CHAPTER 484: 484. RED SKULL ’PIRATES’

The sea was silent.

Moments ago, countless luminous fish had glittered like a galaxy beneath the waves, illuminating the Shadow Pearl’s path. But now, those creatures scattered in a sudden frenzy, vanishing into the depths as though fleeing from an unseen predator.

The ocean returned to darkness.

Only Myrtle’s faint, bluish glow remained. Standing at the edge of the deck, her figure shone softly, casting ripples of light across the black waters. Beside her was Phantom Blackwood— Tyler— his cloak stirring in the salty wind. Together, their eyes were fixed on the sea ahead, where dozens of skulls had begun to emerge.

One after another, skulls rose from the Water. Their outlines glowed with an eerie, neon crimson light, hollow sockets staring unblinkingly at the Shadow Pearl.

The silence grew heavier. Every creak of the ship’s body, every splash of water against its hull, echoed like thunder in the stillness.

From the fog behind Tyler, another presence revealed itself. A tall figure stepped out as if birthed from the mist itself —a bunny-eared girl wielding a black scythe, her expression unreadable. Lady Reaper, Su Fei. She, too, gazed upon the floating skulls without a word.

The scene was haunting. The abyssal black sea, the drifting red skulls, Myrtle’s glow, and now the scythe-bearing reaper—like a painting of death and mystery brought to life.

"A new problem?"

The voice came from behind. Temptress —Lily—strode forward, her whip coiled at her waist. Sparks of pale lightning danced along its length, illuminating her sly smile. She stepped up beside Myrtle, eyes narrowing at the unnatural glow upon the waves.

"Looks like an enemy," Tyler murmured, tone flat but eyes sharp.

The skulls began to shift. Slowly, methodically, they stacked atop one another. Like a 3d puzzle that is shaping something vast.

From the above , wings flared with a fiery orange glow. A figure descended, her wings threaded with molten veins of lava. Zuzia landed behind them, the heat of her presence palpable.

"Are we gonna fight?" Her voice carried anticipation, almost eagerness.

"Wait," Tyler raised a hand calmly. "Let the enemy finish transforming. It’s basic courtesy."

Myrtle gave him a side glance, her lips twitching. Courtesy? Against abominations? She didn’t press the issue, though— because she, too, had sensed it. Dozens of hidden eyes watched from the darkness beyond, waiting. Attacking first might reveal too much.

But Tyler’s true focus was elsewhere. After returning from the Dragon Boat, Mathilda gave a potion to mana. After drinking it, she went into slumber inside Tyler.

With Mana still asleep within him, his senses were strangely attuned. He could feel faint traces of soul essence radiating from the skulls. Yet something was wrong —these weren’t real souls. They were... hollow echoes, imitations stitched together from fragments of something once alive. A puzzle made of ghosts.

Temptress’s voice broke the silence. "The Red Skull Pirates," she said coldly. "One of the Information I bought back on the Dragon Boat’s fifth floor. Rumor says they have no living members— only these wandering fragments, skulls infused with soul echoes. Once they mark a ship, they never stop. Not until they’re either destroyed or driven off. And even if they are destroyed... they can still reconstruct slowly. That’s happened before."

Her words sent a chill across the deck.

Before anyone could speak, the transformation completed.

The skulls had shaped into a vast ship, monstrous and grotesque. Built entirely from grinning skulls of countless races, its hull glowed in a neon crimson radiance. The sea hissed as it floated forward, yet no sound accompanied its movement —not even the crash of waves against its form. Silent death advancing.

All the skulls turned in unison, their hollow gazes fixing upon the Shadow Pearl.

"Temptress."

Tyler’s quiet call was enough. She nodded once, then leapt from the deck. Lightning crackled violently along her whip as she twisted midair, her weapon slashing down like a viper striking.

The skull-ship reacted instantly. Its form warped, and dozens of skulls morphed into cannons. With hollow laughter, they spat projectiles— grinning skulls fired like cannonballs— straight at her.

Temptress dodged gracefully, twisting through the air. Her whip lashed downward, cleaving across the ship’s side with a crack like thunder. But the Red Skull vessel adapted. The skulls shifted, creating gaps where her strike landed, letting the whip pass harmlessly through before sealing again.

"Tsk." Temptress clicked her tongue, flipping higher into the air. More cannon-skulls roared after her.

Suddenly, panic flickered across the grinning faces of the spectral skulls. Their expressions twisted, trying to reshape into a larger opening— too late.

From behind, a black dragon with molten orange veins burst forth. Zuzia. With a roar that split the night, her massive claws and wings shredded through dozens of crimson skulls, scattering fragments across the sea.

The ship reeled, but adapted again. Its skulls swirled, frantically reassembling to patch the wound.

