Chapter 854: Privateer Captain

This treasure map was merely a fragment, yet it was shimmering with the radiance of an extraordinary item and had an indestructible property.

Of course, most important was that it had the blessing of destiny and would ultimately reunite with the other map fragments one day.

Fang Yuan took out his treasure map fragment, and the two fragments instantly emitted a dusky glow. At the jagged corners of the map, the paper threads seemed to come alive, entangling and intertwining with one another… ultimately forming a larger treasure map piece.

“Hmm?”

Fang Yuan was slightly astonished.

The treasure map fragment from Heathfrey was evidently much larger than the one from the auction.

After it combined with his fragment, he could already see some concrete routes that required the help of specific ocean currents and terrain in order to reach a certain destination.

“No wonder this treasure map was so important to Heathfrey… He had another fragment in his hands!

“This treasure map should only be missing its last piece now!”

With Heathfrey’s selfless contribution, Fang Yuan made huge progress in his quest to gather the treasure map fragments and had high hopes of completing it.

“Back then, the Soro Pirate Team had occupied the Solomon Strait and plundered wealth from east to west without restraint. Any ship that passed through had to pay taxes to them… The hidden treasures left behind by such a pirate team…”

Fang Yuan’s lips curled up at the corners.

“Boss, what should we do next?”

On Fiery Lotus, all the high-level crew members had gathered together and saluted Fang Yuan, their eyes as though they were looking at a living god.

“As Heathfrey is Blackbeard’s man, it’s indeed somewhat troublesome that we attacked him…” Fang Yuan looked around. “Thus… we’ll directly cross the Nightmare Ocean and head east on the Golden Sea Route. As long as we reach the Golden Ocean that’s under the Pirate Prince’s sphere of influence, there’ll be absolutely nothing to fear!”

Blackbeard was the Nightmare Ocean’s pirate governor, whereas the Golden Ocean was under the Pirate Prince’s influence.

These two great pirates already had conflicts, and it would be a joke if the Pirate Prince agreed to help Blackbeard arrest people.

“This time we’ve made a huge fortune. After properly recuperating in the Golden Ocean, we’ll set out for Pirate King City!”

Fang Yuan had long made his decision.

Pirate King City was the greatest transit hub between the East and the West. It was also the holy ground in all pirates’ mind.

“Roar! Roar!”

Upon hearing this news, all the pirates immediately cheered.

“Bill, I appoint you as the captain of Slavery!” Fang Yuan drew out his sword and lightly tapped on a few of his subordinates’ shoulders. “Wilson will be Fiery Lotus’s chief officer. Butcher and Single Ear will be the chief officers on Pixar’s and Robert’s ships respectively. The above-mentioned people shall enjoy the right to the entire fleet’s bonus post-battle.”

“Thank you, Boss!”

Bill and the others promptly saluted, their eyes glistening like flames.

As for Pixar and Robert, as people who had just surrendered, they did not dare to have any objections.

Furthermore, Fang Yuan would not give them any chance at all. It was a must to send a supervisor. Single Ear was also one of the original Mockingbird members, among the first batch of people to follow Fang Yuan, and thus was chosen for promotion now.

With them, as well as a few stronger members like Youne and Rolisa scattered around to supervise, a small pirate fleet was established.

Now, Fang Yuan was fully deserving of calling himself a pirate commander!

He could absolutely be considered a big shot in the oceans that had a reputation spread far and wide. If he reached the top, he would be a region’s pirate governor like Blackbeard and the Pirate Prince, and his status would be no different from a king.

…

The next day, the sun emerged.

Fang Yuan was having breakfast on the deck, while Rolisa was like a maid standing by the side.

“All right, let them down!” Fang Yuan ordered after glancing at the mast.

Heathfrey was only an ordinary merchant, and Jaffa was a magician, not a fighter.

After being hung for a night with the sea wind blowing against them, they were already like a pile of mud when they were brought down.

Fang Yuan gracefully picked up a white napkin to wipe his mouth and said calmly, “Rolisa, I hand Heathfrey over to you… You can handle him as you wish. Of course, I hope you can get some useful information out of him before you kill him. For instance, his assets and the distribution of Blackbeard’s forces or any other secrets…”

“Boss, rest assured. I guarantee with my tribe’s honor that he’ll even recall how old he was when he wet his bed under our Moon Elves’ art!”

With deep-rooted hatred in her eyes, Rolisa stepped forward and carried Heathfrey away.

When Jaffa saw this, he clenched his jaw even tighter.

“All right, your name!”

Fang Yuan towered above, looking down at the curled-up necromancer.

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“Ja-Jaffa!” The poor necromancer struggled for a long time before he finally managed to say something. “From the Gagagu tribe…”

“Very good!”

