At this point, some of the pirates had already caught a whiff of the chlorine gas, but they remained unconcerned, too engrossed in the treasure to care.
"It's not practical to hunt them down one by one. We need to lure them all here and trap them in one sweep!"
As the green smoke started to fill the cave, Viserys raised the dragon egg above his head and shouted, "I have a dragon egg! I'm willing to trade it for at least three good ships!"
His voice boomed, silencing all other noise in the cave.
As soon as he finished speaking, a brief silence fell, quickly followed by an explosion of exclamations:
"Did I hear that right? A dragon egg!"
"A dragon egg! It's been years since we've seen one at a gathering!"
"Is it real?!"
Despite their varied reactions, the pirates instinctively began moving toward Viserys. Euron, who had been wandering around the cave, narrowed his eyes and approached, already plotting how to seize the dragon egg. He was even more interested in Viserys's owl, which he intended to take along with Viserys himself.
"I'll offer four large longships!" declared a pirate in a dark red velvet robe, his portly figure betraying a life of indulgence. Viserys recognized him as Red Silk Fish, a notorious pirate from Volantis, commanding six ships and specializing in raiding the southern Rhoyne.
"I'll bid four longships and a thousand gold dragons!" A black pirate spoke up, raising the stakes. This man, far taller and broader than most, made a generous offer that immediately silenced many others who had considered bidding.
The pirates crowded in to get a closer look at the dragon egg, jostling for space as they pressed in tightly.
Viserys glanced up at the poisonous fog, calculating that it would take at least five or six minutes to fill the entire cave. Thinking quickly, he announced, "I'm only interested in new ships, less than three years old!"
The raised requirement caused some pirates to hesitate, but Viserys continued scanning the gathered crowd, still unable to identify the suspicious figure he sought.
Just then, a hoarse voice cut through the noise. A thin female pirate spoke up, "May I ask, my lord, where did you acquire this dragon egg?"
Viserys turned his gaze to her. She was in her forties, with olive skin and a face lined with wrinkles, though her eyes were unusually bright. Behind her stood two slender pirates who bore a strong resemblance to her—likely her relatives or sons.
He recognized her as "Black Wave," the leader of a pirate crew that was more of a "pirate family," with all members related by blood or marriage.
Her question, however, put Viserys on edge. He frowned and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Does it matter to you? Are you buying or not?"
"I think this dragon egg looks familiar," the woman said, drawing the attention of the entire crowd.
"What do you mean? Did you lay it yourself?" Viserys snapped, glancing up at the smoke. It would be another two minutes before the cave filled completely, but he noticed some pirates had already begun rubbing their eyes, signaling that the poison gas was starting to take effect. He too felt an itch in his eyes, and a quick glance at his health panel showed it had dropped to 99.8.
"If I'm not mistaken, this dragon egg came from the Braavos Festival, didn't it?"
"So what if it did?" Viserys replied sharply.
Black Wave stared him down. "I remember that the person who won this dragon egg was named Viserys, the Prince of Westeros."
"Prince of Westeros? I think I've heard of him," murmured some pirates, beginning to recall who Viserys was.
"Hey! I remember now—The Beggar King!"
Viserys continued to scan the crowd during this brief moment of distraction. The owl in his arms trembled, and he felt a growing anxiety, still unable to spot the suspicious figure.
He sneered, "Hmph, we're all pirates here. Do we care who something belonged to when we take it?"
"So, are you admitting you stole this dragon egg from Viserys?" Black Wave pressed.
"I never said this dragon egg belonged to that Viserys."
But to everyone's surprise, Black Wave raised her arm, and her two sons hoisted her onto their shoulders. From her elevated position, she addressed the crowd, "Everyone, I'm 80% sure this is the dragon egg from Braavos, and the man who won it is named Viserys Targaryen. Have you all heard the song 'Sailor'?"
Some in the crowd nodded, recognizing the tune. Half a year had passed since Viserys's "Sailor" had become popular across the Free Cities, with versions even in the common tongue.
"My lord, as far as I know, Viserys left Braavos after the celebration and became a mercenary. He joined the Windblown. The only ones daring enough to challenge those sellswords are right here. So, which pirate group are you from?"
The implication was clear—Black Wave suspected Viserys's true identity.
"The Iron Hook Pirates."
At his words, Black Wave's eyes gleamed, and she shouted to the crowd, "He's lying! Baland of the Iron Hook was executed by the Braavosians!"
With that revelation, swords were drawn all around. Suspicion filled the air—how could a minor pirate know about Orange Shore Bay, and if he hadn't received an invitation, how had he arrived on the island?
"Arrest him!"
"Kill him!"
"Hang him!"
"Sell him to a brothel!"
The pirates roared, their eyes blazing with fury as they fixated on the dragon egg in Viserys's hand.
Yet, among the enraged shouts, a few pirates began to sense that something was amiss. If Viserys was truly up to something, why would he have traveled so far just to flaunt a dragon egg? The egg was likely acquired through legitimate means, and there were far more practical ways to sell it. Some quick-witted pirates started to suspect there was more at play, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it. An ambush? That seemed unlikely—any child could see that was impossible.
Euron, standing amid the crowd, smirked as he watched Viserys, curious to see his next move.
Then, his eyes began to water, followed by a sharp, burning sensation. Just as the pirates believed they had Viserys cornered, many of them started feeling unwell. Those who had been rubbing their eyes now found the irritation worsening, and their breaths grew labored. Black Wave, perched on her sons' shoulders, suddenly erupted into a violent coughing fit. All around, pirates' eyes began streaming with tears.
Soon, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting swept through the crowd.
"Cough! Cough! What's happening?"
As the pirates noticed the collective discomfort, they quickly realized something was terribly wrong. The culprit was obvious.
"Hey! What's going on?" one of the pirates demanded, drawing his curved knife and pointing it at Viserys.
But Viserys ignored the pirate's threat, his focus unwavering. "Skinchanger, I warn you—show yourself now, or you'll be dead soon!" he shouted, his eyes stinging as he scanned the crowd.
The pirate leaders were dropping one by one, but the suspicious figure he sought remained elusive. As Black Wave struggled to flee, Viserys swiftly plunged his Dragonbone dagger into her neck.
Euron, too, sensed the escalating danger. A dagger slipped from his sleeve, and with one fluid motion, he stabbed a nearby pirate in the neck. Warm blood gushed from the five-inch wound, and before the pirate could scream, Euron pressed his fingers into the wound, chanting a dark incantation. The blood began to flow up his arm, pooling around his eyes and mouth in a grotesque, unsettling display. Simultaneously, Euron feigned weakness from the poison gas, collapsing onto those around him to avoid suspicion.
Viserys saw many pirates fall, but the elusive figure remained hidden. 'Could it be that he's already dead from the poison gas?' he wondered.
"Please, my lord, spare me! I'll give you all my treasure!"
A few pirates, still able to move, crawled to Viserys's feet, begging for mercy. He kicked them aside without a second thought. There might have been pirates outside who hadn't yet shed blood, but everyone within this chamber was a hardened criminal.
But now was not the time for pity. Viserys looked up at the ceiling and signaled to Jorah and the others. They lowered ropes and descended one by one, their faces covered with the special masks they had been given earlier.
"Caggo, cut off their heads! Start with the ones in good clothes. The rest of you, grab everything you can! Take as much as possible!"
He hoped this brutal method would force the suspected Skinchanger to reveal itself.