Chapter 37: The Terrified sea fox
The Stepstones, Cutthroat Isle waters
"Boom..."
The scorching Dragonfire descending from the sky instantly engulfed a pirate's oared warship. Under the intense heat of the Dragonfire, the deck and mainmast were gradually carbonized.
The sails, ignited by the flames, were like a terrifying monster opening its gaping maw, leaving the pirates with no escape but to await their doom.
"You're next!"
Watching the pirate ship slowly turn into a torch, Jon, in his golden dragon form, Yangyan, quickly flapped his wings and flew towards the fleeing pirate ships in the distance.
With Jon's entry, the naval battle situation in the main island waters instantly reversed. The Chainbreakers, who had been constantly suppressed.
Upon realizing that the giant dragon Jon had transformed into was there to help them, The Chainbreakers erupted with astonishing combat power.
Many of The Chainbreakers, who were already fervent admirers of Jon, regarded this miraculous scene as a miracle created by Jon.
So they cheered Jon's name and launched attacks and charges with even greater ferocity. If their spears broke, it didn't matter; they still had their hands and mouths.
The pirates, on the other hand, were stunned by this sudden turn of events. Coupled with the threat of Dragonfire and their fear of dragons, these pirates, who were previously as fierce as hyenas, instantly became trembling quails.
Many pirates, who had already wet themselves in fear, directly knelt and surrendered. The oared warships, which had been continuously maneuvering, instantly seized this opportunity and committed all their forces.
Especially after the sea fox cleared the pirates on board, The Chainbreakers' offensive became even more rapid.
Jon, who had been flying high in the sky, upon realizing that their side had secured victory, quickly flapped his wings and flew towards the waters surrounding Cutthroat Isle.
The pirates led by Blackfox Lena, upon spotting Jon, desperately steered their ships to escape.
Unfortunately, while their ships were similar in size to the golden dragon Yangyan that Jon had transformed into, their speed was far inferior, and Jon quickly caught up to them.
Seeing that the transformation time was dwindling and the Dragonfire reserves were decreasing, Jon could only maneuver his body to fly towards Blackfox Lena's the crown.
"Boom..."
After spewing the last of his Dragonfire at the pirate ships around the crown, Jon circled above the crown.
The surrounding pirates who had escaped the calamity, seeing Jon's actions, fled in panic into the distance, though those ships with ignited canvas temporarily had no way to escape.
"Dragon transformation ending..."
"Unknown module detected..."
"System scanning..."
"Unknown error detected..."
...Amidst the system's series of electronic synthesized sounds, Jon's body also changed. His head, torso, hands, and feet gradually recovered from their dragonized state.
"Whoosh..."
By the time Jon reacted, he had slid down the canvas of the crown. Feeling the sea breeze and the friction of the canvas, Jon realized that he was completely naked.
"Rip..."
To avoid being naked in front of others, Jon could only take out dark sister and, at the moment before landing, tear off a section of canvas from the crown, transforming it into a loincloth.
This loincloth was much better than Tarzan's, as it wouldn't be blown up by the wind when Jon stood, nor would it hinder Jon's movements.
By the time Jon had dealt with his nakedness, he was already surrounded by a circle of pirates, but all of them looked at him with fear.
Many were even trembling with fear. Most of them had witnessed Jon's situation, so they could only instinctively surround this unknown entity.
"Clang..."
"Ah..."
When Jon pulled dark sister from the deck in front of him, some timid pirates even cried out in fright.
"Swish, swish..."
After performing a few sword flourishes in the air with dark sister, Jon's gaze swept over the surrounding pirates.
"Call your leader, I have something to discuss with him!"
"You...who exactly are you? I...we..."
As Jon's words fell, the surrounding pirates all looked in unison at a long-bearded pirate wearing a tricorn leather hat. When the pirate saw Jon's gaze directed at him, his speech became somewhat incoherent.
This fellow looked about 30 years old, but his actual age might be younger, as pirates' skin tends to age faster from years of sun and wind exposure.
