Bane

The excellent jewelry and leather products of the people of the North Valley not only gave rise to their booming maritime trade economy, but also gave rise to many illegal transactions, such as with the notorious pirates of the North Valley. For a long time, pirates of the frozen seas and other maritime regions existed in bands. They divided territories between them and stuck to a principle of non-interference, plundering only merchant ships that crossed their own territories, to enrich themselves. This has become the de facto rule of the hacker community.

This largely respected order lasted until the arrival of Bane and his men. Cruel, cunning, violent and tyrannical... No list of adjectives commonly given to pirates would be enough to describe Bane's terrible reputation. Born into a pirate family, Bane was raised and trained in the strictest manner from childhood. By the time he became an adult, Bane was already the most feared pirate of his time.

But young Bane's ambition was much greater than that. Shortly after, Bane murdered his uncle and took control of the Behemoth, a sea fortress with a massive battering ram and dozens of cannons, truly becoming Captain Bane. He then broke the old pirate rule and began encroaching on other pirates' territories.

Faced with Bane's incredible firepower and terrible cruelty, the other pirates had only two options: submit or be annihilated. More and more fugitives and opportunists gathered under Bane's flag, which brought him enough money to establish a massive pirate fleet, known as the Black Sharks. For many years, Bane dominated all sea routes of the frozen seas, literally ruling the inhabitants of the northern coast of Vale with an iron fist, and the ever-victorious sea dweller named himself Lord of the Seven Seas. Some people from Northern Vale who could no longer stand Bane's despotic rule armed themselves and gathered under the banner of his archenemy Franco, to wage a war of resistance against Bane.

Desperate, Bane ordered his men to risk everything to sink Franco's fleet, but after several hours of battle, he still failed to gain the advantage. Around this time, Bane learned a secret: the Aurora Heart, one of the fragments of the mysterious and powerful Twilight Orb, was located somewhere in the depths of the Frozen Sea, and contained a powerful regenerative power that could help him realize his dream of conquering the world.

Bane has come up with a cunning plan to kill two birds with one stone. First, he would leak the information in order to attract the attention of the Moniyan Empire navy. Then, he would pretend to sue for peace with Franco, revealing the location of the Aurora Heart and falsely expressing his intention to jointly rule the frozen sea. However, the true intent of his goal was to use the forces of Franco and the Moniyan Empire to help him locate the Ionic Heart, while provoking a battle between them, so that the Empire would likely destroy its nemesis. He would then dive into the chaos to claim the Aurora Heart for himself.

Everything happened exactly as Bane had planned. The massive navy of the Moniyan Empire had left the port of Castle Grandrock. Meanwhile, Franco seemed to have believed in himself and led his fleet in search of the Aurora Heart. The two parties finally met in a narrow region on the eastern edge of the frozen sea. As each was unaware of the existence of the other, Moniyan's fleet and Franco's fleet were caught in a tense face-off. Bane's opportunity had arrived. He ordered his men to sneak up on both fleets with fast, stealthy boats and suddenly open fire, triggering a massive naval battle.

After both sides were heavily decimated in the ensuing battle, mastermind Bane arrived aboard the massive Behemoth. He watched with glee as the terrible consequences of his plan, while ordering his men to destroy the surviving ships and seize the Aurora Heart. Bane smiled contemptuously as he enjoyed the "beautiful" scene before him and savored the hateful curses of the Moniyans. With almost no effort, he had manipulated the Moniyans and eradicated Franco. All he needed now was to find the Aurora Heart, and he would have enough power to take over the world. Then, neither the Moniyan Empire nor the demons of the Abyss could resist him...

Just as Bane exalted his victory, a massive cannon fired from the fleet behind the Behemoth, hitting the flagship directly. The battle-hardened Behemoth and its owner exploded into pieces that sank to the bottom of the sea and were never seen again.

Bane suffered a tragic death, or so those who witnessed the Behemoth's explosion and sinking believed. His massive pirate fleet disintegrated and scattered, and peace was restored to the Frozen Sea. The man who fired the cannon was none other than Bane's archenemy, Franco. Franco had never trusted Bane and was wary of his sudden peaceful overtures. So he ordered his men to pretend to take the bait and search the seas, while he led a small contingent of sailors to infiltrate and seize one of Bane's ships during the night. With Bane at his most complacent, Franco gave the order to fire on his flagship, dealing Bane a fatal blow.

Bane's era of piracy was over and would gradually be forgotten, while Franco would become the new ruler of the northern coast of Vale. But in the depths of the ocean, a broken Captain Bane suddenly opened his eyes in the middle of an ancient and abandoned ruin, awakened by a bright light. The strange object in front of him exuded a fascinating power. As if possessed, his broken body regained consciousness. He was brought back to life and he could now have his [long-lost] revenge, thanks to the Aurora Heart that Bane had spent so much effort searching for. Despairing at his utter defeat, Bane smiled sinisterly as he approached the Aurora Heart. Upon touching him, enormous power flowed through him, completely repairing his broken body. Even though Bane was resurrected, he looked like a zombie, as his body was torn apart during the explosion and many parts were missing.

What Bane couldn't imagine was that a giant octopus had just chosen him as prey, reaching out its hand to him as he placed his hand on the Aurora Heart. While fighting the octopus, Bane was forced to release his hold on the Aurora Heart, letting it fly from his hands and sink into the sea. However, its residual energy enveloped Bane and the octopus and began to merge them into one, transforming him into an anthropomorphic octopus.

On the banks of the North Valley, merchant ships coming and going were busy loading and unloading their goods. In the distant waters, the resurrected Captain Bane no longer lamented his repeated failures. Looking at his new cursed body and the familiar seas, he smiled once more. He had finally awakened from the briny depths, and, bringing his tattered Black Pearl, he was ready to announce his return and renew his reign as the unworthy pirate that he was. This was just the beginning of the game.