Super Mothership
On the other side, Gold Dagger had just breathed a sigh of relief after finishing his intelligence report when one of his subordinates rushed into the room.
"Boss, we just received word from our informants. The Blacksail and Red Dragon fleets are heading toward our base!"
Gold Dagger froze.
"Wasn't Blacksail attacking the Dragoon base? What do you mean they're coming here?" he asked with a frown.
"Because... because Red Dragon says they're coming to join us!"
Gold Dagger: "???"
...
Time rewound to an hour earlier.
Just as the pirates who had been watching the spectacle were scratching their heads, wondering why both sides had suddenly stopped fighting, the battlefield—which had been motionless for over ten minutes—finally sprang back to life.
The combined Blacksail and Madman fleet suddenly ignited their engines, plumes of exhaust flaring behind them as the entire fleet surged toward the Red Dragon fleet once again.
"Flint, we've already backed down. Are you really going to wipe us out?" Red Dragon's furious voice echoed through the public channel.
"Hmph! If you don't pull out the roots, the weeds will grow back!"
"Good! Very good! Flint, I hope you don't regret this! Brothers, retreat! We're joining the Gold Coin Pirate Group!"
The pirates watching the battle were left dumbfounded as the situation changed dramatically.
After a brief exchange of fire, the battle rapidly transformed into a pursuit.
The Red Dragon fleet barely maintained formation, retreating while fighting under the cover of two legendary mechas. Meanwhile, the Blacksail alliance chased relentlessly from behind, explosions and fire continuously erupting along the route.
"Uh... did their negotiations break down?"
"Looks that way. Red Dragon probably realized they couldn't win and tried to surrender, but Blacksail clearly isn't willing to let them go."
"Hey! Did you hear that? Red Dragon said they're going to join the Gold Coin Pirate Group?"
"Hmm... makes sense. The Dark Temple and Carlon's main forces aren't in the Shattered Star Field right now, so they can't help. Aside from the major pirate groups currently fighting, only the Gold Coin Pirate Group has the strength to intervene."
"But Gold Coin declared neutrality from the very beginning. They might not get involved."
"Not necessarily. Red Dragon and Dragoon still have sizable fleets. The Gold Coin Pirate Group could pick up a huge bargain for free. They might really be tempted. Don't forget there are two legendary mechas involved. That's a glaringly obvious jackpot!"
"True. If you combine all three fleets, they can definitely challenge Blacksail and Madman. If it were me, I'd swallow that fat piece of meat first and ask questions later. The real question is what the Gold Coin Pirate Group will choose."
"Stop guessing and hurry up after them!"
"Let's go! Let's go! This melon is enough to last me a year!"
...
When Gold Dagger learned the whole story, he was completely stunned.
The remaining Double Dragon forces were still formidable. If he could absorb them, it would be a blessing falling straight from the heavens.
He couldn't deny that he was tempted for a brief moment.
But he quickly calmed down.
This was completely different from their original plan.
Besides, who surrenders without even making contact beforehand? It was obvious that Double Dragon was trying to divert disaster onto someone else.
What a case of sitting quietly at home only for trouble to fall from the sky.
"Go! Immediately order the base and fleet to enter maximum alert status. Inform Red Dragon that we will not accept their surrender. If they enter Gold Coin Pirate Group territory, they will be attacked and expelled at once!"
"And notify Flint. Tell him we have no intention of interfering in this war. He'd better not misunderstand!"
"Yes, sir!"
After his subordinate left, Gold Dagger's eyelids twitched.
Something felt off.
An uneasy feeling lingered in his heart, but he couldn't pinpoint the cause.
Then again, with Double Dragon driven into a corner, in this small corner of the Shattered Star Field...
Wasn't he truly their only remaining lifeline?
After some thought, he decided to take precautions.
Picking up his communicator, he dialed a number.
"Hello! The situation has changed. You need to return to the Shattered Star Field immediately..."
...
The Gold Coin Pirate Group's base was located not far from Shattered Star City.
Unlike the hidden or heavily fortified bases of the other pirate groups, this place resembled an enormous open warehouse.
The base consisted of dozens of shattered asteroids of varying sizes.
Each asteroid was connected by hollow passageways large enough for four vehicles to travel side by side, forming a vast interconnected network that resembled a miniature stellar chain.
Most of the asteroids had been hollowed out.
Not only were fleets belonging to the Gold Coin Pirate Group stationed there, but the site also housed the largest industrial production center and shipyard in the entire Shattered Star Field.
Relying on this massive base, built with countless resources and unimaginable wealth, the Gold Coin Pirate Group effectively sat atop a mountain of gold.
Hundreds of cargo ships traveled daily between the base and Shattered Star City, supplying over thirty percent of the city's black-market goods.
