Chapter 100: THIRD POV.

The small ship drifted alongside the largest pirate vessel, its wooden hull bumping gently against the larger ship’s side.

"Finally done rescuing the survivors?" Priscilla asked, leaning against the thick wooden railing above him. She was wiping a smear of dark blood off her cheek with the back of her sleeve, looking completely relaxed, as if she had hadn’t just fought off an entire fleet of killers.

"Yes, Captain," Jacob said. Without wasting any time, he used his strong legs to leap off the First Hornet and onto the deck of the pirate ship Priscilla was on.

"I see you’re already done on your end," he said, glancing over at the tied-up pirates who were shivering in fear whenever Priscilla’s shadow drifted over them. They looked like terrified mice trapped in a room with a massive cat.

"Hmph! These bunch of hoodlums couldn’t even put up much of a fight," Priscilla harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest and looking down her nose at the captives as if she were deeply unsatisfied with the whole experience.

She kicked a broken sword out of her way with her heavy boot. "Barely over a hundred men, yet they could only do this much. I thought real pirates would be stronger."

" Theses wretched lot started running and crying the moment I snapped their captain’s blade in half. It was completely boring."

’Big words from someone who was aiming to become a hoodlum herself not too long ago,’ Jacob said inwardly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at her.

He found it quite funny how fast she had adopted his "legendary pirate" code, completely turning her back on the regular raiders she used to admire.

Of course, he had absolutely no intentions of saying such things outward. He liked his head right where it was, firmly attached to his neck, teasing her outright might just get him maimed or killed.

Since it was clear she wasn’t in a good mood.

"Oh? Who’s the kid?" Priscilla asked suddenly, her golden eyes locking onto the deck of the First Hornet.

She noticed the young silver-haired girl standing near the mast, who seemed to be hiding nervously behind the chubby man and the other people Jacob had saved.

The little girl caught sight of Priscilla’s massive frame, her sharp ears, and the terrifying sword at her waist, and she immediately shrank back, burying her face into Rudwig’s wet coat.

Rudwig noticed Priscilla’s expression, since she seemed to be on good terms with their benefactor, he could only force an awkward smile.

Instead of speaking out loud in front of the surviving pirates and the maids, Jacob walked over to Priscilla’s side.

He gestured for her to lean down, which she surprisingly did without complaints, and then he began whispering the truth about the girl’s identity directly into Priscilla’s large, furry ear.

The moment he finished speaking the last word.

He suddenly felt a chill down his spine, His figure hurriedly retreated several feet away from her in a flash, his boots scraping against the deck as he put as much distance between them as possible.

His forehead was instantly covered in perspiration, and his back was completely drenched in cold sweat.

Rudwig and the others bore confused looks on their faces, not understanding what had just happened.

For Jacob on the other hand, his eyes were filled with caution.

His actions just now weren’t of his own will but of pure instinct. His body had reacted before his brain could even think about what was happening, forcing him to move back as fast as his legs could carry him.

Though unnoticeable to others, he had suddenly sensed a faint, horrifying pressure emanating off Priscilla a few inches from her body.

It was a heavy, suffocating feeling that made the air feel thick and hard to breathe. The temperature on the deck seemed to drop instantly, and an internal voice in the back of his head was screaming at him to run away as far as possible.

It was a pressure that felt as strong as the one he’d once sensed from Persephone when she’d lost her mind and beaten him to near death.

That memory was still burned into his mind, the feeling of absolute helplessness against a force no one seemed capable of stopping.

To feel that exact same terrifying energy coming from the tiger-woman standing right next to him made his skin crawl.

He hadn’t realized until this exact second just how deeply dangerous Priscilla could be when she was truly pushed.

While none of the maids or the chubby man noticed the change, the young guy on the deck of the First Hornet couldn’t help squinting his eyes as a grim look emerged on his face.

Despite his severe injuries and the exhaustion pulling at his body, his senses were remarkably sharp.

He had clearly picked up on the sudden shift in the air, his black eyes fixing onto Priscilla with a look of deep suspicion and worry.

He placed a hand over the little silver-haired girl’s shoulders, pulling her just an inch closer to his side as if preparing to shield her from a new threat.

Luckily for Jacob, Priscilla’s gaze was now focused on the pirates on the three ships rather than him alone.

She wasn’t paying any attention to his sudden retreat or the young man’s wary glare. Her eyes were as cold as a blizzard, all the excitement and joy from before completely vanishing, replaced by a dark, frozen anger that looked entirely unnatural on her usually expressive face. The news Jacob had whispered into her ear had struck a dangerous chord inside her.

"First mate...." Priscilla called out to him without turning back. Her voice was low, flat, and completely stripped of its usual raspy cheerfulness. It sounded like the rumble of a volcano right before it explodes.

"Y-Yes, Captain," Jacob said, unconsciously stuttering. He cursed himself inwardly for showing weakness, but his throat was dry, and he couldn’t help swallowing hard as he waited to hear what she was going to say next.