Chapter 15: I, Pirate, Robbery!
A small wooden boat, towing six rafts made of logs, drifted on the sea.
On the rafts, pirates stood or sat, all looking fierce.
On the small wooden boat, there were four people.
Sag sat cross-legged in the center of the boat, staring blankly at the sea.
Lily stood beside Sag, occasionally looking at the sky and occasionally gazing at the sea.
Gin stood at the bow, maintaining a fighting stance, ready to attack any ship he saw.
Pearl was at the stern, paddling laboriously, pulling the rafts behind them.
They didn't have sails. Apart from the pirates on the rafts exerting force, Pearl also had to exert force, making it easier to move the rafts.
"The wind direction is normal, the climate is fine, no clouds in sight, and no cumulonimbus clouds, so there's no danger of wind or rain for now."
Lily observed for a while and said, "Sag, we can stay here for a while."
Sag nodded and said to Gin, "Gin, are you sure there are ships?"
How enthusiastic he had been when they set sail half a day ago, now he was that much more helpless and怅然.
Because they hadn't encountered any ships...
Gin was sure that ships would definitely pass through this area, because it was near the coast, close to land and islands. No matter what, ships wouldn't go to the open sea where there was no land.
He had thought it all out. This was his first time joining Captain Sag's pirate crew, and it was also their first time going to sea together to rob. He must perform well, to live up to Sag's earnest invitation.
It should have been the pirate crew's first victory, bringing much joy and leading to a dreamlike, bold pirate life. But why had it turned out like this...
They hadn't encountered a single ship.
The weather was so good, and it was daytime. How could there be no ships?
Gin turned around, bowed to Sag, and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, Captain Sag. I predicted wrong. I didn't see any ships. I disappointed you."
"People make mistakes. No ships are no ships. As long as you know the route, it's fine," Sag waved his hand indifferently.
He was an old pirate, active in the East Blue for years, and he was familiar with this area. He wasn't like Lily, a navigator limited to theory.
He could find a town.
"Captain Sag..."
Gin's eyes filled with emotion. "You're not blaming me? You're so generous!"
It was completely different from Krieg, who would punish them for making mistakes!
Captain Sag was indeed a bold man!
Following such a captain was the right choice!
Lily, who was beside him, watched the moved Gin, pursed her lips, and didn't speak.
Sag smiled awkwardly. "Keep up the good work. I'm counting on you."
He wasn't being generous...
He was simply used to being unlucky.
Otherwise, if he really made a mistake, would he not punish?
Did he look like his dream of becoming a landlord was a joke?
"Pearl, take a break if you're tired. Lads, we're taking a break. It doesn't matter if you can't catch any fish!" Sag turned his head and shouted.
The pirates on the rafts weren't just paddling idly. After all, they had also gone a day without eating, and now they were trying to catch fish in the sea.
But with him there, how could they catch any fish...
Pearl was also tired from paddling. Hearing this, he was about to let go when Lily suddenly spoke, "Sag, there seems to be a ship."
"Where!"
Sag stood up abruptly, following the direction Lily was pointing. On the horizon, he could faintly see a protrusion, like the outline of a mast and sail. As it got closer, the outline of a ship gradually appeared!
A ship!
"Pearl! Keep paddling!" Sag shouted directly.
Pearl was startled, his hands that had just released the oar gripped it tightly and started paddling furiously. The other pirates on the rafts also grabbed their oars and exerted force uniformly, creating a series of splashes as they sped towards the ship's outline.
Their paddling speed was certainly not slow. Before long, they approached the outline and could see the ship clearly.
This ship had a two-story structure on the deck, with a mast erected at the front, the sails unfurled, billowing in the wind.
A standard single-masted sailing ship!
"Captain Sag, let me be the first..."
"Geppo!"
Gin took out his staff from behind, but before he could finish speaking, Sag stepped on the edge of the wooden boat, leaped into the air, and, like stepping on stairs, bounced towards the ship.
This scene stunned everyone.
*Captain Sag really flew over...*
Stepping on the air, Sag was full of excitement.
He had actually encountered a ship!
To prevent any accidents, he directly used Geppo to get there.
After all, he knew his own luck. He was afraid that something unexpected might happen.