Their profits were astronomical.
At this moment, however, tension suddenly filled the base.
All cargo ships retreated inside for shelter.
Nearly a thousand warships belonging to the Gold Coin Pirate Group had formed defensive formations around the perimeter.
Every defensive installation in the base began charging, while fortress cannons turned their barrels toward the west.
There, countless faint points of starlight were growing brighter and brighter.
A massive fleet of over a thousand ships was approaching, locked in pursuit and retreat.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions and flashes in the distance made it clear that Blacksail had not abandoned the chase.
The battle was still ongoing.
Yet as the fleets drew closer, Gold Dagger's frown deepened.
Logically speaking, once Red Dragon learned that Gold Coin intended to remain neutral, they should have changed course to avoid being trapped between two enemies.
Yet they continued heading straight toward the base.
"Boss! Radar has detected the Dragoon fleet approaching from the north. More than six hundred ships!" a subordinate suddenly shouted in shock.
"What?" Gold Dagger was startled.
The Dragoon fleet was here too?
What were they planning?
Did they intend to use his territory as the battlefield for their decisive clash?
Were they trying to drag him into the conflict?
Or fish in troubled waters?
How had the previously neutral Gold Coin Pirate Group suddenly become the eye of the storm?
Gold Dagger felt the situation slipping beyond his control.
His uneasiness intensified.
"Gold Coin Pirate Group warning to all approaching fleets: We have no intention of participating in this war. Any vessel entering our territory will be subjected to immediate indiscriminate attack!"
"I repeat! We have no intention of participating in this war. Any vessel entering our territory will be subjected to immediate indiscriminate attack!"
"I repeat..."
The stern warning echoed through the surrounding star systems three times.
However, only the Blacksail alliance seemed to show any concern.
They slowed slightly and altered their course southward, avoiding a direct approach to the Gold Coin base.
But...
The Red Dragon fleet seemed determined to target Gold Coin.
Ignoring the warnings, they plunged straight into the defensive perimeter.
"Don't fire! We're here to surrender! We're on the same side!"
Hearing Red Dragon's shout, Gold Dagger nearly exploded with rage.
"Damn it!"
You're the leader of an entire pirate group!
Begging for refuge so shamelessly—don't you have any awareness of my position at all?
"Boss, what do we do now?" a subordinate asked helplessly.
"What do we do? Open fire! Do they think I'm someone they can push around?" Gold Dagger roared.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
More than a dozen fortress cannons fired first.
The distance was still considerable, so the opening salvo achieved little and caused no significant damage to the Red Dragon fleet.
Nevertheless, the action clearly demonstrated Gold Coin's determination.
"Good! Very good! Gold Dagger, you old bastard! I misjudged you! Brothers, they won't give us a way to live. If we're going down, we're taking someone with us! Open fire!"
Facing the attack, the Red Dragon fleet immediately launched retaliatory strikes.
At the same time, the Dragoon fleet entered the battlefield and joined forces with Red Dragon, bombarding the Gold Coin base from the north.
Boom!
A fortress cannon struck a Dragoon warship directly, turning it into a brilliant firework.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Gold Coin base's defensive installations erupted in explosions as they endured a relentless barrage of incoming fire.
Both sides exchanged fire furiously, and the battlefield instantly descended into chaos.
The pirates who had followed behind to watch the excitement were completely dumbfounded.
The pursuers had stopped fighting, yet the pursued fleet was now battling the very faction they supposedly wanted to join?
What kind of insane move was this?
Had Double Dragon suffered such a devastating blow that they'd gone completely mad?
"You... you've gone too far!" Gold Dagger felt like he was losing his mind as well.
What kind of nonsense was this?
What had he done to deserve it?
The Gold Coin Pirate Group had wanted to remain neutral.
Now they no longer had a choice.
"Flint! The Gold Coin Pirate Group is willing to join forces with you and destroy Dragoon together!"
Gold Dagger decisively contacted Blacksail.
Yet this proposal, which should have greatly benefited Blacksail, vanished into the void.
There wasn't even a response.
As the silence dragged on, Gold Dagger's unease intensified.
"B-Boss! Blacksail has entered our alert zone from the west. They aren't slowing down at all..." the subordinate said nervously.
Gold Dagger sucked in a sharp breath.
West. North. South.
That was an encirclement.
No matter how slow he might have been, he finally realized something was terribly wrong.
These three factions...
Had clearly arranged this in advance!
A terrifying possibility surfaced in Gold Dagger's mind.
Could it be...
Their negotiations had never broken down at all?
Instead, they had reached some sort of agreement...
And the real target...
Was him!
TL Note- Trap....
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