Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 182: The Lighthouse on Earth, Good People Are Rewarded

Byron looked up and found that the person who spoke was a ragged low-level sailor on the ship.

His messy hair had not been taken care of for who knows how long, it was greasy and tangled like hemp ropes, and his weather-frost face could not hide the sallowness caused by malnutrition.

This was a typical ocean sailor, and it seemed that he had not had enough rest and fresh food for a long time.

Judging from the appearance of the Teapot, it should have just arrived in Bantaan with an ocean-going fleet.

Then they hurried to purchase supplies, preparing to return to the Old Continent when the monsoon changed direction at the turn of spring and summer.

However, the sailor's mental state was good and he spoke logically.

He was much better than those illiterate sailors who looked numb and couldn't even speak clearly.

Moreover, the information that the [Logbook] read from him also made Byron interested in what he had to say.

"Ron, shut up!"

Most of the other sailors also showed a sense of anticipation in their eyes, except for Pritt, the merchandiser and second mate sent by the shipowner, who had a fierce look with a hint of threat in his eyes.

Byron waved his hand:

"Let him speak."

Pritt immediately became anxious, walked towards Byron, waved his hands and hurriedly stopped him:
"Sir, don't listen to his nonsense. There is absolutely no uh on our ship!"

Before he could finish his words, Eight Fingers had already taken a step forward and swung the axe handle, hitting him hard in the abdomen.

This guy, who was obviously guilty and at a loss, suddenly opened his eyes wide and slid forward to his knees.

He knelt on the ground, holding his stomach, his face pale, and breathing hard with his mouth wide open.

"Ho ho."

Beads of cold sweat dripped from his forehead onto the deck.

"Get out of here! If you dare to disobey my captain's orders again, I will chop you off with an axe."

This Bay berserker seemed to have grown to two meters tall, his body filled with the violent aura of a wild beast. When his face sank, half of the people on the opposite boat dared not even breathe.

However, at this time, calling the honest man "Eight Fingers" is actually a bit of a misnomer.

Because the two missing fingers on his left hand had long been restored to full size under the treatment of [Blood Brew Cinderella].

What Byron helped him to reattach was not only the finger, but also the dignity of an honest man that was bitten off by Salman [Blood Eyes].

If many natives became believers of the "Father of Medicine" because of his life-saving grace, then the loyalty of the honest man Eight Fingers to Byron has also transformed into piety.

Respect him as you would a god!

Byron took out the copy of the Pirate's Ten Commandments from his snakeskin bag, ushered in the Silver Law, and made a solemn promise to the sailors from various countries on the merchant ship:
"According to the [Pirate Code], pirates of the Lighthouse Order are obliged, under certain conditions, to serve as a lighthouse to illuminate the bleak lives of sailors and all oppressed people.

I will hold a public trial for the crew of this merchant ship and do you justice.

You will then be free to choose whether to join us or continue to fulfill your contract with the merchant ship."

Seeing the light reappear in the numb eyes of the sailors, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart:
'If you want to dominate this sea, large cannons and warships that can be mass-produced are certainly important, but sailors who take ten to twenty years to train are even more important!

Whether it is the Castilians or other maritime powers, sufficient sailors have always been one of their main bases for competing for sea power.

Without a relatively sufficient supply of sailors in the country, even if countless warships and merchant ships were built, they would not be able to sail out of the port and perform their missions.

Only with sufficiently high-quality sailors can the navy make the warships obey its orders, and trading companies can build sea transportation lines and compete with enemy countries on the sea.

Otherwise, Lancaster's ancestors would not have promulgated the Fish-eating Act and mobilized the whole country to train sailors.

However, after they joined merchant ships or warships, the treatment that was even more miserable than that of prisoners and the horrific death rate made more sailors want to escape.

As a result, kidnappers, seducers, and conscription teams used all kinds of soft or hard methods just to get enough sailors on board.

On this sea, many sailors have a tragic past.

Ron? The [Logbook] shows that this is a former navy soldier of the Invincible Fleet? No, it should be said that this group of people in front of me seem to be former navy soldiers.

interesting! "

Many sailors were abducted or lured onto ships, especially the conscription teams of the royal navies of various countries, which were the main source of sailors for the navy.

That’s right, it’s not voluntary conscription at the national level, but conscription of men from everywhere!
When a navy ship is short of sailors.

The naval commander would order some officers to lead a small team of soldiers to go ashore and "capture" any sailors they liked in order to fill the vacancies on the warships.

In the ports, on the streets, in taverns and inns, and anywhere they could think of, they searched for every tramp and sailor they might meet.

Then they were forced to join the army by violent means.

If the sailors were unwilling to obey, the conscription team would beat them up. If they still refused to obey, they would be beaten again until they obeyed.

Because every time they captured a sailor, they could get one gold pound from the Admiralty, which was equivalent to one month's salary for an ordinary sailor, so their enthusiasm was naturally high.

The conscription teams would even raid wedding banquets or even the couple's bridal chamber and abduct the groom directly, without mercy even if the naked bride was chased to the door crying and screaming.

According to statistics, about half of the sailors who were forced to join the navy died on warships during their service, which shows how harsh their living environment was.

Hearing Byron's words, Ron immediately stepped forward as a representative and saluted him:
"Sir, Captain Tom treated us well, at least not worse than other captains.

But some of us were not originally crew members of this ship, but naval soldiers of the Kingdom of Castile!
When the Teapot encountered the navy battleship [Lancer], Second Officer Pritt used the authority granted by the shipowner to exchange some of the sailors on the ship with us.

As for why they do this? Hum."

When Ron said this, a self-deprecating expression appeared on his face, which everyone instantly understood.

