After solving the epic naming problem of "The Two Barrabas," Roger felt refreshed and invigorated.
The pirates on the deck were also laughing hysterically, and the air was filled with cheer.
Only Hector Barbossa, who had been forcefully renamed "Big Fool Chun," and the younger Barraba, "Fan Debiao," still looked wronged, feeling greatly insulted.
Just then, a piercing shriek broke the joyful atmosphere.
"Screech! Squeak!"
It was the monkey, also named Jack, tied to Hector Barbossa's shoulder.
It bared its teeth and shrieked wildly at Roger, looking exactly like a traitorous lackey emboldened by its master.
Roger was already annoyed by the previous "Two Barrabas" incident, and now, with the racket from this wretched monkey, his temper flared up.
He slowly walked up to Hector Barbossa, who, thinking Roger was coming for him, stiffened his neck, ready to spout some threats.
However, Roger didn't even glance at him.
He simply raised his hand towards the monkey that was jumping around.
And slapped it hard.
"Slap!" A crisp sound rang out.
The world instantly fell silent.
The monkey spun three and a half times in place from the slap, then rolled its eyes and fell straight onto Hector's shoulder, foaming at the mouth, unconscious.
On the deck, all laughter ceased abruptly.
Billy and Hanson, one by one, stood with mouths agape, forgetting to throw the rotten fruit in their hands.
Jack Sparrow almost pulled off his wig.
Even the bound skeleton pirates nearly dropped their jawbones onto the deck in shock.
No one expected Roger to lay hands on a monkey.
And with such force, too.
"You! You dare hit my Jack!"
Hector Barbossa trembled with rage.
Roger shook his hand, glancing at him with an attitude that said, "You're bothering my eyes."
"A wretched monkey, more vocal than its master."
"Now that it's quiet, we can discuss serious matters."
He patted Hector's face, which was twisted with anger.
"Big Fool Chun, hand over your chest."
"You wish!"
"Oh?"
Roger straightened up and shouted to Billy, who was wiping a cannon nearby.
"Billy!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"Point your cannon at Captain Big Fool Chun's head."
"Tell him, my cannon is called 'Reason'."
"Barraba, if you don't agree, I'll execute you by cannon for ten thousand years! You'd better think carefully!"
Billy chuckled and immediately pushed the dark-mouthed 12-pound rifled cannon into place, carrying its barrel.
The cannon's muzzle steadily locked onto Hector.
"Captain, I've adjusted the scope for you. It hits whatever you aim at within three hundred meters!"
Hector looked at the cannon barrel, thicker than his head, and felt the breath of death emanating from its muzzle.
He had no doubt.
As soon as that lunatic gave the order, his skull would be blasted into a pile of stinking bone fragments.
Although he was immortal.
Being blasted to smithereens and then slowly piecing himself back together was not a pleasant experience.
"I... I'll give it!"
In the face of absolute force, any backbone was nonsense.
Soon, from a hidden location, a stone chest, also carved with a skull pattern and exuding an ominous aura, was brought before Roger.
The chest opened.
Inside was a chest full of aztec gold coins, shimmering with an eerie glow in the moonlight.
Roger glanced at them, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good."
He turned to his second-in-command, the fake Barraba.
"Go, bring yours too."
The younger Barraba was more than willing.
He was tired of this damned curse!
The moment this aztec gold coin was placed into the chest, the system in Roger's mind finally had its ultimate reaction.
[Ding! All 882 'cursed aztec gold coins' detected and collected!]
[Main Quest: Era Advancement, conditions for activation met!]
[Do you wish to immediately consume all aztec gold coins to forge them into the 'Ancient Holy Relic - cortez's heart'?]
"Yes!"
Roger roared in his mind.
He had waited for this day until the flowers withered!
Whether he could finally feast depended on this moment!
[Command received! Holy Relic forging initiated!]
The next second.
All the aztec gold coins in the chest floated up.
Billy was so startled that he immediately knelt on the ground, shouting,
"The Sea God has manifested!"
Everyone else also squatted down in unison, staring in shock at the aztec gold coins.
Even Jack and Barraba's eyes widened.
They clearly couldn't comprehend this unbelievable scene.
They converged into a golden river in mid-air, swirling and intertwining, emitting a humming resonance.
A vast and ancient aura emanated from the aztec gold coins, causing everyone on the deck to feel a pang of trepidation.
The golden light grew brighter and brighter, finally condensing into a fist-sized golden heart, emitting a soft glow.
It pulsed slowly in the air.
Each beat seemed to merge with the pulse of the entire the explorer.
[Ancient Holy Relic - cortez's heart, forging complete!]
[Host, please immediately embed it into the core material of 'the explorer' to complete the Era Advancement!]
