"If you don't want to die, hurry up! Throw all these ballast stones into the sea! Otherwise, we'll be caught up by those damn pirates, and we'll all have to finish the game. ”

A middle-aged man in his mid-fifties with a thick beard was standing on the deck yelling at the busy sailors.

It is not difficult to see from the momentum of dressing and giving orders that he is the captain of this ship.

And the sailors who were yelled at didn't bother to pay attention to the bad attitude of their captains.

One by one, with all their strength, they lifted the heavy ballast stones up from the bottom of the cabin and quickly threw them into the sea.

Because the sailors knew that the old captain was right.

If the pirates behind the butt catch up, it is estimated that with this little person on their own ship, it will not take them all to be cut to the ground in a few minutes.

Not to mention, most of the sailors on merchant ships were just coolies and did not learn how to fight.

Unfortunately, the shape and structure of the ships meant that even if they threw all the ballast stones, cargo, and supplies down, they would not be able to outrun the warships, or pirate ships, that were specially designed for pursuit and combat.

The distance between the two is still getting closer.

After a while, the ship's owner, a male merchant in his mid-thirties from Ascatla, the capital of the Amm Empire in the north, finally couldn't sit still any longer.

He put down the valuable monoculars in his hand, walked quickly to the old captain, and asked in a slightly trembling voice, "Bass, are we going to finish?" What do the pirates do when they catch up? Kill them all? Or is it imprisoned for ransom? ”

"I don't know. It depends on which faction they are pirates and whether the leader is human or not. The old captain, known as Bass, replied with a wry smile.

Boom!

Hearing this, the merchant immediately swallowed his saliva subconsciously: "I...... I just saw orcs, goblins, and ogres on the pirate's deck. ”

"What? Goblins and ogres! The old captain's mouth grew in surprise, followed by a curse that began to gnash his teeth. Damn it! How could we be so unlucky! It must be the ship of Harlett the Bloody Hand! He is the only one who can control and command those powerful and intellectually inferior ogres. ”

"Bloody Hand Harlett?"

When the merchant heard this name, he couldn't help but shudder.

For there is no merchant who takes the sea transport with him in the Sea of Swords without knowing this famous pirate captain.

It is said that he was originally the son of a nobleman of the Tesseran Kingdom.

He was exiled for unknown reasons and eventually became a murderous pirate.

But it's not like ordinary pirates who are just there to plunder their fortunes.

In addition to plundering wealth, this guy also likes to get involved in things that involve conspiracy and betrayal.

For example, accept the commission of a nobleman or the heir of a chamber of commerce to intercept the latter's designated targets on the sea.

The target is generally the client's parents, uncle, husband, wife, siblings, etc.

As soon as these people disappear, the former will immediately inherit the domain, the title, the Chamber of Commerce, and a staggering amount of inheritance.

After completing the mission, Hallette does not immediately kill the captives.

Instead, they will be brought back and imprisoned, and the client will be required to honor the payment or promise made.

The high price is often almost all the savings in a nobleman's domain, or half of the fortune of a certain chamber of commerce.

If the client doesn't keep his promise, Harlet will make a similar deal with the captives and help them regain what they have lost.

In retaliation, the pirate captain catches the client who has broken the contract.

Order the victims of the plot to gouge out the hearts of their sons, wives, nephews, or siblings.

This is where the title "Bloody Hand" comes from.

"Bloody hands" does not refer to Harlett's hands covered in blood, but rather that he can have other people's hands stained with the blood of their loved ones.

No one knows whether this almost distorted and pathological preference stems from his own bad personality or his own upbringing.

But in doing so, Harriet gained access to a wealth that no other traditional pirate could match, as well as a vast intelligence network spread across cities along the coast.

Even the famous Amm Shadow Thief occasionally chooses to cooperate with him.

"Mr. Bernard.

I think we'd better abandon the ship and all the cargo on board for now, and flee to the island in a small boat to hide.

Although taking out those special cargoes for distribution to the sailors, perhaps, it was possible to resist a little for a while, but defeat was only a matter of time.

And once the pirates suffer heavy casualties, they will definitely kill everyone in retaliation, and if they don't do so, they will even set fire to the ship. ”

Old Captain Bass gave a suggestion with a solemn expression.

In this way, he wanted to confirm whether the "Bloody Hand" Harlett was coming for the cargo on the ship, or for the son who the owner of the Roldan Chamber of Commerce relied on the most.

If it's the latter......

That would mean that he was involved in a power struggle within the chamber of commerce.

The businessman known as Bernard was obviously aware of this, and his mind quickly flashed over a few brothers and sisters who usually competed with him, trying to find someone who had the motivation and ability to do this, and finally took a deep breath and nodded: "Yes!"

When the boat ran aground in the shallow water, we rowed a small boat to the island.

There's a small problem, though.

The ship did not sail with enough boats to save as much as possible.

In other words, we have to abandon some of the sailors. ”

"What? Don't have enough boats? ”

The captain froze for a moment, and subconsciously glanced at the number of small wooden boats fixed to the sides of the ship's side.

It turned out that except for the four ships near the bow that were often used, the rest were all random patchwork of rotten wood.

If this thing were thrown into the water, it would fall apart in less than a minute.

Four small boats, based on the fact that one can carry a maximum of six to eight people, can only carry twenty-four to thirty-two people at best.

And this large merchant ship hired more than sixty sailors.

Old Bass could not have assured that when he announced that he could only flee with half of his men, and the other half would remain to face the murderous pirates, the angry sailors would immediately revolt.

Bernard noticed the nervousness in the captain's eyes, and immediately lowered his voice and said: "We don't actually need to tell the sailors the truth, we can sneak a few cronies and land on the island in a small boat while everyone is not paying attention." After all, the smaller the number, the easier it is for us to hide and the lower the likelihood of being caught. ”

"But to do so would ruin the credibility I've built up over the years!" Old Bass roared angrily.

If you don't have a good reputation, you won't be able to recruit sailors who are willing to follow you to sea, let alone be trusted by employers.

This is undoubtedly fatal for a captain, and even enough to ruin his life.

"At this point, what bullshit reputation are you still thinking about?

If something happens to me, do you think my father will spare you and your family?

And as long as I go back safe and sound, you can not only stay in the Chamber of Commerce and continue to be a captain.

I'll also use the rights I have to help you get a bigger ship and enjoy a higher share of trade profits. ”

In order to get out of the current extremely dangerous situation, Bernard also let go, changing his usual gentle and amiable appearance, which is coercion and temptation.

He didn't want to be a prisoner of Harlett the Bloody Hand, and he didn't want to die at the hands of the most vicious pirates.

After some inner struggle, the old captain finally gave in.

Taking advantage of the panic caused by the moment the ship ran aground, he secretly took Bernard, the boatswain and the first mate, a total of four people, put down a small boat and paddled onto the beach.

By the time everyone else noticed, it was too late.

The helpless sailors could only curse loudly as they watched as the pirates began to jump into the gang, one by one onto the deck with their bright scimitars in hand.