888 Alliance

"In the name of the Dream and Armament Master! Dispel evil!"

Donald immediately prostrated and prayed for this act of grace.

Sizzle!

The strange imprint on his back appeared to come to life. The lines turned blood red, and the eye in the middle blinked.

Bloop! Bloop!

Countless bubbles appeared, and Donald felt like a massive hole opened up on his back, seeming like a faucet connected to the ocean.

A large amount of liquid came out.

Fang Yuan's faint voice came from the emblem. "Be firm in your conviction! When lost, do not listen to the voices coming from the deep sea. I shall bless, my believer."

Rumble!

Space trembled violently.

It felt as though two giant creatures met face to face and started fighting fiercely in close quarters.

Donald screamed miserably and almost fainted.

When he finally regained his senses, the first thing he did was to look at the imprint on his back.

At this time, it looked nothing like it used to.

The thin layer of seawater on the ground, as well as a dead black carp, let Donald understand that everything that happened earlier was definitely not an illusion.

"Thank you, my Lord! You have rescued me once again!"

Understanding the cause and effect, Donald immediately started praying even more sincerely than ever before.

"Mr. Donald!"

Anxious knocking echoed from a door.

"What's going on? Didn't I instruct that no one is to bother me?"

Donald furrowed his brows but still went to open the door.

"My apologies! Mister, a messenger from Duke Ham insists on meeting you immediately… You… This…"

Evidently, the scene in the room shocked the butler.

"Nothing… I was merely conducting a small experiment. Also, if whatever you see here spreads, you will have to look for a new job tomorrow."

Donald tidied up his clothes. "Bring me to the guest!"

"No problem!"

The butler quivered a little as he stood much straighter than usual.

"Respectable Mr. Donald!"

The messenger from Duke Ham was a servant who often served the duke. The moment he spotted Donald, he acted as though he saw his liberator. "The duke wants to see you immediately!"

"I understand. Looks like something happened… something incredible!"

Donald took his coat from his butler and then got into a carriage.

Duke Ham's manor.

This noble old man was currently no longer as carefree as before. Instead, he was staring at the battle report in his hands like a statue.

"Your Excellency Duke?" Donald called out.

"Ah, Donald, you're here." Duke Ham rubbed his brows, his voice seeming devastated. "I'm taking the first ship that leaves tomorrow. I will be going to Cecil, and you have to come as well. I want you to be my personal adviser!"

"Diplomatic mission?" Donald frowned. "Did… something go wrong with the battle?"

"How do you know?" Duke Ham subconsciously hid the battle report and stared at Donald with his eagle-like eyes.

"Because there isn't another incident that can make Ettoman express goodwill to the second most powerful ocean country, Cecil… Moreover, it feels like almost every major incident in the kingdom recently has something to do with the ocean. If my guess is right, you should have just received the battle report, right? Did Admiral Philip suffer a disastrous defeat?" Donald replied calmly.

"No! It's much worse!" Duke Ham closed his eyes painfully. "The Invincible Steel Fleet… no longer exists!"

"…" Donald responded solemnly, "This is truly sorrowful and unfortunate news!"

"Indeed… When the naval minister received the news, he instantly passed out. Over forty ironclads sank… This is truly the greatest loss we have ever suffered. Of course, there's also the thousands of young men serving Ettoman's navy and the families we need to console…" Duke Ham replied, full of heartache.

"What was the exact cause? Was it due to some kind of act of a god?" Donald quickly inquired.

"No! This is a completely upright defeat. Admiral Philip led our navy and lost in a direct confrontation against Pirate King Roche. This is a humiliation for everyone in Ettoman!" Duke Ham clenched his teeth.

"It seems like… we will soon lose all our colonies, as well as other interests…" Donald said. "Therefore, we need an alliance, and Cecil is undoubtedly the most suitable ally since they are the only country with the possibility of catching up to us in terms of naval power. But how many benefits and colonies is our kingdom willing to give up to them?"

"That depends on the results of my mission, which is exactly why I need your help." Duke Ham looked at Donald sincerely.

