Zhang Heng knew how important the first voyage was to a new captain. Not to mention that he and the Jackdaw were now the target of everyone in Nassau.
Ever since he returned to the island, countless pairs of eyes had been watching his every move. The combination of a powerful warship and an overly young and inexperienced captain was as delicious as a muffin in the eyes of many.
That was why Zhang Heng had to consider the worst-case scenario before he docked. He did not doubt the loyalty of Billy and the others. At the very least, after the incident with Kidd's treasure, these 16 people would not betray him in the short term. However, he had to consider the possibility that Billy and the others might be used by others.
This was especially true when he learned about the perfume ship and the Duffy. Both of them happened to be on unpopular routes. Zhang Heng felt that it was too much of a coincidence. When he thought about the black-market alliance's tough attitude, he had a hunch that this first voyage would not be a smooth sailing one.
Fortunately, he still had a trump card in his hand. Like him, Carina was an outsider to Nassau. The establishment of the black-market alliance would be a disaster for her since she planned to inherit her father's business and earn a ransom. She needed Zhang Heng's Jackdaw to provide her with loot, and Zhang Heng needed someone to sell the loot that he looted every time he went out to sea.
Unlike Billy and the others, Zhang Heng had no intention of working with the black-market alliance from the very beginning. It wasn't just because of Frazer's influence. Many people did not realize how dangerous this organization was. Once Nassau's trade was monopolized, the pirates on Nassau would lose more than just their bargaining power.
The captain of a pirate ship could be chosen because of his courage, strength, or experience, but ultimately, it was because of his ability to create wealth for his crew. Spoils of war that could not be converted into cash could not be considered wealth. In other words, when the black-market alliance monopolized the trade in Nassau, they could easily remove the captain of a particular ship by refusing to accept the spoils of war from it.
With this kind of power, the status of the black-market and pirates would change.
This was undoubtedly the last thing Zhang Heng wanted to see. In fact, the other captains might have noticed this as well. However, the black-market alliance's offer made it difficult for them to reject it. Other than the purchase price being higher than the market price, the alliance also promised that the price would only be valid when they were captains. In other words, when their crew decided to overthrow them in the future, they would have to consider the losses they would suffer.
This undoubtedly helped to stabilize their position. As for what would happen next, most of them were prepared to think about it when the time came. Pirates were a high-risk profession, and few would bother to think about what would happen tomorrow.
However, Zhang Heng would not be so short-sighted. Not to mention that the black-market alliance's existence had already hindered his development. Karina's appearance had provided him with a possibility.
Billy and Dufresne felt that she was too inexperienced and lacked a foundation on the island. That was why they did not have high hopes for her. Zhang Heng, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He wanted to be the leader when it came to choosing his partners. Having a channel that he could control and convert his loot into cash was very important to him.
Karina was the most suitable partner he could find at this stage. However, before that, Zhang Heng needed her to prove herself.
The Jackdaw arrived at Freshwater Island at sunset. The island was less than 20 hectares in size, and it was uninhabited.
There were thousands of islands like this in the Caribbean Sea, and most of them did not even have a name. Freshwater Island, on the other hand, had a name because Magellan once stopped here when he traveled around the world.
For many years, people were often confused by the name of the island. In fact, there was no fresh water on the island. The reason why Magellan called it so was because when his fleet docked here, it happened to catch a rainstorm, so that the water-short fleet received enough fresh water.
After knowing the truth, the uninhabited island became even more deserted.
Zhang Heng anchored the Jackdaw not far from the island. Then, he rowed a small boat to the island with Anne, Billy, and three others.
The group jumped off the stranded boat and walked on the soft sand to the coconut trees. Zhang Heng soon found traces of human activity nearby. He did not continue walking. Instead, he whistled as promised. After a while, a figure emerged from the forest.
When Zhang Heng saw who it was, he was a little surprised. He and Karina had agreed that she would send one of her men to deliver the news. He did not expect it to be Karina herself.
The latter looked a little disheveled. It was likely that she had been living on the island for a day or two. Although the ship that sent her here had left her enough food and water, it was an amazing feat for a woman to live alone in such an environment for so long.
Karina was very excited to see Zhang Heng. The transport ship that brought her here had already returned to Nassau. Considering that Nassau wasn't a popular route, if Zhang Heng didn't pick her up, she might even die here.
The female merchant shivered and said, "I've checked according to your request. There's a ship that you should be interested in. It set sail from North Carolina half a month ago, and it's loaded with spices."
"Spices?"
"Yes. It's nutmeg from the Spice Islands. It was a complete accident that the ship appeared in the New World. They're planning to return to Europe. I heard that in London, nutmeg is almost as valuable as gold."
"How far are we from that ship?" Zhang Heng asked immediately.
"I asked the captain of my transport ship. He said that based on the speed of your ship, it would take you at least ten days to catch up with them if the wind is good."
"Let's get on the boat." Zhang Heng did not waste any time and led the way to the small boat by the beach.
Billy, on the other hand, was still immersed in the shocking news. Until now, he still had no idea what was going on in front of him.
After the six of them boarded the small boat, Zhang Heng explained, "I asked Miss Karina for a favor. I asked her to use her connections in Boston to find out if there's any prey on this route that's worth hunting."
"But … but isn't she in Nassau?" Billy's jaw dropped.
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