Martial Online.

Cannonballs flew across the sky towards the black-sailed ship.

At that moment, crimson tendrils shot from the ship and slapped the cannonballs out of the sky. The cannonballs exploded in the sea, sending splashes of water high into the air.

"Shit, they are catching!" Leon felt hopeless as the ship didn't move any faster and the Inquisitor steel ship was right behind their tail.

Soon, the steel ship stopped firing the cannonballs as they were nearly at range of boarding.

"Drop your weapons." A stern voice came as a red-robed individual leaped across the small gap between two ships and landed on the deck.

He wore a red tophat with high-collared red robes. In his chest was the sigil of a dragon, symbolizing his power and authority.

He was the Red Inquisitor from the Dark Water branch—Sacrarium of Inquisitorious—his name was August Wright.

"And…" August glanced at Zero's crimson tendrils and said, "Drop your crimson tentacle things as well."

At that moment, the steel ship collided with the black-sailed ship, and a dozen white-robed Inquisitors boarded the ship with swords in hand.

"Cursed…" Leon held his bandaged waist and banged his fist against the helm. "There is no way I'll rot in jail for the rest of my life after finally gaining my freedom back."

"I know there is the third one." August said and looked around with a curious gaze. "Where is this, Ambrose?"

Creak—at that moment, the door creaked open, and everyone felt a chill run down their backs.

A tall, athletic-bodied man walked out with a confident stride, his piercing purple eyes scanning the deck. Instantaneously, his presence silenced everyone.

"A-Ambrose?" Leon and Zero were equally surprised.

They were the kind of people who showed the least amount of emotion among Black Heart Pirates, but now they couldn't believe their eyes.

The tall man in front of their eyes looked vastly different from the previous, sickly-looking young man. His fair skin and piercing purple eyes made him inhumanly handsome, making anyone unable to look away from him.

His commanding presence and unwavering confidence left a lasting impression on everyone around him.

"Who…" August narrowed his eyes, as he hadn't seen this man before when he was spying on them through spyglass.

"You were looking for me?" Ambrose asked with a deep tone and sat down on the railing, his arms crossed as he gazed out to the sea.

The white-robed Inquisitors felt awkward, as they hadn't seen anyone acting with such disinterest towards them before. Usually, pirates would try to run away or fight back.

They wanted to show their authority that they were in command here, but they didn't dare to voice out their displeasure.

"You are… Ambrose?" August asked, his voice laced with a hint of shock. "You look quite different from before."

"What do you want?" Ambrose asked, his voice cold and detached.

"I want your hands on cuffs, and I want you to tell me everything that happened." August said and signaled one of his subordinates to take heavy-looking shackles and bring them to him.

"Mars is dead; that's all you need to know." Ambrose said calmly and rested his chin on his hand while staring out towards the calm seas.

"I killed him." He added.

"I see." August took the shackles from his subordinate and approached Ambrose. "You're wanted man, you see. It is my duty to bring you to justice."

"We won't go away without fighting." Ambrose slowly stood up and towered over August, as he was head taller.

After he stood up, the white-robed Inquisitors instinctively retreated a single back. They were sweating heavily as it was the infamous Black Demon they were facing.

He was also the one who killed Mars, who was known among the Inquisitors as a person who was at the same level as the Pirate Kings. He was just not an ordinary captain; he was a true powerhouse!

"I don't think any of you are uninjured." August said and slowly drew his sword, revealing a little bit of the silvery blade. "You outnumbered Mars with nine against one, but what could you possibly do with only three of you?"

Ambrose reached out to his inventory and retrieved a wooden sword. It was a crude and rusted weapon, but it was all he had.

"Is this a joke?" August asked with a frown.

"Humanoid…" Ambrose whispered.

But at that moment, cannonballs flew across the sky with a loud sound and smashed into the steel ship.

The black-sailed ship rocked back and forth as the large waves crashed into the hull and pushed it away from the Inquisitor's ship.

"What happened?!" August screamed.

Ambrose turned around, and his lips had a faint smile as a ship appeared in the distance. His Starborn physique also increased his vision, allowing him to see three women on the deck.

They were Bonney, Lonney, and Sonney, with a powerful pirate crew on the deck. 

At that moment, Ambrose heard a voice inside his mind.

