The dimly lit room echoed with the creaking of old wood as Levi entered.

"Welcome, Levi, or should I call you an F-rank who managed to kill two B-ranks?"

The pirate twirled his long moustache, his eyes gleaming in the subdued light as he took a puff from his cigar.

"Just call me Levi."

Levi's voice cut through the tension in the air, and he didn't try to deny or sugarcoat the information. No illusions were necessary; the truth hung in the air like the heavy smoke from the pirate's cigar.

"I like your straight-as-an-arrow attitude. Sit."

The pirate gestured towards a worn leather chair, and Levi took his place in front of the pirate. The room's centrepiece was a grand desk coated in gold, a testament to the opulence of the pirate's hideout. On the desk lay a map of the world, engraved in silver, protected by a diamond glass. The table alone cost more than any building in town, even the academy.

"Now that you've killed your seller, you need someone to sell your product." The pirate leaned back, a wicked grin playing on his lips, and his parrot wriggled in enjoyment. They were pushing Levi into a corner with the knowledge they possessed.

A heavy stillness settled over the room. Levi's heart didn't beat rapidly, and no beads of sweat formed on his palms. He wasn't astonished by anything the pirate revealed. He never planned to keep this a secret. He had tried to conduct his business in secret, but someone was bound to see him enter and leave the forbidden house daily.

Levi didn't care what people thought about him, but he didn't want others to pay for his deeds. Tyson, Irina, and their precious daughter had already suffered too much.

"Yes, I do need a new seller, and there is nobody left that I can trust or at least make a proper deal with, Mr John, or should I say the Pirate of the Rivera."

John, a figure of the sea in his prime, listened intently. Though he dressed up as a pirate, there were no real pirates in the world for two hundred years, as Levi remembered from the game.

In this world, pirates weren't the pillagers of villages or thieves of lore. The curse of Rivera, the rise of powerful administrations, and stricter laws contributed to the downfall of the original pirates. Governments offered pirates a job—to work as leaders for sailors, fight sea monsters, and create viable travel and trade routes. Being a pirate wasn't illegal anymore.

There was no need for John to wear a pirate outfit, but he did it to honour his father and bring the luck of his ocean with him.

A smile formed on John's face when he heard his famous nickname. To be called the Pirate of Rivera was an honour; after all, he was the sailor of the fiercest ocean of all time.

"Will you kill me if I too am a traitor?"

"Without any hesitation, I will pull the moustache off your face and your head off your neck."

John shivered, knowing Levi wasn't bluffing. The parrot squawked, angry and ready to attack, but Jack restrained it.

"Don't worry, I don't have any plans to betray anyone, nor live the life of a criminal. Money is life to me; it would make no sense for me to do something just for a revolution or revenge. Rolling in money is my own revolution."

John, the pirate turned businessman, showed no concern for the world's affairs. He only cared if there was profit in it for him. A typical businessman, never letting go of even a margin of profit.

"So, does that mean you are ready to make a deal with me?"

"On one condition?"

John produced a contract, its pages rustling softly as he placed it in front of Levi. Reading the contract, Levi found it surprisingly fair—for him, Tyson, and John. This was unusual for John, whose greediness and craziness for money knew no bounds.

'This isn't a contract; it's a trap.'

Everything in the contract seemed too good to be true.

'So after giving me all these benefits and equal distribution, all he wants is to know where I get the silk from? You're a pirate through and through.' Levi chuckled and handed back the contract to John.

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"Is the contract not to your liking?"

John had pondered over the terms for a while, but it seemed worth it. He had a network of spies and informants. Though they couldn't infiltrate the academy, once Levi was out of its watchful eye, every informant under John knew what Levi was up to.

The bustling street outside, filled with vibrant clothes and eager merchants, caught every merchant's attention.

John knew everything about Levi, from the time he visited Noel and Tyson to the secretive moments in the forbidden house. Yet, one thing eluded John's knowledge—where the silk came from. Even if Levi stored the silk in his spatial ring, he needed to obtain it from somewhere, and it definitely wasn't inside the academy.

After discovering where Levi got the silk, John wouldn't need to collaborate with anyone. He'd abandon the contract and throw away Levi without hesitation.

Levi, too, was aware of this. But who would tell John that nobody in the world could produce the silk but Levi?

