Chapter 171 - 171: The Strongest Pyromaniac of All Time

A beam of green light shot straight toward Senor's face. Yet just as it was about to hit him, the angle mysteriously shifted slightly, grazing the edge of his tricorn hat before flying past. Senor quickly recovered from the distortion and mind theft. Clenching the pendant in his hand, he let out another piercing shriek and waved his hands repeatedly, directing several corpses to charge at Edward. Meanwhile, he himself didn't hesitate to use Mirror Blink, vanishing on the spot. Edward blinked backwards and unleashed several jets of Fiendfyre, reducing the undead to ashes. "Tch, he runs pretty fast." He glanced around at the pirates nearby and said, "What? Just going to watch? I'm worth 220,000, remember." "..." The pirates fell silent. One by one, they backed away without a word. Are you kidding? Even the Admiral of Blood had to flee for his life from you. "Well then, see you around." Edward grabbed Danitz by the shoulder and apparated to a deserted area. "You okay?" "Won't die." "What about that man…Alger?" "Said he was going to meet a friend." Danitz suddenly asked, "Captain, did you really come to the pirate conference just to shop?" Edward nodded. "Yup. But plans never keep up with change."—He was already considering whether he should change identities again. A strange light flickered in Danitz's eyes—something that had never appeared before. "Hey, interested in stirring up some trouble?" "Huh? Now that's rare, you actually want to cause trouble?" He let out a sly laugh. "Senor nearly killed me. Shouldn't I return the favour?" Edward was slightly taken aback. He'd nearly forgotten that Danitz was, after all, a bona fide pirate who had made a name for himself. "What do you have in mind?" Danitz grinned. "I want to burn down his pirate ship!" "You probably don't know this, but Senor rarely leaves his ship. Even when he travels, he brings along all ten of his lieutenants. He almost never gives anyone a chance to catch him alone. That makes him harder to deal with than the other pirate generals." "But during the annual pirate conference, not just him—his lieutenants and most of his crew disembark to unwind." He grew more excited as he spoke. "You can make people invisible, right? Hit me with one." "You're going by yourself?" "Just to scout the situation." Edward thought for a moment, then handed over a small leather pouch. "This was originally prepared for you anyway—to help you better digest your potion. If you think you have an opportunity, just light it and throw it…then run like hell." Danitz took the pouch, clearly surprised. "What's in it?" "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand." Edward cast an amplified Disillusionment Charm on him. "All done. Now go, deliver the goods~" "???" ——— Elsewhere, Senor, now certain that Gehrman Sparrow wasn't pursuing him, let out a breath of relief. His expression remained gloomy and uncertain. Though they had only crossed paths briefly, Senor was sure he wasn't a match for the other man. So 'Steel' Maveti's death was going to go unavenged? Losing a few subordinates didn't matter—but the Blood Admiral's reputation couldn't take a hit. With a grim face, he headed toward the docks. Transforming into a Wraith, he casually picked a pirate ship and slaughtered everyone aboard in the shortest time possible. Then, using their heads, entrails, limbs, and blood, he assembled a crude sacrificial altar. Kneeling devoutly before the altar, he lit the prepared candles and muttered, "Lord Shanks, I need your help." Suddenly, the candle flames shifted into a swirl of colours—each one seemingly corresponding to a different desire within the observer's heart. The heads, organs, limbs, and blood on the altar began to move on their own, layer after layer stacking and melting together like wax. Moments later, a voice emerged from the flames: "Where?" ——— Back in the palace, Edward—now wearing the face of a random stranger—slipped back into the venue and entered the "High-End Gathering" room of the Inner Circle with a few pirate captains. As the saying goes, "Well, I'm already here." Might as well check it out—he might just find what he was looking for at this auction. The hall was a spacious three to four hundred square meters, resembling a university lecture hall from the modern era. Around thirty to forty people were seated in concentric arcs that rose gradually from the central platform. When Edward entered, the transaction in progress had already been going for some time. He quickly swept his gaze across the room, spotting Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina, Admiral of Stars Cattleya, Admiral of Ailment Tracy and a few other well-known pirates—but Senor was not among them. What's that guy up to? His instincts told him whatever Senor was doing, it probably had to do with him. Ding. He flipped a coin lightly into the air. "Staying here—will it put me in danger?" Heads—No. At that moment, the previous transaction concluded, and a female pirate spoke up: "For sale, a revolver. I call it 'Wail.' As the name suggests, it inflicts unbearable pain on whoever is shot, often rendering them incapable of fighting. Starting bid: 2,000 pounds." "2,200." "2,300." At first glance, this didn't look much different from the Beyonder gatherings Edward had attended in Backlund—except most of the participants here were pirates. Edward quietly picked a spot to sit and waited for something suitable to appear. But after watching several rounds