"You all, look! Look at how big a bump I've got on my head! A huge patch of my hair's been rubbed off! And my clothes…!"
Blackbeard was still chattering incessantly, speaking with furious indignation.
He showed absolutely no intention of stopping, making it hard to guess that this classic and famous pirate was actually such a… Dio-like character.
Blackbeard Edward Teach, one of the most famous pirates of the early 18th century. The warship he commanded was the Queen Anne's Revenge. He plundered many merchant ships and towns in the Caribbean region and was renowned for his cruel and ferocious image.
Although his battle record isn't as dazzling as Drake's later achievements, having been active for only a few years before being wrecked by the British Royal Navy, his fame is oddly high. Many pirate characters in film and television are modeled after him.
However, Lin Qi couldn't be bothered to dwell on such boring matters. Taking advantage of the other party's talking time, he had already moved to Drake's side and began informing her about Blackbeard's side's abilities.
"…The strength of Blackbeard's Noble Phantasm ship is related to the number of Servants on board. For every Servant lost, the ship's strength drops by a tier…"
"That golden-haired one with the firearm is Anne Bonny. Her marksmanship is excellent. The white-haired girl always by her side is Mary Read, skilled at assaulting with a cutlass…"
"The one stripped to the waist… I'm a bit fuzzy on him, but he's definitely a Berserker. If you fight him, definitely don't trade blows head-on…"
"As for the last one, the one who looks harmless uncle… he's the most dangerous among them. He's the great hero Hector, active during the Trojan War. If two Servants don't gang up on him, it's probably very difficult to take him down."
"Of course, that's not the key point. The key is that he's not of one mind with Blackbeard and the others! He's a mole planted on Blackbeard's ship by another party!"
Relying on his knowledge of the script, Lin Qi had basically laid bare all the secrets of Blackbeard's Servants.
"Wow~, Little Lin, you're amazing! You even know things like this?!"
Listening to the intelligence Lin Qi provided, Drake nodded repeatedly, looking at him with a face full of astonishment.
"Haha, well, this is pretty much my only talent…"
Lin Qi laughed awkwardly.
That he had managed to get this far smoothly was largely thanks to having played FGO and being familiar with most of the story and Servant abilities. Otherwise, it really would have been tough.
"You should have a bit more confidence! In terms of reliability, you're far better than my bunch of crewmates, Little Lin."
Drake shook her head and patted Lin Qi's shoulder helplessly.
Although she wasn't clear on how Lin Qi knew these things, in her view, even if he didn't, he was still a quite qualified and interesting crew member.
It's just… Drake always felt that this guy Lin Qi was always frowning and looked troubled, and surprisingly lacked self-confidence. It would be pretty great if he could get rid of that.
"Whatever, since we have the intel, leave the next part to me!"
Anyway, that was Lin Qi's own business. She, Drake, wasn't a psychologist, and Lin Qi wasn't an ordinary person. There was no need to lecture him.
Without waiting for Lin Qi's reply, Drake walked to a position where she and Blackbeard could see each other clearly.
Lin Qi didn't mind what Drake had said either. Seeing Drake taking action, he followed closely behind her.
"Hey, shit-beard, stop all that useless talk."
"Rather than worrying about your piss-ant little injury, you should take a look at that harmless-looking uncle beside you. As a fellow pirate, I can tell that guy means no good."
"Who knows when he might just stab you in the back!"
Drake shouted loudly towards Blackbeard.
Blackbeard, who had been gesticulating wildly, heard Drake's voice and his movements halted abruptly.
Being inherently suspicious, even hearing it from an opponent, he couldn't help but become doubtful.
In contrast, a certain great hero of Troy trembled all over upon hearing Drake's "slander," cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Uh, Boss, you wouldn't believe the enemy's words, right?"
Hector rubbed his hands together, asking tentatively.
"Of course not! Teacher, rest assured, I definitely won't doubt you just because of a few words from the other side!"
Blackbeard suppressed his suspicions at lightning speed, bared two rows of teeth, and thumped his chest in guarantee.
To show his trust, Blackbeard immediately turned his head and yelled back:
"Damn old hag! Don't try to drive a wedge between me and Teacher! Although we haven't known each other long, Teacher has undoubtedly already become my beloved friend, my brother-in-arms! How could you possibly break us apart with just a couple of casual words?!"
D-damn old hag?!
A throbbing "#" mark appeared on Drake's temple.
Don't get angry, don't get angry…
Drake—forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart, and laughed twice with a fake smile:
"Ha, ha, so you trust him that much, huh? But how did I hear that the guy named Hector is a crew member from another ship, and the reason he snuck onto your ship was to act as a mole?"
"Oh, and I also heard he boarded your ship for a certain something in your possession."
Goddammit, this damn old hag made sense!
Drake not only accurately stated Hector's name but also revealed his purpose, and even knew about the Holy Grail Blackbeard had hidden inside his body… and all this was based on them having only met twice…
Blackbeard's existing suspicions of Hector rose yet another notch.
As for Hector beside him, upon hearing Drake's words, he was already sweating profusely.
DAMN! Who's leaking information!!
Hector cursed violently in his heart, but his face still wore a sheepish, innocent smile.