Roger grabbed the still-beating golden heart.
It felt warm and smooth to the touch, carrying a peculiar life force.
Without hesitation, he took the heart and strode to the base of the main mast.
"Gibbs! Give me the axe!"
Roger took the axe and, aiming at the thickest part of the main mast's base, chopped down fiercely.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, he carved a recess in the hard ironwood mast, similar in size to the heart.
Then, he firmly pressed the golden heart into it.
The moment the cortez's heart touched the explorer's hull.
A change occurred!
A visible golden halo, centered on the heart, suddenly spread out!
The halo swept over every person on the ship, every inch of wood, every rope.
The entire the explorer was enveloped in a sacred golden light!
[Congratulations, Host! Holy Relic embedding successful!]
[Technology tree beginning advancement...]
[Ancient Era... completed!]
A more dazzling light shot into the sky!
[Congratulations, Host! Successfully advanced to the 'Medieval Era'!]
[New Medieval shipbuilding technology unlocked!]
Before Roger could cheer for this immense joy, the system's prompt sounded again.
[Warning! Deep resonance detected between the Holy Relic and Host's fleet, energy leaking!]
[Warning! All fleet members are being permeated by the Holy Relic's energy!]
[Curse effect activated!]
Curse? Roger's heart sank.
What the hell, no way, there are side effects to this?
[Curse effect determining...]
[Determination complete!]
[Special Blessing generated: Undead Crew (the explorer Limited Edition)!]
[Effect One: All crew members recognized by the explorer will gain immortality within one kilometer of the explorer's hull. Any physical damage will rapidly self-heal in a short period, and severed limbs can regenerate.]
Immortality?
Like Hector Barbossa and his crew?
Roger instantly became vigilant.
He didn't want to lose his sense of taste again.
However, the system's next sentence stunned him completely.
[Effect Two: Exempt from all negative effects of the 'Aztec Curse'. The holder will not lose any sensory perception and can normally enjoy food, wine, and all other pleasures due to humans.]
Exempt from all negative effects?
Roger was dumbfounded for a full three seconds.
Then, he snatched the half-eaten roasted chicken leg from Hanson's hand and took a big bite.
The rich aroma of meat, mixed with the fragrance of spices, instantly exploded on his taste buds!
The long-lost, blissful taste!
"Holy shit!"
Roger was so excited that tears almost fell.
"It has taste! I can finally eat meat!"
Barraba was stunned. He bit his tongue hard.
Intense pain ensued.
He burst into tears.
"Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo, my curse, it's finally gone!"
On the deck, everyone was confused by this sudden turn of events.
Immortality?
Curse exemption?
What was going on?
"Cap... Captain..."
Billy walked over, trembling.
"What... what did you just say?"
"I said, we seem to be... cursed."
Roger mumbled, still gnawing on his chicken leg.
Then, he pointed at Billy.
"You, try stabbing yourself in the stomach."
"Huh?" Billy's face turned pale with fright.
"Don't be afraid, you won't die."
Under Roger's persuasion, and out of trust for his Captain, Billy hesitantly drew the dagger from his waist.
Then, closing his eyes, he plunged it into his belly.
With a "thud," the dagger went in up to the hilt.
Then, under everyone's horrified gaze, the deep, bone-visible wound healed rapidly at a visible rate.
Finally, not even a scar remained.
Billy: "..."
He looked down at his perfectly intact belly, then at the dagger in his hand, completely dumbfounded.
The next second, he let out a sky-shattering howl of ecstasy.
"Holy shit! Holy shit, Captain! I've become a Sea God!"
"I can't die! Hahahaha!"
He threw away the dagger, grabbed a small cannon, and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
"From now on, whoever dares to board us! I'll just charge at their face with a cannonball and blow them up!"
"I am a human bomb!"
The deck instantly erupted into chaos.
The pirates, one by one, went crazy, grabbing weapons and attacking themselves.
Clanging, thudding, and gurgling sounds were incessant.
Then came a series of ecstatic wails and howls.
"Captain is awesome!"
"We're all immortal now!"
To the side, the bound Hector Barbossa and his skeleton crew watched this group of lunatics, who were wildly attacking each other and getting more excited with each blow, completely stunned.
Their worldview collapsed.
What kind of bizarre behavior was this?
Cursed, but not only not sad, but even throwing a party?
These people... were more like monsters than they, the actual monsters!
Elizabeth stood at the cabin door, watching the absurd and fantastical scene unfold, feeling as if she was in a nightmare from which she would never wake.
She looked at the man surrounded by the crowd, gnawing on a chicken leg, and announcing a three-day holiday for everyone to hold an "Immortal Party."
She felt as if she truly could never escape the clutches of this devil.
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