of trade, the best items that came up were barely at Sequence 5 level—and they were all snapped up at sky-high prices almost instantly. "Looks like I overestimated the quality of the Pirate Conference." Thinking back, in the original novel, the items available for trade were mostly mid to low sequence. Once someone reached demi-god level, money wasn't exactly useless, but in the realm of mysticism, it definitely had limited utility. Sigh, so much anticipation, wasted. At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. Someone plopped down beside Edward, wiping away sweat while muttering, "Whew, almost didn't make it." Edward froze at the familiar voice. He turned his head and was instantly stunned. "Mr. Verdu?" Yes, the newcomer was none other than Verdu—the man who had once collaborated with Edward in Bansy, but later vanished without a trace. Verdu looked at Edward with a puzzled expression. "Sorry…do we know each other?" "???" After a moment of shock, Edward decisively used Legilimency, only to find that the man genuinely had no memory of him whatsoever. "Do we know each other?" Verdu asked again. Edward paused for a few seconds. "We met once in Bansy. I suppose you don't remember me." "Is that so?" He smiled politely. "Sorry, that's my mistake. I just rushed over from Bansy." So…he remembers Bansy—just not me? Was it because of that hand that appeared from the wooden door? If that hand belonged to the City of Calamity, could it mean that Verdu has already been corrupted? Edward recalled some analyses from his past life: Adam had turned Medici into a hotpot not just as a "necessary sacrifice," but also because Medici had already been polluted by the City of Calamity. If even a King of Angels could be unknowingly corrupted, how could a mid-sequence Beyonder like Verdu possibly be safe? "Everyone, I have information to sell." A male pirate spoke up. "It's about that sunken ship—the Laurel." Beside him, Verdu was immediately intrigued. He stared hard at the speaker and rubbed his eyes as if trying to see more clearly. Then— He took out a monocle and placed it over his right eye. "!!!" In that instant, every hair on Edward's body stood on end, and even his breathing instinctively slowed. But after donning the monocle, Verdu simply studied the speaker more carefully without taking further action. Maybe…it's just a coincidence? Edward stood up calmly and began walking away as naturally as he could. "I'm just heading to the restroom." Suddenly, a voice sounded behind him—Verdu's, soft and eerie: "Are you afraid?" Edward's heart skipped a beat. He turned back with a puzzled expression. "What?" Verdu frowned. "You looked surprised and happy when you first saw me. But suddenly…you made an excuse to leave. Like you're afraid of something?" "Uh, you're overthinking it. I really just need the restroom." Verdu stared at him for over ten seconds, then nodded. "Alright then. See you in a bit." "See you in a bit." Edward quickened his steps, heading straight for the restroom. — BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!! Just then, a thunderous explosion erupted from outside. Everyone inside jolted in shock and turned toward the door. Moments later, two men burst in, panic written all over their faces. "The docks…" "The docks just exploded!" "Fire! Fire! Everything's on fire!" ——— Danitz was sprinting for his life, stumbling as he ran. Behind him, the dock had become a raging sea of flames. "Damn it, damn it!" "What the hell was that thing? How can it be so powerful?! It even…it even set sea water on fire!" Danitz had just snuck into the area where Senor's flagship—the Tree of Flesh and Blood—was docked. Sure enough, only a few small fry were left on guard across the seven or eight ships. Without hesitation, he had lit the leather pouch Edward gave him and tossed it onto the nearest pirate ship. Then came the explosion. In truth, the blast itself wasn't all that massive, but the flames it unleashed spread at lightning speed. The moment they touched the wooden pirate ships, they burst into flames like dry kindling. Under normal circumstances, a few mid-sequence Beyonders with specific abilities could've quickly extinguished the fire—but at the moment, everyone capable was up on the island. By the time Danitz realised what was happening, the entire dock had turned into a blazing inferno. Even his own ship—the Golden Dream—wasn't spared. "Damn it! I'm so screwed! Captain…she's definitely going to kick me off the Golden Dream!" Wait…there's no Golden Dream anymore. No ship, no need to kick me out. "Uwaaahhh!—" Danitz broke down in tears. And just then, a strange sensation welled up inside him—he had completely digested the Pyromaniac potion. No! If the price of digesting a potion is this…I'd rather stay Sequence 7 for the rest of my life! NO!! —— Edward followed the crowd of pirates as they rushed out of the palace—and was greeted by the sight of a raging inferno engulfing the entire harbour. "…Holy crap. Danitz really outdid himself this time!" I hereby crown you the strongest Pyromaniac of all time! But wait—there were only a dozen or so barrels of gasoline in that leather pouch. How did he manage to burn down the entire harbour? ——— [Note]: And I crown you guys as the best readers. Thanks for the support. Enjoy the Extra Chapter~ If you guys want one more tomorrow, we'd need to hit 750 Powestones. Go, VOTE! And if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Thank me later~ Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]