He wore a black leather jacket over a white silk undershirt with fluffy lace, and his leather boots and trousers made him look very sharp.
The dagger and decorative sword with ornate accessories at his waist didn't seem to have much lethality, and judging by his lean appearance, he didn't look like a battle-hardened pirate.
Among the information Kapo and others gave Jon, only Blackfox Lena fit this description.
Blackfox Lena always claimed to be a descendant of the Ninepenny Kings, but he never told anyone which of the Ninepenny Kings he was descended from.
The former Ninepenny Kings had stirred up a bloody storm in The Stepstones, somewhat akin to a Western-style warlord uprising. They first helped a merchant seize Tyrosh.
Afterward, using Tyrosh and their own forces, they attempted to help the Blackfyre Family seize the iron throne. Unfortunately, they were defeated by the large army led by the Targaryen Family at that time.
Although the Blackfyre Family failed then, the merchant's forces were preserved. However, due to the emphasis on bloodlines in this world, their rule was not successful.
Even today, some people in The Stepstones still claim to be descendants of the Ninepenny Kings, but most people treat them as a joke.
Of course, for those with strength and power, no one would look down on them, and Blackfox Lena was naturally one of those who would not be laughed at.
Rumor has it that Blackfox Lena was not actually a pirate, but the bastard son of a Tyroshi noble. His immense wealth allowed him to rapidly rise among the pirates of The Stepstones, becoming one of the Five Pirate Kings.
"How strange! You come to my territory, kill my people, destroy my ships, and then ask who I am?"
After identifying the other party, Jon asked this question, somewhat angrily.
"Ah... I didn't... I... I... Ah... It was Salladhor Saan who told me to come. He told me you had a large group of slaves here..."
Because he wasn't clear about Jon's background, Blackfox Lena lost his former composure and calm, appearing like a startled quail.
Although pirates had traveled far and wide and seen the world, when faced with an existence like Jon, who clearly defied common sense, they were all somewhat afraid.
"Alright! I now declare all of you my captives. You can choose to ransom your freedom with money, or if you don't have money, you can choose to undergo re-education through labor."
"Wow..."
Jon's announcement caused a sensation among the pirates. Everyone became excited after hearing his arrangements.
"Why should we be afraid of him? He's just one person, I... we..."
Just then, a tall, bearded man suddenly shouted. When he saw Jon looking at him, he immediately stammered in fear.
"Everyone is welcome to try. This is my first time transforming into a dragon, and I've heard that Dragonfire from a dragon that has eaten people is even more terrifying!"
Jon's words carried a chilling coldness, and their appearance finally made the pirates realize that this man in front of them had been a terrifying giant dragon spewing Dragonfire just minutes ago.
"Clang..."
As the first weapon fell, more and more pirates threw their weapons at their feet. Against a terrifying entity like Jon, all resistance would only appear pale and powerless.
After all, no one could guarantee that this man wouldn't transform into that terrifying giant dragon in the next second. These pirates dared not gamble, nor would they, because the cost of losing could very likely be their lives.
"Alright, since you're all so cooperative, I won't conduct this experiment!"
After hearing Jon's words, the pirates all instinctively breathed a sigh of relief, because Jon's words gave them a feeling of escaping death.
In fact, Jon had been gambling on human nature. Although he could indeed transform into a giant dragon again, his current dragon Soul Energy was diminishing with each use. Good steel must be used on the edge of a blade.
So Jon had always been gambling that these pirates would not resist, because after witnessing the terrifying power of Dragonfire, these pirates who had escaped death naturally would not want to experience the feeling of being incinerated by flames.
And when Jon offered them the chance to buy back their freedom with money or through re-education through labor, it gave these pirates hope for survival.
"Alright, turn the ships around and head to the main island. And rescue all those who fell into the sea; they are now my captives too!"
After hearing Jon's words, the pirates went back to their original duties.
Soon, only Blackfox Lena and a few of his subordinates remained on the deck.
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