Four privateer owners with the status of "royal pirates", also known as "gentleman pirates", each piloted four small Galen armed merchant ships on the route from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Guinea in Central and West Africa. When the privateering flotilla, which was black and did not hold any flag, had just sailed into the "Papal Meridian", the line west of the Cape Verde Islands to the Spanish demarcation, the flag bearer of the merchant ship "Nemesis" at the head waved the flag to the three ships behind it: "Stop, fly the Spanish flag." ”

Flying the Spanish flag on the mast was a solution that Isabel Walton of the "Nemesis" came up with in the port of Santo Domingo. After all, the fleet she was leading was about to go to the colonial waters east of the "Papal Meridian" line that belonged to Portugal. To navigate the Portuguese-controlled seas unimpeded, she had to make some changes to her fleet. For example, use the Spanish flag or the Portuguese flag to disguise yourself.

If the previous attack on a lone Portuguese merchant ship in the Cape Verde Islands was the first thing to do, now is the real moment to test her and her fleet. Located in the heart of the Gulf of Guinea, the island of São Tomé has become one of the main overseas territories of the Portuguese for two reasons.

On the one hand, it was a stopover for Portuguese ships traveling between Europe, Africa and the Americas, as well as a transshipment for the slave trade. On the other hand, 1543 coincided with the heyday of the Portuguese colonial empire, during which the only one in Europe dared to challenge it was the Spanish colonial empire.

Therefore, to attack and plunder Portuguese merchant ships in the waters near the island of San Met was tantamount to a very dangerous situation. From this point of view, Isabel's motives are not so pure. In order to snatch unexpected benefits from the Portuguese-controlled waters, she cleverly kidnapped Captain William Hawkins, who had always been "peaceful", on her chariot and went to fight the Portuguese to the death.

The fact that the patriarch of the illustrious Hawkins family, in order to obtain the title and honor bestowed by the English royal family, and for the sake of a large amount of wealth, risked the lives of more than 140 crew members to follow Isabel to take this risk, which only proves that every member of the Hawkins family is a crazy overseas trade adventurer. If you don't dare to do it, you don't even have a 1% chance of success. If you do it, you have a 50% chance of success.

Shortly after the Spanish-flagged privateer fleet had sailed east of the Papal Meridian, a Portuguese fleet appeared on the sea around the fleet. Among them, one or two flotillas presumably came along the Brazilian route, with a fourth mast and a 600-ton Clark cargo fleet. While two or three other fleets were also cargo fleets, the Portuguese placed small, nimble galleons on either side of the route as escort vessels for heavy cargo fleets.

These vessels all seem to have a characteristic: the bow and stern are lower but wider, and the carrying capacity is probably larger and more balanced than that of the average Spanish Clarke. The Portuguese-converted Clark usually had four decks and had fewer sailors than the average Clarke. While increasing the draft, it is more suitable for ocean voyages.

Since the colonial tentacles of the Portuguese Empire have now extended to Asia, the Portuguese have transformed the Portuguese-style Clark cargo sailing ship into armed merchant ships and warships, so that the Portuguese can pass unhindered in the Indian Ocean. Of course, when these fleets to the East returned to Europe, the Portuguese merchants often removed the main gun emplacements in order to load more cargo, leaving only a few small guns on the deck.

Isabel's fleet was able to sail the seas unscathed among the many Portuguese fleets, perhaps because of the Spanish flag. Or, each of her merchant ships with its pitch-black hull resembles the Portuguese ships that entered Southeast Asia and East Asia.

Fortunately, the Portuguese did not regard half of the Atlantic Ocean as the Indian Ocean, as their own inland sea. Openly intercepted, pursued, and robbed her fleet, murdered and overhauled her cargo, and even tied her up and sank her into the Atlantic. The only thing that the Portuguese did not understand was why the entire fleet consisted of 4 small galleons.

Driven by the idea of stealthy and adventurous means, Isabelle's fleet managed to enter the Portuguese-controlled waters of the Gulf of Guinea. At this time, Isabel, standing on the aft lookout, fearlessly examined the Portuguese ships on the sea off the port side, focusing on the faces of the Portuguese navigators.

Navigator Pedro Almeida seems to be more concerned about his situation than the current situation of the fleet in the Portuguese sphere of influence. After a moment of silence, he raised his head slightly and looked at his new captain, "Captain, I also hope that I can become an excellent navigator and explorer of the empire like Prince Enrique and Vasco da Gama, but, I... I'm just a useless navigator. ”

Isabel tilted her body and glanced at the sea outside port side, then at the adjutant of the maritime who was standing not far from her, "Baldwin, tell me when the fleet enters the waters of São Tomé. ”

"Yes, Captain." The adjutant said yes and walked briskly to the stairs to the right of the lookout and toward the open deck.

Isabel returned to the captain's seat on the helmsman's side and sat down, picking up the wine glass on the small table beside her. When she saw that the navigator was still standing near the port side fence, she smiled lightly, "Mr. Almeida, we are still some distance from the island of São Tomé, don't you want to sit down and have a drink?" ”

Pedro turned to look at Isabel and nodded, "No, Captain." ”

In fact, Isabel was using a conversation with the navigator to ease her nervousness. She believed that everyone in the fleet would be very nervous at this time. It wasn't just her who thought of this, but also Captain Hawkins and the maritime lieutenant on the armed merchant ship behind her.

Captain Hawkins stood calmly from the aft lookout and watched the "Nemesis" in front of him, while his maritime lieutenant stood beside him, looking solemnly at the ships on the surface of the sea on the left and right sides, "Captain, what should we do if our fleet is discovered by the Portuguese?" ”

"Relax, my adjutant, have you seen these Portuguese ships? Just some cargo ships. Captain Hawkins slowly turned his head and glanced at the other.

"But, captain, I also saw some armed escort ships sailing on either side of the cargo ship."