The Final Boss Has Returned 53

Chapter 53

Lawless Port Granado!

Famous for its extravagant casinos, luxurious hotels, and the Black Magician job change center, this port city, surrounded by black walls, was currently bustling with people.

“Where do I go to receive quests?”

“You can receive them in front of City Hall from the management NPC or at the bulletin board in the plaza.”

Of course, Lawless Port Granado usually had a considerable floating population.

This was because users who came to enjoy the casino’s gambling content and Black Magician users frequented the city.

However, Lawless Port Granado was currently experiencing double the usual floating population.

All of them were users who came to participate in the naval battle.

Of course, many users had gathered during the Lawless Port Granado Recapture Battle, but the number of users gathered for this naval battle was incomparably larger!

The Jeil E&M streamers, they were the ones who mobilized their fandom, and as their fandom moved, word spread through SNS, increasing the buzz and attracting even more users.

“Oh, it’s Drakan!”

“Drakan!”

“Drakan-nim! Can I get a selfie?”

As I was making my way through the crowd towards the Black Tower, some users seemed to recognize me, pointing and murmuring before requesting selfies.

“Sure, take as many as you want.”

I accepted all the countless selfie requests.

This was because I had taken to heart the advice of Shin Ha-yeon and Team Leader Lee, who emphasized the importance of fan service.

Unlike the past six years ago when only celebrities cared about such things, in the current era where fandom was crucial and SNS was prevalent, even these small acts of fan service accumulated to become positive anecdotes and public opinion, spreading rapidly.

Many Rankers with poor public image often had issues with fan service, so I tried my best to provide good fan service based on this advice.

As a result, it took me quite a while to reach the Black Tower.

The conference room on the upper floor of the Black Tower.

In this place, with a panoramic view of Lawless Port Granado through the large windows, Shin Ha-yeon and Ignis, whom I frequently met, were present, but there were also unfamiliar faces.

They were the streamers belonging to Jeil E&M, who would be participating in the quest with me this time.

“The protagonist has finally arrived.”

Ignis said this as he saw me enter, and I took the seat next to Shin Ha-yeon, the highest seat in the conference room.

“Then, let’s begin the strategy meeting.”

With Ignis’s words, who was acting as the moderator, the strategy meeting commenced.

▄ ▄ ▄

Pirate Archipelago.

The islands located at the heart of the eastern sea trade route and the headquarters of the Pirate Alliance!

Among the four barren, rocky islands, a small brick fortress stood tall on the largest one.

It was the headquarters of the Pirate Alliance and the ‘Wave’s Edge’ Castle, where Pirate King Drake resided.

The opulent conference room inside Wave’s Edge Castle.

Just like in the Black Tower, a meeting was currently in progress.

“The 2nd Fleet has been annihilated, and Edward, who was like my right arm, is dead.”

A sorrowful voice flowed from the lips of the middle-aged man with an eyepatch, Pirate King Drake.

Edward, and Riach!

Having lost his trusted lieutenants, who were respectively called his right and left arms, Drake’s heart was filled with rage and sorrow.

Drakan, the contractor of the Dark God!

And the inheritor of the Steel Monarch’s Legacy, the legendary tyrant from a thousand years ago!

With such impressive titles and having seized Lawless Port Granado, Drake had highly valued Drakan’s abilities and made a generous offer for him to join the alliance, even after he had killed Riach.

Pirate King Drake!

His inclusiveness and foresight in recruiting talented individuals, even enemies, were what had built the massive organization known as the Pirate Alliance, so no one within the alliance opposed Drake’s decision.

However, Drakan not only rejected Drake’s incredibly generous offer but also annihilated the 2nd Fleet and killed Edward, his right-hand man.

This was something even Pirate King Drake’s inclusiveness could not tolerate and was nothing short of a challenge to his dominance over the eastern seas.

And the Pirate King, having readily accepted the challenge to his dominance, intended to make an example of him by bringing about his utter downfall.

“We must punish that Dark God’s contractor immediately and burn Lawless Port Granado to the ground as a warning! Drake-nim! Please send me! I’ll take the fleet right now, burn Lawless Port Granado, and execute that Drakan!”

“They have Merfolk. The Merfolk from legends, who freely swim the ocean depths and are virtually invincible at sea! Moreover, the legendary monster Kraken is also on their side! In a battle at sea, as much as I hate to admit it, we are at a disadvantage. We need a different strategy.”

Watching the Pirate Alliance executives engage in heated debate, Drake scratched his cheek with his gold ring-adorned fingers.

His missing left eye ached as if it were throbbing.

At a disadvantage at sea!

Who in the Pirate Alliance could have imagined that these unbelievable words would become reality?

Unfortunately, however, it was Drakan and Lawless Port Granado who held the advantage at sea, not the Pirate Alliance.

It was because of the Merfolk and the Kraken.

Meanwhile, the heated debate among the executives continued, and Drake, unable to bear the sight any longer, waved his hand.

“Enough.”

At his low but firm voice, the executives all fell silent.

