Super Mothership
One Hour Later...
Flint's face was so dark it looked as though water could drip from it.
The Ghost Pirates had indeed honored their word and withdrawn voluntarily. The only problem was that... they had taken far more than anyone had expected.
On the display, nearly every ship leaving the Gold Coin Pirates' core base area looked noticeably larger than before, with all kinds of cargo strapped to their exteriors.
Some were even towing several massive cargo containers behind them!
Such blatant violations of the "Interstellar Overloading Act" only made Flint's heart ache even more.
If their engines hadn't reached their limits, Flint seriously suspected the Ghost Pirates would have chained up a few of the base's asteroid installations and dragged those away as well.
But that wasn't even the biggest issue.
The real problem was that, in addition to all the loot, the Ghost Pirates had also taken nearly a hundred large transport ships from the base, along with almost three hundred vessels that had once belonged to the Gold Coin Pirates fleet.
That's right.
During their retreat, the surviving Gold Coin Pirates fleet had actually surrendered to the Ghost Pirates!
For pirates who roamed the stars plundering wherever they pleased, starships were everything. The size of a pirate fleet was the most direct measure of a pirate group's strength.
Yet the remnant fleet Flint valued the most had seen nearly half of its ships defect directly to the Ghost Pirates!
Everyone knew the Gold Coin Pirates were finished. They were merely clinging to life, so every faction had their eyes fixed on this fleet, which had already been surrounded on all sides and was destined to raise the white flag sooner or later.
Not only Flint, but the leaders of the other pirate groups had secretly been contacting officers they knew within the Gold Coin Pirates, offering generous incentives in hopes of recruiting as much of the fleet as possible to strengthen their own forces.
Both the Black Sail faction and the Twin Dragon faction had taken it for granted that this fleet would eventually become spoils for them to divide. At most, they expected the Ghost Pirates to make off with money and valuables. There was no way a newly established pirate crew could absorb an entire fleet.
Even a blind man could see that, whether in strength or foundation, the fledgling Ghost Pirates were no match for the long-established Seven Great Pirate Crews.
By all logic, even if the Gold Coin Pirates chose to surrender, they should have joined one of the established powers—not some upstart crew that had only recently made a name for itself.
Yet before any of them had made real progress...
The Ghost Pirates had already poached a huge chunk of them!
It was like spending years chasing after the goddess of your dreams, only to watch her suddenly throw herself into another man's arms—and that man happened to be a short, ugly nobody who was inferior to you in every way...
Well... perhaps after today, "poor" was no longer an accurate description of him.
In any case, this shameless theft left Flint itching to chase after the Ghost Pirates and seize those ships back by force.
Strictly speaking, those warships were indeed spoils the Ghost Pirates had acquired within the agreed-upon "one hour."
But breaking agreements was practically second nature to pirates.
Unfortunately for Flint, Nie Yun had anticipated that his so-called ally wasn't exactly trustworthy.
The Ghost Pirates' withdrawal route had been incredibly crafty. They deliberately made a small detour and slipped directly behind the Twin Dragon fleet, obviously using them as a shield.
Black Sail couldn't even find a firing angle.
The moment they altered course in any suspicious way, the Ghost Pirates would immediately become alert. Twin Dragon would naturally respond as well, and the result would be another all-out battle.
"Captain, the Dragoons have already dispatched troops to take custody of the prisoners. What should we do?" the deputy commander reminded him.
With half the fleet having followed the Ghost Pirates, the remaining pirates naturally lost all will to resist. Once the base's defense system had been almost completely destroyed, they began firing surrender flares one after another.
As for who would end up with more prisoners...
That depended entirely on who moved the fastest.
"Hmph! Go seize them!"
Staring at the Ghost Pirates, who had parked themselves far away with an obvious 'Go right ahead—we won't interfere' attitude, Flint snorted angrily before issuing the order.
While the major pirate crews divided up the Gold Coin Pirates' fleet, they naturally didn't overlook the wealth and supplies still remaining inside the base. Landing craft and large cargo ships poured into the station to carry out the looting.
Compared to the Ghost Pirates' reckless plundering, their own looting was much more cautious. While searching for supplies, they also had to keep an eye on the opposing faction's pirates.
Fortunately, the various pirate groups had divided the looting zones beforehand. Neither side wanted to start another battle at this point, so everyone exercised restraint. Aside from a few isolated brawls, no large-scale clashes broke out.
Even after Nie Yun had spent an entire hour stripping the place clean, the wealth left inside the base still stunned the leaders of the various pirate crews.
After the shock came overwhelming delight.
This raid had been more than worth it!
The Gold Coin Pirates truly deserved their reputation as the richest force in the Shattered Star Region.
Watching endless supplies being loaded aboard their ships, Flint was thrilled—but at the same time, he became even more envious of the "cream of the crop" that the Ghost Pirates had taken.
Still, he knew...
Now wasn't the time to tear up the alliance.
While the Gold Coin Pirates' inheritance was being carved up by a pack of ravenous pirates, Nie Yun—who had already withdrawn successfully with an enormous haul—hadn't been idle either.
Through a series of brilliant diplomatic maneuvers, using a small force to manipulate much larger ones, Nie Yun had not only shattered the mysterious mastermind's plans and completely reversed the situation in the Shattered Star Region, but had also secured the greatest possible benefits for the Ghost Pirates.
Originally, the Ghost Pirates possessed only a little over a hundred mixed-quality warships.
Now, they had suddenly expanded into a massive fleet of more than five hundred vessels of every type.
Their strength had multiplied several times over in an instant!
If this had been a five-player match, Nie Yun would undoubtedly have been the MVP.
Adding together the immense wealth they had plundered and the soon-to-be-vacant seat among the Seven Great Pirate Crews, the Ghost Pirates had truly achieved both fame and fortune.
However, every coin has two sides.
Such a spectacular debut also pushed the Ghost Pirates completely into the spotlight.
As the saying goes, a man carrying priceless jade invites disaster.
After becoming rich overnight, the Ghost Pirates were bound to attract enormous vigilance, jealousy, and greed from the local powers.
At the very least, Nie Yun knew Captain Flint well enough to be certain that, if given the opportunity, he wouldn't hesitate to rob the Ghost Pirates after they'd already robbed someone else.
If Flint acted impulsively now...
Nie Yun might actually become even richer.
The warships and prisoners he had obtained through his complicated web of coercion and political maneuvering possessed loyalty that barely reached passing marks. They couldn't be turned into combat power anytime soon and would instead become burdens.
Combined with the fleet's outrageously overloaded condition, which severely reduced its speed, its actual combat effectiveness was now practically at the "collapse at the first touch" level.
If they were ambushed halfway home, they probably wouldn't even be able to escape.
Moreover, Nie Yun had already learned from the prisoners that the Gold Coin Pirates' reinforcements were on their way.
Judging by the timing, they were likely to arrive at any moment.
In other words...
This war was far from over.
To deal with whatever unexpected situations might arise next, the top priority was to use the time while their "plastic allies" were busy looting to stabilize the Ghost Pirates internally and improve their combat strength as much as possible.
Well...
At the very least, improve the appearance of their combat strength.
"Although the risk is pretty high and there's definitely an element of gambling involved... this must be what people mean when they say, 'Life is worth living.'"
Looking at the long list of captured spoils and thinking about the staggering fortune they represented, Nie Yun let out a sigh of emotion.
If everything were converted according to the interstellar exchange rate...
He might have accidentally stolen...
Nearly half a Solar System's worth of wealth.
TL Note- Pirates of the Void....
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