"Are you treating me like a fool, Mr. Malcolm? Let's not talk about whether what happened to my father is true or not. Back then, Redmond was the vice president of the black-market alliance. What reason did he have to lay his hands on Normand? What good would it do him? As far as I know, when Normand was at his worst, Redmond was the only one in the black-market alliance who still supported him. You, on the other hand, had just arrived on the island. If the black-market alliance had stabilized, it would have been hard for you to get to where you are today, right? "
Malcolm's expression didn't change. "I can't blame you. Even I misjudged him. Redmond's ambition is bigger than most people think. As one of the first merchants to arrive on the island, he grew up with nothing. Now, be it fame or wealth, he has no choice but to live in Normand's shadow. You weren't on the island back then, so you don't know how high Normand's reputation was. If he didn't resort to underhanded means, Redmond wouldn't have the prestige he has today and become the leader of the black-market merchants on the island."
Malcolm paused for a moment, then admitted, "As for me, for my own benefit, I really didn't want the black-market alliance to continue existing. I made some efforts through a black-market merchant named Eugene, but the results were minimal. With Normand's reputation on the island at that time, it was difficult to shake his position with ordinary means."
"So, you asked Eugene to fabricate a story about receiving kickbacks to frame Normand? You used this method to ruin his reputation, "Carina sneered. Karina sneered. "If you can do something like this, why can't you send my father to prison?"
"It seems like you've heard about what happened back then." Malcolm frowned. "What Eugene did later had nothing to do with me. I didn't ask him to frame Normand. In fact, I only started investigating after my father was sent to prison, and I found out that Redmond was behind it."
"Why? You don't have a close relationship with Normand, right? Why did you investigate this matter?"
"Because I don't want to become the next Normand," Malcolm said calmly. "Redmond has always been very concerned about establishing the black-market alliance, but in fact, he didn't want it to be established. He supported the first black-market alliance because he wanted to kill Normand. This time, it was because he felt threatened by me. He's a smart man. Although he is now the black-market alliance's president in name, and I'm only the vice president, if this continues, my reputation will catch up to his in less than three years. By then, even if he is still the president, no one will remember him."
"If that's the case, why was he willing to help you establish the black-market alliance?
"Why did he encourage Normand to establish the first black-market alliance?" Malcolm asked.
Without waiting for Carina to answer, Malcolm continued, "Because he had no other way to deal with Normand. If Normand wasn't the black-market alliance's president, with his reputation on the island, no matter how Redmond tried to frame him, he wouldn't be able to turn everyone against Normand. However, after Normand became the black-market alliance's president, the situation changed. If news of him accepting bribes got out, it would harm the interests of the black-market alliance's members. Naturally, it would incite everyone to revolt.
"For the same reason, he planned to use the same method to deal with me. Do you really think that you're the one who caused all the trouble I've been facing recently? " "Your secondhand goods trading center did cause me some trouble, but if it weren't for Redmond's men fanning the flames, I wouldn't be in such a passive position. Most importantly, Frazer betrayed me. He told me that he had some conflict with Zhang Heng, and he was willing to help me deal with you. However, the incident with the Skeleton made me suspect him.
"Don't you think it was too much of a coincidence that Zhang Heng and his Jackdaw appeared at the same time? He and Wilton's Skeleton returned to Nassau almost at the same time. It wasn't an accident. Frazer had it all planned. According to our agreement, the Skeleton was supposed to sink your transport ship, kill everyone on it except the spies, and then leave. However, Frazer told me that Wilton had lost control. Not only did he take our deposit, but he also wanted to use the Gentle Breeze's crew to make even more money. However, the truth is that we've all fallen into his trap.
"He's like Zhang Heng's teacher, and he's also the person who knows Zhang Heng the best on this island. He knew very well what Zhang Heng would do in that situation. He knew very well that Wilton and the Skeleton's crew wouldn't live to see the sun rise the next day. However, I have to admit that his disguise was really good. After that, I suspected him, but I didn't have enough evidence. I decided to trust him again. I asked him to secretly contact the captains who were dissatisfied with the black-market alliance's current distribution plan and encourage them to join you. This was also the biggest mistake I made.
"This was supposed to be a plan that killed two birds with one stone. If everything went smoothly, I could use this opportunity to get rid of you and your secondhand goods trading center. At the same time, the captains who were dissatisfied with the black-market alliance would become obedient. After you were chased out of the island, they would have no other way to sell their loot. When that time comes, they would have no choice but to come back and beg me. The one who ruined this plan wasn't Zhang Heng, but Frazer.
"Everyone on the island knows about the grudge between him and Zhang Heng, and it's easy to find out. That's why I was willing to trust him. But this time, his target was never Zhang Heng, but me. It wasn't until this incident that I was completely sure that he was Raymond's man," Malcolm said.
"But if Raymond thinks that he can deal with me like this, he's too naive. Since he can get Frazer's help, I can work with you as well. The twelve pirate ships that you have now will belong to you. I will no longer block your secondhand goods trading center. I can even help you with the customs and the local market. Once this is over, I will find a way to get your father out of prison."
"What do you want me to do with such a good offer?" Carina asked.
"Nothing," Malcolm replied. "All we need is a ceasefire. I will solve my own problems. You just need to watch quietly. I can help you avenge your father's death. You don't have to rush to answer me. I'll give you three days to think about it. Three days later, we'll meet again at that coffee shop."
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