"Cough, cough."
Roger walked between the two legendary captains, who were arguing like fighting cocks, and forcibly separated them, one hand on each.
"Calm down, calm down. You're both core members of the explorer. Why are you so agitated?"
"Let's talk nicely, no violence."
"Come, let's have an internal conflict resolution meeting first."
Roger pressed them down onto the rum barrels on either side, while he sat imperiously in the main seat opposite them, looking exactly like someone about to interrogate prisoners.
"Jack, you first. What are your demands?"
Roger asked, sounding as professional as a labor arbitrator.
Jack curled his pinky finger, tidied his few braids, and spoke with an air of practiced sarcasm.
"My demands are very simple."
"I need someone to fulfill his promise and give me a fleet so I can deal with that debt collector with the squid face."
"Instead of being on the same ship with a first mate whose head is full of rotten apples and only thinks about betraying his captain!"
"Who has a head full of rotten apples?!"
Hector immediately exploded, slamming the rum barrel and standing up.
"Sparrow! You coward! What can you do besides run and lie?!"
"At least I don't steal my Captain's ship!" Jack also jumped up, pointing at Hector's nose.
"You shameless traitor!"
"Shut up!" Roger slammed the table.
Finally, he managed to quiet these two old men, who were nearly a hundred years old combined.
Damn it!
If he had known they were so quarrelsome, he wouldn't have put them on the same ship in the first place.
This wasn't a pirate ship; it was a tour group's argument scene.
"Hector, your turn." Roger looked at Hector.
"What do you want? Don't tell me you also want a fleet."
Hector's chest heaved violently.
He glared at Jack, then squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth:
"I only want his compass."
"Oh? The compass?" Roger became interested.
"You mean that treasure that points to what one desires most in their heart?"
He was very familiar with that thing.
That was a divine artifact!
"Exactly!"
Speaking of this, Hector's emotions finally calmed down a bit.
"I need it."
"He wishes!" Jack immediately objected, "That's mine!"
Roger rubbed his temples; he understood.
One wanted a fleet, the other wanted the compass.
"Hector, I'm a little curious."
Roger changed his posture and asked persuasively.
"You, a famous great captain, what don't you have?"
"Gold coins? Beautiful women? rum? Why do you want this compass? Is the thing you desire most Jack Sparrow's autograph?"
"Pah!" Hector spat in disgust.
"I'd rather wipe my ass with Jack's face!"
After speaking, Hector fell silent for a moment; everyone on the deck watched him.
Under everyone's gaze, this legendary pirate captain, known for his cruelty and cunning, unusually showed a hint of complex emotion.
"That compass… it can point to a person."
Hector's voice was a little hoarse.
"My daughter."
Daughter?
There was an uproar on the deck.
Roger was also stunned for a moment, because the system panel in his mind immediately reacted, flashing red light frantically.
"Warning! Detected a critical emotional node in target Hector Barbossa!"
"Analysis shows this is a major exploitable leverage! Host must seize the opportunity to convert his daughter into private assets!"
Do I need you to tell me?
Roger rolled his eyes inwardly.
If he couldn't grasp such an obvious weakness, he wouldn't be a small pirate leader for nothing.
The next second, Roger's face instantly switched to a compassionate, saintly expression.
He walked up to Hector and said in a sympathetic tone.
"Hector, my friend."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Our the explorer is a loving, warm big family."
"Your daughter is my daughter! Your difficulties are your difficulties!"
Hector was taken aback by Roger's sudden warmth.
"Come, Jack."
Roger then turned and opened his arms to Jack.
"Did you hear that?"
"A father's deep love! What a great emotion!"
"Lend him the compass to use, consider it a poverty alleviation project!"
Jack had a "are you f***ing kidding me" expression.
"No!"
"I'll say it again, unless I see my fleet, no one touches my precious compass!"
"You cold-blooded capitalist!"
Roger accused him with heartfelt indignation.
Roger sighed, then walked back to Hector, patted his shoulder, looking helpless, as if to say, "Look, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's that the process won't work."
