The Jackdaw sails sky and sea; Edward the Necromancer.
It's a famous meme among Assassin's Creed IV players. The Jackdaw is the protagonist's Pirate ship, but thanks to Ubisoft's tradition of buying a game and getting bugs for free, under certain conditions the vessel can literally fly and dive underwater.
Fang Yuan chose the name partly for nostalgia, partly because he wanted his own Pirate ship to truly sail both sky and sea.
In a World where witchcraft exists, it's not impossible.
"Black King, these are the new hands we just recruited." Sakazuki brought Fang Yuan before a line of men—"ten seasoned Sailors, every one of them!"
Fang Yuan swept his gaze across them; whether they were seasoned remained to be seen, but they certainly looked the part—lean and capable.
He offered no comment. Crewmen were either consumables or treasures; time would reveal which were which.
With a wave of his hand he ordered, "Set sail!"
That single order launched a month at sea.
For almost a month The Jackdaw drifted without spotting a single merchantman worth robbing.
"Damn the Port Royal navy—why are patrols so tight lately?"
grumbled Sakazuki.
"Port Royal ships never used to chase Pirates this far out."
The chief reason Pirates come home empty-handed is, of course, the navy.
Though The Jackdaw now carried thirty Cannon, naval vessels outclassed her in firepower, size, and hull strength. Why else would Pirates flee at the sight of a man-of-war?
This past month they had spotted Merchant Ships more than once, yet each time a naval cutter appeared nearby and they were forced to withdraw.
Fang Yuan rubbed his chin. "Port Royal's fleet answers to Norrington, and the man loathes Pirates. With a new governor in office he'll want to score points with his superiors."
New brooms sweep clean; subordinates need to shine as well.
So Fang Yuan gave the order: "Put in for supplies, then head south into the Atlantic."
They couldn't fight the navy yet, but they could certainly outrun them.
At the prospect of shore leave the Pirates cheered.
The first two or three weeks of any voyage are easy—beer and greens still abound—but once those run out it's hardtack and rum.
It's not that Pirates won't stock up; beer and vegetables spoil, while hardtack keeps and costs less.
Admittedly, long-lasting tack tastes awful, yet a swig of rum makes it palatable—or you can chase it with slightly sour beer. Small wonder Pirates love their rum.
It goes with everything.
Cocktail culture would officially emerge in the eighteenth century; the Sailors likely deserve some credit.
Fang Yuan, of course, refused such hardship. While common Pirates drank rum, his cabin held finer spirits.
He even caught fish now and then and cooked for himself, so life wasn't too shabby.
An orphan, Fang Yuan had few demands beyond being picky about women.
They hoisted the Spanish flag, rested a day in port, then set course for South America.
Opportunity wasn't limited to the Caribbean; with the Triangular Trade in full swing, the entire Atlantic teemed with merchantmen.
Sure enough, once beyond Port Royal's reach, The Jackdaw sighted a mid-sized cargo vessel.
"Ships on this heading carry sugar, tobacco, rice—raw materials," Sakazuki briefed Fang Yuan. "Sometimes ore or even gold. Mid-sized, so most likely raw goods."
He needn't have explained; Fang Yuan had studied the triangle trade in his previous life.
Merchants sailed cheap goods to Africa and bought slaves—the outbound leg.
They ferried the slaves to American Planters—the middle passage.
Finally they loaded sugar, tobacco, and similar products to carry home for silver—the return leg.
One complete circuit allowed at least three transactions and profits multiplied several-fold.
And Pirates, naturally, preyed upon the return leg.
"Steer that way, but keep quiet," Fang Yuan ordered.
Excitement stirred in him; this would be his first real act of piracy.
Yet The Jackdaw's sudden change of heading drew the merchantman's notice.
On the open ocean, a ship altering course to approach could hardly be paying a social call.
The merchantman promptly picked up speed.
"They're alert," Sakazuki remarked.
The Pirates showed no surprise.
"When disguise fails, we resort to force," he continued.
Fang Yuan nodded; advice from professionals was vital—he was still a rookie Pirate.
"Hoist the colors—chase her down!" he commanded.
A fresh black flag with a crimson skull was raised; every sail unfurled as The Jackdaw surged after her quarry.
Spyglass to eye, Fang Yuan watched the merchant crew run out their guns—clearly intending to scare the Pirates off with a show of force.
"Watch for incoming shot!" he shouted.
Moments later the merchantman fired a broadside—over a dozen Cannonballs hurtled toward them.
