Just as Sakazuki had said, the cargo on this ship was mostly sugar, rice, and the like.
Those were all valuable goods; plenty of merchants in port would buy them at below-market prices.
Merchants chase profit and don't care where the goods came from. Pirates might rob Merchant A and sell to Merchant B, then rob Merchant B and sell to Merchant C.
After all, Pirates don't offer after-sales service—once you leave port, you're on your own.
Fang Yuan didn't make things hard for the sailors; after they moved the cargo to The Jackdaw he let them go.
He wasn't worried that these men would report to the navy or raise an alarm once they returned to port.
On the contrary, Fang Yuan made a point of telling every Sailor that the Black Emperor Pirates had robbed them, and their leader was the Black Emperor Fang Yuan. He wanted as many people as possible to know his name; these robbed Sailors were his personal publicity team.
[Reputation: 18 (Unknown)]
"Too low, way too low." Fang Yuan shook his head.
The reputation stat covered the entire World. A mere Pirate wasn't enough to cause a sensation, and since Fang Yuan wanted to play Pirate, he'd have to grow into a threat to the whole World.
"A long road lies ahead," Fang Yuan sighed.
Fortunately, several years still remained before the main plot began—enough time for Fang Yuan to finish a Pirate's primitive accumulation.
He'd start with… teaching his men to fire Cannons.
If his underlings couldn't even shoot, it would be an embarrassment to the name Fang Yuan.
So when they docked, Fang Yuan had craftsmen come aboard and fit each Cannon with a graduated scale.
"Remember this line on the ship. From now on, every Cannon sits on it. When I give you a degree, adjust the gun to that angle." Fang Yuan lectured his men.
"Uh… Captain!"
A Pirate quickly raised his hand.
"How do you read the angle?"
Don't expect Pirates to know much; many things taken for granted in later eras were Greek to them.
Pirates knew "hard-a-port," "hard-a-starboard," "a quarter to port," every point of sail, but ask them for 90° or 45° and they'd be clueless.
Fang Yuan waved Sakazuki over and taught him how to read angles from start to finish. Sakazuki had been navy, his schooling a notch above the Pirates', and he picked it up quickly.
"You're in charge of teaching them. Anyone who can't do it by tomorrow sails ashore!" Fang Yuan ordered.
The Pirates tensed up; in just over a month with Fang Yuan they'd already split two payouts—nobody wanted to leave this money-printing Jackdaw.
So they crowded around Sakazuki, staring earnestly at the Protractor.
Luckily, although the Pirates couldn't read, the Arabic Numerals from India were familiar—money was involved—so learning the scale wasn't hard.
Soon The Jackdaw set sail again, leaving port and heading east across the Atlantic Ocean. This was the sea route to Europe, and within days they spotted another merchant vessel.
This one was far larger than their previous prizes, nearly sixty meters long—considered a big ship for the era.
And on guard.
The Jackdaw, disguised as an England vessel, had only to approach before the merchant fired several warning shots across her bow.
"Captain, maybe we should pick another target," Sakazuki suggested.
Such large merchantmen carried heavy guns and crews that could top a hundred—hard bones most Pirates avoided.
But Fang Yuan wasn't one to retreat from difficulty.
"Full speed, charge their flank!" he ordered without hesitation.
Sakazuki didn't quite understand, but he was a competent First Mate.
"Aye aye!"
The Jackdaw surged ahead, making the merchant even warier; it fired another salvo as a warning.
Because The Jackdaw wasn't heading straight for them, the merchant Captain couldn't be sure of her intent and could only order his men to battle stations.
Sakazuki and the others weren't wrong: this great merchantman carried 120 crew and 45 Cannons.
So, faced with the oddly behaving but far smaller Jackdaw, the merchant Captain wasn't overly worried.
"If they really are Pirates, let them taste the firepower of the manchester merchantman!" the Captain declared confidently.
manchester was a major England port; a ship named after it was no ordinary vessel, and the Captain had every right to be proud.
But they had no idea their Pirate opponent had already activated a cheat.
"Maintain speed. All guns elevation 75°. Guns one through five train right 13°, guns twenty-five through thirty train left 13°!"
On the deck, Fang Yuan quickly calculated the optimal firing angles; once the Pirates had finished adjusting, he barked—
"Fire!"
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
Fang Yuan frowned at the ragged volley that sounded like a fireworks show.
He told Sakazuki beside him, "Remember: next time, every gun must fire within one second of the command."
"Aye, sir!" Sakazuki nodded hastily and ran off to relay the order to the Pirates.