'My sisters reported a suspicious steel ship near Brain Island, and I guessed they were Inquisitors and I didn't think they were going to let you guys leave so easily.'

'Yeah, thanks for the help.' Ambrose turned back to August with a smile and said, "Not three anymore."

"Boss, the waves are taking our ship!" The white-robed Inquisitors shouted.

They were looking as their steel ship sailed away from the black-sailed ship.

"Damn." August turned back to Ambrose, staring directly into his piercing purple eyes, and let out a resigned sigh. "You have more allies than I thought or simply all the pirates hate Inquisitors equally."

"Perhaps." Ambrose stored the wooden sword back in his inventory and crossed his arms.

"We'll be seeing each other soon." August said. "Next time, you won't have allies to help you."

"I don't think we'll be seeing each other." Ambrose said and smiled. "I'll be leaving Dark Waters, after all."

"Is that so…" August shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe that is the smartest solution. After I finish reporting to my superior, your bounty will increase."

"Hah, I didn't think the Red Inquisitors had superiors." Ambrose chuckled.

"Oh, you have no idea." August smirked. "If you keep this path, you'll gain the interest of Black Inquisitors. They are not as merciful as I am."

'Black Inquisitors…' Ambrose narrowed his eyes. 'I didn't think there were Inquisitors above Red.'

"I think we'll see each other." August turned around and waved his hand as he walked away from his subordinates. "Good luck, Black Demon."

Then, the Inquisitors leaped out of the ship with impressive athletic ability and landed on the deck of the steel ship. Immediately after, they began sailing away.

Bonney's ship slowly followed behind them.

'We'll be keeping eye on them until you guys are clear… Goodbye, Ambrose.' Bonney's gentle and soft voice sounded inside Ambrose's mind.

'Goodbye.' Ambrose closed his eyes.

"Ambrose, what happened to you?" Leon approached him and looked at him as if he were a whole new person. "You look very different."

"How did you tell I was Ambrose?" Ambrose curiously asked.

"I don't know; I just knew…" Leon shook his head. "It's strange."

"I had the same feeling." Zero spoke. "When my gaze landed on you, I immediately knew who you were. It's strange."

"Hmm…" Ambrose nodded.

"Also, did you guys feel it?" Leon asked and looked at his hand. "I think, after Mars' death, we recovered our fate."

"Yeah, I felt that too." Zero said and clenched his fist.

"Yeah…" Ambrose nodded and then turned to the two.

With a soft voice, he said. "It's time we part ways."

"Already?" Leon wryly smiled and sat down on the deck. "Well, I suppose it's really time. We'll be sailing in different places, after all."

"If you guys need help, you can find me in Amaterasu." Ambrose said. "I might not always be there, but just find a place called Whispering Pages and leave a letter there for me."

"You can find me at Paradise Away From Pirates. There is a nice island called Kingfisher Retreat. My house is in the Lambard Vineyard; at least I hope it's still standing." Leon said.

Ambrose nodded and turned to Zero. "Zero, what are your plans?"

"I'll travel somewhere." Zero said absentmindedly. "I'll try to find my purpose somewhere. I was raised to be an assassin, but perhaps I can use these skills to do something good."

Ambrose nodded and smiled. He then brought out his interface and noticed that he still had 60 Stat Points left to use.

'Might as well use these quick.' He thought and saw that Agility was 10 points away from 100.

He quickly added ten to Agility.

[AGI: 90 → 100]

[Agi%4&&//&¤ Ad¤%&" Re"¤&"&]

'I am curious about one thing.' Ambrose saw that Strength was 50 away from 300.

Therefore, he spent the rest of his stat points to push Strength even higher. It was already inhumanly high, and now it was even higher!

[STR: 250 → 300]

[Strength added to real body]

'Now, the glitched message is clear, and it confirms that it is indeed applying to my real body as well.' Ambrose thought with a strange expression.

He then threw one last glance at the two of them, saluted them, and pressed log out.

Without placing Temporary Spawn, he disappeared from the black-sailed ship.

The next time he would return to the game, he would spawn in the bustling market place of Amaterasu.

It was soon time for Ambrose to return from his voyage to the place where it all began.

*** 

End of the Second Volume - Black Heart Pirates