13. Hope is expensive, and how much you can get depends on sincerity
Early the next morning, Mason waited on the docks for Queen Anne's Revenge to return.
The kite man, who had circled the air a few times, glided down with his large kite and landed beside Mason like a gray vulture.
He reached out and tapped the gold button on his chest, and the large kite behind him was retracted into the jetpack with the sound of machinery, and as Charles got closer, some parts of his special aviation alloy suit also made a slight crashing sound.
This suit is the most special.
Its outer layer is made of metal, and the inner lining is made of Hagrid's mole skin coat, which ensures that it is completely bulletproof and at the same time enhances the comfort, enough to ensure that the kite man will not feel the cold at an altitude of thousands of meters.
Because it's made of metal, it looks angular, very heavy, and oppressive, but in fact, the special alloy ensures defense and doesn't look so heavy.
"Boss, this new suit is really good!"
Charles whistled, unfurled his V-shaped visor, and said to Mason:
"It's Batman's own blueprint, but it's so much better than the suit I made in my little workshop. And, Boss, here's a transcript of Selena and Konstantin's conversations over the past four days.
I secretly wrote it down.
John has been wooing Selena, but Selena trusts you so much that she really seems to treat you like a little brother. ”
Charles handed over a small black notebook.
But Mason didn't take it, but frowned and said:
"I didn't let you do that, Charles, it's not good."
"But John clearly had his own ideas."
The kite man said very seriously:
"He's not Catwoman, Selena has always defended you, maybe because you saved her and Batman, Selena doesn't think you're a threat.
She herself enjoys this kind of journey in another world.
On the way to Port-au-Prince with her, Catwoman had a great time and caught a zombie octopus with my own hands... But Konstantin, he kept complaining.
It's as if complaining about everything he doesn't like to see is his habit of life.
If this is in the Clowns..."
"That's the problem, Team K is not the Clowns."
Mason shook his head and said:
"I trust my players the same way I trust you, Charles, and I don't have to do that. Speaking of which, didn't Zhakang make an accident? ”
The Kite Man pouted and replied:
"He didn't do anything inappropriate in the four days you've been away. In addition to studying the gold coin and Blackbeard's voodoo encyclopedia, he has been debauched in the tavern of Turtle Island, and in just four days, he hooked up with several down-and-out noblewomen.
From the age of 17 to 37, he was almost beaten to death by his drunken and jealous husband.
If it weren't for Catwoman and I returning from our voyage that night, I'm afraid his otherworldly trip would have ended because of cheating.
But what to say, Boss.
I don't think John was as resistant to our expedition as he had suggested, and I think his resistance to Team K was more due to the curse on us and his suspicion of the Stars. ”
"You summed it up well, I see."
Mason nodded.
The two chatted on the dock for a few more minutes, and the Queen Anne's Revenge at sea was getting closer and closer, followed by a battered-looking black ship behind the legendary pirate ship that had been so oppressive.
"It's the Black Pearl... Barbossa got him! ”
A voice rang out from behind Mason, and Angelina, a female pirate who had been "trained" by Ms. Selena for a few days, also appeared at the docks.
Unlike her previous pirate outfit, she wears a long dress, her hair is draped over her shoulders, and she has a South American-style cheek with a seductive smile that resembles Catwoman.
The feeling of wildness weakened a lot at once.
Instead, there is a kind of grace, like a girl who does not know the world.
"What did Selena teach you?"
Mason looked the changed female pirate up and down, and said:
"What did you learn from her?"
"Ms. Selena has a profound wisdom for life, and she has made me understand that beauty is also a woman's weapon, and it is a more powerful weapon than warships and artillery."
The female pirate ruffled her hair.
Although the action is still a little rusty, it does have a bit of a "female sea king" flavor.
"If I could, I'd be willing to follow Ms. Selena for a long time, after I've dealt with some of my personal vendettas, of course."
She looked at Mason, bowed her head respectfully, and said:
"Catwoman-sama told me about Team K, Your Excellency, I do hope to have a way back in the face of the apocalypse in my hometown."
"But Team K isn't for everyone, ma'am."
Mason looked at her, threw Jack Sparrow's voodoo doll to her, and said:
"Convince Jack to leave with us willingly, and you'll have completed your 'onboarding' and you can have a new life in a relatively safe world."
"What do you need Jack to do for you?"
Angelina grabbed the voodoo doll in her hand and asked in surprise and a little worried.
