The rumbling was in part due to the central palatial mansion getting enveloped in a burst of explosive fire. However, that was merely an appetizer to the true destructive aftermath of Toz lighting a fortress filled with oil on fire.
The sea of oil bubbled, boiled, and burned due to the fireball. The burning oil splattered all over the cavern and, after the initial explosion, devoured all the air. The explosion, followed by the vacuum of all the air burning up, put more pressure on the cave walls than they could handle.
The initial explosion had long since reduced the fortress to nothing more than burning rubble. However, an avalanche of rubble buried the fortress's remains as the surface of Pirate Haven came tumbling down on top.
The Blue Lounge headquarters disappeared in a fiery collapse, revealing the hollow ground that had served as the Blue Lounge League's last defense.
Toz and the others managed to escape the radius of the collapse itself, but they couldn't escape the scorching shockwave that ruffled their clothes and hair.
Toz turned around and looked at the massive pit of screams, fire, and burning rubble. Since they were in the clear, he let out the cats so they could also admire the view, especially Lucy. The other cats weren't as entranced as the starry-eyed Lucy, but they also looked at what they had caused with some pride in their hearts. Not just anyone could collapse the headquarters of one of the big three pirate crews of Pirate Haven.
Their accomplishment was mostly due to luck since the Blue Lounge had stocked up on oil for some reason. However, without their skills and strength, they wouldn't have been able to enter the fortress and sneak through it undetected. They also wouldn't have been able to escape the blast radius in time if it weren't for the cooperation between Toz and Asilean.
While Toz and the cats admired their handiwork, Brunswick and the Bunglehoppers stared at Toz and the cats and the destruction they caused with mouths gaping from the shock. Brunswick knew what was going to happen before Toz actually launched the fireball, but he was still amazed at how disastrous it had been for the Blue Lounge League.
The Bunglehoppers were even more shocked. The plan had been for Toz and the cats to enter the center of the Blue Lounge headquarters to find and assassinate the councilors, which would paralyze the Blue Lounge's organization at least for a little while. However, Toz's mission ended with the entirety of the Blue Lounge's headquarters collapsing.
The Bunglehoppers appreciated the end result, but it was still incredibly shocking.
Stitches stuttered as he looked at Toz and seemed as if he wanted to ask something. However, Toz answered before he could say anything.
"I'll explain later. Let's get out of here first."
With the commotion caused by the explosion and collapse, it wouldn't take long for the other pirates of Pirate Haven to gather. The Bunglehoppers were famous and would naturally attract a lot of attention, attention that might turn into hostility from the Blue Lounge League's reinforcements.
The Bunglehoppers didn't fear anyone who wasn't capable of staying within the Blue Lounge League's headquarters, but they had just gone through a draining fight and didn't have the strength to go against the entirety of the Blue Lounge League of Pirates. As the unofficially largest crew, the Blue Lounge League had thousands of pirates all over the city. Considering the headquarters was under attack, most of those pirates would probably be swarming toward the upper tier as fast as they could to make sure the attackers didn't get away.
Toz and the others ran back to the Bunglehoppers' base, avoiding any groups of pirates they encountered on the way. Fighting would only draw unnecessary attention. And with the standard behavior of pirates, it was almost an obligation to fight other pirates when excitement ran hot throughout Pirate Haven, especially when the Bunglehoppers looked like easy targets due to their worn and battered clothes and their ruffled hairstyles.
In case the Blue Lounge decided to get revenge, the Bunglehoppers wanted to rest and recover as much as possible at their base before the Ble Lounge pirates came for them. Fighting in their base would also give them a strategic advantage since Hayar could use the poison from the poisonous plants in the greenhouse to amply her power.
They arrived at the gathering of villas built in a circle around the greenhouse without incident. Most of the Bunglehoppers were tired, but they weren't so exhausted they couldn't stay and listen to what Toz and the cats did. They also wanted to know who Brunswick was since he had seemingly been rescued from the Blue Lounge based on how Toz carried him while they ran from the Blue Lounge's central mansion.
Toz quickly and briefly explained how what happened. He also revealed the discovery that the Blue Lounge League of Pirates was possibly working for the Starsling Kingdom. It didn't come as a surprise to Wulf and Hayar, the captain and vice-captain of the Bunglehoppers. But the other pirates were shocked, especially Stitches.
The Blue Lounge League of Pirates being part of the Starsling Kingdom was probably an open secret known to those with enough power and authority in Pirate Haven. Toz didn't know if Wulf and Hayar had a reason not to tell the other Bunglehoppers, but he didn't mind their shock as he continued explaining how he and the cats found loads of oil that they set on fire after ransacking the treasury.
Since the explosion was more because of the Blue Lounge League's wartime preparations than Toz and the cats, the Bunglehoppers were more interested in the treasure they brought.
"Do you have a place where we can store everything?"
Wulf looked slightly expectant as he answered since it became clear from Toz's tone that there was a lot of treasure.
"How much do you need?"
"As much as possible."
