Buck was stunned.
He looked down at the heavy money bag in his hand, then up at Roger, who was smiling kindly.
He had been in Tortuga Port for decades, cutting people, being cut, robbing money, and being robbed. What kind of storms hadn't he seen?
But today's situation, he really didn't understand.
Lost the fight, got tied up, and then the bandit leader not only didn't kill him but also gave him a huge bonus?
What kind of operation was this? Was he out of his mind?
"You... what do you mean?"
Buck clutched the money bag, feeling the golden coins burning his hand.
"Nothing much."
Roger's smile grew even more amiable.
"The first time I saw you, I felt we had a special connection."
He took a step forward, enthusiastically grabbed Buck's arm, which was thicker than his own thigh, and began his impromptu performance.
"Brother Buck, to be honest, I was separated from my long-lost brother, who shares different parents but is a true brother, since I was a child!"
"I've been looking for him for many years!"
"Today, seeing you, I knew, it must be you!"
Roger spoke with great emotion, almost shedding two tears.
Over two hundred pirates on deck, including Jack and Hector, were all petrified.
This script... wasn't it a bit too sloppy?
Even Elizabeth forgot she was still angry, looking at Roger with eyes that saw him as an idiot.
Buck himself was completely thrown off by this sudden family reunion scene.
He opened his mouth and after a long pause, managed to say: "My parents died early; they didn't leave me any brothers..."
"It doesn't matter!" Roger waved his hand grandly.
"Let bygones be bygones! What's important is that we've reunited now!"
"Take this bag of gold first! Consider it a meeting gift from your elder brother!"
"Follow me from now on, and your big brother will ensure you live a life of luxury!"
Roger's words were exceptionally sincere.
Buck's brain stopped working.
He looked at the gold coins in his hand, then at Roger's "sincere" face.
An unprecedented feeling of emotion surged from his heart, which was harder than a dead fish.
Brother!
This was a true brother!
If he wasn't a true brother, would he give him so much gold?
Undoubtedly!
"Ding! Detected a drastic fluctuation in target Buck's loyalty..."
"Loyalty +20! +50! +100! Maxed out!"
"Congratulations, Host, you've gained a Buck! Special blessing 'Immortal Crewmate (the explorer Limited Edition)' has been activated for this crewmate!"
The system's voice echoed in Roger's mind.
Roger was overjoyed.
"Brother!"
Buck, the burly man like an iron tower, suddenly let out a cry, his eyes red, and immediately knelt before Roger.
He hugged Roger's thigh, crying inconsolably.
"Brother! You are my true brother!"
"I, Buck, have never submitted to anyone in my life, but today I submit!"
"From now on, whoever dares to touch a single hair on you, I'll be the first to twist off their head!"
This sudden turn of events once again left all the pirates dumbfounded.
Weren't they just shouting about fighting and killing a moment ago?
What was going on?
Roger patted Buck's bald head with satisfaction.
"Good brother, get up and talk."
"Since you recognize me as your brother, your brother can't let you lose face in front of everyone."
Roger helped Buck up, then turned around and shouted at the group of still-confused pirates.
"Just now, who said we, the explorer, were bluffing?"
His gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing back on Buck.
"Buck, my good brother, it's time to let them witness what a miracle is."
Buck instantly understood Roger's meaning.
"No, brother, don't."
"It's not that I don't trust you, but we can't joke with our lives..."
Billy didn't give him a chance to talk nonsense, pointing the gun directly at Buck's forehead.
"Damn it!"
Buck let out a desperate roar.
The deck instantly fell into chaos.
"Everyone, watch closely!"
Billy roared, silencing all the noise.
"Today, I'll show you what you can gain by following my Captain!"
"Bang!"
A gunshot.
Fire and black smoke spewed from the muzzle.
Buck's large head snapped back, and he fell straight down.
"..."
Dead silence.
The deck once again fell into a deathly silence.
The pirates stared in horror at Buck, who lay motionless on the ground.
"An... another one died?"
"I told you they were liars!"
Just as the crowd began to stir again.
"What's all the fuss about!"
Buck, who should have had his brains splattered, suddenly sprang up from the ground with a carp flip.
He touched his forehead; there wasn't even a trace of an mark.
"Damn, this gun has quite a kick."
Buck shook his head.
One pirate's eyes rolled back, and he fainted straight away.
On the entire deck, all the pirates' eyes were fixed on Buck's bald and perfectly intact forehead.
Then, someone, no one knew who, reacted first.
"Thump," he knelt on the ground.
"It's a miracle of the Sea God!"
This single action was like knocking over the first domino.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
A large section of the deck knelt down.
The remaining pirates also woke up as if from a dream, rushing towards Roger like madmen.
But this time it wasn't to fight to the death, but to cling to his leg!
"Captain! Take me in! I'll be your ox and horse!"
"Father! I'm your long-lost son!"
"I can also wash clothes and cook! And warm your bed!" A burly man with a hairy chest winked at Roger.
Roger instantly felt a chill.
The scene completely spiraled out of control.
A group of burly men, crying and shouting, wanted to join this large-scale maritime pyramid scheme.
"Ding! New crewmate loyalty +30!"
"Ding! New crewmate loyalty +45!"
"Ding! New crewmate loyalty +60!"
In Roger's mind, the system's prompts had already become a waterfall.
He looked at the group of fanatical "believers" on the deck, especially those few "veterans" who had just "come ashore," and felt that his life had reached its peak.
Where was this a pirate captain?
This was clearly a cult leader!
However, in an ocean of fanaticism, there were always one or two clear-headed individuals.
Elizabeth hid in the shadows of the Captain's Cabin, watching the absurd, insane, and fantastical scene before her, feeling as if she had fallen into a nightmare from which she could never wake up.
These people... they were all mad.
Roger also noticed her.
He pushed through the crowd and walked up to Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth Swann: Loyalty -95/100 (Status: Worldview shattered, recommend format and reinstall)"
Good heavens.
Loyalty dropped again?
Roger looked at her beautiful face, which was filled with "horror," "disgust," and "who am I, where am I?"
He suddenly felt that his previous "teaching method" of boiling a frog in warm water was too inefficient.
To deal with such stubborn individuals, he needed to use thunderous methods.
"Miss Swann."
Roger's face wore a devilish smile.
"I've decided to change your curriculum."
Elizabeth cautiously took a step back: "What do you want to do?"
"I don't want to do anything."
Roger advanced step by step, pinning her against the wall of the cabin.
"I just think that the theoretical navigation class is too boring for you."
He stretched out a hand, propping it on the wall beside Elizabeth's ear, completely engulfing her in his shadow.
"Starting today, we're going to have a practical class."
Roger lowered his head, leaning close to her ear, and in a voice only the two of them could hear, he said word by word.
"Lesson one: learn how to please your Captain."
Elizabeth's body instantly stiffened, and fear appeared in her blue eyes.
She looked at the close, evil face before her.
She opened her mouth but found she couldn't utter a single word.
And the surrounding fanatical pirates, who had just joined, seeing this scene, immediately erupted in cheers and whistles even more enthusiastic than before.
"Long live the Captain!"
"Take her! Take her!"
"This is our Captain!"
Amidst the deafening cheers, Elizabeth felt her world collapsing little by little.
She found that she... really couldn't escape.
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