"However, Hector, don't lose heart."
Roger's tone shifted, and that devilish smile appeared on his face again.
"I have a perfect solution here."
Hector looked at him warily: "What solution?"
"Very simple." Roger snapped his fingers.
"You sign a contract with me."
Gibbs understood, immediately dragging out a roll of parchment longer than a mast from the Captain's Cabin, unrolling it with a whoosh on the deck.
This was something Roger had prepared for Hector long ago.
"This is our the explorer's 'Century of Struggle' agreement."
Roger pointed to the contract, densely covered with scribbles, and began his multi-level marketing-style speech.
"As long as you sign it, from today onwards, you are mine."
"For the next hundred years, you will dedicate your all to me, to the explorer."
"Of course, we are a legitimate pirate group, with food and accommodation provided, five insurances and one housing fund… uh… that's not available yet, but we can give you a pie in the sky to taste first."
"In exchange."
Roger paused, his voice full of temptation.
"I, Roger, in the name of the Captain of the explorer, guarantee that I will use Jack's compass to help you find your daughter."
"I have the fastest ship in the world, immortal crew members, and endless money."
"How about it? Is this deal worth it?"
Hector's face had turned from white to green, and then from green to purple.
One hundred years!
This wasn't a contract!
This was a bond of servitude!
He didn't even know if he himself could live for a hundred years!
He wanted to refuse, he wanted to cut down this bastard, who was more greedy than a devil, with a single strike.
But, he looked at the parchment and then remembered his daughter's face.
That face, which only existed in his memory, had become blurred.
"I…"
Hector wanted to say something.
But in the end, all the unwillingness and anger turned into a long sigh.
"I'll sign."
"Ding! Hector Barbossa's loyalty +20! Current loyalty 65/100! Status: Bond of servitude signed, suggest increasing the intensity of painting a bright future!"
"Excellent! Welcome to the big family of struggling pirates!" Roger clapped his hands happily.
"Wait!" Jack finally couldn't hold back.
"Why is your deal using my compass as a bargaining chip?!"
"Calm down, Jack, we need to prioritize the bigger picture."
Roger put his arm around his shoulder, pulled him aside, and whispered.
"Think about it, aren't we going to Port Royal now?"
Jack nodded reluctantly.
"Aren't we going to seize Norrington's fleet?"
Jack nodded again.
"Then it's settled, isn't it?" Roger spread his hands.
"Once we seize the ships, won't you have your fleet?"
"Then you can use the compass however you want! Now we're just letting him temporarily keep it, just going through the motions!"
"This is called rational resource allocation, understand?"
Jack was a little dizzy from his twisted logic.
It seemed… to make sense?
Just borrowing it, it should be fine, right?
"Jack, let me see what you desire most."
Then Jack opened the compass.
The needle, which should have pointed to what Jack desired most, began to spin wildly.
Finally, it settled, pointing steadily in one direction.
That direction was Port Royal.
Jack: "???"
What he desired most was in Port Royal?
No, what he desired most was to reclaim the black pearl!
Roger was also stunned.
"Ding! Host, I must remind you."
The system's voice sounded at the opportune moment.
"What Jack Sparrow desires most has always been freedom, and the black pearl, which symbolizes freedom. But now, the black pearl has been merged by you. So…"
So, his compass would now only point to the second thing he desired most?
Roger looked at the direction the compass was pointing, then at the bewildered Jack, and suddenly burst out laughing.
"See, Jack, even your compass agrees with my plan."
"Let me help you get what you desire most first."
Roger patted his shoulder, with an expression of "destiny's chosen one."
Before Jack could react, Roger had already pulled the precious compass from his embrace and tucked it into his own hand.
"Jack, I'll hold onto this for you for now. Listen to me, you can't handle it!"
----------------------------------
I've already posted 70 new chapters on Patreon!
If you like the story and want to reaad more, please visit my patreon. Every support is very meaningful!
[patreon.com/Kazenova223]
Thank you very much!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"