Volume 3 - CH 17

Chapter 17 – The “Queen” of the Seas

Meanwhile, the Lion King fleet’s black iron cannons once more targeted the city of Brutos.

“FIIIRE!!”

The man in charge raised a hand and gave the order.

Smoke erupted from the mouth of the cannon, as another black cannonball flew towards the harbor.

The ship housing the cannon was completely covered in smoke: the man in charge, while waving it away with an exasperated gesture, shouted to his subordinates.

“How’s the situation in the port? They aren’t sending ships out, are they!?”

“Aye-aye! No ships coming our way! The damn guards are scampering left and right!”

“Excellent. Suspend fire!”

Following the man’s order, the pirates stopped arming the cannons. The port had been severely damaged by the cannonfire, but showed no signs of retaliation.

The situation was utter chaos on the shore: all the security corps could do was lead the people to safe shelter.

“And this is supposed to be the greatest city of the Southern Archipelago? What a joke!”

“Oh deeear! What else did you expect, honey?”

The man in charge scoffed, and a deep, gruff voice rose from inside the cabins.

The door then opened, revealing the silhouette of a huge, muscular man.

“This ship here is packing the “Overthrower”, the newest weapon of the Lion Kingdom, after all!! There’s N-O-W-A-Y we could lose!”

“S…Sir Bartolo…”

“Sir? Bartolo!? How many times did I tell you to call me Cristina!? Honestly!”

“Ah, yes, apologies, Cristina, ma’am.”

The man in charge lowered his head, a conflicted expression on his face.

The other pirates too exhibited a mixture of awkwardness and discomfort.

The reason was simple: the large man that emerged from the cabin sported a completely bald head slathered with white powder, which further enhanced the bright red lipstick.

The man spoke with a rather effeminate tone and wore a skimpy black bikini-like top.

Seeing such a burly statue of a man walk while coquettishly swinging his hips was almost terrifying for the crew.

“Ahem…ma’am. The cannonfire on the port has been carried out as planned. No signs of counterattack yet.”

“Fantastic! I love it when a plan goes without a hitch! Here’s your reward!”

“……ugh.”

The large man clasped his hands and winked — and one of the pirates barely kept himself from throwing up.

The other pirates also shared his symptoms, but no one dared mention them out loud.

The large man was, after all, the ship’s commander: Bartolo Blutlied, son of the current ruler of the Lion Kingdom.

“Ma’am, the enemy seems to be in a pretty weak state, should we go ahead and attack?”

“Oh, you silly man, you. What’s the point of doing something like that?”

The pirate, his expression still tense, presented a proposal, but Bartolo — now Cristina, sighed and shot it down.

“Our objective is not to ‘plunder’, but to ‘conquer’. We might have enough numbers to strip this town and its inhabitants of their valuables, but certainly not to take control of it!”

“Huh? What did we attack it for, then?”

“To make them bow down and offer their town to us! Naturally!”

Cristina puffed up her bulging chest.

The Lion Kingdom’s attack on Brutos was meant to turn the port town into their base, and the first step in the conquest of the Sapphire Kingdom.

The power of the Lion Kingdom’s newest weapon, the Overthrower, had successfully instilled fear and hopelessness into the hearts of Brutos’ guards and mercenaries. As long as the town’s leader was not an utter moron, the town would surely be relinquished soon.

“Send a messenger to tell them to surrender, and that we’ll be back at noon tomorrow!”

“Roger that! What should we do if they resist?”

“If they still resist, we’ll rain iron on them until they don’t! Naturally! That will teach them what happens to whoever stands in my way, honey!”

“Ugh…”

“What’s wrong, darling? Are you feeling sick?”

“N-No! Not at all!!”

The pirate in charge made a sharp salute, then left to give orders to the rest of the crew. Cristina glared at his back as he left, but quickly recomposed herself and chuckled softly.

“You better watch closely! Once I take over Brutos everyone’s going to fawn over me! Daddy and my big brothers too will praise me lots! And…”

Cristina clenched her teeth, her expression twisted into a grimace.

It was a horrible enough transformation to knock unconscious one of the pirates who happened to glance at it, but Cristina paid him no attention.

“Grace Draco Omari!! Your days of acting as ruler of the seas are numbered!! Soon enough you’re going to learn who really is the most beautiful woman of the south!!”

Cristina raised her fists in the air and let out a hoarse roar.

“I am the true queen of the seas! And I will build my own queendom, where one and all will sing praises of my beauty and love!!”