Seeing the lieutenant colonel captain in tears, giving a grateful glance at Edward Reed who was just withdrawing his arm, Henry Clark secretly felt relieved: “At a time like this, still so much nonsense—typical idiot. Why not just say ‘fire’ and be done with it?”

“Your captain orders you to put down your weapons, hold your heads, and squat on the ground. We will guarantee your personal safety. I swear in the name of God, I will not harm you.” Henry Clark pressed his dagger against Baron Edmond’s throat, drawing beads of blood. His gaze, sharper than a steel blade, sent chills down everyone’s spine. His lion-like roar, carried by the sea wind, burrowed deep into the hearts of every Spanish soldier.

“I surrender, I surrender! In the name of a baron of the Spanish Empire, I order you to immediately lay down your weapons and surrender to this pirate, to this gentleman.” Henry Clark pressed his dagger harder, and the seemingly dying Baron Edmond suddenly burst with energy, shouting desperately. After all, he was a noble—he couldn’t die so meaninglessly. According to custom, nobles could ransom themselves.

On that battered ship, the pirates pretending to be corpses all raised their muskets, aiming at the soldiers on the treasure ship’s deck. From the cabin surged a group of burly, bare-chested men, knives clenched in their teeth, pistols tucked at their waists. Grabbing the ropes, they swung onto the treasure ship. The blades in their hands, the gleaming black barrels of their guns, and those bloodthirsty, eager eyes extinguished the last shred of hesitation in the Spanish soldiers, who were wavering between fighting and surrendering.

“How can we trust you?” a Spanish soldier shouted, voicing the doubts of his comrades.

“Of course I guarantee it. I can swear in the name of God.” Henry Clark hooked his finger around the necklace hanging from Baron Edmond’s neck and, with a hidden tug, yanked it off. Henry Clark held the necklace, with its golden cross, high in the air to prove the firmness of his faith, his face full of pious compassion: “You know, I am the most devout believer in God. Even when robbing, I never forget God’s teachings.”

Hearing this, the pirates who understood a bit of Spanish all burst out laughing, while the Spanish soldiers’ jaws nearly hit the deck. Baron Edmond was almost strangled by Henry Clark’s move, clutching his throat and coughing violently like a tuberculosis patient.

Standing beside Master Clark, Scholar Bennett was sweating profusely, rolling his eyes nonstop. “Seems the master is not even half as devious as the young master. Looks like the master really had good judgment, leaving this to the young master was the right call.” In his mind, Scholar Bennett measured the deviousness of the Liang father and son and came to this conclusion.

Chapter 10: Who Else? Who Else?!

The pirates quickly confiscated the Spaniards’ weapons and efficiently tied them up. After all, if there’s one thing a ship never lacks, it’s rope. Soon, they had the entire deck under control, and the Spanish soldiers were escorted below. At this moment, the two escort ships that had been patrolling on either side noticed something was wrong. They opened their gun ports, rolled out their heavy cannons, and aimed them squarely at the two ships now lashed tightly together.

Suddenly, three Spanish soldiers with resolute eyes burst out from the stern cabin, brandishing gleaming sabers, intending to ambush the just-relieved Master Clark.

For a moment, the scene froze—no one had expected such a twist. But Henry Clark, who had spent his previous life constantly on the edge of danger, never let his guard down. The moment the side door of the stern cabin swung open, Henry Clark grabbed a musket that a Spanish guard had just dropped on the deck.

The Spanish soldiers, who were in the process of being disarmed, saw their comrades charging out so bravely from the stern, fearlessly attacking the pirate leaders like Henry Clark. It was as if something exploded in their heads, blood rushing to their faces. The hands that had been handing over their muskets to the pirates suddenly clenched tight. But before they could muster the courage to resist, the scene that had just inspired them instantly chilled their passion from their foreheads down to their backsides.

Henry Clark raised his hand and shot the leading Spanish soldier in the head, snapping it back. Red and white viscous matter splattered backward, and the soldier’s roar was instantly cut off, like a rooster’s neck being wrung.

Henry Clark then hurled the spent musket at another Spanish soldier’s face. When the heavy metal gun struck his prominent nose, his courage collapsed along with it. He dropped his saber, clutched his face, and let out a piercing scream.