Fang Yuan nodded. He could see that this necromancer had already been rid of all of his arrogance and would practically answer any question.

Just from its name, it was clear that this was an aboriginal tribe, perhaps even one that preserved the vices of cannibalism.

But after thinking carefully, it was pretty normal too. Due to their characteristics, it was unavoidable for necromancers to have dealings with corpses, undead, and spirits. Such behavior would definitely suffer from relentless pursuit in any civilized country.

However, there would be no problem if it was in those barbaric cannibal tribes.

This was the same logic as to how some abominable witchcraft practices had become taboo in the Opher Continent long ago but were still rampant in various cannibal aboriginal tribes.

“Jaffa… you have offended me, but I am merciful and have decided to spare your life. You will need to serve me for one year as a slave. After one year, you will receive the same treatment as a high-level crew member until you fully redeem your wrongdoings… Any objections?” Fang Yuan said indifferently as he drank a glass of red wine.

Jaffa promptly crawled up and said while kneeling and bowing, “I swear in the name of Specter Ship, Jaffa accepts these conditions. If I break my oath, may Specter Ship hunt me down!”

“Great. Bring him down and give him treatment!”

Fang Yuan waved his hand.

Specter Ship held a supreme status among necromancers.

There were even rumors that Specter Ship traversed between the netherworld and the human realm, that all the extraordinary abilities related to necromancy were spread from the ship.

Thus, for these necromancers, Specter Ship was their faith.

Swearing using its name was no different from those followers who swore in the name of their gods.

…

Several days later, Ettoman, Royal Port.

Two battered pirate ships slowly approached the dock that was surrounded from all sides with wary people.

“Orlando Kirk?”

When Orlando alighted from the ship, he was met with a group of navy soldiers carrying guns with bayonets attached.

A navy officer wearing a platinum wig headed the group. He took large strides forward, having a look of disdain as he looked toward this group of filthy pirates. His eyes could not conceal his disgust.

Yet he still took out a scroll of parchment after a moment of silence. Holding the top and the bottom of the scroll, he read out loud, “… In the name of the Queen, you are pardoned for your previous crimes. In addition, as long as you do not infringe on the interests of the great Ettoman, the Queen will guarantee your legal interests and award you with the authority of a privateer!”

“Praise the Queen!”

Orlando bit his lips and took the amnesty edict, unsure if what he was doing was right or wrong.

“Orlando, from today onward, you are a privateer captain of Ettoman…”

The navy officer was frowning as he coldly said, “I’ll keep my eye on you… Once you violate any laws, I’ll send you and your disgusting ship to the bottom of the ocean in the name of the Queen…”

“…” Orlando clenched his teeth, remaining silent.

Seeking refuge in Ettoman and becoming a privateer was not only a mission from the system but also done after careful deliberation.

After all, no matter what, a country’s strength would always be greater than a weak pirate team. This was especially so for a large country by the ocean like Ettoman, where not even Blackbeard would dare to rashly provoke it.

Pirates were mostly people without foundation and could not afford to experience defeat.

Taking this time as an example, Orlando had lost his flagship and his wealth. He himself was defeated, and his reputation was greatly damaged. Most of the pirates under him had even run away, and he did not have enough gold to recruit any more sailors… In the long run, it would be an infinite loop without a solution.

If he wished to regain his strength in the shortest time, he could only rely on a great power.

Without a doubt, Ettoman had the most resources. They gave pirates phased-out military equipment as though they were simply clearing out trash. This was already sufficient for pirates to be overjoyed and fully armed.

When the navy soldiers were done, they hastily left, leaving behind a merchant who was full of smiles.

“Mr. Orlando, from today onward, Advisor Donald will be the middleman between privateer captains like you and the Ettoman Royal Navy…”

“Advisor Donald?!” Orlando threw over a gold coin.

After receiving the tip, the merchant shared everything he knew. “He’s Duke Ham’s advisor and a well-known economist in the country. It’s rumored that… the Queen and prime minister only ultimately decided to go ahead with this privateer permit after he entered the palace and defeated numerous scholars in debate!”

“What a remarkable man!” Orlando smiled, but became much more cautious.

Donald’s office was in a building right at the dock.

However, Orlando’s pupils contracted when he saw the extremely familiar-looking emblem.

“That emblem… what does it mean?”

When asking, Orlando’s heart was beating wildly, as though he had returned to the night he received the system.

“Oh, that’s Advisor Donald’s faith—the emblem of the Dream and Armament Master!”

The merchant said indifferently, “Advisor Donald is very devoted to his faith and has been doing his utmost to spread it… Due to his fame, there are already some people who have chosen to believe in this newly emerged Dream and Armament Master.”