Shamir chose the nomadic Flying Eagle Kingdom. There, he directly became the most powerful mounted bandit leader in the kingdom. After annexing several smaller tribes, his forces expanded at astonishing speed.
Edmund chose the nomadic Golden Wolf Kingdom. He became the strongest warrior in the kingdom and quickly earned the favor of its current king.
Sophis chose the nomadic Wild Horse Kingdom. He likewise became one of the kingdom’s most notorious mounted bandits, gathering seventy-two separate bandit groups beneath his banner and rampaging across the Wild Horse Kingdom.
Gurok chose the nomadic Poplar Kingdom and directly became its Grand Preceptor.
The current king was already extremely old and nearing death. It was not difficult to imagine that Gurok’s path from here onward would be exceptionally smooth.
Lashir chose the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom. He also achieved considerable success there, managing to become a core member of the leadership of a mounted bandit force.
Every participant remaining in the competition possessed extraordinary talent and tremendous fortune.
Even if they were forced to begin as ordinary mortals, they were still destined to accomplish something remarkable.
Not a single participant intended to withdraw from this top-fifteen-to-top-eight competition.
The tournament was about to enter its truly intense stage.
Who would advance?
Who would be eliminated?
No one knew.
John had barely expended any strength at all before taking control of the Gale Pirates with negligible losses.
After completing this initial objective, his overall progress in the competition had advanced considerably.
He had no idea how far the other top-fifteen contestants in the Myriad Worlds Tournament had progressed.
He only felt that his own progress should be considered fairly good.
The fundamental objective of the top-fifteen round was for each participant to obtain an Overlord’s Token.
However, only the first eight participants to secure one would qualify.
Even if someone had already built up considerable power, they would still be eliminated if they failed to claim one of those eight advancement positions.
Time was extremely valuable.
John’s next target was the Inferno Pirates of the Heller Kingdom.
However, his fleet needed two days to rest and reorganize before setting out again.
The prisoners needed to be screened, the cannons required repairs, and the ships needed maintenance.
More importantly, the Inferno Pirates were no weak opponent.
The Heller Kingdom had Three Great Pirate Crews—the Hunterfang Pirates, the Frostwolf Pirates, and the Inferno Pirates.
The Inferno Pirates ranked third among them.
That alone demonstrated just how powerful they were.
They were far beyond an ordinary pirate crew.
Two days later, John’s fleet slowly sailed out of the pirate harbor and headed directly toward the headquarters of the Inferno Pirates.
This voyage was completely different from the last.
This time, John had not only the Golden Merry, but also the Sea Breeze, which had been converted from the captured armed merchant ship, as well as two medium-sized sailing warships that John had named the Left Heavenly King and the Right Heavenly King.
If other pirates learned that John was commanding only four warships yet intended to challenge the famous third-ranked Inferno Pirates, they would undoubtedly laugh themselves senseless.
After all, the Inferno Pirates possessed dozens of large warships, dozens of medium-sized warships, and more than a hundred smaller vessels.
They were a true behemoth of a faction.
Trying to challenge the Inferno Pirates with only four ships was like an insect attempting to shake a towering tree.
It was utterly beyond their capabilities.
But John did not care.
Under his command, the Golden Merry moved at tremendous speed.
If he had not needed to maintain the fleet’s formation, he could have pushed it even faster.
Even while deliberately suppressing its speed, the fleet reached the Inferno Pirates’ stronghold three days later.
The region lay in the Far West of the Heller Kingdom, bordering both the Sea Cow Kingdom and the Sea Cat Kingdom.
All Three Great Pirate Crews of the Heller Kingdom were also active around these waters.
Because this region lay at the border of three Maritime Kingdoms, it was an enormous disputed zone.
The three kingdoms constantly restrained one another, creating perfect conditions for the Three Great Pirate Crews to grow and expand.
John’s fleet had not sailed far into the area before it was discovered by one of the Inferno Pirates’ patrol vessels.
The pirates aboard the patrol ship froze when they saw the colossal Golden Merry.
Then terror immediately filled their faces.
At first, they assumed the Heller Kingdom’s Naval Corps had come to wipe them out.
But once they saw the black flag flying from the Golden Merry, their tension eased slightly.
A black flag...
It was not the Naval Corps.
They were fellow pirates.
Still, they could not completely lower their guard.
The Naval Corps occasionally disguised its ships as pirate vessels.
The patrol ship immediately moved into position directly ahead of the Golden Merry and began signaling with flags.
"Stop! Stop immediately! Unknown warship, identify yourself! Which pirate crew do you belong to? Do you possess proof of identity? State your purpose for entering these waters!"
The meaning of the signal was quickly relayed to John.
John raised an eyebrow.
Without even thinking about it, he said,
"Ignore them."
"Ram them."
When the Inferno Pirates’ patrol ship received no response from the Golden Merry, the pirates aboard immediately felt their hearts sink.
Something was wrong.
"Go! Go! They’re hostile! Get back and report to the leaders!" the patrol captain shouted.
The patrol vessel turned around and prepared to flee at full speed.
But at that moment, the Golden Merry suddenly accelerated.
It surged forward like an arrow at a speed completely beyond the pirates’ understanding.
John possessed the God of Naval Warfare skill.
It granted every warship under his command an absurd increase in speed.
The Golden Merry was already fast to begin with.
With the enhancement from John’s passive skill, its speed had reached an almost unimaginable level.
Boom!
Without any suspense, the Golden Merry effortlessly caught up with the patrol vessel.
Compared with the Golden Merry, the patrol ship was like an insignificant ant before an elephant, or a speck of dust before a boulder.
The Golden Merry had not even struck it yet when the enormous waves split apart by its hull completely engulfed the smaller vessel.
Then, like the sky itself collapsing, the massive battleship crashed forward and effortlessly crushed the patrol ship into two pieces.
A nearby armed vessel happened to witness the entire scene.
Terrified, it immediately turned around and fled.
At the same time, it repeatedly fired its cannons into the air, warning the main island that an enemy had invaded.
Inside the command room, John continued studying the map without paying the slightest attention to what had just happened.
When he learned that the fleet was now only fifty nautical miles from the Inferno Pirates, killing intent flashed through his eyes.
He summoned a subordinate.
"Signal the ships behind us."
"Tell them to follow at full speed."
"Maintain maximum speed and launch a rapid assault directly on the Inferno Pirates’ main island!"
"Yes, Boss!"
The subordinate immediately carried out the order.
John’s passive skill did not affect only a single vessel.
It enhanced his entire fleet.
That meant the several ships behind the Golden Merry could keep pace as well.
By this time, the Inferno Pirates’ main island had already received the warning.
An enemy force was invading.
And it consisted of only four warships.
"Heh."
"Only four warships, and they dare invade the territory of the Inferno Pirates?"
"They must be tired of living."
The chief leader of the Inferno Pirates sneered.
"I just looked through my telescope."
"That lead ship is extraordinarily large."
"It is very likely a Heller-class battleship."
The second leader of the pirate crew spoke cautiously.
"A battleship is not something we can afford to underestimate."