Super Mothership
“Boss, we've really struck it rich this time! Hahaha!”
“You said it! The Locke Consortium is practically rolling in wealth. What a shame we couldn't keep looting them for a few more days.”
“…”
The Black Sails had reaped an extraordinarily rich haul this time—so rich that every Black Sails pirate felt as though a fortune had suddenly fallen right into their laps.
They were the strongest among the pirate factions, and when it came to the spoils of this operation, they had undoubtedly claimed the largest share as well.
“Heh heh! Tell the boys that once we get back to base, we'll celebrate for three whole days! Everyone will be rewarded according to their contributions!” Flint was clearly in an excellent mood and had no intention of being stingy with the benefits.
“Roar!”
The pirates immediately erupted into cheers.
A smile spread across Flint's face.
Aside from the considerable wealth, weapons, and equipment they had seized during this operation, what pleased him most was undoubtedly the large number of military-industrial specialists and production facilities they had captured.
Just as Nie Yun had set his sights on the Ryan people, Flint's objective had been crystal clear from the very beginning.
He had deliberately abandoned the major treasure troves that would have tempted anyone and instead targeted the Locke Consortium's famous industrial planets. Mecha manufacturing centers, large-scale space shipyards, weapons and equipment manufacturing and research centers—every one of them had become a target for Black Sails.
Establishing their own weapons manufacturing industry, completely making up for Black Sails' shortcomings, and setting them on the path toward becoming a powerful, self-sufficient force—this had always been Flint's ambition!
Why had Black Sails allied themselves with the Locke Consortium in the first place?
Wasn't it precisely because they lacked the ability to manufacture weapons and had to rely on external forces?
Now that such a heaven-sent opportunity had presented itself, how could he possibly let it slip away?
Having an independent military-industrial complex of their own in the Shattered Star Domain represented not only enormous profits, but also a necessary condition for breaking free from external interference and becoming a powerful, independent force!
In this regard, Flint had undoubtedly arrived at the same conclusion as Nie Yun.
Furthermore, as the strongest of the Seven Great Pirate Groups, Black Sails already possessed a fairly solid industrial foundation. After dividing up the Gold Coin Pirates' manufacturing facilities, their industrial production capabilities had increased even further. Compared with the Ghost Pirates, they enjoyed an even greater head start.
Once the research specialists and various advanced industrial machines they had plundered from the Locke Consortium arrived at their base, it would be tremendously advantageous—whether they wanted to seize control of the arms market in the Shattered Star Domain or use weapons to win over and absorb the other pirate groups.
Flint saw the situation very clearly. The Second Prince and the All for One Society had forcefully entered the picture, much like two tigers suddenly charging into a pack of wolves. The situation in the Shattered Star Domain had already been thrown into complete turmoil.
The main conflict in the Shattered Star Domain had shifted. It was no longer simply about disputes over the pirates' interests; it had escalated into an open and covert struggle between two major factions.
Black Sails had reached an extremely dangerous juncture. If they wanted to survive the struggle between those two powerful factions, he had to strengthen his own forces as quickly as possible.
Only by accumulating enough bargaining chips and becoming powerful enough could he make the two factions, both of which were eyeing him covetously, think twice. That way, they would be more inclined to win him over with promises and incentives rather than force him to choose sides—or even directly absorb his forces through military force.
If he played his cards right, he might even be able to benefit from both sides, gradually growing stronger through their attempts to win him over and ultimately establish a tripartite balance of power.
This was the new development strategy Flint had formulated for Black Sails' future after carefully considering the latest developments from every angle.
There was no denying that Flint truly deserved his reputation as one of the Seven Great Pirate Groups' most strategically far-sighted leaders.
If the situation had developed normally, this plan might genuinely have had a chance of succeeding.
Unfortunately, plans often couldn't keep up with changes...
“Boss! We've received an alert from the forward reconnaissance ship. An unidentified fleet has appeared directly ahead of our course!”
“What?”
Flint was momentarily stunned.
They were sailing under their own flag, and besides, they were already at the outskirts of the Shattered Star Domain. They were practically at their own doorstep. Who could possibly be bold enough to intercept Black Sails' fleet at a time like this?
“Have the reconnaissance ship send the footage back!” Flint ordered with a frown.
The footage was transmitted back shortly afterward. The moment it appeared on the screen, every Black Sails pirate was stunned.
“H-How is this possible?!”
Flint's eyes widened.
The fleet in the footage consisted of only a little over 200 ships. However, that wasn't what had shocked Flint and the others. Such a small force wasn't even worth worrying about in Black Sails' eyes.
What was truly unbelievable was the enormous figure at the very front of the fleet. It was so conspicuous—and yet so terribly familiar...
“Karon!”
Flint's pupils contracted.
That's right! Leading this fleet was none other than the Karon Beast, which should have already been dead at the hands of the Ghost Captain and had subsequently vanished without a trace!
Looking at the fleet behind it, there was no mistaking it. They were clearly former members of the Karon Pirates, among whom were quite a few bio-beasts.
“What's going on? Wasn't Karon dead?”
“I heard the Karon Pirates split into two factions and were fighting each other fiercely. How did their fleet end up here?”
“What are they trying to do? Even if they want revenge, shouldn't they be going after someone else instead of us?”
The Black Sails pirates exchanged bewildered and suspicious looks.
Flint also had an uneasy feeling. Just then, his deputy hurried over.