Fang Yuan was dissatisfied with the Pirates' performance, but the crew of the Merchant Ship on the other side were scared out of their wits.
The moment the merchant Captain saw the enemy open fire he shouted "Evasive action!", yet when he tracked the cannonballs' trajectories his face turned deathly pale.
"T-this... this...".
The Sailors on board immediately sensed something was wrong.
"How are their guns so accurate?" a Sailor cried.
Of the thirty Cannons aboard The Jackdaw, only two shots missed because of the ship's roll; every other round flew straight for them.
In this era, such accuracy was beyond the wildest dreams of common seamen.
"Boom-boom-boom!".
"Boom-boom-boom!".
Over twenty cannonballs struck the merchant vessel; splinters flew and the unlucky Sailors hit screamed in agony.
Fortunately the ship was large enough that the damage wasn't too severe—had it been the vessel Fang Yuan captured last time, it would already be crippled.
"Return fire! Return fire!".
The Captain hurriedly organized a reply, but the merchant's scattered broadside had barely sounded when The Jackdaw's next salvo arrived.
"Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!".
Once again the freakishly high accuracy sent bodies tumbling across the deck; Captain and crew alike were stunned.
"Witchcraft! It has to be witchcraft!".
the merchant Captain shouted.
In their experience, no naval battle beyond point-blank range ever saw accuracy above ninety percent—only sorcery, black magic, could explain it.
"Quick—heave every powder barrel overboard!".
"Full speed—get us out of here!".
The Captain was decisive; continuing the duel would be suicide. Their own broadsides were lucky to land a few shots near The Jackdaw and inflict little real harm.
"Captain, a couple more volleys—if we hit their magazine, that ship is finished!" Sakazuki said excitedly. "We can still make a fortune salvaging the cargo!".
Fang Yuan rolled his eyes. "Wreck that ship?".
"A criminal waste!".
He swept out an arm. "After her—that ship is mine!".
The manchester was a three-masted cargo ship, larger than many naval frigates; beside her Fang Yuan's present Pirate craft looked shabby, so naturally he coveted the upgrade.
Sakazuki looked troubled. "But she carries over a hundred sailors—we'll be hard-pressed to control her.".
Yet seeing Fang Yuan's unyielding expression, the First Mate obeyed at once.
He shouted down to the Pirates: "Clear every powder barrel and chase her down!".
A stern chase began: the manchester fleeing ahead, The Jackdaw pursuing. Laden with cargo, the merchantman could not match the Pirate brig for speed.
Still, by jettisoning goods to foul the waters they kept the gap from closing too quickly.
At first the manchester kept up a cannonade, but after two more disciplined broadsides from Fang Yuan she fell silent.
Too hot to handle.
By now the manchester's Captain understood: these Pirates wanted not only the cargo but the very ship herself!
"Outrageous!".
The Captain ordered the men to arms at once.
"We can't beat them at range, but with our numbers no Pirate will dare come aboard!" he bellowed, rallying the crew.
His reasoning was sound: The Jackdaw mustered barely forty Pirates, less than half the merchant's complement; once the battle came to close quarters the Pirates would be at the disadvantage.
The chase lasted until nightfall, when The Jackdaw finally drew level; Sailors on both vessels crowded the rails, shouting taunts across the narrow strip of black water.
At this distance every gun could find its mark, yet that very certainty persuaded both sides to hold their fire.
The Jackdaw's broadside was lighter, her timbers not so stout as the manchester's.
The merchantman, for her part, feared a lucky shot might detonate her own magazine and send both ships to the bottom.
In the manchester's view, superiority in numbers made boarding victory certain; there was no need for such risky gunnery.
But the manchester's Captain did not know the adage: to catch bandits, first catch the ringleader.
And a ship named The Jackdaw clearly had someone who had studied with the Assassin Brotherhood.
While every eye was fixed on the enemy rail, The Jackdaw's mainmast creaked slightly.
Fang Yuan shinnied across to the manchester's Mast and, hidden by billowing canvas, crept downward unseen.
One Sailor noticed something, glanced aloft—and saw nothing.
Then, turning back, the seamen froze in disbelief.
"Captain!" a Sailor yelled. "Pi—Pirates!".
"Pirates are right over there—stop panicking!" the Captain snapped irritably.
But the men pointed, voices trembling: "No—Pirate—on your head!".
Lightning split the night sky, and Fang Yuan's figure was finally revealed.
So was the gleaming blade in his hand.
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