Miss Fortune found his muttering rather amusing.
She did not think there was any need to elaborate on how dangerous Gangplank was. Even a newcomer who had only just arrived in Bilgewater could learn how formidable the man was by asking practically anyone.
Yet the man before her had not even blinked. He had already begun considering how to deal with Borika.
"I think I've said enough that it's only fair for you two to introduce yourselves." Miss Fortune glanced at Yurna behind him before returning her gaze to Luke.
The relationship between the two was obvious at a glance. Luke was clearly the one who made the decisions.
The beautiful woman beside him was cold and expressionless, which made her far less interesting.
"Luke. Yurna," Luke said.
Miss Fortune stared at him.
She waited several seconds. When she confirmed there was nothing more coming, she could not help asking, "And that's it?"
"What else did you expect? Did you want my family history, my friends, and my parents too?" Luke gave her a calm look. "You introduced yourself with nothing but an alias."
"Miss Fortune is my name now." She blew aside a lock of red hair that had fallen before her eyes. Unbothered by his sharp tone, she smiled and continued, "In that case, I'll tell you my second reason for approaching you."
Luke nodded and waited silently.
"Like I said, I'm a bounty hunter. I happen to be very interested in Borika's bounty. We can work together and split the reward fifty-fifty afterward."
Miss Fortune watched Luke, waiting for his response.
She had expected him to ask for more details, such as why he should trust her. After all, what normal person would casually trust a partner who had appeared out of nowhere?
Especially in a place like Bilgewater.
Instead, Luke appeared to think it over carefully before raising his eyes to her.
"There are two of us, meaning we'll be contributing twice the manpower, yet you want half the reward all to yourself? Why don't we just hand you every advantage while we're at it?"
Miss Fortune froze. Luke's completely serious face was reflected in her eyes.
"Uh... That was an oversight on my part. Since there are two of you, you should receive the larger share. How about this? I'll only take thirty percent, and you two can divide the remaining seventy."
Luke nodded in satisfaction. "That's more reasonable. All right, tell us how we're going to work together."
"Sure..." Miss Fortune looked away, suddenly unable to keep staring at the face of this apparent genius.
People often said handsome men tended to be stupid. She had never believed it before, but now she was beginning to reconsider.
This man's mind seemed to operate very differently from a normal person's.
More importantly, she had realized something.
This man seemed incredibly easy to fool.
She had no idea which wealthy family he came from, but he carried himself exactly like a rich young fool with more money than sense.
Even the woman following him did not look particularly bright.
"Borika usually stays in the Hookbend district. He's just as cautious as his boss. Since he's made plenty of enemies, he almost always has a large group of men around him."
Miss Fortune led Luke somewhere deserted as she explained, "A frontal assault is out of the question. Our best option is for me to tie the two of you up and bring you before him. That will let us get close enough to strike when the opportunity appears."
"Let me stop you there." Luke interrupted her and asked, "What happens to us if you simply walk away after bringing us inside?"
"I only need to make it look as though I've captured you. I won't really tie you up."
Luke continued, "Second question. Even if we find an opportunity to kill him, how are we supposed to escape from his headquarters while surrounded by all his men?"
Miss Fortune smiled. "I've already investigated the place. Unless something unexpected happens, he'll receive us inside his base. His headquarters is built against a cliff, but no one has noticed that there's a rocky ledge beneath it. All we need to do is jump through the window at the right angle and land on that ledge. We'll be perfectly safe. My boat will be waiting there to pick us up."
Luke nodded after hearing her explanation, then continued, "Third question. Aren't you afraid of the Pirate King? Even I've heard of his reputation."
Miss Fortune gave him a confident, breathtaking smile.
"One of my virtues is that I'm brave. If Gangplank were currently in Bilgewater, I probably wouldn't dare touch one of his men. But he isn't here."
"He's away on a long voyage with his pirate fleet, and no one knows when he'll return. By then, I'll have already disappeared with a fortune."
The corners of her lips remained raised as she spoke, and every word and gesture carried an alluring charm.
Luke nodded. "All right. We'll follow your plan."
Miss Fortune was surprised that he agreed so readily, but that suited her perfectly.