Merchant Ships all know Pirates might appear, so outfitting themselves with heavy firepower is a must; only the trader Lowry Fang Yuan met the first time, who relied purely on luck, was the exception.
The Cannonballs scattered around The Jackdaw; one landed on her freshly replaced deck, punching a hole that made Fang Yuan's heart ache.
"Return fire, return fire!" Fang Yuan ordered at once. "First Mate, run out all thirty of my guns!"
The Pirates reacted quickly, firing at the merchantman; all thirty Cannons loosed their shot, raining down like scattered flowers—yet not a single hit.
Fang Yuan's jaw dropped.
He had expected poor accuracy, but not zero accuracy.
"Are your eyes just for show? With so many shots, none of you can hit?" Fang Yuan snapped at Sakazuki.
Sakazuki hurried to explain: "Captain, this is normal—they're scared out of their wits!"
Fang Yuan looked back; sure enough, the Merchant Ship had fallen silent, only her speed kept climbing.
Facing more than double the firepower was truly frightening.
Better flee while we can.
The Jackdaw set off in pursuit of the merchantman.
"Our Pirate ships carry no heavy cargo, so we can usually catch up; with good luck it takes half a day, with bad luck maybe a whole month," Sakazuki reported hastily.
Since that was so, Fang Yuan walked straight to a Cannon, kicked a Pirate aside, and aimed it himself.
He wanted to see if gunnery was really that hard.
Though he had never used such old-fashioned artillery, he had thrown grenades—after all, back at the start it was Fang Yuan, as Black Mask, who'd tossed grenades to blast open Angel's path to fame.
The moment his hands touched the gun and he glanced at the distant ship, he quickly worked out the ballistic curve from Cannon to target.
He no longer had the [Research Template] active, and his mental stats had returned to normal, but the mental expansion it granted was permanent; the knowledge remained, so he aimed and fired in one smooth motion.
Boom!
The shot struck the merchantman, smashing a chunk out of her stern.
Naval guns of this era fired only solid shot, relying on Gunpowder's impulse to shatter the enemy.
Fang Yuan could certainly improve them, but saw no need—he came to be a Pirate, not an inventor.
Sakazuki and the Pirates were stunned; at such range Fang Yuan had scored a hit with his very first ball.
Yet Fang Yuan was still dissatisfied—that had merely been a ranging shot to gauge ballistics and power; the real show was about to begin.
He directed the Pirates to reload, adjusted elevation, and fired again.
Boom!
The solid ball traced a perfect arc and smashed square into the merchantman's Mast, snapping it in half.
The Pirates cheered. The merchantman was a two-master; losing one Mast cut her speed, and the gap began to close.
"Captain, you're amazing!" Sakazuki exclaimed. "How did you do that?"
"Factor in elevation, wind, gun mass, powder strength, and hull roll, then compute the parabola," Fang Yuan said with a wave.
Compared with Iron Man Suits, Kryptonian tech, or biochemical serums, calculating a parabola was child's play—even without the [Research Template] he could do it perfectly.
Sakazuki stood dumbstruck, trying to grasp what Fang Yuan had said, but his mind was mush.
Still, he reacted quickly.
Didn't understand?
Of course he didn't.
If he understood, wouldn't he be the Captain?
So Sakazuki raised his arm and started the chant: "Black King!"
"Black King!"
The other Pirates took up the cry—who wouldn't follow a capable Captain?
Fang Yuan's authority soared.
"Black King!"
"Black King!"
As the distance closed, the Sailors on the merchantman heard the Pirates' roar.
The Sailors buzzed with talk.
"What are they shouting?"
"Black King?"
"Must be their Pirate band's name."
"What do we do?"
The merchant Captain raised a Long Rifle and declared valiantly, "Fight them to the end!"
But just then Fang Yuan fired again—six guns at once.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
All six balls slammed into the merchantman, every shot finding its mark, wreaking severe damage.
Gulp!
The Sailors swallowed in unison and turned to their Captain.
The merchant Captain instantly dropped his Musket.
What was the point? If the other side fired all thirty guns and every shot landed, their ship would sink.
The vessel carried plenty of powder; a bombardment could easily start fires and cause explosions. The Captain felt speechless.
Why didn't you say your gunnery was this accurate? You deliberately missed the first time to give us false hope, didn't you?
Had Fang Yuan heard, he would certainly have protested.
"I know I'm good at shooting, but I didn't expect to be this good once I actually started!"
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