The speaker, a burly man with a golden hook for a hand and a scowl on his face, stood up.

  “Bang!” Charles slammed his prosthetic hand on the table, his eyes filled with provocation as he glared at the man. “I don’t like talking to people who are standing. Please sit down.”

  The man’s eyes widened, and his mustache quivered as the atmosphere in the cabin grew tense. Yet, Charles showed no signs of backing down, maintaining his confrontational gaze. This was intentional; he needed to assert his control over the fleet.

  On paper, Charles was the commander of the fleet, but the other captains still viewed him merely as an employer. He didn’t want to be their employer; he aimed to lead the entire fleet. An employer could easily be abandoned in times of crisis, but if he became their true leader, those captains would be his real allies. Otherwise, he would rather not have them at all.

  It was like choosing a lion king; humans, too, are animals, and some of their instincts are not so different from those of other creatures. Perhaps in other contexts, this would be handled more delicately, but at sea, things were often blunt.

  Beside him, the weary-looking Kode understood Charles’s intentions. As an ally, he didn’t want to undermine Charles at this critical moment.

  “You don’t like standing while talking? Well, I despise sitting down to talk with others!” The man with the hook stepped closer, looking down at Charles. “Charles, right? I’ve heard of you. You’ve explored quite a few islands, but as a senior, I’d like to remind you that my previous acceptance of your command was simply out of laziness. After all, the employer’s word is law. But if you think—”

  As he spoke dismissively, he noticed the strange black tattoo peeking out from Charles’s collar. His expression shifted instantly, as if he had seen something terrifying. He abruptly sat back down in his chair, visibly shaken.

  “Report... Captain Charles, the freshwater tends to spoil easily. My ship is stocked with mushroom wine, and I have one tank of water. Those creatures didn’t cause any losses to my ship. As for the crew…”

  Listening to the hook-handed captain’s report, not only were the other captains surprised, but Kode was equally astonished. They had all expected a confrontation, yet this man had backed down so quickly.

  As Charles jotted down the information, he was unsure why the man suddenly yielded, but his goal had been achieved.

  After recording the details, Charles turned to a gloomy-looking young man beside him. “You’re next. Speak up.”

  Faced with Charles’s intense gaze, the young man instinctively looked away, reporting in a soft voice.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  With the initial aggressor subdued, the rest of the proceedings went much smoother. Charles noted the various data from the sixteen ships aside from the Unicorn.

  “Amig, you have the most freshwater. Allocate some to Monzi; he’s lost a bit.”

  Although the captain singled out looked displeased, he nodded in agreement.

  “Good. That’ll be all. Everyone, return to your vessels and stay vigilant. I hope to see all of you return alive.”

  As the captains departed, Feilbaha lingered, a smile on his face. “Mr. Charles, don’t worry. If anything unusual happens, I’ll be the first to report it to you.”

  Charles glanced at the green-haired man. “Are you close with them? How would you know immediately if something’s off?”

  “Ha ha, I like making friends. My father always said that having one more friend means one less enemy. I’ve gotten quite familiar with them during this time, but rest assured, I’m on your side,” Feilbaha explained casually.

  Charles met his gaze steadily. “Are you really just here to explore an island? You seem quite capable. If I remember correctly, your ship managed to rescue itself during that last crisis.”

  “Ha ha ha, just luck, just luck! By the way, Mr. Charles, when I swam over just now, I noticed your ship’s hull has some damage. I happen to have a skilled shipwright among my crew. Would you like—”

  “No, that’s a minor issue. My crew can handle it themselves,” Charles replied curtly.

  Sensing Charles’s wariness, Feilbaha fell silent, bowing with a smile before walking away.

  This matter quickly passed, and the fleet continued its journey, but some changes were noticed within the group.

  Since that incident, the previously scattered ships began to line up behind the Unicorn in formation.

  Moreover, a rumor began circulating among the ships: Captain Charles was a significant figure in the Cult of Vurtan.

  The alliance between the Cult of Light and the Cult of Vurtan had formed this fleet, and if they didn’t want to be sacrificed, they should obediently follow orders.

  Charles paid little attention to these beneficial rumors; his focus remained on Feilbaha. The man was overly enthusiastic, frequently visiting Charles’s ship, providing various intelligence from the other vessels.

  One morning, a note was delivered to Charles’s desk, stating that a sea monster had climbed aboard Kode’s ship the previous day. Although they managed to handle it in time, a follower of the Cult of Light lost an arm.

  “Mr. Charles, does he like you? Why does he write to you every day?” Lily asked, clutching a piece of broken biscuit with her tiny paws.

  Pausing his writing, Charles looked at his gunner oddly. “Why would you think that? Where did you learn such a thing?”

  “I secretly watched a play at the theater, and that’s how they acted,” she replied.

  Charles flicked her on the head gently. “Go eat your biscuits in the mess hall; don’t scatter crumbs everywhere.”

  He didn’t believe Feilbaha was so trivial; the man likely had other motives. However, for now, he seemed unlikely to jeopardize his own interests.

  “I don’t eat biscuits; I just use them to grind my teeth, or else they’ll grow long,” Lily said, opening her mouth to show her tiny, white teeth.

  Ignoring her antics, Charles pulled out the nautical chart and began calculating the remaining journey to their supply island.

  As they drew closer to their destination, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t anxious, but he couldn’t show that anxiety. If he panicked, the crew would only become more unsettled.

  Charles’s thumb and forefinger traced the chart, marking their position in relation to the land of light ahead. His gaze hardened with determination.