"I will clear one thing, John, no matter what you try, you won't get the silk unless you work together with me. Nobody in this entire world will give you something like this, and forget about getting something better."

Levi's words angered John. He never liked being kept in the dark and a step behind anyone in business.

"Well, do you think you can keep this a secret? Remember, I have every piece of information about you entering that house, and once the word gets out, you know what happens."

John's ego changed cause approaching Levi with a fake act was no use. He could just tell by Levi's demeanour.

'He is someone whom, I can easily deceive.'

Entering Tyson's house was considered taboo. You wouldn't be punished, but life would just be a lot harder. Levi had to watch carefully while entering the house—not because he was afraid, but because if anybody found out the clothes were being made by Tyson, they would never wear them.

"If I wanted to, I would have already destroyed your business. Instead, I gave you a chance to flourish, and now I am allowing you to work with me and blossom your petals even further. Remember, if you get out of this deal, consider your business in its grave before it even lived its life." J

ohn let out his frustration as he sat on the chair, satisfied. The contract wasn't a term of business but an absolute order and slavery.

"He isn't reacting."

The parrot whispered to John in a low tone. Levi still looked at them without any fear, no worry, and absolute calmness.

"That is true. If word gets out, my whole business would sink down the drain." Levi took a sip from the glass in front of him.

"But what do you think will happen if they know the Pirate of Rivera isn't who they think he is?"

Levi's sentence sent shudders down John's spine. He acted calm and smiled, trying to hide the worry on his face.

'He is probably bluffing.'

John thought, but he still wouldn't like to take a chance. Underestimating anyone would cost a lot.

"What do you mean? I am the Pirate of Rivera and have fully navigated the vast ocean without losing anyone or losing even a single ship. I fully deserve that name; it is like the ocean itself, clear and beautiful, flowing with pride and honour."

John's malevolent explanation gave him clear confidence, but the more he saw Levi's stoic expression, the less he could put up his confident act.

"Well, you did navigate such a large and terrifying force of nature; that I will give you, but that was in the past. What about now? How long has it been since you stepped on a boat or a ship? How many years have gone by since you went anywhere near the ocean? You are so scared that you built your headquarters farthest away from any source of water so not even the smell of the ocean reaches you."

John unconsciously gulped as every word that came out from Levi shook him, revealing a part of him he hid behind the curtains. Levi stood up and walked towards him. John's pointy moustache seemed to weaken, and the parrot itself backed behind John's head.

"Everybody knows about your bravery, but only I know about your cowardice."

Levi's hand slowly started moving towards the parrot's eye patch. John instantly moved his body and grabbed Levi's fist as if he was trying to crush Levi's hand.

"How do you know about this?" J

ohn wasn't a rowdy pirate or a successful businessman; right now, he was just a man, scared of death like every normal human.

"Get your hands off."

Levi's tone too changed. To John, it sounded like the whistle of the Grim Reaper. He removed his hand and kept looking at Levi.

"Don't think you are the only one with spies everywhere, John; I too have my connections."

Levi was bluffing. He had the lesser eyes, but they would never be able to find out John's kryptonite. He did it so well that not even their greatest detective could find it. But now someone knew, and he was at a disadvantage.

Levi, of course, knew everything because John's secret was well-known in the game.

The hunter had become the prey, and neither he could run nor hunt. All he could do was wait for Levi's verdict.

"Now, do you want to know where I get the silk from?"

John shook his head like a child not wanting another spanking from his mother.

"Send someone to get the clothes from Tyson. Remember, if anybody knows about it, remember what will happen to you."

"And, remove this part from the contract."

John hurriedly erased the annoying part of the contract. Levi signed the contract and smiled at John.

"When the time is right, I might tell you where the silk comes from. Until then, be a good merchant and do as I say."

He put the pen in John's coat pocket.

"It is good doing business with you."

Levi walked to the door as John waited for those devil steps to get away from his ears.

"And I suggest you throw that away."

Levi said pointing at the parrot, then left the room, leaving John and his parrot scared and petrified. John slumped in his chair as he remembered the incident that occurred on the cursed day.

"We messed with the wrong one, captain."

The parrot said as John nodded in agreement. Levi at that moment looked like the monster he fought during his battles at sea...no, even worse than them.