Mason didn't hide it, and said directly:
"Team K needs professional intelligence officers, and Jack's extraordinary ability to communicate with women and his peculiar but always useful command skills are what we desperately need."
"He won't give up his crew!"
The pirate said:
"Although the guy kept saying that he was a ruthless pirate, there was no more gentle guy on this sea. Can Team K take in so many people? ”
"I call my organization a 'squad,' but I imagine that there is probably a very comprehensive legion where someone has to do everything.
And I like professional people doing professional things. ”
His Excellency rubbed his chin and said:
"I'm not stingy with offering a job and a hope of escaping the end times for someone with a skill."
"Yes, if my bar wants to stay in Gotham City for a long time, it needs a lot of professional security personnel, and pirates who lick blood from the knife sound like a good fit."
The kite man also crossed his waist and put on a capitalist face and said:
"You can't let me keep hiring people from the minion union, the agency fee is too expensive."
"With your promise, I can give it a try."
The pirate woman put her hand on her shoulder and made a gesture of "allegiance" to Mason, saying:
"But I have a request... I hope that if Jack Spike can be my 'personal belonging', maybe your merry but powerful Mr. Wizard can help me.
I can already be sure that Mr. Constantine is a much more powerful wizard than my father. ”
"I don't care about this, you can go find Zakang yourself."
Mason pouted and said:
"But remember, we call him 'Zakkang' for a reason, don't put yourself in it, girl, this is a piece of advice I gave you."
After another ten minutes, Barbossa's ship finally dropped anchor.
A dinghy was sent to pick up the three Masons, still the same lavish captain's quarters as last time, still the greasy but imposing pirate Barbossa.
This time, though, there was no pompous music and lavish meals in the captain's quarters.
Instead, there was a man tied up with rope but still chattering, and a beautiful young woman in a long blue dress, very young and bookish.
He was about fifteen or sixteen years old, and he was standing nervously beside Barbossa.
"Mr. Mason, I'm glad to see you here as promised."
Barbossa looked tired after a few days of running around.
After all, he was no longer a young man, so he didn't make any more false accusations, but pointed directly at the man who was tied up and said:
"The Jack Sparrow you wanted, and the Black Pearl, I've got them all for you! What do I want? ”
"Hey, man, I don't know what Barbossa promised you, but listen to my advice, don't make a deal with this old fox!"
Jack Sparrow, who was tied up, was embarrassed and yelled at Mason:
"It's a liar! I've known him for more than 20 years, but I only found out two days ago that this dog thing actually has a beautiful daughter!
If I had known this, how could I have helped this little cutie? ”
"Jack! Shut up! ”
Angelina Tichy, who was following Mason, whispered a scolding, and Captain Jack's eyes fell on the very gentle and graceful looking girl.
He blinked and said:
"Huh? Do we know each other? Beautiful Miss? Are you Mary from Jamaica? Or Judy on San Pedro's side? ”
"Huh"
The female pirate sneered, not angry, but took out the voodoo doll that made Captain Jack stunned, and the latter immediately jumped to her feet and scolded:
"Angelina! I knew it! You're as horrible as your crazy daddy, and I left you on an island without waiting for you to be taken away by God? ”
"Shut him up!"
Barbossa was annoyed.
With a wave of his hand, two pirates stepped forward and sealed Captain Jack's mouth with a rope, but even with the muzzle, the guy was still frowning.
This guy's sense of presence is really incredible, and it seems that he is born with a temperament that can attract attention.
"Meow~"
Mason pulled out the shrunken voodoo cage from the multi-purpose belt around his waist, and when he saw what was lying on his stomach in the cage, everyone in the captain's room drew their weapons in an instant.
Barbossa roared even more:
"Are you going to kill me with this damn ghoul monster? Mason, you should probably do it last time! Thanks to the 'show' of your wizard friend, I have also found my own wizard!
You don't want to hurt me on my ship! ”
"Calm down, Barbossa, I don't need Miss McGonagall to kill you."
Mason glanced at the big pirate, then took out a blue crystal test tube and a special syringe from his belt, he put the test tube containing the zombie vaccine into it, held it up, and said to everyone:
"That's the medicine I brought! I call it 'Hope,' and one injection will allow you to live without worrying about the Black Death and ghouls for two months.
But I know you savage, realistic guys only believe what you see, so I need a 'warrior' to volunteer to step up and test the drug. ”
In the quiet of the captain's room, the female pirate Angelina stared at the blue potion in Mason's hand, the thing's unique sense of technology that seemed out of place with all the decorations around it.
