Captain Blackbeard had been fighting against Captain Israel for some time soon, while I was stuck inside this unit, operating and hoping for Elizabeth to deliver the baby through a natural procedure or… cesarean without any anesthesia or the sterile instrument usually found in the operating room. But the latter was most likely to happen. Fortunately, I was a trained physician, but not versed in the operating table. However, I didn’t have a choice. I wanted to save Elizabeth and our baby inside her womb, while coming out on top of this fight. All I had to do now was… perform all of that and make sure it happens.“You’re going to be alright, Elizabeth. I just need you to be conscious… conscious enough you know what’s happening in your surroundings.”“I’m trying… But, Owari. Can I ask you a question?”“Yeah?” I answered, while aiming my scalpel near my wife’s abdomen.“If there’s a chance you’d have to choose me or the baby, I want you to choose the baby.”“NO!” I shouted, and returned

“If that’s how it’s going to be… then you leave us no choice… NOW!”I let out a violent roar and made my cue. Soon after, Elizabeth followed it up and cast her unique spell… The ability to control one’s body for a few minutes or seconds. She was planning to do just that and lead the two of them out of the building. If Captain Blackbeard was out of her sight, Elizabeth would lose her ability and that would lead to a disastrous event. So she had to stay with Captain Blackbeard… even at the cost of tossing her life on the line. It couldn’t be me, since I didn’t have that kind of ability my wife possessed. Although I still learned a few of her attributes, that unique skill Elizabeth had cannot be compared to what I knew about shadow control.Before jumping out of the hole I had created from the building, Elizabeth looked me in the eyes for the last time… and fell on the ground, together with Captain Blackbeard. The two of us knew making out alive at this point would be a miracle. I had li

Just like what I had deduced, the Empire had struck at us. They wasted no time and attacked us within two months, without warning. We only knew about it thanks to the remaining ninjas or scouts who had lived against the wrath of Captain Blackbeard.…………………….Today was the second month when the pirates had initially attacked. Throughout those weeks, we managed to somehow revive what we could salvage from the ruined town. Since I had availed insurance to the merchants, they were obliged to help us grow the town back to its functional state.It would benefit the both of us. While that was happening, I also made sure to create inventions using the limited resources we could find on the field.Although the backup King Rowan had sent easily died, he had sent another group in our direction. It was meant to offer some relief goods and aid for the fallen city. But once those soldiers arrived, their eyes widened in surprise as soon as they witnessed the town was slowly rebuilding what it had lo

Two ninjas or scouts entered the room and waited for my instructions. One was a male, the other was a female. They both sported the same clothing and equipped themselves with hidden daggers and such. Most ninjas were equally equipped with experience and battle prowess. But these two ninjas were ahead of their peers, making them my personal bodyguards and scouts if things looked grim.I led them to a different room, hidden among most servants scattered in the castle. Only a few individuals knew about this hidden passage, and one of them was the butler who had announced the scout’s appearance and these two ninjas themselves. By having a few people who were close to me, I eliminated any chances of having to deal with someone who was going to stab me behind my back. Pirates were annoying to deal with. But I couldn’t leave a blind eye to the information broker, which would disguise themselves among my allies. It was better to have a few people I could trust than an entire army that could k

Epilogue for Volume 2Captain Blackbeard’s PerspectiveThis happened after the fight between Owari and Captain Blackbeard_________________The Tortuga was the home of the pirates. After dealing with Owari, I returned to the island and rallied the pirates for an announcement. This was our home, so naturally there were thousands of us living on this secluded island, far from the civilizations of the Kingdom and the Empire.Tortuga had a rich natural resources and abundant poultry to choose from. There were also fine lands that absolutely let any kind of vegetables grow, even without fertiliser. We also found a lake that offered fresh water to be drunk by anyone. So we didn’t have to worry about anything, besides monsters infesting the area.The people in this place were pirates, but most were regular people - mostly females - who were caught up by the incident. I gave them a choice whether to continue following our orders… or for them to live their lives in the Kingdom or the Empire. F