Zhang Heng is well aware of how important the maiden voyage is to a rookie captain, not to mention that he and his Jackdaw are still the target of public criticism in Nassau.
Countless pairs of eyes have been watching his every move since he returned to the island. The combination of a powerful battleship and an overly young and inexperienced captain is as delicious as muffins in the eyes of many people.
Therefore, Zhang Heng had to consider the worst possibility before docking. He did not doubt the loyalty of Billy and others. At least these sixteen people would not betray him in the short term after the Kidd treasure incident. Yes, but he had to take into account the possibility of Billy et al being used by others.
Especially when the information about the Perfume Ship and the Daffy came out, and the location of the two happened to be on an unpopular route, Zhang Heng felt that this incident was a bit too coincidental, and then contacted the Black Merchant Alliance's tough attitude before, Zhang Heng can already foresee that this maiden voyage will not be too smooth.
Fortunately, he still has a card in his hand. Karina, like him, belongs to the outsiders on the island, especially when the black business alliance is established, it is even more devastating for her who intends to inherit her father's business and earn ransom At this time, she needs Zhang Heng's Jackdaw to provide her with spoils, and Zhang Heng also needs someone who can cash in the spoils he grabs every time he goes to sea.
Unlike Billy and others, Zhang Heng had no intention of cooperating with the Black Merchants Alliance from the very beginning, not just because of the shadow of Fraser behind it, many people did not realize the danger of this soon-to-be-established organization. Nassau's trade channels were monopolized, and the pirates on the island did not just lose their bargaining power.
The reason why the captain of a pirate ship can be selected as the captain may be due to reasons such as courage, force, or experience, but in the final analysis it is because of their ability to create wealth for the crew, and unrealizable spoils cannot be called wealth. In other words, when the Black Merchant Alliance really monopolizes the entire Nassau trade, they can easily achieve the goal of deposing the captain of a certain ship by refusing to accept the spoils of the ship.
With such rights, the status of black merchants and pirates will also change.
This is undoubtedly what Zhang Heng does not want to see. In fact, other captains may not have noticed this, but the conditions offered by the Black Merchants Alliance make it difficult for them to refuse. In addition to the purchase price higher than the market, the Black Merchants Alliance also promised This price is only valid when they are captains, in other words, when their crews plan to overthrow them later, they have to consider the losses that this move will cause.
This is tantamount to making their position more stable. As for what will happen later, most people are prepared to think about it at that time. Few people in such a high-risk profession as pirates will prepare for what will happen tomorrow. Brainstorming.
But it is impossible for Zhang Heng to be so short-sighted, not to mention that the current existence of the Black Merchants Alliance has hindered his development, and the appearance of Karina has provided him with a possibility.
Billy and Dufresne felt that the latter had too little qualifications and lacked foundation on the island, so they were not optimistic about her, but Zhang Heng was just the opposite. He hoped that he could dominate when choosing a partner and have a way that he could completely control. In his hands, the channel for stably cashing out the loot is of great strategic significance to him.
Karina is the most suitable partner he can find at this stage, but before that, Zhang Heng needs her to prove her ability.
The Jackdaw arrived at Danshui Island at sunset. The area of this small island was less than 20 hectares, and no one lived on it.
There are tens of thousands of such small islands in the Caribbean Sea, most of which do not even have names, and the reason why Freshwater Island has a name is because Magellan stopped here when he traveled around the world.
For many years later, people were often confused by the name of this small 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 up with a heavy rain, which made the water-deficient boats The team received enough fresh water.
After knowing the truth, this small island that was originally uninhabited became even more desolate.
Zhang Heng let the Jackdaw break down not far from the island, and he brought four people including Annie and Billy to the island in a small boat.
Everyone jumped off the stranded boat and walked under the coconut tree on the soft sand. Zhang Heng soon found traces of human activities nearby. He didn't go any further and blew his whistle as agreed. After a while, A figure came out of the woods.
Zhang Heng was also a little surprised when he saw the person coming. He had agreed with Karina that the latter would send someone to bring the news, but he didn't expect that it was the businesswoman herself.
The latter looked a bit embarrassed. She had probably lived on the island for a day or two. Although the boat that sent her had left enough food and water for her, how could a woman live so alone in this environment? It's been an amazing thing for a long time.
Karina was also very excited when she saw Zhang Heng, because the transport ship that sent her here had already gone back to Nassau. Considering that this is not a popular route, in other words, if Zhang Heng couldn't pick her up, she might even die here.
The businesswoman shivered and said, "I checked it out according to your request. There is a ship that you should be interested in. It set sail from North Carolina half a month ago, and the ship was full of spices."
"spices?"
"Yes, it's nutmeg from the Spice Islands. It was a complete accident that the ship appeared in the colonies of the New World. They plan to return to Europe. I heard that in London, the value of this thing is almost comparable to gold."
"How far are we from that ship now?" Zhang Heng asked immediately.
"I asked the captain of my transport ship, and he said that according to the speed of your ship, it may take more than ten days to catch up with them if the wind is strong."
"Get on the boat." Zhang Heng didn't talk nonsense, and took the lead towards the boat by the beach.
And Billy was still immersed in the shocking news, and he still didn't know what happened to the scene in front of him.
It wasn't until the six of them boarded the boat that Zhang Heng explained, "I asked Ms. Karina to do me a favor and asked her to use her connections in Boston to help me find out what prey is worth our while on this route."
"But...but isn't she in Nassau?" Billy opened his mouth wide.
"After we finished chatting that day, she returned to Boston as soon as possible. I chose this place as the pick-up point because this is the closest uninhabited island to Boston on our route, but I have to admit Miss Karina's efficiency. It’s really amazing, I have a tight time frame for her, and the fact that she’s here so quickly means she’s only been in Boston for less than a day.”