There were a total of seventeen names on the list. Other than Zhang Heng, all of them were the ones who had complained about the captain or helmsman to the crippled old pirate. Most of them were old men on the ship, and many of them had sailed with Frazer before.
The pirates were divided on how to punish them. Some of them wanted to kill the traitors, but most of them felt that it was more appropriate to exile them. During the argument, Billy insisted that the piece of paper was swapped. Unfortunately, the war was approaching, and there was no time to investigate the truth. In the end, it was Orff who spoke up and decided to temporarily lock the seventeen of them up in the cells at the bottom of the ship. They would investigate further after the war.
When Owen called out Zhang Heng's name, the farmer's son quietly moved away from Owen. Zhang Heng was not angry. If Marvin did not do that, he would not be Marvin.
The seventeen of them were brought to the bottom of the ship. As the iron door was closed, the matter finally came to an end.
The Queen Anne's Revenge stopped at a place twenty nautical miles away from Charleston for the night.
The next afternoon, all the pirates on the ship changed into their navy uniforms. Elmer, the former captain of the Scarborough, was finally brought out from the dark cabin.
Half a month had passed, and he looked a lot more haggard. He was no longer as spirited as he was when they first met. His clothes were ragged, and his beard was unshaven. When he saw the sun outside, he could not help but squint his eyes.
Orff walked up to him and asked, "Do you remember what I taught you?"
The Lord nodded his head hurriedly. "I'm Captain Elmer of the Scarborough. Our ship was caught in a storm during our cruise. So, we returned to port less than a month after we set sail. I heard that the daughter of the governor of New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, Count Bellomont, is getting married. So, I brought my men to the city to congratulate her. "
After a pause, he added, "Actually, you don't have to go through all that trouble. There's no one in the New World who can't recognize the Scarborough. No one will dare to question us. Besides, Count Bellomont and I are old acquaintances."
"I know you two are old acquaintances. Don't worry, you two will be together soon," Orff said meaningfully.
Elmer thought that Orff meant that both he and Bellomont would be arrested. He could not help but feel a little awkward. After all, what he was doing now was not right. He was basically setting Bellomont up. However, no friendship was more important than his own life. Moreover, Orff had promised that as long as he cooperated, he would find a time to release him after everything was over. Elmer could not help but feel a little embarrassed.
"Bring him down for a bath and a change of clothes. The captain of the Scarborough should not be so unkempt," Orff said to the pirates.
Then, the old helmsman pushed open the door of the captain's cabin and said to the man behind the wooden table, "It's time."
The latter stood up. His appearance was very different from before. He was wearing a black triangular hat, a long red jacket, and a belt around his waist. Most importantly, his iconic black beard was shaved clean. It was as if he had changed into a different person. He had changed from a pirate leader who was feared by countless people to a heroic naval officer.
Orff was stunned. "It's been so many years. I thought I would never see you in this dress again."
"Some things are better forgotten," Edward Teach said calmly. As he spoke, he picked up his sword and flintlock from the side.
"I still don't know if what we are doing is right or wrong. If he was still alive, he would not want to see you like this."
"If you want to reminisce about the past, you better hurry up. Because today, I will settle all the old scores."
…
Soon, the fifty of them gathered on the deck. Owen was stunned when he saw Teach walking out of the captain's cabin. He then nodded at Teach. "I have chosen them. They are all the best on the ship."
Teach looked up at the setting sun and said to Elmer, who was standing at the front of the team, "Let's go."
Orff stood at the bow and watched the team of fifty go to the dock. Just like what Elmer said, they disguised themselves as the Scarborough's navy and entered the city without any problems.
Orff only left the deck when they were out of sight. The old helmsman knew that the war had begun, and it was time for him to play his part.
Night fell. Orff sat alone in the captain's cabin, staring at the grandfather clock in front of him.
There was still half an hour before the appointed time. As usual, he went through everything that happened today in his mind to make sure that he did not miss anything. However, for some reason, he felt uneasy.
The next moment, the city of Charleston was suddenly lit up. Something was burning in the dark.
Orff was stunned when he saw this.
Had the people in the city started the attack? But why did it happen half an hour earlier? And the order was wrong. According to the original plan, the Queen Anne's Revenge should have fired the cannons first to create chaos and panic. Then, the other side would start the attack. Did something happen in the middle of the battle that forced them to fire the cannons earlier?
The pirates on the deck also saw the fire. One of them ran to the captain's cabin and asked the old helmsman, "Mr. Orff, what should we do now? Should we fire the cannons?"
Orff was not sure. If the fire had nothing to do with them, firing the cannons earlier would put the fifty people on the shore in a passive position. So, he thought for a while and said, "Get the cannoneers in position first. Wait for my order."
Just then, a sharp-eyed pirate saw a group of navy soldiers running out of the city. They ran all the way to a small boat by the dock, jumped on it, and rowed towards the Queen Anne's Revenge.
"It's our men."
Seeing the flag on the bow, the pirates immediately lowered the rope ladder without Orff's order.
It was the crew led by Owen. However, there were only twelve of them left, and almost all of them were covered in blood. Owen's abdomen was wrapped in bandages. When he was carried to the ship, the first thing he said when he saw Orff was, "We failed! Elmer used some unknown method to inform the guards in the city. We were ambushed, and we had no choice but to split up. "
"Where's the captain?" Orff's heart skipped a beat when he heard that.
"The captain … was the first to realize that something was wrong. He shot Elmer, but he was hit by at least six bullets. I'm sorry, we couldn't get his body back," Owen said sadly. The eleven pirates behind him lowered their heads in pain when they recalled the scene.
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