Elemental Cats

Red Hook's response was about as much as Toz needed to know. It was clear that Red Hook wouldn't mind teaming up with Toz and the Bunglehoppers to interfere with the Blue Lounge and their business.

Toz was just about to explain what he had in mind when he sensed someone approaching Retsy's courtyard.

There was no way Red Hook didn't notice it as well, but she didn't show any signs of caring about the person's arrival, which meant that they were one of her followers. However, Toz couldn't understand why the person would show up after everyone else.

Toz looked at Red Hook again to see if she was planning an ambush, but she looked relaxed and curious about why Toz had stopped right before speaking.

"Right. Tasha made sure the people who aren't supposed to be here aren't here."

Red Hook noticed Toz's questioning gaze and looked at the courtyard's opening before explaining.

Wulf and Hayar's expressions became more serious after hearing that name, and they looked at Tasha as he entered the courtyard. The dark grey hair, the burn scars, and the empty eyes confirmed Tasha's identity. Despite being a recent addition to the Red Hook Pirate Crew, Tasha was already one of the higher-ups. And he was famous for fitting in perfectly with the notoriously violent and bloodthirsty pirate crew, especially regarding incidents related to executives of the Blue Lounge League of Pirates.

Toz recognized him as the person who had been in the Red Hook's base the other day when he delivered the message, but he didn't pay much more attention to the man after he stood next to Avian.

However, there was someone who couldn't stop staring at Tasha.

Toz began explaining what he wanted Red Hook and her crew to do. It wasn't anything special. He wanted them to put more pressure on the Blue Lounge League and wear down their resources and strength. And then, when it was time, they would help him set up a Pirate Meet to purge the Blue Lounge League from Pirate Haven.

Toz also revealed how he had gotten the Cult of Nihiltas to agree to a similar deal, after which he hinted at teaming up with the Red Hook Pirate Crew to take down the Cult of Nihiltas after they had purged the Blue Lounge League.

With both the Cult and the Blue Lounge gone, the entirety of Pirate Haven would be theirs to share.

Red Hook ignored the part about sharing as she began thinking about how to take down Toz and the Bunglehoppers after they got rid of the Cult. She was about to agree to Toz's deal and take the grimoire.

Toz could guess what Red Hook was thinking since it was practically written all over her face that she wasn't planning on honoring their agreement to the end. But he didn't stop her from grabbing the grimoire this time since he also had similar plans.

Red Hook happily took the grimoire and was about to begin reading it on the spot due to her eagerness. But Avian stopped her, and the leader of the Red Hook Pirate Crew and her followers left Retsy's courtyard.

There wouldn't be a need for Toz and Red Hook to have much contact until it was time for them to arrange the Pirate Meet, so Toz didn't bother setting up another meeting.

Toz and the others also got ready to leave, with the exception of Joshua, who looked to be in a daze. Joshua stood and stared at where Tasha had been standing with a confused look in his eyes. The others noticed Joshua's state when they were about to leave, and he didn't come with them.

At first, they thought something might have happened, but Joshua shook his head and regained the clarity in his eyes. The others were curious about what happened, but Joshua dismissed their questions as the gaze filled with complex emotions returned to his eyes.

Since Joshua wouldn't tell them anything, there wasn't much they could do, and Toz and the others began leaving Retsy's courtyard.

However, Toz asked the others to go on ahead since he had something to ask of Retsy. With their meeting with the Red Hook Pirate Crew done, there wasn't any reason to fear the Blue Lounge's interference or discovery of their activities. And with Wulf and Hayar in the group, it would take a lot of preparation for the Blue Lounge to take on the group. But when the Blue Lounge finished their preparations, the Bunglehoppers would already be back at their base.

The others didn't object and left the courtyard while Toz stayed behind.

Toz knew from their reactions that Wulf and Hayar were familiar with Tasha, but they probably didn't know as much as Retsy did.

Retsy led Toz into the office, where they always conducted her deals.

"Already interested in claiming that debt?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want me to guess, or what?"

"What can you tell me about Tasha?"

"Hmm."

Retsy thought for a few moments before responding.

"Since he's one of Red Hook's most loyal followers, information about him is pretty valuable. Your debt is enough to cover that, don't worry. But even considering that, there's not much to tell you."

"Tell me everything you know then."

"Alright."

According to Retsy, Tasha first appeared in Pirate Haven less than a year ago. No one knew where he came from. He just appeared one day. No one paid attention to him at first, but he soon built a reputation for only targeting ships belonging to the Starsling Kingdom, and he left every boat and member of the crew in states beyond recognition.

He was pretty soon recruited by Red Hook herself, after which his activities lessened significantly for a period. But he came back a lot stronger after the period of inactivity, and he began targeting the executives of the Blue Lounge League in addition to regularly taking down the Starsling Kingdom's vessels.

Considering the Red Hook Crew's ruthlessness and the relationship between the two crews, no one thought much about how Tasha targeted the Blue Lounge. However, those in the know realized that Tasha carried a deep grudge against the Starsling Kingdom since every executive he targeted was related to the Starsling Kingdom in some way.