No matter where one wanted to establish a foothold, the first thing one had to do was to understand the place.
That was what Zhang Heng had been busy with for the past few days. He traveled to every corner of Nassau, talking to the fishermen in the market, the drunkards in the taverns, the prostitutes on the streets, the black-market merchants, and, of course, the pirates that roamed the city. He had a variety of pleasant and unpleasant conversations.
To make the process easier, he had to spend another 19 silver pesos, but it was worth it. In return, he had a basic understanding of the situation in Nassau.
Many people saw pirates as a group of villains, gangsters, and uncivilized barbarians who had broken away from civilized society. In a sense, there was nothing wrong with this secular view. Almost all pirates were clean, and people would naturally think that a city run by pirates was full of chaos and evil.
However, based on what Zhang Heng had seen so far, this view might be biased.
Indeed, it was hard to expect thousands of pirates who drank, fought, and were full of energy to behave themselves and not cause trouble in the same city. That was why Nassau was so lively every day. However, if one was willing to take a closer look, one would not only focus on the street fights and jealousies in front of brothels, but they would also be able to see the order hidden within the chaos.
About 63 years ago, the first group of European settlers set foot on this land and built a fortress and city. In honor of King Charles, they named the place Charles Town. However, the islanders soon realized that cultivating the land and fishing was not as profitable as luring the nearby ships to crash into the rocks in bad weather. Then, they would plunder their loot. Hence, most of the men on the island began to engage in piracy. Gradually, they were no longer satisfied with waiting for their ships to crash into the rocks. Instead, they took the initiative to attack.
At the same time, due to the unique geographical environment of the Bahamas, it attracted the attention of other pirates. The large and small islands here could help them hide and evade the pursuit of warships. On the other hand, the pirates needed a base to resupply and dispose of their loot as they plundered the Caribbean Sea.
That was how Nassau was born. The name came from a British prince, but ironically, it eventually became a pirate kingdom.
After years of continuous development, Nassau had formed a unique business system.
The pirates went out to sea to plunder and sell the stolen goods to the black merchants on the island. These black merchants used their own connections to transport the stolen goods to Charleston, New York, Boston, and other ports, turning them into legal goods. They could enjoy super high profits without taking any risks.
This was the biggest business on the island. Other than that, the other businesses were basically based on it. The brothels, casinos, and taverns earned the silver coins from the pirates. The appraisers were responsible for valuing the loot that the pirates stole. Some intelligence dealers sold the information they got from the merchant ships in the taverns. The fishermen and scoundrels here were a natural supplement for the sailors. In addition, there were also some bold weapons dealers and slave dealers who were active here.
Nassau didn't have a ruler in name. A council-like organization was in charge of maintaining order. It was made up of all kinds of people, including black merchants, pirate ship captains, and the island's big landowners. They all worked together to run the city.
Zhang Heng guessed that the main mission's so-called criteria for establishing a force was to join the island's parliament. And it wasn't going to be easy. He could rule out the big landowners first. They were basically the first batch of people to arrive on the island, owning their own plantations and private armed forces. For someone like Zhang Heng who only had 20 silver pesos in his bank account, it was not realistic.
It was obviously more difficult to become a black-market merchant. It was almost impossible to let a ship carrying stolen goods pass the customs without any background in the upper class. In fact, many black-market merchants on the island had powerful families behind them. They used the power of their families to visit the governor's office and the customs in the colony, bribing the officials there to legalize smuggling. This was not something ordinary people could do.
Therefore, in this circle, only becoming the captain of a pirate ship seemed to have a certain degree of maneuverability.
But it was not easy either. Not to mention those famous pirates in history, even those unknown pirates in this era could command an entire ship of people and make those unruly pirates obey their orders. Zhang Heng knew that he still had a lot to learn.
He wasn't in a hurry. Although he had a lot to learn, he had plenty of time.
Four days later, the Sea Lion gathered all of its crew and set sail once again. This was also the first time Zhang Heng boarded this warship. This three-masted ship once belonged to Frazer, and it was one of the best pirate ships in Nassau. It boasted 32 cannons, including 24 nine-pounder cannons and eight twelve-pounder cannons. It was an overwhelming firepower advantage when it came to hunting down prey.
This time, they received news that they were going to loot a Dutch supply ship and a Spanish merchant ship.
Zhang Heng performed well in the battle. He managed to save three of his companions with his short musket, and that earned him more acceptance among the pirates. Unlike Marvin, Zhang Heng did not run away after joining the Sea Lion. On the contrary, he rented a house in Nassau instead of sleeping in a hotel. It seemed like he was ready to stay here for a long time.
Using this opportunity, Zhang Heng made a request to Owen. He wanted the latter to teach him how to fight in melee. Zhang Heng had learned from the other sailors that Owen was the pirate with the best swordsmanship on this ship.
Owen used to be a young officer with a bright future. However, he offended his superior, and the latter sent him to the most dangerous place to complete an impossible mission. In a fit of rage, Owen killed his superior. After that, he had no choice but to leave his hometown and become a pirate in Nassau.
Unlike most pirates, Owen had a very upright personality. He still retained part of the style he had when he was in the naval academy. This made him a little out of place in the beginning, but once the pirates got to know him better, they were more than willing to make friends with him. Especially when he was at the forefront of every battle, he won the favor of many.
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