Whenever a leader takes the initiative to surrender, everyone else feels significantly less psychological pressure when they follow suit.
Now that the First Mate had initiated the vote, the pirates naturally passed it unanimously.
Piracy was inherently a business where the strong ruled, so no one saw an issue with changing leaders.
As for Fang Yuan becoming the pirate boss, the happiest person was undoubtedly the merchant Lowry.
"This is great, my goods are safe!"
After the pirates stopped moving, he beamed with joy again.
"Did I say I wouldn't rob you?" Fang Yuan suddenly asked.
Lowry was stunned.
It was the First Mate Sakazuki who was quick-witted; he quickly called out to the pirates: "What are you waiting for? Start moving the goods!"
The pirates snapped out of their daze and immediately got to work.
However, seeing the remaining crew members, they were all troubled.
To kill or not to kill?
Just then, Fang Yuan stood on a high point and shouted to the crew: "Don't worry, we only want wealth and won't kill you, and the ship will be left behind."
"But if the Navy arrives before we finish moving everything, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Fang Yuan reassured them before giving them a warning. "So, if you want us to leave quickly, hurry up and help move!"
The Merchant Ship Captain woke up from his daze and quickly called to the sailors: "Hurry, hurry, move the goods!"
Since the cargo wasn't his anyway, and he could keep the ship after everything was moved, the Captain was naturally highly motivated.
In contrast, the merchant Lowry looked utterly devastated. Watching the sailors and pirates slowly carry away the cargo, his heart bled.
Fang Yuan walked onto the pirate ship. Compared to the merchant ship, this one was undoubtedly much dirtier, and the stench was more pronounced, but it was also much better stocked with cannons.
Wherever he went, both pirates and merchant sailors bowed their heads.
Fang Yuan's recent performance had stunned them. Although there were still a dozen pirates on the ship who hadn't fought Fang Yuan, those left behind during a raid were naturally not the elite, so they submitted quickly.
Fang Yuan sat down next to the helm. The helm was the core of the ship, usually controlled by the Captain, and now it had become Fang Yuan's territory.
He pointed to the First Mate who had been following him.
"Black King My Lord, I am Sakazuki!" the First Mate quickly reminded him.
"Sakazuki?" Fang Yuan nodded. "A good name. Sounds like someone destined to make a living on the sea."
Of course, he remembered such a distinctive name; he only acted this way to gauge the man's initiative.
Judging by his performance, it wasn't bad.
"Take down the pirate flag, replace it with the flag of England, and then go bring that merchant over," Fang Yuan commanded.
Sakazuki immediately bowed and scraped: "Your wish is my command!"
Then he quickly trotted over to fetch the man, and soon the merchant was dragged over by him.
"Very good." Fang Yuan was quite satisfied with his attitude, so he said, "You will remain the First Mate. Go supervise them and make sure they don't miss any of my treasures."
Sakazuki was overjoyed upon hearing this. He had been so obedient precisely to keep his position as First Mate, the second-in-command. Now that he had his wish, he was instantly invigorated.
No matter who the Captain is, as long as I'm the First Mate, he's a good Captain!
"No problem!"
Sakazuki quickly ran toward the merchant ship.
"Move quickly!"
"What's on this shelf... pearls? Pry them off!"
"This bed is nice, move it to the Captain's cabin for Black King My Lord!"
Sakazuki's voice echoed everywhere on both ships, making Fang Yuan slightly click his tongue in amazement.
No wonder he was the First Mate; he truly was a damn talent.
However, upon hearing Sakazuki's shouts while scavenging, the merchant Lowry's face turned pale.
He kept repeating: "It's over... it's over... I'm bankrupt..."
Fang Yuan kicked him: "Hey!"
Lowry immediately snapped back to reality. Looking at the pirates coming and going around him, he realized that his most urgent concern wasn't his wealth, but his life.
Losing his property was a foregone conclusion, but whether he could keep his life was still up for debate.
Lowry quickly pleaded: "Fa... ah, Black King My Lord, please spare my life!"
No matter what, bankruptcy was better than ruin and Death.
"Spare you? It's not impossible."
Fang Yuan pulled out a dagger. It was one he had taken from the former Pirate Captain Ace; it was very exquisite.
He toyed with the dagger: "It depends on how much ransom you can afford."
Lowry's face, which had just brightened with hope, instantly fell.
If he still had money for ransom, why would he need to personally accompany the ship to Port Royal? Wouldn't it be better to stay in England and be a Baron?
Fang Yuan naturally knew this fact, so while Lowry looked despairing, Fang Yuan changed the condition: "Or, perhaps, you could work for me?"
Become a pirate?
That was Lowry's first reaction, and cold sweat poured down him.
He didn't think his fair and plump appearance was suited for piracy, but then Lowry suddenly remembered reading that on the sea, the most popular things among crew members were goats and fair-skinned men... "Hiss..."
Lowry shivered, genuinely unsure for a moment which was better compared to Death.
Fang Yuan didn't have mind-reading abilities right now, but seeing Lowry's expression, he could guess that the man had definitely misunderstood.