Above, Zuzia’s wings beat furiously as molten veins pulsed. A blinding orange light gathered in her throat, swelling, condensing— an eruption waiting to unleash.

The Red Skull vessel sensed the danger. Its entire body lurched, attempting to veer aside. But time was short. Hundreds of skulls turned upward in unison, hollow mouths opening.

A collective screech tore through the night.

Waves rippled— not in water, but in the very air itself. A distortion spread outward like ripples from a pebble dropped into a pond. The ripple struck Zuzia’s blazing beam just as it fired.

The sea exploded in orange light. Lava-fire and spectral energy collided, the two forces pressing, grinding, neither yielding. The ocean boiled beneath them, water hissing into steam.

Zuzia snarled, her molten veins burning brighter, wings trembling with strain as she forced her breath forward.

The skull-ship shrieked louder, the unholy sound rattling the bones of everyone aboard the Shadow Pearl. Its skulls warped grotesquely, channeling all their energy into resisting the dragon’s breath.

The night split in two— the brilliance of molten flame against the cold crimson of soul-fire.

And still, neither side broke.

Far above, hidden within a shroud of clouds, an unseen figure watched silently.

"They’re strong," the voice muttered to itself. "And this isn’t even their full strength. They have yet to make move together. No wonder Master Red Dragon said I couldn’t defeat them."

He Muttered unwillingly.

The figure’s lips curled into a thin smile. "Looks like tonight, the Red Skull Pirates will keep them busy. I really wanted to use my remaining skulls and see if they are really strong. But now it’s not the time."

The clash between Zuzia’s molten breath and the Red Skull ship’s spectral ripple ended in a stalemate. Steam and sparks hissed across the sea, veiling everything in a glowing mist.

Then— splash!

Myrtle dove from the Shadow Pearl, her bluish glow streaking downward like a falling star. The sea parted for her, waves trembling as she vanished beneath the surface. For a heartbeat, nothing moved.

Then the ocean burst upward. A massive, glowing column of water rose like a geyser, carving a cylindrical hole straight through the skull-ship’s side. From within that hole, Myrtle leapt back out, water trailing from her body.

But ship already anticipated it, it made a cylindrical shaped hole on its body and dodged the attack again.

"I missed..." she muttered, twitching her eye in irritation.

From the deck, a cool, teasing voice rang out. "This is why turtles are slow."

Myrtle’s head snapped around. Lady Reaper stood at the ship’s edge, her scythe raised lazily, pink light beginning to swirl along its curved blade.

"Shut up, Bunny!" Myrtle shot back.

The scythe gleamed, then sliced forward. A crescent of radiant pink energy tore through the darkness, cleaving toward the Red Skull vessel.

The reaction was bizarre. The half of entire ship of skulls... jumped. Half of it’s ’body’ split horizontally as it jumped and escaped the attack again.. Its glowing skulls wore expressions of —fear.

Myrtle blinked, then let out a mocking laugh. "Brr... hahaha!"

Lady Reaper’s pink eyes narrowed dangerously, her glow intensifying. "Turtle soup."

"Hmph... Rabbit Stew."

Before their spat could escalate, the Red Skull ship retaliated. Its skull-cannons fired in unison, the air filled with shrieking projectiles. Zuzia darted between them, her massive dragon body weaving with startling agility. Most shots missed— until one connected.

Boom!

A skull-cannon struck her face, the explosion scattering smoke across the sky. Zuzia roared, more in fury than pain, her eyes burning with wrath.

The skull-ship shifted again. Its grotesque form began to reshaping into a massive serpent of crimson skulls. With a serpentine hiss, it dived, cleaving through the waves.

"Zuzia, stop!" Tyler’s voice boomed across the sea.

But the dragon was deaf to reason. Smoke curled from her maw, fury pulsing through her lava like veins. She surged after the serpent, water exploding around her massive form.

"Tsk... follow them," Tyler commanded, face grim.

The Shadow Pearl stirred. The sleek vessel glided silently across the waves, following both dragon and serpent into the dark horizon.

Above, in the concealing clouds, the hidden figure exhaled in relief. "Whew... that was close."

His helmet shimmered faintly, strange runes crawling across its surface. In his hands was a controller— shapeless, buttonless, a phantom device only he could perceive. Yet his fingers danced rapidly, pressing invisible keys, commanding unseen forces.

"As Master Red Dragon instructed..." His lips curled into a grin. "Now I’ll lead them toward Songster Isle. I am not sure how, but it will delay their journey towards the Red Dragon Boat. Does master planned an Ambush there?"

The controller pulsed once with a faint red glow. Below, the skull-serpent hissed louder, speeding up its flight, as though tethered to the his will.