Chapter 12
The massive sea king squid collapsed instantly, its enormous body releasing a flood of ink that rapidly spread across the water's surface. Charlotte found himself with no firm footing—only the slick, floating carcass beneath his boots. The sea around him turned into a swirling, dark chaos.
The other two sea kings, upon witnessing the demise of their leader, wasted no time. With heavy flicks of their massive tails, they plunged deep into the water and vanished beneath the waves, disappearing from Charlotte's sharp gaze as if swallowed by the ocean itself.
Charlotte balanced on the squid's bloated corpse, eyes scanning the dark, inky sea all around. Five sea kings had fallen by his hand, and the rest had fled.
The water's surface was a chaotic mess of swirling ink and waves, and for a long moment, Charlotte just sat down, exhaustion washing over him in waves. The fierce, high-intensity combat had drained him physically—and mentally too. He was thoroughly worn out.
Nearby, Xia Lu sat quietly on the squid's body, her breathing steady as she recovered her strength. She didn't ask her younger brother to pick her up—she was managing on her own, though she was clearly shaken by the ordeal.
The sea was still stained with corrosive ink from the squid, and Charlotte knew better than to ask anyone to bring the boats close while the water was like this. Even the ships could suffer damage from that acidic fluid.
Nearly half an hour passed before the ink finally began to dissipate, thinning and fading until the sea's surface returned to its usual blue.
Charlotte gave a sharp wave toward the distant fleet of four small boats.
The four lookout crewmates who had been watching the battle saw his signal immediately and started their boats moving toward him, slowly and cautiously cutting through the water.
Before long, Charlotte leapt from the squid's corpse onto one of the boats.
"Quick! Drag up the corpses of the sea kings and get out of here," he ordered, voice urgent.
He feared that lingering too long in these waters would invite more sea kings. The largest—those massive hundred-meter beasts—were beyond his current strength to confront. He had to settle for the smaller ones this time.
"Understood, boss!"
More than a dozen crew members quickly cast out their hooks, snagging the massive carcasses floating in the water. One by one, they hauled the huge bodies up alongside the boats.
Though their numbers were few—only a dozen men across four boats—the crew worked steadily, latching the boats together and securing their grim trophies.
In total, they recovered four sea king carcasses. One, however, was too heavily corroded by the squid's ink, its flesh eaten away so badly that Charlotte refused to bring it back. The others, though enormous—each about eighty meters in length—would provide months of food and profit.
The four boats, linked like a small flotilla, turned back toward their island, dragging their heavy, unwieldy prize behind them.
The sea calmed as if nothing had happened.
Their route was carefully watched by the navigator, who ensured they stayed on course without mishap.
Back aboard the largest boat, Charlotte sat down at the dining table, eating quietly to replenish his drained energy.
Though they had slain four sea kings, the hunt hadn't achieved the main goal—the giant hundred-meter beasts remained untouched.
Charlotte considered it wise to retreat and regroup for another attempt later.
Still, these smaller sea kings were massive, each enough to sustain their crew for a month or more.
They would wait, plan, and return better prepared.
Overall, the trip was a success: they had captured a brand-new pirate ship intact, and with over a thousand pirate heads in their possession, they could head to the Navy's G-8 branch for hefty bounties—a lucrative windfall for the Wild Wolf Gang.
The island came into view as a small black speck on the horizon.
Seeing home brought a wave of relief, and many of the younger crew members—those making their first sea voyage—couldn't hold back tears.
They had nearly died out there. If not for their boss, their bodies might have already been lost to the ocean.
One younger crew member looked up at Charlotte with awe and gratitude in his eyes.
Charlotte noticed but remained silent, focusing on his meal instead.
The boats approached the port quickly, drawing the attention of countless townspeople, dock workers, and merchants.
Everyone was curious about the strange fleet—and especially the four enormous sea king carcasses being dragged behind them.
To the local fishermen and merchants, these beasts were giants—near eighty meters long—and seeing someone who could hunt and kill such monsters was almost unbelievable.
When the ships docked, Charlotte was the first to leap onto solid ground.
Waiting on the shore was Ivan, flanked by more than twenty burly men dressed in black suits.
Behind Ivan stood five elegant maids, standing respectfully.
As Charlotte stepped off the boat, Ivan immediately approached.
"Boss, how was the trip? Quite a haul, wasn't it? You came back early," he said with a slight bow.
Charlotte picked a piece of food from his teeth with a toothpick, then pointed behind him.
"Not bad. It was dangerous, but we got through it. We killed four sea kings, each about eighty meters long, and captured a pirate ship intact. Take the pirate captain's head to the nearby G-8 branch for the bounty."
He continued walking ashore as he spoke.
Ivan followed closely, memorizing every word.
"Alright, boss. I'll have someone take care of it right away," he said.
The Wild Wolf Gang had been growing rapidly under Charlotte's leadership, and Ivan no longer needed to manage every task personally.
Charlotte sighed, then added, "Go prepare some food. I'm going to take a shower."
Ivan nodded and glanced toward the queen and the five maids. They understood and headed back toward the villa.
As Charlotte made his way through town, townsfolk and merchants called out greetings.
Now, he was used to the attention.
"Mr. Charlotte! The mayor is looking for you!" a uniformed security officer suddenly called out.
Charlotte recognized him—the officer often worked with the Wild Wolf Gang.
"Mayor?" Charlotte asked, puzzled.
Why would the mayor want to see him? The last time he clashed with pirates, the mayor had refused to receive him.
Still, curiosity won out, and he followed the officer.
Waving to Ivan, he walked with the security captain through the town.
Soon, they arrived at a small coffee shop.
Charlotte stepped inside—but the mayor was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, he was greeted by a middle-aged man adorned with extravagant jewels.
The security captain bowed, then quietly backed out.
Charlotte frowned and looked at the man, feeling a prickling sense of unease.
Something about this guy isn't right.
The man smiled broadly.
"Hahaha, I've heard much about the hero of Kamei Island. It's an honor to meet you. My name is Randolph Chamberlain—I'm the new mayor of Kamei Island. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
He stood and extended his hand.
Charlotte hesitated for a moment, taken aback by his confident charm, then shook it.
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