Debuff Master-Chapter 799

“S-Supreme Commander, sir!”

“I’m fine.”

Marshal Claude raised a hand, stopping his aide from rushing over to support him. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped away the blood trickling down his nose.

“I reviewed too many documents last night and overexerted myself. That’s all,” Claude said. Then, he turned his attention to Siegfried and said, “Well, Captain Drake.”

“Yes?”

“If you have some time, would you care to join me for a cup of tea?”

“Sure, why not.”

“Excellent. Follow me.”

“But before that…”

“Hmm?”

“I have one condition.”

“And what might that be?” Claude asked.

“That,” Siegfried said, pointing at the box where Captain Tourbillon’s remains were hastily packed. Then, he asked with a sheepish grin, “Can you pay me the full bounty for him? You know, as a sign of good faith?”

“Pardon…?”

“I mean, he was once an admiral for the navy, so he has some symbolic value, right? Sure, he is a little worn out, but I intended to deliver him fresh and alive,” Siegfried said while rubbing his hands. Then, he glared sideways and added, “But that did not work out because someone decided to get a little too rough.”

“Haha…” Claude chuckled in response. He wasn't laughing because he found the situation amusing; he was laughing because he found it absurd. Still, he agreed to Siegfried’s request without any hesitation.

“Very well. I will allow you to be paid in full just this once.”

“Really?”

“Just as you said, Tourbillon’s death holds symbolic weight.”

From Claude’s perspective, Tourbillon was a prime piece that could be used for propaganda. He was a former admiral of the navy that turned into the head of a major pirate crew, so he'd serve as the perfect example for those daring enough to do the same.

Of course, it would be much better if he were alive. He could've been executed publicly, but this was still better than nothing.

“Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir!”

“See to it that Captain Drake here is paid the full bounty.”

“Yes, sir!”

Just like that, Siegfried managed to secure the full bounty amount, even though Captain Tourbillon of the Red Claw Pirates was dead.

“Are you happy now?” Claude asked with a smirk.

“Absolutely! Hehe!” Siegfried replied, grinning from ear to ear.

“Follow me.”

Siegfried willingly followed Claude after selling Captain Tourbillon for the full amount.

“I can tell that you’re no ordinary man. My hand is still tingling, and the fatigue I feel suggests you must’ve transmitted some sort of toxin to me,” Claude remarked.

“Really? I have no idea what you are talking about,” Siegfried replied, feigning ignorance.

“Tsk…” Claude clicked his tongue in disbelief.

The young pirate in front of him was basically lying through his teeth at a navy marshal while maintaining a perfectly innocent expression.

Regardless, Claude opened a bottle of top-tier antidote and tore a detoxification scroll to heal himself.

“Ah… That feels much better.”

“Glad to see you’re feeling better,” Siegfried said nonchalantly. He sipped his tea while continuing to feign innocence when he was the one who poisoned the marshal. Then, he asked, “So, why did you want to see me?”

“I was curious,” Claude replied.

“About what?”

“Why would a pirate like you hunt down your fellow pirates so relentlessly?”

“Oh, that,” Siegfried smirked.

Claude leaned in and asked, “So… what are you, really? Just who in the world are you?”

“I’m just a pirate,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

“Don’t lie to me. A pirate crew that appears out of nowhere starts practically ruling the seas yet only hunts down other pirates? Does that make sense to you?”

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“Why not?”

“And what about your refusal to raid civilians? If you were a real pirate, you’d be plundering them too—” Claude said.

Siegfried cut him off and said nonchalantly, “I could if I had to.”

“...!”

“But pirates are more profitable. They gather the treasures for me, and all I have to do is collect treasures from them. Why should I bother raiding civilians when other pirates do all the heavy lifting for me?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Pirates roam the seas, looting and amassing treasures, right?”

“Yes…?”

“Then I can just take it from them.”

“...” Claud was speechless at what he heard.

“Why go through the hassle of raiding civilians when the pirates will do the job for me? They gather the wealth, and I simply harvest it,” Siegfried explained. Then, he grinned and added, “They’re like crops but even better. No need to feed or water them like livestock either.”

“That’s truly ingenious,” Claude said, shaking his head in awe.

“Don’t forget about the bounty. The bounties placed on their heads can be quite lucrative, and selling them as slaves fetches a good price, too, if they don’t have a bounty. Hell, even selling their pirate ships is profitable as well.”

“You’re… incredible…”

“Nah, you’re being too kind.”

“So, it’s all about efficiency?”

“Exactly. I mean, why make things hard for yourself when you can profit efficiently?”

“Hmm…” Claude muttered while nodding, lost in thought for a moment. Then, he said cautiously, “Captain Drake.”

“Yes?”

“You claim to be a pirate.”

“I am a pirate.”

Despite Claude’s persistent probing, Siegfried maintained his cover.

Why?

It was all because the revelation of his true identity could spark a diplomatic incident.

“I don’t care whether you’re truly a pirate or not. What matters is that you’re hunting down those pesky troublesome pirates.”

“So what are you trying to say?”

It was then.

Ding!

A quest message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: You have received a new Quest – Pirate Hunting Pirate!]

***

The quest details were the following…

[Pirate Hunting Pirate]

[Let’s hunt pirates and earn even more gold!]

[Type: Repeatable Quest]

[Progress: N/A]

[Rewards: +25% bounty on pirates, +40% bounty for major pirate captains, +15 gold for selling pirates into slavery, +15% gold for selling pirate ships as secondhand vessels.]