She truly did need help dealing with Gangplank's forces. After enduring things for so many years, she was no longer willing to remain patient.
His long voyage had created the perfect opportunity to dismantle the forces he had left behind in Bilgewater.
Others were too afraid to touch his men, but she was not.
Miss Fortune buried the flash of hatred that passed through her eyes, leaving only her graceful smile behind.
It was not yet time for her own people to reveal themselves. These two unfamiliar faces, who had only arrived today, had appeared at exactly the right moment.
After some preparations, Miss Fortune's plan officially began.
In the Hookbend district, Miss Fortune escorted the supposedly captured Luke and Yurna into Borika's territory without incident. They were then taken to Borika's headquarters.
It was a large ship moored beside a cliff, now used as living quarters by Borika and his men. Lights illuminated the entire vessel, while numerous armed pirates patrolled the deck.
The three of them entered the ship without trouble and soon reached the captain's cabin.
It had been remodeled into an enormous room decorated with extravagant luxury. Rows of armed men stood along the walls, numbering somewhere between thirty and forty.
Their presence alone made them seem completely different from the rabble Luke had encountered aboard the ship earlier that day.
They had also passed many more armed men on the way inside, which showed just how cautious Borika was.
With the ship positioned against the cliff and guarded this heavily, anyone who dared break in would probably never leave alive.
"Fortune, I didn't expect you to be the one who captured them."
The speaker was a somewhat heavyset but tall man with a scar across his mouth.
"A bounty hunter of your caliber still accepts jobs like this?"
"A bounty hunter of my caliber?" Miss Fortune's lips curved upward. "What bounty hunter dislikes money? I happened to run into them, so I captured them while I was there. Why would I turn down easy money?"
Every gesture she made radiated an allure that caused the breathing of the surrounding men to quicken.
Borika was no exception. He stared directly at her, a possessive desire flashing through his eyes before swiftly disappearing.
He restrained himself.
He knew that the woman called Miss Fortune was not someone to be trifled with.
Ever since arriving in Bilgewater, she had become the nightmare of countless men. Many had tried to lay their hands on her, only to end up as corpses at the bottom of the sea.
The people she had captured this time were no ordinary prey either.
Just looking at the purple-haired woman's cold expression filled him with a powerful desire to conquer her.
Women who acted distant and untouchable were exactly his type.
"Then allow me to thank you for the favor." Borika smiled and tossed a prepared money pouch toward Miss Fortune. "There are sixty Golden Krakens inside. The extra is your reward for bringing them in alive."
As he spoke, he stood and approached them, coldness entering his eyes as he examined Luke.
"Tell me. How did you do it? What methods did you use?"
He did not know exactly what had happened. He had only received word that one of his crews had been wiped out shortly after leaving.
The two people standing before him were the ones connected to the incident.
That had been a crew of twenty men, and they had simply vanished. It was a significant loss to his forces.
Borika did not know what methods these two had used, but now that they had fallen into his hands, nothing good awaited them.
Luke looked at him calmly. "Why would we need any special methods to deal with garbage like them?"
Borika inexplicably felt a moment of panic when Luke's gaze swept across him. Once he realized what had happened, anger immediately replaced it.
"You bastard, do you have any idea what kind of situation you're in? You've fallen into my hands, and you still think you have any hope?"
Enraged, he raised his hand and swung it toward Luke's face.
The next instant, the barrel of a pistol pressed against his temple, bringing his hand to an abrupt stop in midair.
"Fortune? Why?"
Borika immediately demanded an answer, his eyes turning toward Miss Fortune as she held the pistol against his head.
He could not understand where she had found the courage to point a gun at him inside his own territory.
"How should I put this..."
Miss Fortune was still considering her words when her finger pulled the trigger.
A gunshot rang out. The bullet punched straight through Borika's skull, spraying blood and shattered tissue through the air.
"Never mind. I'll give you a reason after I think of one."
As she spoke, she loosened the ropes around Luke and Yurna and chuckled.
"You'll die if you run too slowly."
With that, she sprang forward and crashed through the window. Her slender, seductive figure vanished beneath the moonlight.
"Damn it! Boss!"
