The Black Pearl was a low-key pirate ship. Despite its legendary status, it preferred to hide inside glass bottles.
It was a peace-loving pirate ship, having lived in seclusion ever since the Caribbean pirates were wiped out by the British Royal Navy in 1718.
It was a sentimental pirate ship, leaving its mark inside its rum bottle brother to ensure no one would bully it.
But today, it was furious.
Its drift bottle brother had been murdered!
Did they think it was weak?
When it sensed its message note soaking in seawater, it knew—its brother was dead.
So it followed the note's lingering aura, tracking it to the fissure in Guantanamo Bay.
It shattered the crack, hunting down the killer of its brother.
And when it saw Luo Shu, it smelled the faint scent of rum on him.
Its beloved brother's scent.
This damned murderer!
Now, Luo Shu had to die!
The Chase
The Black Pearl chased Luo Shu from Level -4 all the way up to Level -1, only to see—
The Bermuda Vortex.
Of course it recognized it.
They were both locals, familiar with each other.
If the vortex could swallow Luo Shu, the Pearl wouldn't mind.
But what happened next disappointed it.
Instead of devouring Luo Shu, the vortex spat him out, along with the Pickup Truck Transformer.
What the hell?
Are you even the same Bermuda Vortex that's swallowed countless ships and planes?
The vortex whimpered: I'm innocent!
That damn truck tastes like rocks—I vomit at the thought of eating it!
The truck corrected: It's called silicon hardening, you uncultured brute. Made to counter non-silicon consumers like you.
As for eating Luo Shu?
The vortex shivered in fear.
Luo Shu was on its Anomaly Namer Milestone list, and Effect 1 was clear:
"You unconditionally become the bane of this anomaly. In your presence, it cannot activate."
Forget devouring him—the moment Luo Shu entered, the vortex froze.
If it didn't spit him out fast, it'd be stuck choking on him!
Shorefall
Luo Shu, seated in the battered truck, was launched from the vortex's eye, landing hard on the shore.
His injuries? Minor scrapes from debris and the impact of landing.
He'd expected this outcome.
From the start, he'd never seen the vortex as a real threat—just a contained anomaly.
The sand and rocks in the water had been more dangerous than the vortex itself.
And besides, he had other ways to deal with it—just not yet.
Seeing Luo Shu emerge, the vortex wisely retreated, sinking back into the water without a fuss.
The Anomaly Compendium's "Bane" Milestone had absolute authority—no ordinary anomaly could resist.
But the Black Pearl?
It wasn't backing down.
As an uncapturable Keter-class anomaly, it vowed to kill Luo Shu, avenging its brother!
The Pearl's Wrath
The Black Pearl surged from the water, expanding to its full size—a 50-meter-long galleon, armed with 32 sixteen-pound cannons.
Even firing just one broadside (16 cannons) could sink a medieval ship, let alone Luo Shu's flesh-and-blood body.
This was the true form of Negro Perta, the ship-in-a-bottle anomaly.
It turned broadside, preparing to obliterate Luo Shu.
Each 16-pound cannonball was roughly the size of a shot put—7.26 kg of iron death.
16 of them, hurled at once?
Not even the truck could survive that.
But instead of running, Luo Shu charged straight at the Pearl.
Why?
Because cannons had a minimum range.
At close quarters, the ship couldn't fire—it had to rely on skeletal pirates.
And Luo Shu had a plan.
Boarding Action
With a sudden teleport, Luo Shu vanished from the skeletons' sight, reappearing on the Pearl's deck, behind the last pirate.
His goal?
Not to kill skeletons (they'd just respawn).
But to contain the Pearl itself.
The Anomaly Detection Milestone (Effect 3) revealed:
This was a non-humanoid Denver entity—a shape-shifting anomaly.
The ship form wasn't its true body.
The real "Negro Perta" was inside the captain's cabin!
Luo Shu sprinted for it.
The Pearl panicked, recalling all 90 skeletons to defend the cabin.
Now, Luo Shu saw its full crew complement:
15 elite officers (high combat skill).
25 regular sailors (moderate threat).
50 expendables (cannon fodder).
Every time the truck smashed one, the Pearl replaced it, maintaining 90 total.
Realizing this, Luo Shu changed tactics.
"Truck! Stop attacking the elites! Focus on the weakest!"
"Understood, Master."
Now, they pushed forward, step by step, closing in on the cabin.
The skeletons clustered defensively, unwilling to leave.
The Pearl was scared.
The God's Despair
Hovering above, The Administrator watched coldly.
His heart was heavy.
Luo Shu had come here.
Grown beyond his expectations.
Become something he couldn't easily destroy.
This...
This was a tragic story.