[Warning: Your affinity among pirates will continue plummeting until you stop pursuing this quest.]

“Keep hunting pirates without resorting to pillaging the civilians. To put it simply, just keep doing what you’ve been doing so far,” Claude said. Then, he smirked and added, “I’ll grant you some special benefits if you do so.”

“I will look forward to that,” Siegfried replied courteously, extending his hand to accept the offer.

Ding!

[Alert: You have accepted the Quest – Pirate Hunting Pirate!]

However, Marshal Claude did not shake his hand.

“No need. We already shook hands earlier, so let’s skip that formality,” Claude said meekly. He had already suffered enough from Siegfried’s radioactive microorganisms and had no desire to risk himself once again.

“That’s a shame. A good deal deserves a good handshake, especially among seafaring men, don’t you think so?” Siegfried said with a sly grin.

“N-No need!” Claude stammered with sweat trickling down his face. Then, he cleared his throat and said, “Ahem! Anyway, I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Remember this. As long as you refrain from looting civilians, I’ll ensure you continue receiving privileges and benefits.”

“Understood.”

Siegfried rose from his seat and walked away.

“Until next time, then.”

“Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

***

After Siegfried left, Marshal Claude’s aide approached him and cautiously asked, “Are you sure about this, sir? No matter how you look at it, dealing with a pirate is just—”

“There’s a saying that you have to keep your friends close but your enemies closer, right?” Claude replied.

“Pardon me, sir?”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. For now, we will keep him close and let him hunt pirates for us.”

“But he is still a pirate, sir. Once he finishes off the others, there is no telling what he will do. By then, his influence will have grown even stronger until—”

“If it comes to that, we will handle it before it becomes a problem.”

“...?”

“When the hunt is over, the hunting dog is no longer needed,” Claude said nonchalantly as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. Then, he took a sip before commanding, “Keep a close eye on the Golden Rat Pirates.”

“Yes, sir!”

“If the hunting dog grows too big, then it may turn on its master…”

***

Siegfried was eavesdropping on their conversation through a Night Stalker.

“So that old fox is ready to discard me, huh? Maybe I should’ve revealed my identity earlier,” Siegfried smirked, fully aware of Claude’s intentions.

However, he knew that to Claude, he, Francis de Drake, was nothing more than a pirate rather than a part of the navy. He was just another scum of the sea that had to be disposed of.

“Well, I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me,” he said with a shrug.

He planned to drain all the benefits he could get from Claude and clear the quest "On a Mission! Hero to the Rescue!" before disappearing. His primary goal was still finding Mischa’s father, who was sold to slavery in the Green Isles.

Siegfried continued hunting down pirates, and he even took down another major pirate crew—the Black Jellyfish Pirates. He earned a fortune in the process and even recovered all the gold he had lost in enhancing the Vanquisher’s Grasp to +15.

He was pursuing an Epic quest that offered pitiful rewards, so it was funny that he ended up amassing a considerable fortune while he was at it.

However, as Siegfried’s pirate hunting intensified, so did the bounty placed on his head by the pirates themselves. The bounty placed on Francis de Drake by the navy remained at zero, while the bounty placed by the pirates on him had surpassed three hundred kilograms[1] of gold.

This was an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of pirates on the continent, as never had the bounty placed by a fellow pirate outweighed the bounty placed by the navy.

This sparked intense debates over Captain Francis de Drake and the Golden Rat Pirates’ true identity.

Some suspected that Francis de Drake was a spy planted by the Allied Naval Command, and this theory gained traction until the minor pirate captains decided to gather.

After an unofficial gathering, the minor pirate captains officially reported Captain Francis de Drake to the Pirate Confederation. The reason they reported him was that even though pirates were known for their lack of honor and morals, targeting fellow pirates so relentlessly was just too excessive.

Thus, they were reporting him for breach of moral conduct. Ironically, pirates never really had morals to begin with.

Meanwhile, Siegfried remained oblivious to these developments as he looted the spoils from yet another major pirate crew, the Swordfish Pirates.

[Alert: Your quest progress has reached 100%!]

[Alert: You have completed the Quest – I’m the Pirate In Charge Here!]

[Alert: Visit the nearest Pirate Confederation branch to obtain a Green Isles Entry Permit!]

After turning in the Swordfish Pirates to the Allied Naval Command for the bounty, Siegfried was now ready to head to the Green Isles. There, he would find Mischa’s father, claim the Pirate King’s Legacy, and return to the Proatine Kingdom.

‘I’ll go find Mischa’s father tomorrow,’ he thought while lounging at the bow of his ship, sipping rum.

Hoonk!

It was then…

A sleek vessel bearing the Pirate Confederation’s flag swiftly approached the Temeraire.

‘Hmm? Are they bringing me the entry permit?’ Siegfried wondered. That was the only reason Siegfried could think of as to why the Pirate Confederation had come seeking for him.

Unfortunately, he was mistaken.

One of the pirates asked, “Are you Captain Francis de Drake?”

“Yes, and who are you?” Siegfried replied curtly.

“Please take this and sign it.”

“What’s this about?”

“A subpoena to attend a hearing.”

“A what?!”

Siegfried blinked in disbelief. A hearing? Pirates were holding a court hearing?

The pirate added, “A subpoena, Captain. You’ve been served.”

1. I’m not sure why the author suddenly decided to weigh gold. My guess is gold coins are currencies used, while pure gold is far more valuable? ☜