"Kill them!"
"Don't let them escape!"
The surrounding men had already reacted. A storm of bullets immediately flew toward Luke and Yurna.
The two of them leaped toward the shattered window at once.
Many of the pirates could not understand their decision. A towering cliff lay beyond that window, and the water below was filled with sea rocks as sharp as spikes. Falling from there meant certain death.
Miss Fortune, Luke, and Yurna moved quickly. With Miss Fortune leading the way, all three jumped from the cliff without the slightest hesitation.
Their actions left Borika's men staring in disbelief.
They could not understand why their boss had provoked these three people. Had they truly been willing to exchange all three of their lives for his?
They soon received their answer.
Miss Fortune was already steering a speedboat away with Luke and Yurna aboard. It raced across the water and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.
"Damn it, they tricked us!"
"Put out a bounty immediately! We have to avenge the boss!"
"Send men after them!"
The pirates could only rage helplessly as they watched their boss's killers escape with such ease.
What they did not know was that this marked only the beginning of their misfortune.
That was precisely where Miss Fortune's name came from. Anyone she set her sights on became plagued by disaster and rarely met a pleasant end.
With Borika dead, his followers had lost their leader and would naturally descend into chaos.
During that chaos, a hidden force would begin acting from the shadows.
Killing one of Gangplank's lieutenants would not be enough to meaningfully weaken his power. Borika's men had no idea what fate awaited them.
On the speedboat rapidly carrying them away, Miss Fortune gripped the wheel. The sea wind sent her blood-red hair streaming behind her. Beneath the moonlight, her beautiful, snow-pale face carried an excited flush.
"Now you know I wasn't lying to you. So, how was it? Exciting?"
Miss Fortune glanced at Luke, her voice rising slightly with exhilaration.
"It was all right." Luke smiled faintly.
He could easily have wiped out Borika and all his forces himself, but doing things this way seemed more interesting.
Luke knew that Miss Fortune carried a profound hatred for Gangplank.
That was why he wanted to see the revenge she was putting into motion, along with whatever else she might be plotting.
"What kind of answer is that? You don't look excited at all." Miss Fortune seemed disappointed. She could not detect the slightest trace of exhilaration on Luke's face.
"I'm actually incapable of showing emotion. My heart is practically leaping out of my chest right now."
"Really? Well, the plan was a success! First, we'll collect the bounty from the pursers. Then the drinks are on me!"
Excitement remained in Miss Fortune's voice.
She was not exhilarated because they had escaped such a dangerous situation. She was excited because she had finally begun striking back at Gangplank.
The curtain had officially risen on her revenge.
She intended to strip Gangplank of his dignity before everyone and make him die in the most humiliating, wretched way possible.
A flash of satisfaction passed through her eyes. Miss Fortune knew this was only the beginning, and she could not afford to celebrate too soon.
An hour later, the three of them collected the bounty from the bounty pursers.
News of Borika's death had already spread. Since Miss Fortune was known to be the one who had killed him, the pursers had no trouble confirming the claim.
The bounty pursers were responsible for preserving the unquestionable authority of the bounty boards. They were a neutral power formed by the people who had lived in Bilgewater since its early days.
They also helped maintain order throughout the city. Even the oldest and most established captains had to show them respect, including Gangplank.
Even in Bilgewater, being a notorious pirate did not mean someone could act without restraint.
The region had powerful native factions of its own, such as the Buhru Temple, home to the followers of Nagakabouros.
"How are you going to deal with Borika's men when they come after you?"
Luke asked the question while following Miss Fortune toward the upper district.
"There's neutral ground in the upper district. Several captains maintain it together. Offending one of them is the same as offending them all, so no one dares start a fight there unless they have a death wish. People that reckless are exceedingly rare."
Miss Fortune weighed the money pouch in her hand as she smiled and continued, "Everyone in the Blue Flame Isles knows that allowing this place to descend into complete lawlessness would be bad for everyone. Otherwise, corpses lying around every street would become perfectly ordinary."
"The bounty hunters who attacked you earlier waited until later because you had left neutral territory."
"I see."
Luke nodded with sudden understanding.
