Many things couldn't even be inspected, making Jon almost think his system had crashed again.
However, he later tested the inventory function; the items inside could still be used normally, and the ability to summon iron swords still existed.
This ability to summon an iron sword from the void was even more formidable than the flaming swords used by the Red Priests. It was very effective for fooling people.
The primary faith in Westeros was the Faith of the Seven. As long as he attributed such miracles to the seven, it would surely bring Jon unexpected gains in the future.
The Targaryen Family once had a 'Baelor the Blessed'; this religious king had always been highly revered within the Faith of the Seven.
The fact that the Targaryen Family could continue to receive support from the masses after losing their dragons was partly due to the legacy of that religious king.
Because the system remained unresponsive, Jon's mood was not very high throughout the evening. Consequently, when he woke up the next morning, his head was still a bit dizzy.
But soon, this issue was replaced by another matter. Just as Jon was tidying his appearance in his room, Narsas and Garo came running in hurriedly.
"Lord Jon! There... there are some... uh... you should just come and see for yourself!"
Seeing Narsas's conflicted expression, Jon felt curious.
However, when Jon followed the two of them to the destination, his head instantly began to ache.
Inside a room on the first floor of the Pirate Fortress, several scantily clad beauties were looking at Jon and the others with faces full of fear.
These girls looked to be only about twenty years old. Some of them had tattoos resembling tear tracks near their eyes.
Jon had once heard Maester Luwin of Winterfell mention that some bed slaves in Volantis would be marked with such tattoos by slave owners specifically to distinguish their status.
"According to the captives' accounts, these gi... girls were specifically bought by'Skullcap' Bill as rewards."
Although Garo looked fierce, he was actually quite sensitive. He didn't directly refer to these girls as prostitutes when he spoke.
"That fellow would award the most beautiful girls among them to the pirates who fought most bravely."
Garo didn't find this strange at all. Merchant ships in Westeros and Essos almost always recruited some ship-whores; in his view, this was normal. He just wasn't sure what Jon would do.
In Garo's eyes, Jon was very mysterious. When encouraging everyone to fight, he looked like a veteran religious fanatic, yet in his military discipline and treatment of others, he seemed like a battle-hardened commander.
To be honest, in his many years as a sailor, Garo had seen all kinds of people, but someone like Jon was a first for him.
"Find them some suitable clothes, identify their names and backgrounds, and then gather everyone. I have something to announce."
Looking at these women who had been mistreated by slave owners and pirates, Jon felt a pang of pity in his heart.
They all had scars on their bodies. These pirates were no gentlemen, especially when it came to certain activities; their actions likely involved various forms of abuse.
Although they weren't entirely clear on what Jon intended, Garo and Narsas quickly carried out Jon's instructions.
Soon, The Chainbreakers and the slaves filled the hall of the Pirate Fortress. The presence of these 300-plus people filled the hall—where the smell of blood had yet to dissipate—with all sorts of foul odors.
His modern life from his previous world and his noble life in Winterfell made Jon dislike this atmosphere, but given the current conditions, he could only pinch his nose and endure it.
Furthermore, Jon made a decision in his heart: once conditions improved, he would definitely build several bathhouses on Cutthroat Isle to make this smell disappear completely.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
At this moment, Jon was seated on the stone throne in the hall. Before him was a long table made of oak, upon which sat a wooden ale mug and a plate of oysters serving as a snack.
Lacking a gavel or anything similar, Jon had to make do with the mug to make noise, signaling everyone to quiet down and listen to him.
"Alright, everyone! We, The Chainbreakers, under the protection of the gods, have completely occupied Cutthroat Isle. Therefore! We are free!"
"Freedom! Freedom!"
Some of the devout Chainbreakers and slaves shouted loudly, but they soon quieted down at Jon's gesture.
"From this day forward, everyone is a member of The Chainbreakers. Under the witness of the gods, we shall bring freedom to even more people."
Jon's gaze was very gentle, and from the moment he began speaking, he remained standing.
"The gods are fair and just. As long as everyone maintains order and helps one another, you will all have the chance to possess the power of the divine."
"Long live! Long live!"
Upon hearing Jon's words, those who had already witnessed Narsas's mysterious power shouted even more fervently.
"Alright, alright, everyone quiet down. Now, I want to introduce some new companions to you. Let them in!"
Feeling that the crowd's emotions had been stirred, Jon had the girls brought in.
"Mission module update complete. Instance mission transmitting..."
Just as Jon was considering how to introduce these girls to everyone, the system's familiar synthesized electronic voice appeared in his mind once again.
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