"That's the way it should be. There are no eternal friends or enemies… only eternal interests!" Donald muttered. "The strength of these pirates is definitely way beyond our wildest imaginations. Just imagine how many horrifying incidents will crop up with the rise of pirates? Ocean trade will be halved, and no ships will dare to travel out to sea unless they are pirate ships flying the Jolly Roger! I think… we can make the dangers the pirates represent known to the world and not just bring in Cecil. We should rope in all the countries in Opher to form an anti-pirate alliance!"

Ettoman was merely an island nation. In the past, its navy might be impressive, but it was nothing when brought up to the next level.

Even though it had had a massive invincible fleet, this was only when compared to individual nations.

If all the other countries banded together, Ettoman would never be able to match the combined number of ships, tonnage, and crew members.

"Anti-pirate alliance? Is this possible?" A slight ray of hope appeared in Duke Ham's eyes.

"As long as we exaggerate the dangers of the pirates, of course it's possible. I believe those merchants don't wish to see the pirates monopolizing all the ocean wealth. Regarding trade profits, all the countries in Opher speak the same language. Moreover, this world is very large… Ettoman won't be able to monopolize all the trade, which is why we have to connect and work together. By integrating all of Opher, it will become a trend in the future. This is something I will elaborate on in my new book…" Donald said frankly and confidently.

"Great! I believe that inviting you to become my adviser is the most appropriate decision." Duke Ham was on the verge of applauding out loud. "Wonderful opinions!"

He also understood the hidden meaning in Donald's words.

Even if they managed to rope in Cecil, the badly battered royal navy would be subordinate to it.

But if they were to form an alliance with many different countries, everyone would be allies. This made everything different.

After all, the previous Ettoman could not compare to the total of all the navies in Opher, let alone Cecil.

…

"Very good! It seems like Ettoman's defeat has led to the emergence of an alliance!"

Nightmare Ocean.

Following the howls of pirates, an entire island of Ettoman fortifications completely fell.

Looking defeated, a navy captain led all the crew members who could still walk toward the proud pirates to offer their weapons.

This scene took place in succession throughout the Nightmare Ocean.

This showed how easily the pirates had managed to march in and take back all the territories in the Nightmare Ocean that used to belong to Blackbeard.

"Just like that, the wealthiest Golden Sea Route will be under our complete control!"

Fang Yuan smiled while looking at his men standing behind him.

The Nightmare Ocean needed someone to fill the position of pirate governor. Naturally, he was going to choose someone under his personal command.

This was also why these men had been extremely hardworking recently.

"However, we might have to tweak our future actions slightly. Just like those pirate governors, we have to change the way we think. By looting others, we're only gaining temporary wealth and killing the goose that laid the golden egg…

"Furthermore, the world is too huge. Given our strength, we won't be able to fully exploit the resources. Thus, we can't do without the participation of the Opher Continent.

"Therefore, our control over this sea route has to be like how Ettoman controlled the Solomon Strait. We must collect protection fees and sink any ship that dares to go against us… At the same time, we need to take in more capital and not pin our hopes on a group of pirates to do business for us! In the end, I hope that you guys can be the defenders of ocean trade and not destroyers!"

The enactment of the Pirate Statutes was merely the first step toward standardizing piracy.

What followed was directly interfering with the pirates' 'free' nature.

What kind of evil consequences would come from forcefully changing the nature of a profession?

Fang Yuan wanted a reformation, and he could simply follow the details of how the ancient emperors did it.

He could predict the backlash that would come with it.

If he managed to brace past it, he would be able to control the ocean lifeline just as Ettoman had, and then he could establish an incomparable and glorious ocean empire.

If he could not brace past it, there was no need to talk about the consequences.

"During a period of backlash like this, will those Evil Gods finally act? I'm looking forward to it…"

Fang Yuan licked his lips.

On Donald's body, he had already sensed the essence of the Deep-Sea Stalker.

While the other party was powerful, it was still nothing compared to him, a Mental Demon Demon God who controlled two Great Daos.

When ordinary people wanted a reformation, they naturally had to face backlash, the simplest and crudest being the erasure of the fleshly body.

However, Fang Yuan was different.

He himself was so extraordinary that he could obstruct many ambushes.

In the end, he would become a powerful current capable of influencing this world.

"The outcome of everything will eventually become apparent!"

Fang Yuan looked meaningfully at his subordinates.