"What did he say?"
In the captain's cabin, Orff poured a glass of rum for the lame old pirate sitting in front of the wooden table.
The old pirate looked at the tall, silent figure in front of him, gulped, and took the glass. "He said that he is quite satisfied with the current situation. I don't feel any danger."
"He knows that you are Fraser's man, right?" asked Orff.
The crippled old pirate nodded. "Before we set sail, Frazer came to look for me and specifically mentioned him. He said that he would contact me, but he didn't come looking for me even after so long. He didn't even ask about me from the others. I took the initiative to contact him according to your request, but he seemed completely … indifferent."
"What about the others?"
The lame old pirate hesitated for a moment. "Billy and Clay are not happy with how you treated Goodwin. Clifton and some others are disappointed that the captain broke his promise to attack the captives. But they are not Fraser's men."
"Don't worry. I won't do anything to them." Orff patted the old pirate's shoulder. "I just need to understand the situation on the ship. You did well. Keep it up. Don't let Fraser suspect anything."
After the lame old pirate left, the figure behind the wooden table finally spoke. "Why are you so sure that Fraser has another student?"
"I've been his helmsman for a long time. I know him too well." Orff stood in front of the window, the sun shining on his shoulders. "He is indeed old. Even if he wants to take revenge on us, he doesn't have the courage to do it himself. He also knows that we have been guarding against him all these years. He no longer has a chance. He can only pin his hopes on someone else."
"That young man named Zhang Heng?"
"I see the shadow of you when you were young in him. Calm and courageous. Fraser has poured a lot of effort into him. Fraser would never make meaningless investments. So, he must be a very important part of Fraser's plan. But I still can't see what his role is."
Orff had a rare look of worry on his face. "Based on our current speed, we will reach Charleston in two weeks. We don't have much time left …"
"Orff," the man on the chair interrupted. "You are the best helmsman in the entire Caribbean, but you always have a problem. You think too much. Now that the ship is under our control, why are you still thinking about what Frazer is going to do? If you find anyone problematic, make a list of their names and find a way to deal with them before I disembark. "
The man paused. "We are already so close to the end. Don't let anything stand in our way of revenge."
…
Zhang Heng instructed two sailors to repair a broken sail on the deck.
It had been more than ten days since Kent came to talk to Zhang Heng. Everything had been peaceful on the ship. Be it Orff or Frazer, neither of them had done anything. The biggest incident that happened in the past few days was when a pirate was caught by the patrolling guards while he was petting a sheep in the barn. The pirate was whipped. That incident had become a source of joy for everyone.
But right now, everyone was more concerned about Kidd's treasure. As the Queen Anne's Revenge approached Charleston, they were getting closer to the fifth and sixth pieces of the treasure map.
The pirates were very excited about tomorrow's operation. Most of them had only robbed merchant ships before. It was the first time they drove a warship into an important trading port to loot a colony. And the 90 cannons on the Queen Anne's Revenge were their biggest source of confidence.
At sunset, Orff gathered everyone and announced the plan for the next day.
"We will disguise ourselves as the Scarborough and return to the port. Then, we will send our men to infiltrate the city. I believe Lord Elmer, who is imprisoned at the bottom of the ship, will be happy to help us. Thirty of us will follow the captain to the governor's palace. That is where the wedding will be held. Our target, Count Bellomonte, will be there. The remaining twenty will be led by Owen to the prison in the city.
"We will attack at eight o 'clock sharp. First, we will take care of the cannons on the wall. After that, we will fire at the center of the city. Owen, you will break into the prison, release the prisoners, and create chaos to attract the attention of the guards in the city. Finally, the captain will attack the governor's palace. Once we have successfully captured Count Bellomonte, everyone will return immediately.
"I have a question," one of the pirates suddenly said. "The night before yesterday, when I was about to wake up, I saw Billy coming back from the outside. He looked very nervous. I was still lying in bed at that time, so I don't think he noticed me. I saw him hiding something under the floor."
Zhang Heng knew that the show he had been waiting for was finally here. At first, the pirates did not pay much attention to it. They thought that Billy was just hiding something to eat. Although there were rules on the ship that forbade theft, there were plenty of people who went to the kitchen to look for wine or meat in the middle of the night. So, they did not think too much of it. Some even teased Billy.
But soon, everyone noticed that Billy's face had turned sour, especially when Owen and his men dug out the thing under the floor.
It was a crumpled piece of paper, and it was filled with words.
Billy looked like he was struggling. In the end, he stood up from his seat and said, "Yes, that thing is mine." He looked around. "We suspect that the captain and helmsman are using false information about the treasure to deceive everyone to achieve their ulterior motives. So …"
"So, when everyone was asleep, you went to the bottom of the ship and contacted the captain of the Scarborough. You said that you were willing to let him go tonight in exchange for a pardon?" Orff continued Zhang Heng's sentence.
"What? What nonsense are you talking about? That piece of paper is the question that we were going to ask you face to face! "
"It seems like one of us is lying," said Orff as he handed the paper to Owen. "Come and see if I'm getting old. Am I seeing things?"
The boatswain took the piece of paper and read, "… I am Elmer Anderson. I am the captain of the Scarborough. When I was out at sea, I was attacked by a group of barbaric pirates. Fortunately, someone helped me. Once I am free, I am willing to use my family's connections to grant a pardon to the following … "
The pirates were in an uproar. Betraying one's companions on any pirate ship was the most intolerable crime. Billy was shaking with anger. He knew that he had been set up. What was worse was that he had admitted that the piece of paper was his. But now, it was obvious that someone had swapped it with someone else's.
Although he tried his best to explain, no one would listen to what he said at this time. After Owen finished reading, he put the piece of paper aside so that everyone could see it. However, the literacy rate among the pirates was very low, and there were very few people who could understand what was written on it. However, it was enough to have Owen, a person that everyone trusted, speak up.
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