The female pirate didn't hesitate for long.
"I'm coming!"
She glanced at Jack Sparrow, who was also silent, and stepped forward, rolling up her sleeves to reveal her tattooed arm.
"You're already Mason's man, Blackbeard's daughter, I can't trust you!"
Barbossa also stared at the drug, which looked like a powerful drug in Mason's hand with a suspicious and longing look, and he drank Angelina back to let his men try it.
But before the old pirate could speak, the young girl in the blue dress beside him stepped forward.
It was evident that she was frightened, but she still mustered up the courage to say:
"I'm coming! My teacher who taught me astronomy and naturalism told me that there could be no cure for the Black Death in this world, and she said that it was not an ordinary disease at all, but something more terrible.
As you can see, sir, I am a scholar.
Although I would be called a 'witch' by those who are ignorant, I do believe in the power of science. If the medicine in your hands can save the world, then I am willing to be a test subject! ”
"Serena! Come back! ”
As soon as he saw that his daughter, who had finally recovered from Jack's bastard, was going to take the initiative to test the medicine, Barbossa, who had been majestic all his life, couldn't sit still.
He used to be crazy, cunning and cruel because he didn't care, but now that he suddenly has a daughter, he seems to have changed back to a normal dad.
He jumped up from the captain's chair on his wooden legs and pulled his daughter back.
But there is clearly a terrible estrangement between father and daughter.
Serena Smith pushed Barbossa away and stared at him with disgust, as if she were staring at something dirty.
"We've got the best test piece, Mason!"
The old pirate pretended not to see his daughter's disgusted gaze, and he sneered and protected his daughter, who hated him, and pointed to Jack Sparrow, who was tied up, and said:
"Didn't I leave him alive for this moment? Don't waste time, hurry! Let me see your promise, wizard, and I hope you understand the cost of deceiving a great pirate. ”
"You're going to apologize to me for your outrageous slander in a moment, Barbossa."
Mason glanced at the old pirate and gestured to the imposing Kite Man beside him, who was wearing a full suit and pulling down the black visor shaped into a V-shape.
Charles immediately stepped forward and dragged the struggling Captain Jack over.
As everyone watched, Mason grabbed Captain Jack's arm and gave him a shot.
After several minutes of observation to confirm that there was no allergic reaction, Mason brought Miss McGonagall in the cage close to Jack, who was whimpering wildly.
The sharp black cat's claws with a terrible hiss, quickly cut a bloody streak on Jack's arm.
The old pirate Barbossa even drew a cross on his chest at this moment.
It seems to be a moment of silence for the end of the "old friend".
Mason pulled out Hagrid's hunting knife and cut the rope off Captain Jack, and the guy was freed and began screaming and wailing and rolling around on the ground with his scratched arm.
Angelina, the female pirate, pounced on him and hugged him, and Jack hugged his lover.
He was miserable and miserable, as if he had returned to the light, and sobbed and said:
"I'm sorry, Angelina, I know I've hurt you deeply, but I left you on the island in the hope that you wouldn't be affected by my cursed fate again.
I really didn't expect Captain Jack to end my life in such a way, but I'm glad I had you with me at the end of my life..."
"Can you take your hand out of my clothes?"
The female pirate was a little moved at first.
But soon she found out the truth, and she stared at Captain Jack, who was trying to steal his voodoo doll without a trace of weakness in her arms, and punched him in the eye with a rage.
And Barbossa and the others would have clenched their fists.
Jack is not infected!
He didn't turn into a ghoul!
Mason's medicine is effective!
Oh my God, the gods and Buddhas are above! This damn world seems to be saved.
"Ah, my best friend Mason, I apologize for my stupid suspicion of you just now! I can pay whatever you need in exchange for your forgiveness for me, a blind old immortal. ”
With a smile on his face, Barbosa kicked away Jack, who was covering his eyes and shouting, and stepped forward to hold Mason's hands, and the pirate's eyes were full of undisguised longing and joy.
He said to Mason, who had a calm face:
"Jack is yours, the Black Pearl is yours, take the box of devil's gold coins, and my treasure can even be yours.
I have only one request.
10,000 pieces!
I want 10,000 'hopes'..."
"Be bold, my friend, I can give you fifty thousand! Or even 100,000 sticks. ”
Mason snapped his fingers.
He smiled and said to Barbossa, whose eyes were getting brighter:
"Next, let's talk about the specific cooperation plan."