That's… Alger and the Blue Avenger? Given Mr. Hanged Man's usual cautious nature, it's surprising he'd choose to watch the battle."
Ebner was a bit taken aback, but a moment's reflection led him to suspect he might be partly to blame. His Gate of Death had activated quite suddenly, so it was only natural the Blue Avenger got pulled toward it unprepared.
Relieved, Ebner prepared to dive into the sea and leave the area. He had no intention of greeting Alger; with other people on the ship, it wasn't ideal to meet in person as the Tower.
But as he neared the water's surface, he spotted something round and wearing a naval officer's hat bobbing alone with the waves.
It was none other than Gravina's severed head!
"7,500 pounds!" Ebner's heart surged with joy at this unexpected windfall. Grabbing the head with a satisfied smile, he activated Pure White Eye to inspect it more closely.
It was indeed the "genuine article" of Gravina's head. The reason it had survived the Light Storm attack unscathed was the blue-and-white officer's hat perched on it.
This hat was a magical item with two functions: it could alter the wearer's hairstyle, and it would absorb part of any head damage on their behalf.
While the Light Storm power had exceeded the hat's capacity to endure, leaving the head intact, the hat itself was ruined. Nonetheless, Ebner decided to keep it; perhaps one day, with the Artisan's skills, he could repair it.
Musing over this possibility, Ebner carefully took the hat off and noted with a twitch that Gravina's previously long hair vanished, leaving a smooth, shiny gray scalp behind.
"Wasn't Gravina only in his thirties? His hairline's even worse than Dunn's… Looks like helming the ship is even more exhausting than sleepless nights and games."
Clearing his mind of such trivial thoughts, Ebner let the Gale lift Gravina's head and headed toward the Blue Avenger.
The unexpected find changed his plans. He now felt it worthwhile to meet Alger in person and ask him to claim the bounty.
Technically, he could ask Mr. Fool to pass the head on to the Hanged Man, but Ebner decided it was best not to test Klein's limits…
Besides, it wouldn't be a good look if Mr. Fool were seen accepting a severed head as tribute. If word got out, the "evil god" rumors would be hard to dispel, and if some fool tried to copy the offering, Klein might actually lose his temper.
…
Onboard the Blue Avenger, Alger had ordered the few sailors to fully hoist the sails, hoping to leave the area now that the ritual altars had been destroyed by cannon fire.
But compared to the two warships fleeing the Fourth Fleet, the Blue Avenger lagged behind considerably. It wasn't due to a lack of speed, but rather a disadvantageous position on the opposite side of the ritual.
The two ships had wind and steam power on their side, speeding their escape, but the opposite was true for the Blue Avenger.
Despite trying to adjust the course and angle of the sails, they were still struggling to gather much speed. So, it wasn't long before Ebner, riding the Gale, swiftly closed in.
Seeing the "Doctor Strange" speeding toward them, Alger's mind raced with numerous thoughts. Ultimately, while remaining vigilant, he decided to stop the attempt to flee. Instead, he dismissed the crew and went alone to the aft deck.
Given Doctor Strange's recent display of abilities, if he truly harbored ill intent, even the combined strength of the crew would barely count for anything.
Any crew member's ill-advised words could anger Doctor Strange, creating even bigger problems…
Since that's the case, it'd be better if I just met with him alone to see what he's after. Alger was mulling this over when the voice of the bard Mikhail suddenly piped up beside him: "Doctor Strange is a hero of 'justice,' so why are we running?"
Alger frowned and turned to Mikhail, saying, "As I recall, I ordered everyone below decks!"
"I'm not your crew. No need to follow orders," Mikhail replied self-assuredly.
Fair point… Alger thought, suppressing the urge to smack the man. "In this world, 'justice' is hardly absolute."
"He killed evil pirates, and to people like us, that's justice," Mikhail affirmed.
"I'm a pirate too…" Alger said flatly.
"No, you're different… You're the 'light' that dwells in darkness, a 'star' shining through the night…" Mikhail said in reverence, his poetic tone filled with awe.
Alger felt a sharp throb at his temple, and was about to forcefully send Mikhail away when a flash of red caught his eye—Doctor Strange was now on deck.
Quickly setting aside his thoughts, Alger cautiously greeted, "Good morning, sir… May I ask your name? And what can I do for you?"
