Chapter 140: Conrad's Plan!
— At the same time, in the Kingdom of Pratondo —
"The Kingdom of Pratondo... one of the World Government's allied nations," Conrad muttered, scanning through the stack of intelligence in his hand. "Its primary exports are iron ore and rare metals. The king's standing army numbers around 100,000."
He fell silent for a moment, brows furrowed in thought.
A hundred thousand troops. That wasn't something to be taken lightly.
Compared to that, their entire force barely numbered in the hundreds. And among them, only a handful had actual combat experience. Most hadn't even killed before. If they charged in recklessly...
They wouldn't even count as cannon fodder.
To make things worse, Pratondo had spent generously on black market arms. While such weapons wouldn't do much against high-level fighters, they could tear through ordinary people. And there were far too many of their group who still fell in that category.
"Brother Conrad... are we really gonna go up against all 100,000 of them?" Finks asked nervously, watching the grim look on Conrad's face. "Or... are we supposed to kill all 100,000?"
Conrad didn't answer right away.
He could see the concern in Finks' eyes. The same worry that was gnawing at him, too. No matter how many they took down, there were always risks. And they weren't exactly in a position to absorb losses.
If not for Ryuunosuke's request, Finks would've turned back by now.
"Direct confrontation isn't an option," Conrad finally said, voice calm but firm. "Our target is just one man."
He pulled out a separate folder and slid it across the table.
It contained the profile of Zirusjude Bid Pisos, a powerful noble of the Pratondo Kingdom.
"He's the one we're after."
This bastard had purchased three Mink Tribe slaves from the Sabaody Archipelago. All of them were from combat-type tribes — the Grizzly Bear Tribe, the Elk Tribe, and the Dark Cat Tribe.
Conrad knew them. He'd grown up with them.
Rescuing them wasn't just a mission. It was personal.
"Captain, we wanna help too!" someone suddenly called out.
"We don't wanna just sit around while you risk your life!"
"Yeah, we owe you guys everything! Let us fight!"
Conrad turned to see the new recruits stepping forward. Though still green, they'd been training day in and day out, all of them former slaves rescued by the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
They hadn't fully integrated yet, but they were loyal — or at the very least, grateful.
Conrad raised a hand to calm them.
"What you need to do now... is train."
"The captain—Ryuunosuke—had you stay because he saw potential. Earn your spot as full-fledged crew members. That's how you help."
"This honor... it should become your guiding belief for life."
His words struck something in them. One by one, they nodded and went back to training, their eyes burning with determination.
Finks remained behind, watching Conrad.
"You're going alone, aren't you?"
Conrad nodded.
"It's too dangerous," Finks muttered. "Even if you're trying to help the captain... and rescue your people... we don't have the strength yet. Not for something like this."
"I'll be careful," Conrad reassured him. "I can enter my Sulong form whenever I need to. If I can't rescue them, I'll at least get out alive."
He offered a slight smile.
They'd known each other since childhood, and Finks' concern was touching — even if a little annoying.
"Captain, maybe... maybe we can be of help too?"
Conrad turned, blinking in surprise.
A group of women stepped forward, all with graceful figures and calm, resolved expressions.
They were clearly weaker than the men in terms of combat. They had no advantage in a head-on fight. But they had something else — beauty. And that, when used smartly, could be a powerful tool.
Conrad hesitated.
He hadn't factored them into the original plan. They were civilians, not warriors.
Still, at Mina's urging — the woman leading the group — he glanced back at the file on Zirusjude Bid Pisos.
One word stood out under the personality column: lustful.
That changed things.
Using them as bait could drastically increase the operation's success rate. But it was risky. Too risky. And if Ryuunosuke ever found out...
"Captain," Mina said softly, "we know we're not strong."
"We've been training, but we can't match the men. This... this is the one advantage we have."
"We don't want to be dead weight."
Her voice was calm, but her eyes burned with resolve.
More than half the men didn't have her kind of conviction.
Conrad stared at her for a few seconds.
Then he exhaled, nodding.
"Alright. I'll revise the plan."
---
Meanwhile, at the Sabaody Archipelago...
"What did you just say!?" Saint Valrona exploded, slamming his fist down.
"The Dragon Hunter Pirates are here!?"
His younger brother flinched at his fury. "Y-Yes, they've been spotted."
"Damn it! First they rob the Sunny Pirates' slave ship, and now they strut around here like they own the place!? And the navy just lets them!?"
Valrona was practically foaming at the mouth. His arms smuggling operations — ruined. His slave trades — wrecked. All thanks to the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
And the worst part? He couldn't even retaliate.
His younger brothers had already suffered humiliating defeats. And as for himself...
He wasn't stupid enough to risk stepping in front of Ryuunosuke.
The man was insane enough to kill a Celestial Dragon — and powerful enough to get away with it.
All Valrona could do now was rage... and blame the navy.
"Saint Valrona," his brother said quickly, "maybe we should wait. Saint Charlos is already preparing a response."
"If the Celestial Dragon Guards from Mary Geoise get involved, the Dragon Hunter Pirates won't stand a chance."
Valrona finally relaxed a little, nodding.
"Fine... I'll let Charlos deal with it."
"But he better not screw this up."
He stood up slowly, stepping off the pile of half-naked girls he'd been lounging on. The couch beneath him was supported by the backs of more women, trembling and silent.
His habits were beyond disgusting.
But no one said a word. The guards and aides had seen it all before.
In this world where the strong ruled over the weak...
...if you didn't have power, you were just meat on a chopping board.
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