The next morning, other than those who could not leave due to their duties or those who could not get out of bed, all the pirates were gathered on the deck.
Everyone, including Captain Teach and the helmsman Orff, had a serious look on their faces.
In the previous battle, the pirates suffered heavy casualties. Forty-seven of them died on the spot. Of the twenty-nine who were severely injured, seven did not make it through the night. Of the remaining twenty-two, it was unknown how many of them would survive.
Since they had chosen this path, the pirates were mentally prepared for such an outcome. However, they still felt sad when they saw their brothers, who they were drinking with just two days ago, leave this world.
The farmer's son's eyes were also red, but it wasn't because he felt sad for the dead pirates, but because he felt sad for the loss of his own kind. He didn't know when it would be his turn to lie in a cold corpse bag.
The sea breeze blew the sails on the mast. No one spoke for a long time.
Until Captain Teach nodded and said in a deep voice, "Let's begin."
Four pirates carried the bodies wrapped in white cloth to the side of the ship. The helmsman Orff read out the names of the dead. After that, the corresponding bodies were thrown into the sea.
These men lived by the sea, and their final destination was the endless sea.
When the last body was thrown into the sea, Orff closed the name list. "May Thetis, the Goddess of the Sea, accept and guide your souls, my brave friends."
After that, he sprinkled a bag of salt into the sea, completing the final ritual.
When the canvas bags disappeared into the sea, Teach strode back to the captain's cabin. When he was gone, the pirates on the deck could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
They had mixed feelings about the captain. On one hand, he had always been brave in battle and was a nightmare for his opponents. On the other hand, Teach gave them a strong sense of oppression. After standing with him for a long time, many of them would find it hard to breathe. Most of the pirates respected and feared him at the same time. Fortunately, he did not participate in the affairs of the ship. He usually stayed in the captain's cabin, and Orff, the helmsman, communicated with the crew on the ship.
The latter turned around. "We've lost a lot of reliable companions in this battle. At the same time, some positions on the ship have become vacant. I'm deeply sorry for what happened to Old Mike, but this ship can't go without a boatswain. Since everyone is here, let's vote and vote."
Before his voice trailed off, the pirates below started shouting, "Zhang Heng, Zhang Heng, Zhang Heng!"
"It seems that we have no objections to the candidate for this position." Orff nodded at Zhang Heng. "Congratulations. You have become the boatswain of this ship. Lead us to chase after riches." After a pause, he continued, "Next is the recruitment for the vanguard. There are a total of twenty positions …"
Zhang Heng was not surprised by this result. The newly elected boatswain, Mike, had only been in this position for two months. Unfortunately, he was hit in the head by a stray bullet during the battle with the Scarborough.
According to the results of the last vote, Zhang Heng, who was ranked second, was naturally the most popular candidate to take over this position, especially since he performed very well in this battle.
However, it, not, to be because of it, they wanted to know, they would that they vote. be it. Mike that they would who that they would vote.
Under normal circumstances, there would only be two types of people who would win their votes. The first type was the person that they felt they should vote for, and the second type was the person that they wanted to vote for. Logic dictated that they vote for the first type of person. However, in the end, they would still choose the second type.
After all, if everyone was that rational, no one would want to be a pirate. What's more, Zhang Heng was Rothko's student. There was no problem with his own abilities. So, the matter was passed in the end.
Zhang Heng even received five points for it.
However, he did not know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. He would be leaving this ship in a month, and the position of boatswain was not important to him. The fact that the election went so smoothly proved that he still had some influence among the pirates. Orff also had more reasons to see him as a potential threat.
However, Zhang Heng did not expect that someone else would come looking for him first.
During lunch, an old pirate with a crippled leg placed his plate in front of him.
"Are you a man of faith?"
"What do you mean?" Zhang Heng raised an eyebrow.
"Don't get me wrong. This is just a kind reminder. Under Teach and Orff's rule, what happened this morning will continue to happen. We will all have this day, won't we? The people who live in Nassau usually use the Goddess of the Sea's Tethys to send away the dead. They believe that the souls of the dead will go to the depths of the sea. However, if you want to go somewhere else, you can tell Dufresne. After all, this ship has always claimed to respect everyone's freedom. Of course, that includes the freedom of faith. "
"Ever since I came on this ship, there was only one exception. That boy was an Arawan from St. Vincent Island. It is said that their tribe's tradition is to eat the dead. The Arawans believe that this is the only way for the dead to be with their ancestors. That's why we have always been afraid that he would die one day. Unfortunately, he was shot in the right leg by a cannonball when he was out at sea. The ship's doctor amputated his leg, but he did not make it. That time, we voted together and decided to break the rule. Oh, right. I think I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Kent, the ship's cannoneer."
"Cannoneer?"
The crippled old pirate grinned. "I know. Everyone prefers to call me a carpenter because there was a battle in which I used a saw to cut an enemy in half." He looked around and suddenly lowered his voice. "This is not the place to talk. Orff's spies are everywhere. We need to talk. I'll wait for you in the carpenter's room on the second floor after midnight."
Zhang Heng did not comment.
"Do you know that there are a lot of people on this ship who are related to Frazer? Why is Orff so wary of you? Frazer doesn't just pick his debt collectors randomly. Over the years, there have only been two people who have been his debt collectors. One is you, and the other is our captain. In a way, both of you are Frazer's students."
"Edward? Teach used to be Frazer's debt collector? "
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