The pirates around Byron couldn't help but feel the same way and were filled with indignation:
"What a vampire! He even deducts the meager wages that the sailors risked their lives to earn. Damn it!"

"That's right, this is an old trick used by merchant ships and naval warships. I encountered this kind of thing when I was young and just started sailing. It made me sick.

I will remember the 15 gold coins you owe me for the rest of my life."

"Those who bully us honest people should go to hell."

No one found this story bizarre.

Knowing that their working environment is bad, in order to retain sailors, the navies of various countries will go to extremes and deliberately delay the sailors' salaries. The navy will only pay the sailors if they choose to renew their contracts and continue to serve the navy.

If a sailor decides to leave the Navy, he or she may not get a penny.

Sometimes, when warships cannot operate normally due to the death of a large number of sailors, they will deliberately intercept merchant ships and forcibly take the sailors on the merchant ships away.

It doesn't matter which nationality.

Compared with the navy, merchant ships are no less capable.

In order to get the salaries of the inkmen, many merchant ships would approach warships and "sell" their sailors to the navy, or exchange their sailors.

This way both parties can save a lot of money.

It also caused some sailors to gather together when they were about to enter the port, force the captain to pay their wages, and then escape by boat or jump into the sea.

Some desperate sailors would even use force to resist the navy's forced recruitment team from the ship, or even seize the opportunity to escape and join the pirate team.

Compared to merchant ships and warships, pirate ships, which symbolize freedom and democracy, are the salvation of sailors.

They can also use the [Ten Commandments of Pirates] to break the unequal contract on their bodies.

Someone jokingly asked: In this era of navigation, how can we completely get rid of pirates?

Answer: Just destroy all the navy and merchant ships!
Although it was just a joke, the merchant ships and navy of this era did make indelible and outstanding contributions to the prosperity of pirates.

Just like this moment.

Former Navy soldier Ron complained sadly:
"Second mate Pritt used corporal punishment on the crew members at will, tying us to the side rigging and beating us to death.

Yesterday it was Wade, and the day before yesterday it was John. Former companions disappeared one by one, and in the end even their bodies could not be found.

[Sea Hunter] Sir, my companions and I hope to join your privateer fleet, so as to avoid being sold out by them in the future or dying suddenly and unclearly because of a trivial matter. "

Ron and seven or eight other former navy soldiers also applied to join the pirate group.

All eyes shifted to Second Officer Pritt.

"Ah, get out of my way you nosy guy!"

However, he discovered that the latter, realizing the bad situation, had already quietly approached the bulwark. He roared and threw three fist-sized balls in the direction of Byron and the pirates.

He then supported himself against the sidewall and was about to jump off the boat to escape.

Byron had already paid some attention to him and could see the three spheres clearly.

They turned out to be three shrunken and withered human heads!

Boom!

Three human heads exploded in the air, creating a large ball of dark green, foul-smelling poisonous fog with a texture as sticky as asphalt.

The first wooden deck that was affected instantly turned black, started smoking, and made a hissing sound, which shows how toxic it was.

This second mate was only a first-level medium in the cemetery sequence and had basically no combat power, but he had learned a kind of forbidden knowledge unique to overseas - the "Head Shrinking Technique".

From some headhunting tribes on the islands on the edge of the "World Serpent, Celestial Gyre", further south of the Bantaan Islands.

It can shrink a normal person's head to the size of a fist and imprison the opponent's soul.

As long as you wear it on your body, you can share some of the abilities of the dead, which is somewhat similar to Byron's title ability [Wild Hunt Legion].

And once it breaks out, it is comparable to a voodoo potion, with incredible power.

Ron and the others didn't realize at all that this guy was not abusing the crew members before, but killing them in order to practice black magic.

"Let's go back."

Byron, who had seen through him at a glance, reached out and patted him.

A gust of wind suddenly swept in, carrying the poisonous mist and blowing towards Pritt.

Zila——!
He didn't even have time to scream.

The poisonous fog melted all the bones in his body in a moment, leaving only a bumpy head rolling onto the deck.

A soul was naturally dragged into Byron's shadow and became a member of the [Wild Hunt].

Byron glanced through his memory and suddenly a hint of joy appeared on his face:
“I just say good things come to good people.

Today I acted as the embodiment of justice and a beacon on earth. Not only did I pick up several high-quality crew members for free, but I also received a big surprise.

This guy actually saw with his own eyes the Crystal Skull No. 12 [North Star God] Saman Ek, which was worshipped by the headhunting tribe, on a small island!
It is also a guide for all travelers and a living map for the entire indigenous community.

I am one step closer to completing my small goal of collecting all 13 crystal skulls and inheriting the Taya Empire."

In a good mood, Byron spread out the "Ten Commandments of Pirates" and asked the seven or eight former navy sailors to write their names on it.

The [Pirate Code], a symbol of freedom, instantly severed their original employment contracts, and of course, they also gave up the legal way to return home.

Byron got the benefit and did not forget to give instructions:
"Notify all squadrons and privateers under the company.

From now on, we will not only rob money but also people. When we rob money, we will routinely hold a public trial and grievance meeting.

Give our oppressed brothers a chance to escape from suffering.

As chivalrous thieves, we are the liberators of all oppressed sailors and the embodiment of justice!"

The crew members around him were moved to tears:
"Captain, you are such a good man."

"With the arrival of [Sea Hunter], justice will prevail, and there will be hope for the sailors on the east-west route."

Of course, his privateering fleet will also expand rapidly.

Soon after, the two ships separated again.

The [Golden Deer] returned with a full load of financial and human taxes.

They had just returned to Georgetown Harbor when Stormcloak Commander [Phantom Blade] Gus immediately came over with a serious expression:
"Captain, there is bad news. There is a traitor among us."

(End of this chapter)