"Thank you." After everything was settled and Honegg left, the Jackdaw's pirates received their share of the loot. Carina walked up to Zhang Heng and thanked him.
She couldn't imagine what would have happened if Zhang Heng didn't make it back in time.
All this while, her mind was still focused on business battles. How could she compete with Malcolm for captains? How could she compete with him? How could she break through the black-market alliance's blockade? At most, she paid attention to her father's plight and avoided the few ports where Malcolm's family had the most influence. She never thought that Malcolm would throw all caution to the wind and send pirates to attack the Gentle Breeze.
Something like this hadn't happened on this island for a long time.
The pirates that Malcolm contacted did not belong to Nassau, so they didn't have to worry about breaking the island's rules. Last night was Carina's first encounter with the dark side of this world.
She had changed a lot over the past few months in Nassau. At first, she would blush when talking to a man. Now, she could negotiate with a group of fierce captains without a care in the world. She even received praise from Malone and the others. She felt that she had become part of this world.
She even forgot that she was dealing with a group of murderous pirates. Last night, the man named Wilton successfully evoked all the fear in her heart.
The dagger in his hand was less than two centimeters away from her neck. This was the closest she had ever been to death.
"I'm also responsible for what happened to the Skeleton. I was the one who asked you to be aggressive. I underestimated the danger. I didn't expect Malcolm to act so quickly," said Zhang Heng as he looked around. The secondhand trading center had been bustling with activity since early morning. There was a long queue in front of it. "It seems like you've done well recently. You've put a lot of pressure on the black-market alliance."
Carina smiled bitterly. "It looks crowded, but I don't make much money. Right now, I'm barely breaking even. In the end, I still have to rely on your Jackdaw."
"How many captains have come to you privately while I've been out at sea?"
We're still in negotiations, but after Malcolm made a statement, only two of them are still willing to work with us. The rest have decided to wait and see, but things have taken a turn for the better, especially after you killed Wilton and his crew. Many of them have begun to believe that we can stay on the island. Just now, there was even a captain who expressed his willingness to give up on the black-market alliance and establish a long-term partnership with us. Although they're not that strong, they're much better than these guys. "
The female merchant raised her eyebrows at the ragged pirates in front of the secondhand goods counter, who were complaining that they didn't pay two extra copper pesos.
"But there's a problem now. If we continue to expand, one transport ship won't be enough."
"Wilton has two ships. His flagship, the Skeleton, needs to be repaired before it can be used again. However, the other ship is in good condition. That ship's firepower isn't as good as the Skeleton's, but it has more space. It should be a suitable transport ship. The only problem is that it used to be a pirate ship. If someone recognizes it at the port, it might cause trouble."
"That's not a problem. Wilton said himself that he rarely leaves anyone alive when he loots, so there shouldn't be many people who have seen that ship. Besides, before we leave the port, I'll get someone to modify the ship. Even if they've seen it before, they won't be able to recognize it."
Obviously, Carina had thought about this problem in advance. "As for manpower, we can recruit them on the island. Many of them are young. Pirates don't make a lot of money, so as long as they have a job to make ends meet, they are willing to work as sailors on transport ships. They don't ask for a high salary, and most importantly, they are islanders. No matter how bad their lives are, they still have many friends and relatives on the island. If something like last night happens again, the islanders won't sit idly by and watch."
Zhang Heng nodded and added, "If there's an emergency when I'm not around, you can look for Black Prince Sam or Honegg. They will help you. Also, it's best if you recruit a team of people to protect your safety. It doesn't need to be too many, just four or five people. That should be enough to deal with emergencies."
Carina seemed to want to say something, so Zhang Heng asked, "What's wrong?"
"There's one more thing. I don't know if I'm overthinking it, but when I was working with a few pirate ships, I didn't expect to keep it a secret from the black-market alliance. However, we did take some security measures. Logically speaking, Malcolm shouldn't have found out so quickly, but he warned me not long after we started working together.
"At first, I thought it was the pirates who leaked the information. You know, it's hard for pirates to keep secrets. All it takes is a glass of rum and some special services from the brothel, and they'll spill everything they know. But then I realized a problem. If it was them who leaked the information, Malcolm should only have information from one or two of them. There's no reason for him to know so much about my movements. Although he didn't say it explicitly when we met, he gave me the feeling that he knew my every move like the back of his hand."
"So, you think it's our people who leaked the information?" Zhang Heng asked.
"I don't know. I only chose trustworthy people, and I tried to minimize the number of people who would come into contact with this matter. That includes most of the sailors on the Gentle Breeze. They don't know what they're transporting," Carina said.
"Do you have any suspects?"
Carina hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Jim. He's very young, and he can read. He used to be the bookkeeper on the Gentle Breeze. Malone recommended him to me. After my father went to prison, more than half of the capable old sailors left the Gentle Breeze. Some of them were highly valued by my father and offered high salaries, but Jim stayed. He joined the Gentle Breeze only last year. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have a strong sense of belonging. Besides, with his ability, he should be able to find a new job even if he left the Gentle Breeze.
"I don't know much about him, but he stayed during our most difficult times and helped us a lot. Malone and I trusted him a lot because of that. Besides, he's a conscientious person. That's why I asked him to come down from the Gentle Breeze and have him follow me around. He's responsible for taking inventory of the goods, including the loot that we bought privately. He knows where these things come from, and he's also one of the few who knows the Gentle Breeze's sailing route."
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