So Fang Yuan added: "To be precise, it's about doing business. I guarantee you'll earn much more than you did by running your own ship."
Doing business? Earning more?
Lowry immediately became interested. He eagerly asked, "What kind of business?"
Fang Yuan smiled slightly, beckoned Lowry closer, and asked in a volume only they could hear: "You are an English Baron; even if you're down on your luck, you still have a noble status. So, finding out what routes ships leaving Port Royal are taking shouldn't be difficult, right?"
Lowry's eyes instantly widened. He wasn't completely stupid and quickly understood what this business entailed.
"You want me to be a pirate spy?" Lowry shook his head violently, quickly refusing in a low voice. "That leads straight to the gallows!"
"That's true." Fang Yuan pursed his lips and gestured at Lowry with the dagger. "If I stab you to Death right now, you won't have to worry about being hanged."
Lowry instantly deflated. He knew he had no choice.
"I'll agree now and worry about it once I'm ashore," Lowry thought to himself.
Even without Lowry saying it, Fang Yuan knew there was a chance he would agree but not follow through. So, Fang Yuan said in a seductive tone: "I'll give you 10% of the cargo we seize every time!"
Lowry suddenly looked up.
"Ten percent?" he asked incredulously.
This was a huge sum. Although it was only one-tenth, there were dozens of people in the pirate crew, and even the First Mate Sakazuki didn't get that large a share.
"Of course." Fang Yuan nodded in confirmation.
As the saying goes, when the time comes, he would be the one to decide how much wealth was actually seized.
However, if Lowry did a good job and provided Fang Yuan with useful intel, giving him a larger share wouldn't matter.
With an insider, Fang Yuan could track not only merchant ships but also the Navy's movements, making his life at sea much easier.
Lowry's expression shifted, locked in an internal struggle.
He had just been planning to feign agreement and disappear as soon as he reached shore, but the price Fang Yuan offered made his heart waver.
10%! And he didn't have to risk his life; he could get money just by providing information. Who wouldn't be tempted?
However, Lowry was also worried about a pirate's credibility. What if Fang Yuan didn't pay?
"Fine!"
Lowry finally decided to give it a try. He had traveled all the way from England to the Caribbean Sea just to make money. Now that his cargo was gone, if he didn't find a way to earn money, he would become a vagrant.
Fang Yuan smiled and nodded. He knew Lowry must be having many internal debates, but he didn't care.
Once the first dividend was paid, Lowry would be trapped.
Although Fang Yuan intended to pursue a new experience and chose to be a pirate for fun, being a pirate also required skill.
Otherwise, if he was glorious for a year or two only to be wiped out by the authorities, wouldn't that be a disgrace to a Transmigrator?
Don't be fooled by movies where pirates constantly jump around in front of the Navy; in reality, actual pirates were completely powerless against the Navy.
The so-called Golden Age of Piracy was really just taking advantage of the fact that the navies of various nations hadn't seriously mobilized yet.
In fact, if this were a proper historical period, Fang Yuan wouldn't have bothered becoming a pirate, even if he wanted some fun.
But this was the World of pirates of the caribbean, and pirates were the anchor point of this World.
Moreover, this World had supernatural powers, with black magic, witchcraft, and curses running rampant.
Although Fang Yuan's previous magic couldn't be used in this World, he could learn the supernatural powers of this World.
Although his mana was gone, thanks to the solid foundation Ancient One had laid for him, Fang Yuan's vision remained.
With his previous experience, it shouldn't be too difficult.
Praise the Ancient One.
With the combined efforts of the pirates and sailors, the cargo on the merchant ship was quickly moved. Fang Yuan inspected the results, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
These beasts had even dismantled the door of the Captain's cabin and carried it over.
In Sakazuki's words, "The new Captain naturally deserves something cleaner."
He wondered what the original Captain Ace would think when he heard that.
In any case, Fang Yuan felt pretty good about it.
"Well done," he praised Sakazuki.
Afterward, Fang Yuan kept his promise and released everyone on the merchant ship.
Just before they left, Fang Yuan asked, "Is there anyone who wants to come and work with me?"
The sailors exchanged glances, and finally, three people stepped forward.
It wasn't unusual for crew members to turn pirate; after all, they were all making a living at sea, and many low-level laborers on merchant ships who couldn't stand the exploitation would turn to piracy.
But surprisingly, among those who stepped forward was a young boy.
Will Turner.
"Little Turner, you want to be a pirate?" Fang Yuan asked curiously. "If I recall correctly, you hate pirates."
Turner didn't know that his father, Bill Turner, was a pirate; he had always believed his father was killed by pirates.
"You saved me, and I want to repay your kindness!" Little Turner was nervous facing the scrutiny of so many people, but he spoke his mind. "Besides, I don't know where else I can go."
Fang Yuan naturally wouldn't refuse his joining, as Turner was a crucial plot character.
But Fang Yuan didn't think Turner was cut out to be a pirate.
He thought for a moment and suddenly got inspiration from a movie.
So he asked with a smile: "Turner, are you interested in joining the Navy?"
You will get 90 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
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