Before making a decision, Viserys naturally consulted the Moon's Revelation. To his surprise, the moon in his spirit was large and bright, with a few shadows that didn't significantly alter the overall image.
This indicated that the operation might be risky, but would likely result in minimal casualties. Concerned for his sister, Viserys also consulted the Moon's Revelation for Dany. Although the moon in his vision remained bright, he still chose to bring her along.
Given the late hour, Viserys decided to take a shortcut through the Lys Strait to save time. Initially, many opposed the idea. Windblown and Lys were still at war, and being caught by either pirates or sellswords would mean severe punishment. However, Viserys insisted, and eventually, everyone agreed. Of course, their agreement was swayed by Viserys's promise to pay for their release if they were captured.
In the cabin, Viserys briefed the "special forces" he had assembled, using a hand-drawn map to explain his plan. "According to the information I've gathered, the pirates will gather in Orange Shore Bay." He pointed to a red circle on the map. "Orange Shore Bay is narrow, and 50 longships could block it, but this time, there will be no fewer than 700 pirate ships!" This number was unexpected, but the promised reward left them with little choice but to accept it.
"I'll leave 100 men on the ship to provide support. The rest of you will follow me into Orange Shore Bay."
"How are we supposed to sneak in?" asked Gerrold, a black man with a stern gaze.
"That's why I'm paying you so well. But don't worry, my strategy isn't to attack head-on. We have an informant to guide us." Hearing this, the group felt more at ease. In truth, Viserys's informant was Dany. With the help of the owl, they would avoid the enemy's guard posts, just as they had evaded Lys's patrol boats in the strait. Of course, unforeseen situations could arise, and in those moments, they would have to resort to assassination.
"What about the pirates in the cave? We won't be able to take them down quickly," another man, Redback Gerrold, asked.
"My jars are for them. I'll make sure the pirates die quietly." 'Killing hundreds of men silently?' Though many were still skeptical, they couldn't help but feel a shiver when they saw the cold, cruel curve of Viserys's smile.
Given the high risk of this mission, Viserys had kept his trump card secret to minimize exposure. But now that they were all in the same boat, he briefly explained his plan.
After nearly a week of sailing, the group finally arrived in the Orange Coast area. From the vantage point of the golden eagle, Viserys could clearly see that the traffic of pirate ships was thinning out. Pressing onward, he soon reached Orange Shore Bay. Hundreds of pirate ships crowded the bay, forming an almost unbroken wall of vessels. A narrow passage was left in the middle of this "ship wall" for additional ships to pass through. Once they did, they would join the wall, making it even thicker.
Perched on the mast, Viserys surveyed the scene. There were at least 300 pirate ships, their masts clustered together. Judging by the size and the patterns on their hulls, some of these ships belonged to powerful pirate captains—pirate magnates even. These large vessels, equipped with shark-head-shaped metal rams, looked imposing and formidable. Viserys thought it would be easy for their own ships to pass the first line of defense. The passages in the ship wall seemed deliberately left open, with no one bothering to check who was passing through. After all, anyone who had made it this far was assumed to be a "senior pirate," and even if someone managed to slip in by mistake, what could a single ship do against hundreds?
Viserys directed the golden eagle further into the bay. There were no islands, but several large ships were cruising around, likely forming the second line of defense for the gathering, providing early warning of any danger. He continued to the end of the bay, where a sheer cliff rose above a small rocky island jutting out from its base. Pirates had already prepared the island, sending up food, wine, and candles bit by bit.
From the golden eagle's perspective, Viserys could see the entire island. Due to the cliff, the island had little vegetation and appeared barren, with only some moss clinging to the rocks near the shore. There were three docking points on the island, and pirates seemed to be constructing something resembling a guard post. Just as Viserys was about to land and take a closer look, a dark shadow flashed past him. 'Damn, they're too cautious—even a footman is on guard?' Viserys thought with some frustration and decided to wait before trying again.
At this time, a pirate ship with black sails and a dark red hull was also approaching Orange Shore Bay. The black sail was emblazoned with an eight-legged sea monster, and the prow was adorned with a black iron maiden statue. The statue depicted a slender woman with a high chest, her arm outstretched as if calling for help or struggling. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were inlaid with pearls, and she had no mouth. This ship was Silence, belonging to Euron Greyjoy.
Euron, with his black hair and beard, blue lips, and eye patch, stood on deck, gazing into the distance. He extended his hand, and a servant promptly handed him a goblet. But instead of wine, it contained a blue liquid—poison. Euron sighed, and the servant beside him immediately knelt, trembling. Realizing that Euron's sigh wasn't directed at him, the servant relaxed slightly. Euron handed back the goblet and said, "Go and make me another one." The servant bowed deeply, taking the goblet without uttering a word.
Onboard Silence, only Euron had a tongue; everyone else was mute because he had torn out their tongues. This was why the ship was named Silence. Euron had come to the gathering to see if there were any valuable spoils to be had, but most importantly, he was hoping to recruit some new crew members.