Wang Zhifan briefly stated his demands, implying he would let them go if they helped him accomplish a task.

"What does Your Excellency want us to do? I'm just an old pirate making a living at sea, skilled in robbery and murder, but not necessarily good at anything else."

The One-Eyed Dragon with twin blades then inquired further from Wang Zhifan.

"Let's find a bright place to talk in detail."

Wang Zhifan did not immediately respond, but instead turned and walked towards the bow of the pirate ship, where he sensed with his extraordinary perception that a captain's cabin was located.

The two people behind him hesitated briefly before following, without making any moves to ambush, as they were well aware that the young man ahead of them was far stronger, and even if they attacked now, they had no chance of winning, only ensuring their own death.

A short while later, Wang Zhifan entered the captain's cabin of the pirate ship along with the two men, and then extended his finger to an oil lamp on the wooden table in the captain's cabin. Under the puzzled gazes of the two men beside him, his finger suddenly produced a flame that directly lit the oil lamp, then the flame on his finger instantly disappeared.

This flame ability actually came from the exceptional ring, the Demon Dragon Ring, that Wang Zhifan wore on his hand, an ability to transform into fire bestowed by the Demon Dragon Ring. He used this ability just to conveniently light the lamp, but this simple little action slightly surprised the two men beside him, making them feel that the powerful young man before them was increasingly unfathomable.

However, Wang Zhifan himself wasn't focused on this aspect at the moment. After lighting the lamp, he sat down in the captain's chair with a backrest and began negotiating cooperation with these two core members of the pirate ship.

"First of all, I'd like to know who's the second-in-command among you?"

Wang Zhifan asked this question first in the lamplight.

"The second-in-command has already been killed by Your Excellency, it was that foppish guy in the flowery clothes."

The burly man in iron armor, whose helmet had been removed, quickly replied.

Under the illumination of the oil lamp in the captain's cabin, Wang Zhifan could see that this big guy was no ordinary human. His head was large and elongated, his face covered in hard ochre scales, his mouth protruding and full of sharp teeth, and with those slightly alarming vertical pupils, he looked like a humanoid crocodile.

"Oh? That guy playing the flute was the second-in-command? Not the two of you?"

Wang Zhifan was slightly surprised at this; he originally thought the second-in-command would be either the old man or this big crocodile-headed guy in front of him.

"That guy was the captain's relative, which is why he became the second-in-command, but he wasn't lacking in ability."

The One-Eyed Dragon old man continued to add.

"Hmm, so now do you two have the confidence to manage the remaining pirates? Or manage a part of them; I don't need too many people."

Wang Zhifan didn't want to waste time talking too much and started getting to the point.

"Of course, it's not a problem. On the sea, strength is respected; the two of us can definitely suppress the remaining men, but only for a while, the old man can't guarantee for too long."

The double-bladed One-Eyed Dragon old man replied without much thought.

"Heh heh... so besides violence, you need to provide them with some benefits, right?"

Wang Zhifan laughed lightly twice upon hearing this, understanding the situation.

"Exactly, we two can handle fighting, but running a pirate ship is not something we dare to guarantee. Not all ships can be robbed at sea; choosing a target is a major skill..."

The old man paused here to give a meaningful look at Wang Zhifan, as if implying that their original captain had chosen the wrong target this time, bringing about their doom.

"And there's one more troublesome issue, which is that our Great Horn Shark has been killed by Your Excellency. Without it, we fear we won't be able to fight other pirates as successfully as before."

The old man went on to mention yet another huge loss to their pirate group today, one possibly more significant than the captain's sudden death.

"Don't worry, none of these are problems; I have ways to solve them. What I want to know now is, have you ever been to the Storm Sea? What I need your help with involves going there."

Wang Zhifan cast his gaze over the two disparate faces illuminated by the lamplight in front of him.

"The Storm Sea is my birthplace; what does Your Excellency want to do there in my hometown?"

The ironclad man with a huge ferocious crocodile face replied to Wang Zhifan with some curiosity, his icy vertical pupils revealing a hint of vigilance.

"You were born in the Storm Sea? Then do you know where Forbidden Fruit Island is?"

Upon hearing that this strange big fellow claimed his hometown was the Storm Sea, Wang Zhifan's interest was piqued. He felt this guy probably wasn't bluffing, as he indeed looked like the kind that could survive in water, and the harsh environment of the Storm Sea might not be a problem for him.

"Sorry, Your Excellency, I've never heard of an island by that name."

The crocodile-headed ironclad man awkwardly shook his head. His neck was thick and covered in hard scales, making the action not as easy as it would be for ordinary humans.

As he answered, Wang Zhifan watched him closely, and his powerful perception told him this crocodile-man showed a brief hint of confusion, indicating he really hadn't heard of Forbidden Fruit Island.

"What about you, old man?"

Wang Zhifan then turned to the One-Eyed Dragon old man sitting next to him; his perception having detected a slight surprise in the old man earlier, suggesting he might know something.

"I have heard of an island by that name, but that was a long time ago when I was still young and my left eye was still good..."

The old man's single eye showed a hint of nostalgic reminiscence.

"At that time, there were rumors that the fruit on Forbidden Fruit Island could bestow the Sea God's blessing and that it was hidden in the deepest part of the Storm Sea, only the luckiest could find it. I tried for a while back then, but the Storm Sea was too vast and dangerous, so I had to give up in the end."

The old man inadvertently revealed some information that was somewhat new to Wang Zhifan.

"Eating the forbidden fruit grants the Sea God's blessing? That's quite interesting... maybe the forbidden fruit is an additional reward of this instance?"

In some instances, special valuables can be obtained beyond regular settlement gains, so Wang Zhifan was a bit intrigued by this.

"Does the forbidden fruit you heard of glow?"

He went on to ask what seemed like an odd question to the old man, because he had previously acquired such information at a harbor town.

"No."

The old man shook his head immediately.

"The forbidden fruit I heard of is blue, the symbol color of the Sea God, and the Sea God doesn't govern light; its creations couldn't possibly glow."

He countered Wang Zhifan's notion with firm conviction.

"Alright... old man, I sense we're well-suited for cooperation; once we locate Forbidden Fruit Island, you can go ashore to eat the forbidden fruit and gain the Sea God's blessing. Maybe it will restore your youth, or even your eye."

Wang Zhifan proposed with a slight smile to the old man, as he felt this person might be a significantly valuable ally in this instance.

"And you, crocodile-brother, since you're from the Storm Sea, you should be familiar with that region; our cooperation should be quite pleasant."

He then turned his gaze to the armored giant with a ferocious large face who appeared somewhat perplexed.

"So, Your Excellency wants us to assist in finding Forbidden Fruit Island..."

The old man more or less understood by this point, his single eye revealing a trace of helplessness as he replied:

"Such a task wouldn't be easier than robbing Queen's Harbor; I seriously searched for that island for quite some time back then but found nothing in the end. Your goal might be quite difficult for us to help achieve..."

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