*Splash!!*
Just as this thought arose, a huge splash erupted from the sea near the ship. A bull-headed sea beast emerged, roaring, its body as tall as the ship, and slammed into the ship with all its might.
The people on the ship were clearly unprepared, and they scrambled to avoid it.
If it hit, the ship would definitely sink!
"Rankyaku: Ran!"
Sag kicked out with both feet, sending out a large number of blue slashes, like a rainstorm, frantically pouring down on the bull-headed sea beast.
*Chih chih chih!*
The bull-headed sea beast was only a short distance from the ship, its head lowered, its horns about to hit the ship. But the slashes falling from the sky sliced open half of its body, spurting blood, and it trembled and fell onto the sea.
Sag looked ferocious. "You want to steal my ship? Do you have a death wish!"
It was a hard-found ship. Even if a meteor fell from the sky, he would have the guts to fight for it!
This was related to whether his pirate career could take off!
If he continued to be unlucky, he could only become a savage!
Sag descended from the sky, landing quickly on the deck, and surveyed the people on the ship.
They were civilians, with no signs of weapons.
But...
He looked around, his brows furrowing. The ship was full of repair marks. The hull and mast were nailed with a large number of planks. There was even a large hole on the left side of the hull, with scorch marks.
The whole ship was rickety, as if it were about to fall apart.
This was a ship that had been robbed.
"Um..."
A civilian walked over, trembling, and said, "Thank you for saving us."
"Don't be in a hurry to thank me."
Sag drew the flintlock pistol from his waist, fired a shot into the sky with a *bang*, and said to the bewildered civilians, "I'm a pirate. This is a robbery!"
So what if it was a robbed ship?
Wasn't it still a ship!
As a pirate, he wasn't that particular. He had to make a score today, no matter what!
...
"That's all?"
Sag looked at the things that had been moved to the deck and raised an eyebrow.
In front of him, apart from some clothes, there was only a barrel of fresh water...
"Captain, that's all," Pearl answered honestly. The pirates beside him didn't dare to speak.
They hadn't seen how Sag defeated Krieg, but they had seen the Captain kill the sea beast. The sea beast was still lying on the water. The huge wounds looked terrifying.
Now that the harvest was so bleak, no one dared to provoke the Captain.
"Cap, Captain."
The civilians, who had been gathered together, were pale and almost in tears. "Please spare our lives. We can't lose the water. Otherwise, even if the ship remains, we will die."
Sailing at sea, running out of food wasn't that serious, but running out of water was truly deadly.
Being killed by pirates was death, and dying of thirst was also death. They didn't want to die...
"You're thinking too much. The ship is mine too!"
Sag sneered and said, "Pearl, take some men and butcher the sea beast!"
There was ready-made food. Although the ship was damaged, the galley was still there, and there was even a refrigerator...
Pearl took some men and jumped onto the sea beast's body, using knives and swords to break through its skin and start cutting meat.
Among the pirates, there were always those who could cook. Although their skills weren't great, they could grill meat without any problems. There were also seasonings in the galley. With a little bit of seasoning, this was a peerless delicacy for them, who had been starving for a day!
The pirates eagerly grabbed the meat with their hands and started to eat.
"Sag, yours."
Lily had also helped in the galley. She picked up a grilled piece of meat with bone and handed it to Sag.
Sag took a bite, and he felt like crying.
It wasn't that it tasted bad...
It was that he was finally eating cooked food!
Since arriving in the Oykot Kingdom, he hadn't eaten anything cooked!
This meat was also very good, with the flavor of beef and seafood combined. Even with just a little seasoning, it was delicious.
They were eating heartily, but the civilians were watching with eager eyes, swallowing their saliva.
*Gulp—!*
Sag's ears twitched. He looked at the civilians staring intently at the meat and sighed. "Come on, eat some. How can you go on without eating."
"Captain, are you not robbing us anymore?" The civilians looked hopeful.
"I'm still robbing you, but I'm not interested in poor people. Eat first. I'm a pirate, not a murderer. I won't starve people to death," Sag said.
The civilians were allowed, swarmed over, and grabbed the meat and devoured.
Sag finished a piece of meat with bone, picked up another piece, and asked, "Tell me, what do you do? Who robbed you?"