Before long, the wooden ship had caught up with the Narwhal, both vessels racing side by side across the sea. At such a close distance, Charles could vaguely hear the furious roars of the “King.”

  With a grim expression, Charles abruptly turned the helm, swinging the Narwhal 90 degrees to face the enemy. This maneuver minimized the chance of being hit while allowing his gunners to return fire.

  In an instant, the sea erupted with cannon fire, drowning out all sounds except for the explosions.

  Suddenly, the Narwhal shook violently, and Charles’s face turned pale; the ship had been hit!

  Thick smoke billowed from the deck, obscuring his view of the outside. Pushing open the cockpit door, he rushed out.

  On the deck, he saw that the bow of the Narwhal had completely deformed, resembling a gaping maw, with smoke pouring out from within. It seemed that the turbine room hadn’t been damaged, and the ship could still move.

  However, compared to the imminent threat of the wooden ship, this concern felt trivial.

  At this moment, several dark cannon muzzles were aimed directly at the Narwhal, and 134 looked over with a sinister grin.

  “How interesting. When my crew reported that a large bat had landed on the island, I knew you had come. I didn’t expect you to dare provoke me again after escaping last time. That was just luck, but luck runs out eventually. This time, you won’t escape!”

  In the face of 134’s threats, Charles remained unfazed and even managed a slight smirk. “I know you’re strong, but do you really think one ship can take on several exploration vessels?”

  “Bang! Bang! Bang!” The cannon fire continued relentlessly. Amidst the violent explosions, the entire wooden ship caught fire, emitting a mournful creaking sound as 134 became engulfed in flames and smoke.

  The ships that had previously left returned to assist.

  With the pursuing pirate ships drawing ever closer, Charles couldn’t afford to delay any longer. He blew the horn, signaling for everyone to retreat at full speed.

  Some of the faster pirates had already rushed up, but their small numbers were insufficient to stop Charles and his crew from escaping.

  Just as the battle raged on, he suddenly heard a beautiful singing voice.

  Immediately, he felt his fatigue dissipating rapidly, accompanied by a slight itch on his skin.

  Having encountered 134’s song before, Charles grabbed a nearby screwdriver, ready to pierce his eardrum at the first sign of bodily changes.

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  However, this time, he didn’t experience any abnormalities; the strangeness was occurring on the burning wooden ship.

  As the song crescendoed, branches began to emerge, pushing through the flames. Before long, a lush grove appeared on the dark sea.

  The pirates following behind didn’t rush to pursue; instead, they cheered excitedly at the rapidly growing forest.

  Seeing this, a sense of unease crept into Charles’s heart.

  Standing beside him, Kode, whether to comfort himself or Charles, said, “It’s fine; it doesn’t even have a ship. It can’t catch up.”

  Suddenly, the singing stopped, and the entire grove split open like a cocoon. A pale, swollen mass crawled out from within.

  If the previous “King” had merely been an obese human, it had now transformed into an immensely grotesque white maggot, magnified thousands of times.

  Various insect limbs writhed in and out of its segmented body, with rows of curved insect legs growing beneath it.

  Looking at this grotesque form, Charles finally understood why this creature had become the King of Sodom.

  He didn’t know if this transformation was catalyzed by 134’s song or if it had always been like this inside the ship, but he knew this creature was not to be trifled with.

  “Roar!” The hideous head howled, its insect legs thrashing wildly as the deformed “King” charged toward Charles with murderous intent.

  Lily’s rats scurried up and down the deck, and cannonballs exploded against its body, tearing it apart. Yet, no amount of wounds could slow its speed; the exposed yellowish fat writhed like maggots, healing rapidly.

  The “King” was incredibly fast, and within minutes, it was back on Charles’s tail. He realized that if the fleet was caught up again, they would truly be finished.

  “Kode! Order them to keep moving forward! I’ll hold it off!” Charles shouted, biting his gums and smearing blood on the bat mirror before soaring into the air.

  Charles quickly positioned himself above the “King,” opening his mouth to emit a piercing scream.

  However, 134 quickly countered this move; the melodious song from below drowned out Charles’s voice, and he felt his muscles and bones swell again.

  As he witnessed his body swelling uncontrollably, Charles bit down hard, retracting his wings and diving toward the “King.”

  Just before crashing into it, he drew out his Thunder Short Staff. Bright arcs of electricity danced over the “King,” causing its insect limbs to thrash wildly, its white skin charred black, filling the air with a nauseating scent of burning flesh.

  The “King” halted, but Charles found himself in dire straits as several insect legs shot up from beneath the flesh, ensnaring him tightly.

  Dressed in a princess gown, 134 floated toward Charles.

  Though paralyzed and unable to move, Charles’s expression remained calm, as if he had some hidden trump card.

  Just as the distance between them closed to five meters, a sudden, unexpected voice broke through. “Hey, what are you two doing? Stop fighting!”

  It was Tuba’s voice, panting as he climbed up the “King’s” insect legs.

  “I’m exhausted. Help me out here,” Tuba complained, and just as he finished speaking, a blackened piece of flesh split open, and an insect leg emerged.

  Without hesitation, Tuba yanked it out, using it like a cane as he cheerfully walked forward.

  “Isn’t this Ximiti? Long time no see! Where have you been?”

  Tuba reached out to pat 134’s head, but she quickly slapped his hand down with some unseen force, pinning him to the ground.

  Looking at the filthy old man, the little girl’s face twisted in disgust.

  “177! Others are coming to raid our island, and you’re off helping them instead!”

  Tuba wore a look of grievance. “They just wanted to go home! I just wanted to help a bit, and I saw that even if I didn’t help, they—”

  “You useless fool! Ever since you went crazy four hundred years ago, you haven’t had a clear thought for a single moment!”