Pirate King Drake’s authority within the Pirate Alliance was absolute, and they were well aware that defying his power would result in becoming shark food alive.

“Drakan, that outsider’s objective is clear. To eliminate me and seize control of the eastern seas.”

Everyone remained silent at Drake’s words.

“And he will definitely come to this archipelago to attack our Pirate Alliance.”

Just as two suns cannot exist in one sky, two rulers cannot exist in one sea.

To determine the true ruler of the eastern seas, Drake believed that Drakan would inevitably come to challenge him.

“But he lacks a fleet. Therefore, we still have time.”

Drakan!

He lacked a fleet.

Even if he combined the forces of Lawless Port Granado and the fleet captured from the defeated 2nd Fleet, it would barely compare to 10% of the Pirate Alliance’s total fleet power. So, to supplement his lacking fleet, Drakan would likely remain inactive for the time being!

“I’ll lead the fleet and turn them all into shark food!”

As soon as Drake finished speaking, Cortes, the executive who had been persistently advocating for a preemptive strike and the leader of the Crystal Skull Pirate Crew, one of the ten pirate crews that made up the Pirate Alliance (or rather, nine crews now, with Jacques’ death), delivered a passionate speech.

“Even though they have Merfolk and the Kraken?”

“It’s the fleet that determines victory in a naval battle. The Kraken and the Merfolk might surprisingly be nothing to us, who have extensive experience hunting sea monsters. Furthermore, we possess the appropriate weapons to counter them. In this situation, as long as they can’t operate a proper fleet, victory will be ours.”

Cortes’ eyes gleamed.

He was right.

The fleet!

That was the overwhelming strategic advantage the Pirate Alliance held over Drakan.

A fleet was not a force that could be built in a short period.

No matter how skilled Drakan was, there was a limit to the fleet power he could immediately expand, and he would surely attack the Pirate Archipelago with that limited force.

That was because he had the Merfolk and the Kraken to fill the gaps in his power!

However, they had a grand fleet several times larger than his limited force, seasoned experience in hunting sea monsters, and secret weapons specifically designed to counter them.

And Cortes was now proposing to maximize that strategic advantage and annihilate them.

“The fleet.”

Drake’s eyes sparkled.

If they were to lose this war, the eastern sea trade route he had painstakingly secured, the connections he had forged with high-ranking nobles of the Gasan Kingdom through bribes, and his achievement of uniting the pirates would all vanish like bubbles.

Even if he sacrificed half of his fleet, he couldn’t guarantee victory against Drakan’s forces, which included the Merfolk and the Kraken.

However, even if they were defeated in the naval battle, it would be to their advantage if they could significantly weaken the enemy’s forces.

Even if they destroyed the fleet, if they couldn’t conquer the Pirate Archipelago that lay beyond, victory would still belong to him.

Moreover, even though the Merfolk were incredibly powerful at sea, half of the Pirate Alliance’s grand fleet and their specialized weapons against sea monsters were not a force to be underestimated.

They would surely face considerable hardship at sea!

Drake smiled.

“Alright. I’ll grant you 70% of the fleet and my flagship, the Invincible. Cortes, when they come, turn them all into shark food!”

“Your orders will be obeyed.”

After diverting his gaze from Cortes, who respectfully bowed his head in acknowledgement, the Pirate King spoke again.

“And the rest of you, excluding Cortes, reinforce the coastal defenses and develop a strategy to prevent their landing.”

Drake knew well that Drakan would need to launch a landing operation to achieve victory.

This was because, from the enemy’s perspective, no matter how victorious they were at sea, true victory could only be claimed after planting their flag on the main base.

And Drake also knew better than anyone that a tremendous amount of power was required to successfully execute a landing operation.

A landing operation was a battlefield where the defenders held a several-fold advantage over the attackers, making even siege warfare look like child’s play!

Furthermore, while the Merfolk were undoubtedly the strongest force at sea, Drake anticipated that their power would be significantly reduced on land.

Therefore, the true battlefield was not the sea, but the Pirate Archipelago!

Drake made that decision.

“This Pirate Archipelago will become their graveyard!”

Sparks flew from Drake’s eyes.

If they could exhaust the enemy’s forces with Cortes’ grand fleet and then prevent their landing with the reinforced coastal defenses!

The enemy’s blood would stain the sea red, and the world would know that the ruler of the eastern seas was still the Pirate King!

Confident of victory, the Pirate King let out a sinister laugh.

▄ ▄ ▄

Countless people flocked to Lawless Port Granado and signed up to participate in the naval battle, but they couldn’t immediately set sail for the Pirate Archipelago.

This was due to the construction of the fleet.

Although the presence of the Merfolk and the Kraken gave them an advantage in a sea battle, since it was clear that they would eventually have to engage in a landing operation, ships were necessary to transport the troops required for the landing.

It took a considerable amount of time to purchase, construct, and modify those ships, and finally, the fleet construction was complete.

I smiled as I looked at the fleet.

‘Now, it finally begins!’