Chapter 109 - Black Sail XIV (2/2)

All he had right now was 20 silver pesos.

The same rules applied when becoming a black market merchant, where one needed deep political connections to smuggle goods abroad. Most black market merchants came with very impressive backgrounds, often using their family’s influence to mingle with the colony’s governor. A significant amount of money was also needed to bribe the officers manning the harbor. Achieving any one of those things would prove to be a tall order.

That said, becoming a pirate captain was definitely a more viable option. That, however, did not mean that it was going to be an easy task. Legendary pirate captains notwithstanding, a captain with the ability to convince pirates to join their s.h.i.+ps would usually require an impressive set of skills.

Zhang Heng knew that it was going to be a long journey ahead of him. He decided not to rush it as he had plenty of time to learn everything he wanted to learn.

Four days later. The Sea Lion gathered its crew and prepared to set sail. This was Zhang Heng’s first time setting foot on a real pirate s.h.i.+p.

The barque he was on this time belonged to Frazer once, and it was one of Na.s.sau harbor’s best vessels. It carried a proud complement of 30 cannons. 24 were 9-pound cannons while the rest were 12-pounders, powerful enough to defeat most who dared cross their bow.

For this voyage, the Sea Lion was on a mission to plunder a Dutch supply vessel and a Spanish merchant s.h.i.+p. Thanks to Zhang Heng’s prompt use of his gun during the raid, he managed to save three of his allies. This move had earned him the respect of many who were aboard. He could have run away to safety like what Marvin did, but had instead rented a house in Na.s.sau.

All signs pointed to him becoming a full-fledged pirate! He was ready.

His heroic stint of saving his mates made him quite the star of the s.h.i.+p, continually receiving nods of approval from the crew. Seeing the opportunity at hand, he requested that Owen help him improve his close-quarters combat skills. Through other pirates, he found out that Owen had the best skills among all when it came to the dagger.

Owen was used to be a navy officer with a bright future. Due to an incident, however, he happened to offend a superior. In retaliation, he was sent to a hostile environment to complete an impossible mission. Out of frustration, Owen killed his superior. He was hunted down like prey, and in the end, forced to leave his hometown, eventually ending up in Na.s.sau as a pirate.

Unlike his counterparts, Owen had the tendencies to be a little too upright at times, a remnant from his days in the navy. As a consequence, he found it really hard to fit in with the pirate community in the beginning. Once the pirates knew him better, however, they were more than willing to become friends.

In every combat, he was always first to charge at his enemies. His valiant ruthlessness was unrelenting, gaining him the highest respect of the pirates. When the previous pirate chief was killed in battle, everyone on the s.h.i.+p unanimously voted him as their new chief.