"Neutral ground doesn't guarantee absolute safety, though. Plenty of people have suffered losses there. It all depends on how you handle yourself."
Miss Fortune offered the friendly warning, and Luke nodded again.
Before long, the three arrived at a tavern called the Brazen Hydra. It was one of Bilgewater's few high-class taverns. Its interior was lavish and elegant, unlike the bars frequented by the poor, where sawdust and dirt covered every surface.
Anyone who came here to drink had a considerable amount of money in their pockets.
The moment Miss Fortune entered, whistles and greetings sounded from all directions.
"Miss Fortune, are you here to drink until you drop again tonight?"
"Why not have a drink with me? I'll cover the bill if you honor me with your company."
"I doubt you're the only man willing to pay. Beautiful lady, come have a drink with me."
Enthusiastic voices filled the tavern. Miss Fortune was clearly very popular here.
"The person paying for my drinks isn't among you. Sorry."
She gave the crowd a seductive smile. The breathtaking beauty she revealed in that instant left the men entranced.
In Bilgewater, the red-haired Miss Fortune was a dream forever beyond the reach of countless men.
She was confident, beautiful, and generous, but like a rose covered in thorns, she was also dangerous.
Many men had attempted to pluck that thorny rose by force. In the end, those thorns had pierced straight through their hearts.
"You're always so heartless."
"Then the man buying your drinks must be someone you've taken a liking to!"
"I heard you killed Borika tonight. Nice work. I've hated that bastard for a long time."
"Exactly. A while ago, that bastard..."
The men returned to their drinks and conversations.
Miss Fortune led Luke and Yurna into a private room, where the noise immediately faded.
"Drinking among a crowd has a certain atmosphere, but sharing drinks with friends in a quiet private room offers something entirely different. I enjoy both."
Miss Fortune expertly pulled the cork from a bottle and poured wine for Luke and Yurna.
"We've already risked our lives together. The question is, are you willing to accept me as a friend?"
Luke smiled faintly. "You seem to have plenty of friends already."
"Those people are merely passing acquaintances. I don't know any of them as well as I know you two." Miss Fortune poured herself a glass, lifted it, and took a small sip. "I don't know why you came to a place like Bilgewater, but I'm sure you have your reasons."
"Tonight's plan forced you to take quite a risk. If Borika had noticed anything suspicious, all of us could have been in danger. Yet you trusted me anyway. Honestly, in a place like this, I rarely meet people like you. I'm not sure whether to call you foolish or simply innocent."
"Perhaps that's what makes you special. I hope the three of us can become friends."
Her tone was earnest and serious, filled with emotion. She then emptied the wine in her glass in a single swallow.
"My parents died when I was young, leaving me alone with no one to care for me. To survive, I secretly boarded a ship bound for Bilgewater and came to this place filled with both opportunity and danger."
As she spoke, her beautiful eyes lowered slightly. A sorrowful, melancholy mood settled over the room.
"Over the years, I've passed through more life-or-death situations than I could ever count. As someone with more experience, I've learned quite a few useful lessons."
She raised her glass and held it out before her.
"The night is still young. The only question is whether the two of you are willing to keep me company."
"With pleasure."
Luke raised his own glass and gently clinked it against hers.
Miss Fortune then held her glass toward Yurna.
Yurna did the same.
Miss Fortune began actively enlivening the atmosphere. Glass after glass was emptied, and she told one story after another.
As time passed, a tipsy flush appeared on her beautiful face. Every subtle movement of her eyes radiated captivating charm.
With her encouragement, Luke also became increasingly talkative. He had drunk quite a few glasses, leaving his face flushed and his eyes hazy with intoxication.
In the face of her apparent sincerity, he seemed to have completely accepted her as a friend and began recounting his own stories.
Yurna was already visibly drunk. Her eyes had become unfocused, and she could no longer concentrate. She was clearly a lightweight.
Seeing that she had more or less earned Luke's trust, Miss Fortune continued smiling and listening while completing her plan in her mind.
In truth, she had already made her decision the moment they collected the bounty.
Tonight, she would teach them their first lesson after arriving in the Blue Flame Isles.
Never place too much trust in a "friend" you have only just met.
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