Pirate: Crew of Desire and Bonds

”...What the hell...?”

Jake murmured softly at the scene.

In the distance, thick black smoke currently billowed high into the sky, illuminated by raging orange flames.

The Nasha Town, the settlement he had visited before going into the shelter with Grace was... burning fiercely on one side.

It seem the explosion they heard earlier wasn’t aimed at their shelter.

It looked like someone had launched a full-scale assault on the town itself.

Just then,

Grace carefully peeked out beside Jake, her soft cheek pressing against his as she stared at the burning town and huge smoke.

Her golden eyes widened in shock and horror.

”Nasha Town...!” she whispered, her voice cracking. ”Why... why is the town burning? So many people live there...”

Even though she hadn’t been on this small island town for very long, she had managed to befriend many kind locals.

The thought of their safety filled her with deep worry.

Meanwhile, Jake’s expression turned solemn.

He was torn as part of him wanted to head toward the town to help or gather information, but with Grace’s enemies possibly still hunting them, it was far too risky.

...Plus, he had a bad feeling about this sudden explosion.

’Is this my [Instinct] skill acting up...?’ Jake thought inwardly.

He turned to Grace, figuring she might know something since she had been on the island longer than him.

”Grace... do you know anything about this? Like have you heard of any conflicts involving Nasha Town before we went underground? Any powerful groups, nobles, or organizations that might want to attack this place?”

At his question, Grace tore her gaze away from the flames and looked at him, her golden eyes filled with worry and uncertainty.

”I... I’m not entirely sure,” she whispered. ”Nasha Town has always been a peaceful town.”

Hearing this, Jake sighed a bit, but then Grace hesitated.

”But... there were rumors before you arrived.”

Jake turned to her immediately. ”Oh? What kind of rumors?”

Grace glanced back at the burning town, then continued, her voice trembling slightly.

”A few months ago, a new noble was appointed. I heard the fish seller whispering that he was called... Viscount Victor? It seems he’s from the mainland kingdom, sent here by someone important. Oh! and they also mentioned that he’s very ambitious and cruel!”

Hearing this, Jake was surprised.

’There’s a mainland kingdom?’

He only had a rough understanding of this world and that there were mostly islands and vast seas, based on what he’d heard from the pirates.

So this new information caught him off guard.

’I’ll have to ask Grace for more details later...’

Jake nodded for her to continue.

She shifted closer to him, her massive breasts pressing softly against his arm as she went on.

”And the previous lord, Baron Elden Von, has governed this island for over many years. He’s respected by the locals, but he’s old and lacks strong military power. There were rumors that Viscount Victor wants to remove Baron Elden and take full control of the island....”

Jake frowned as he listened.

He wasn’t entirely sure how the ruling structure on the island worked, but he was starting to get a rough idea.

’Since there’s a mainland kingdom and nobles... there must be higher powers at play. If I’m not mistaken, this is probably a power struggle between those higher-ups.’

It seem no matter which world he was in, some things never changed.

Grace’s golden eyes darkened with worry.

”Some people said Viscount Victor has been secretly bringing in mercenaries and working with criminal groups to stir up chaos in the surrounding area. If he can make the island unstable, he can justify seizing complete control...”

She looked up at Jake, fear and realization clear in her golden eyes.

She wasn’t stupid either.

Now that Jake had asked about it, the pieces clicked together in her mind.

”If that’s what’s happening... then burning Nasha Town might be part of his plan,” she murmured. ”Create panic, weaken the Baron’s influence...”

Jake’s expression grew even more serious as he processed the information.

’A power struggle between an ambitious new Viscount and an old local lord...’

He let out a low, bitter sigh while staring at the burning town.

”When the big bosses fight... it’s always the commoners who suffer the most,” Jake muttered. ”They burn entire towns, ruin people’s lives, and justify it with their stupid power games.”

Grace looked up at him, her golden eyes reflecting sadness and agreement.

”Yes... The normal people in Nasha Town never did anything wrong. They just wanted to trade and live peacefully,” she whispered.

Jake gently rubbed her back and pulled her closer for warmth.

”Viscount Victor, huh...” he said quietly.

Jake recognized that name.

He still remembered overhearing it when Captain Henry and that bitch Lady Scarlet were together.

’It should be the same guy who tried to rope in Henry. I didn’t expect him to blow up part of the town so soon.’

Worry filled Jake’s chest.

What he needed most right now was a stable environment to grow stronger and deepen his bond with Grace, especially now that he better understood his class abilities.

He had originally planned to spend some peaceful days with her, gradually building their strength.

Given enough time, he was confident he could become truly powerful in this world.

Instead, they had been thrown straight into the middle of a noble’s bloody power grab.

’It seems like a bad idea to go check the situation...’

Jake decided after catching the faint trace of... blood in the air.

This was not something he should get too curious about... at least not while he was still weak.

Just as he was about to suggest going back down into the shelter, Jake’s instincts suddenly screamed at him.

”..!!”

His head snapped to the right.

There, partially hidden behind a tree about twenty meters away, a familiar man in a suit and glasses was staring directly at them.

It was one of the men who had been chasing Grace the day before.

It seem they still hadn’t given up and were still searching the area for her.

The man’s eyes widened as they locked onto Grace’s distinctive golden hair and face.

”Found them!” he shouted, a cruel smile spreading across his lips.