Roughly thirty years old, with looks that matched Roselle's illustration of Doctor Strange. Likely a masked identity, he's carrying at least three high-level magical items… holding… a severed head?!
When Alger saw Gravina's head in Ebner's grasp, he stiffened, immediately recognizing the face.
From a distance, he'd seen Doctor Strange sink the King of Immortality's flagship but hadn't known the details. But now, seeing Gravina's head confirmed that the infamous pirate worth 7,500 pounds was dead, slain by Doctor Strange, who didn't seem injured at all.
In an instant, Alger's assessment of Doctor Strange's strength rose another notch.
Ebner politely returned Alger's greeting, then turned to Mikhail, smiling, "Are you a bard?"
He'd heard some recitation as he descended onto the deck.
Caught off guard by Ebner's question, Mikhail seemed momentarily awestruck, then nervously replied, "Yes, I'm a poet… Doctor Strange… um, may I address you that way?"
"Yes, I'm Doctor Strange, you can call me that," Ebner replied with a friendly smile.
"You're truly the hero who stepped out from the pages! I'm your loyal fan!" Mikhail exclaimed, then hesitated before asking, "Did you ask if I was a poet for a particular reason?"
Wake up, man; he's obviously just borrowing Doctor Strange's identity. There's no way he's really the character from the book! Alger thought wryly, but caught Ebner glancing over as if to say, "Is he really one of yours?"
No, sir… he's not one of mine. He's just… passing through. Just passing through!
While Alger mentally defended himself, Ebner continued speaking to Mikhail, "You watched my fight, didn't you?"
He's going to silence him? Alger's heart clenched. He instinctively placed his finger on the trigger.
Mikhail seemed to reach the same conclusion but remained confident that a hero wouldn't resort to such measures. He assured Ebner, "Don't worry, I won't say a word."
Stunned by the reaction, Ebner shook his head with a laugh, saying, "You misunderstand… I was actually hoping you'd write a ballad about it… Something catchy that people will remember."
"Huh?" Mikhail was taken aback, blinking in confusion. Why would Doctor Strange make such a request?
Only when Ebner repeated himself did Mikhail realize his sincerity. Still, he hesitated, saying, "It was hard to see clearly from such a distance… Without detail, it's hard to write good lines."
"No problem, I can give you a detailed account," Ebner replied, flashing a winning smile.
He then proceeded to recount the entire battle, carefully omitting specifics about his abilities and focusing only on the results.
Initially stunned by shock, Mikhail soon became captivated, dutifully jotting down notes.
Meanwhile, Alger listened in astonishment. Despite his experiences, he'd never encountered a request so forthright. Roselle was right, he mused, "The bigger the forest, the more… peculiar the birds. So it is with people, too."
When Doctor Strange finished his story, he handed Mikhail a 200-pound fee or, rather, an incentive. Then, turning to Alger, he asked, "Sir, do you have any other instructions?"
The lack of control over this conversation left Alger feeling frustrated, but Doctor Strange held the upper hand, so he decided to comply for now.
Without hesitation, Ebner tossed Gravina's severed head at Alger and smiled, saying, "I'd like you to collect the bounty for me."
With this, Alger felt a wave of relief. With Doctor Strange asking a favor, it was unlikely he'd turn hostile now.
Alger quickly calculated his options and decided that as long as he openly declared the head's origin, he should be able to claim the reward. If the Church decided to trace Doctor Strange's identity from there, that wasn't his concern.
After half a minute, Alger nodded and replied, "It should be possible. The Church has ways of verifying it's Gravina's head… though there will be some fees."
Ebner chuckled and replied, "Not to worry. Since I'm entrusting you with this, you won't be shortchanged… Let's split it seventy-thirty. I'll take seventy, you take thirty."
Surprised by the generous offer, Alger momentarily entertained the idea of bypassing the Church entirely to collect the reward.
As if ready to seal their deal, Doctor Strange's red cloak billowed as he took to the air. He gave the two men a parting wave and said, "Very well, then. I look forward to seeing my request completed when we meet next."
With that, Ebner took off, propelled by the Gale.
As he departed, Alger suddenly called out, "How should I reach you once I have the bounty?"
"Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough," Ebner's voice echoed back with a hint of mirth.