“Boss, this is bad! Rumors are spreading all over the Shattered Star Domain. They're saying Karon was never actually killed, and that he's already gathered his old subordinates again to make a comeback!”
Flint narrowed his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he quickly understood what was happening.
“He didn't die? Hmph! Even if he didn't, that guy has probably been controlling him for a long time! What a clever trick—bringing the dead back to life!” Flint gritted his teeth.
“Boss, are you saying that Ghost Captain is behind this?” His deputy immediately understood who Flint meant by “that guy.”
After all, it had been Ghost Captain who had taken the corpse away as spoils of war. Now that the Karon Beast had suddenly come back from the dead and reappeared in the world, claiming that Ghost Captain had nothing to do with it would be an insult to everyone's intelligence.
Flint's guess was already quite close to the truth.
After capturing the Karon Beast, Nie Yun had naturally subjected it to repeated dissection and examination by a group of scientists. At the same time, following Nie Yun's instructions, they began replacing Leviathan's neural control center.
The removal of Karon's vegetative brain, the digital replacement of neural signals, neural interfacing, control testing...
Through the joint efforts of the Cloud Research Institute and the scientists of the Kara Civilization, they quickly completed the preliminary modifications to the Karon Beast.
Although the rushed schedule meant that many details of its control system were still far from perfect, preventing it from controlling Leviathan as effortlessly as Karon once had, its basic mobility and ability to act had already been restored.
What came next was simple.
Nie Yun put on the Karon Beast's skin and quickly used Karon's lingering reputation to gather a group of his former subordinates.
Then, with a grand announcement, the “Karon Pirates” officially declared their return!
With a single “resurrection of the dead,” Nie Yun had effortlessly acquired a sizable group of “cannon fodder.”
“Hahaha! This Ghost Captain really underestimates us! Does he actually think that some fellow who crawled out of a coffin, along with this bunch of rabble, can pose a threat to us?” Flint's deputy couldn't help laughing mockingly.
After a fierce internal struggle, the Karon Pirates had been decimated, with some members dead and others scattered. Their strength had already declined considerably. The fleet now arrayed before Black Sails probably couldn't even be considered an elite force.
The Karon Beast was certainly powerful, but they had a Legendary Mecha on their side as well. Moreover, this latest raid had greatly expanded their fleet, bringing their total number of warships to nearly 800.
A few volleys would probably be enough to wipe that foolish fleet off the map!
Flint said nothing.
He had a vague feeling that the other side had gone to the trouble of revealing Karon's existence for a reason. Their objective was probably not as simple as causing him a little trouble...
“B-Boss! A fleet has appeared on the left flank! It's Red Dragon! Three hundred ships!”
“A fleet has also appeared on the right flank! It's the Dragon Riders! Three hundred ships as well!”
Sure enough, just then, the radar operator made another discovery.
A three-sided encirclement?
Flint's expression immediately darkened.
What the hell were they trying to do? Robbing the robbers?
But why now?
The Dark Temple and the Locke Consortium still retained considerable strength. Weren't they afraid that a battle with Black Sails would leave both sides badly weakened, allowing someone else to swoop in and reap the benefits?
And what was wrong with Red Dragon and Messiah? Had they lost their minds?
Didn't they understand that if they helped Ghost Captain destroy Black Sails, the balance of power in the Shattered Star Domain would collapse? They could very well be the next ones to be swallowed up!
What a bunch of idiot allies!
One question after another surfaced in Flint's mind. He was practically ready to flip the table in frustration, but he still managed to maintain a semblance of composure.
Everyone in the Shattered Star Domain kept an eye on one another. It was basically impossible to secretly mobilize troops from their bases without anyone noticing.
In other words, the forces everyone could currently use were limited to the fleets they had brought along...
Hmph! With just those numbers, you people still weren't strong enough to swallow him whole...
“What about the Ghost Pirates? They must be nearby! Intensify the search!” Flint ordered.
Soon, the fleet's radar detected another target.
“Behind us! The Ghost Pirates have appeared behind our fleet!”
Just as expected!
Flint let out a cold laugh, but the anger burning in his heart only grew stronger.
It seemed his brilliant plan to establish a “tripartite balance of power” was going to crash and burn before it had even gotten off the ground!
Damn that Ghost Captain! He had actually regarded him as a worthy rival, only for the bastard to turn around and hit him with a cheap sucker punch!
So much for their mutual appreciation!
Since you want to fight to the bitter end, then let's have a proper battle! At worst, both sides will suffer heavy losses, and afterward I'll simply go and pledge myself to the Second Prince! Let's see who dies first!
“Contact the Maniac immediately and tell him to come reinforce us!”
The other side had allies, but he wasn't without them either. He had already made arrangements with the Maniac. Their respective routes were not too far apart, allowing them to support each other whenever necessary.
He simply hadn't expected that this contingency plan, originally intended to guard against the Locke Consortium, would end up being used against this entirely unexpected enemy.
“Uh... Well, the Maniac Pirates seem to be behind us too...”
The report from his subordinate left Flint momentarily stunned.
What did he mean by “too”?
Had they just happened to be passing by?
However, when he saw the two fleets on the screen, positioned so close to each other that they were practically stuck together, Flint's expression went from astonishment to disbelief, then to utter hysteria, before finally turning deathly pale...
TL Note- Betrayed...
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