Especially after Blackbeard glanced sideways at him.
"Teacher, ah, why don't you just tell me the truth? Are you really the mole they say you are?"
Blackbeard threw an arm around Hector's shoulders, asking with a smiling expression.
He'd even started using honorifics.
"…Wait a minute, weren't you just saying I was your beloved friend, your brother-in-arms? That you absolutely trusted me?!"
Hector, held tightly by Blackbeard, wiped his cold sweat, feeling that this person was truly untrustworthy
"Hey now, that was then, this is now! Besides, if I work with someone who has issues, the other members wouldn't be happy either, right?"
"What do you think, Annie-chan, Mary-chan?"
Saying this, Blackbeard turned his head and showed a perverted uncle's lecherous smile to the twins.
"…Could you not make that face at me? It makes me feel like I'm being visually r—ped by a disgusting cockroach-man."
Mary said with a look of utter disgust.
"Geez, Mary, how can you say that about the Captain?"
Hearing this, Anne looked at Mary with some reproach.
Thinking Anne was going to defend him, Blackbeard looked at her with a moved expression.
"Even cockroaches and rats work hard to live in this world, you can't use them to describe the Captain!"
Anne delivered the second part of her sentence, petrifying Blackbeard on the spot.
"Also, Captain, whatever you want to do now, if you don't hurry up, I'm going to get very angry."
"Hmm, who knows, my gun might just go off~"
Anne smiled as she loaded her musket.
"Right! I'll settle this quickly!"
Blackbeard stood at attention and saluted Anne.
Then he put his arm around Hector again.
As for the remaining crew member?
He was just a Berserker. No need to listen to him.
Bloodaxe King Eric: ?
"Alright, you heard what everyone said. Prove your innocence first, Teacher, okay?"
That's not right! They didn't say anything useful at all; you're clearly just talking to yourself!
Hector scratched his head while cursing internally.
"Uncle here, you also knew about my situation on the other ship. It's because the last ship was sunk that I came to you like a homeless dog, Captain!"
"I don't know how they found out about this, but shouldn't we be uniting at a time like this? We can't suspect our own brother because of their one-sided story, Boss!"
Hector spoke earnestly and with great feeling, like a kind elder pleading.
"That makes sense! It seems I've wronged you, Teacher! Wuwu…"
Hearing Hector's "heartfelt words," Blackbeard felt guilty for his suspicion, and tears actually welled up in his eyes, streaming down his cheeks.
"Ahaha, no need to feel so guilty, I really didn't take it to heart…"
"Great! With your saying that, Teacher, I'm relieved. For the upcoming battle, Teacher, you'll take the vanguard!"
Blackbeard sucked back his tears, bared two rows of teeth, and patted Hector's shoulder.
Hector: "…"
To be honest, before meeting Blackbeard, he had never been this speechless.
"Haha, damn old hag, your scheme has been exposed! I trust Teacher unreservedly!"
"If you don't want Teacher to stab you to death with two shots of his spear, then hand over the Holy Grail immediately! Then I can reluctantly let you join my harem too!"
"Although your age is indeed a bit on the high side, I can't not accept occasionally changing tastes, hehe…"
As he spoke, Blackbeard's expression turned lecherous again.
Hard! My fist is hardening!
If I get the chance, I'll definitely twist this disgusting guy's head off and hang it high up to bake in the sun for days!
"Boss, he said you're old!"
"I know! Do you have to repeat it?"
Drake punched the crew member, who lacked tact, on the head. It hurt so much his eyes teared up, and he immediately squatted down, clutching his head.
Having vented some anger on her crewmate, Drake felt a bit better.
She then pulled the Holy Grail out from within her body.
"Holy Grail? You mean this golden drinking cup?"
Drake waved the Holy Grail towards Blackbeard.
"Hey, hey, yes, yes, that's the one I want! Toss it over and I'll magnanimously let you off!"
Blackbeard gazed greedily at the golden cup in Drake's hand.
Although he had one himself, he could clearly sense that the one Drake held was of a different variety.
As a "righteous" pirate, which one of them wouldn't be tempted?
"Oh, so you wanted this? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Oh? So you're really planning to just give it to me?"
Hearing this, Blackbeard couldn't help but feel surprised.
"Well, I had that thought, but, you see—"
Drake let go of the Holy Grail, letting it fall.
But halfway down, the Holy Grail turned into a golden light and returned to Drake's body.
"Can't be helped. This cup is stuck to me. Can't get rid of it at all."
"See, I take it out, it runs back. I take it out again, it runs back again…"
Drake Smilingly kept repeating the same action, her expression extremely mocking.
Holy Grail: "…"
"DAMN! You never had any intention of giving it to me! You're messing with me!"
Seeing Drake's provocatively sarcastic manner, Blackbeard's temperature rose.
"Who told you to be so full of yourself?"
"If you want it, then come and take it yourself. This is the pirate's code; don't tell me you don't know it?"
Drake's smile faded as she reabsorbed the Holy Grail into her body.
Clearly.
The negotiations had broken down. The next step was battle.
And during this time spent talking, the distance between the two ships had also drawn very close.
…