Having received kindness, the civilians' wariness toward Sarg diminished significantly. One of them, after wolfing down a few chunks of meat, spoke up:
— Captain, we're from Kampas Town.
— Kampas Town? — Akin blinked.
Sarg turned to look at Akin.
— Captain Sarg, Kampas Town is quite famous in the East Blue. Their canvas is highly sought after — Akin explained.
— That's right, — the civilian nodded.
— We're a merchant ship from Kampas, delivering a batch of canvas, but we were attacked by pirates on the way. They stole all our goods. The captain and guards tried to resist, fell into the sea, and went missing.
— Left a barrel of water, I suppose that's some kind of mercy — Sarg nodded.
— No, they didn't take anything but the canvas. The food was destroyed in the cannon fire — another civilian raised his hand to correct.
Well, aren't you proud about that.
— Um, Captain… — the first civilian spoke again timidly.
— I know this might be a bit presumptuous… but could you let us off at the next inhabited place?
— I have no interest in turning civilians into pirates. — Sarg shot him a glance, then turned to Akin. — Is Kampas canvas valuable?
— Their canvas goes for twenty thousand Berries per bolt. —
Akin eyed the merchant vessel.
— A ship of this size can carry around fifty bolts.
That's a million Berries.
A hefty sum.
Sarg remembered working hard with his adoptive father for an entire year and still falling short of that amount. And yet, one voyage nets them all that.
— What about defenses? — Sarg continued.
Akin understood immediately.
— Kampas itself doesn't have strong defenses, but the Navy patrols the area often. Their base is nearby.
Sarg nodded.
— Lily.
Lily considered for a moment, then said:
— We can give it a shot.
Sarg turned to the civilians with a grin.
— In that case, I'll take you home.
— Y-You're sending us back...? —
The civilian went pale.
— You're going to...
Sarg bared his cold white teeth.
— I'm a pirate, aren't I? Of course I'm going to rob you.
If you're going to plunder anyway, might as well go for the town instead of the merchant ship.
A town with economic value like that is bound to be wealthy.
Why rob the poor when you can rob the rich?
— Captain, are we really going to raid the town?! — Palu asked excitedly.
— Exactly. Change course — head for Kampas Town.
Sarg stood up.
— Lock these people in the hold. We'll let them off once we arrive.
A few pirates followed the order, escorting the civilians below deck.
Sarg, meanwhile, climbed to the second deck — the usual location of the captain's quarters. He pushed open the door and saw chaos inside — books and papers scattered everywhere.
Grinning, he didn't mind the mess. He stepped over the debris, lifted a chair upright, and sat down heavily.
— Damn, this feels good! — he let out a satisfied groan.
— Feels good? —
The door opened again. Lily stepped in and frowned at the mess.
— Does the captain's room have a sea chart?
— Lily! —
Sarg grinned.
— Our pirate business is booming!
— Booming? —
Lily replied dryly, crouching to search through the mess. Her eyes lit up.
— Here's the sea chart.
— See? That's proof our enterprise is thriving! —
Sarg laughed heartily.
— You, as the navigator, have secured a map. I, as captain, have secured a crew, seized my first ship, and we're about to conduct our first raid. All good signs!
Lily pursed her lips and said tactfully:
— Sarg, this ship... won't last us for long-distance sailing.
— Doesn't matter! —
Sarg waved his hand.
— What matters is that we've taken the first step!
So what if the ship's a wreck?
A wreck is still a ship — and he, Sarg, has taken it for his own.
The first step, no matter how small, is still a milestone.
Because in all his past endeavors, he had never taken that first step.
Farming? The crops never sprouted.
Fishing? Nothing ever bit.
Bodyguard? Never hired.
Mercenary? Never deployed.
He even once dreamed of becoming a yangge dancer... and never even got the chance to twirl a ribbon.
It got to the point where he felt like he couldn't even shovel dung—
What dung? They have toilets now!
He once had high hopes of being a bounty hunter.
He even captured pirates — but no bounty ever came.
He'd wanted to keep going, but after getting scapegoated by the Kingdom of Oikot, it was game over.
And yet… becoming a pirate? That first step went off without a hitch.
No wonder piracy is the hottest career path on the sea!
Sarg opened his hand, then clenched it into a fist, as if the whole world was now within his grasp.
Land, wealth — they were finally within reach!
— Hahaha! Hahahahahaha! — Sarg burst out in wild laughter.
Lily sat beside him, hugging the sea chart as she began examining it page by page.
Outside, the laughter seemed to spread. The pirates joined in, Palu thumping his shield rhythmically on the deck. The others swayed and sang sea shanties in time.
Even Akin couldn't help but smile as he looked at the cheerful crew.
After all their recent failures, they were finally back aboard a ship again!
The ship — rickety as it was — creaked under the stomping feet and echoed with boisterous laughter as it sailed toward the horizon under the golden sun, raising ripples across the sea.
…
Two days later.
They finally arrived at Kampas Town.
The place wasn't far. Akin and the other veterans of the East Blue knew the routes. If not for how battered the ship was, they'd have arrived in a day.
The town sat on an oval-shaped island, wide open with no natural defenses. Most of the land was flat plains — ideal for growing high-quality cotton and flax, which made their canvas famous.
The town itself was located on the eastern side of the island. The pirate ship now approached its docks.
Sarg stood on the upper deck's railing, Lily beside him. They looked down at the pirates, who grinned savagely, weapons in hand — and at the civilians huddled in the corner, preparing to disembark.
One of them glanced up at Sarg, bit his lip, then stepped forward.
— Captain… maybe you should reconsider. You saved us. Kampas has well-equipped guards, and the Navy will arrive quickly. You've only got thirty-some men — it's not enough! Let us off, and I'll give you a new ship!
A small single-mast ship could be worth anywhere from 600,000 to a million Berries. Pooling their money, they could manage it.
Over the past two days, the pirates hadn't mistreated them. In fact, they'd been invited to meals. Apart from uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, they were treated almost like guests.
As Sarg had said — everyone's unlucky sometimes. No need to treat them differently.
He was a bold, hearty kind of captain.
Even as a pirate, he was respectable.
Sarg gave a calm smile and looked down at his men.
— Boys, he's telling you to give up.
Shing!
Lily drew her rapier. Her gaze turned sharp and cold.
— Captain Sarg — we're pirates!
Akin gripped his cane and laughed.
— Pirates don't accept handouts! If we want something, we take it! Men of the sea don't fear death!
— Damn right, Captain Akin! — the crew roared.
Sarg had never revoked Akin's role as battle captain, and the pirates naturally kept following his lead.
Which meant Sarg didn't have to worry about managing them.
— That's right! —
Sarg pointed ahead.
— Since we've chosen the pirate's path, we'll do things the pirate way! Everything you just offered—
He clenched his fist, eyes flashing.
— I want it all!
A donated ship?
With his luck, who knew what sort of junk he'd get?
It's safer to steal it himself.
Besides, if they could speak so confidently, that meant the town must be rich.
All the more reason to raid it.
The ship followed the island's coast, nearing Kampas Town's port.
Being a port town, all they had to do was dock.
But as they got closer — when they could finally see the town clearly — the pirates froze.
Kampas Town was supposed to be bustling. Ships coming in and out, streets filled with people...
But what they saw was something else entirely.
The harbor was littered with wreckage. From the docks inward, the roads were cracked, craters dotted the ground, buildings were half-collapsed or entirely destroyed, charred black scars everywhere.
Half the town had been obliterated.
(End of Chapter)