"You... you said you can lift the curse?"
Barraba's voice became sharp with excitement.
He grabbed Roger's shoulder again, as if to confirm he hadn't misheard.
"Brother Roger, don't joke around! This... this is a curse!" Gibbs, standing nearby, was also stunned. He thought Roger must be crazy.
How could such a supernatural thing be lifted?
"I never joke."
Roger pulled away from Barraba's hand, his expression calm.
"This curse originates from the ancient Aztec witchcraft."
"To lift it, two conditions are required."
"Which two conditions? Speak quickly!"
Barraba pressed urgently, like a drowning man who saw a hand extended from the shore.
"First, all the lost gold coins must be found, not a single one less."
"Eight hundred and eighty-two in total," Roger slowly stated the number.
"Eight hundred and eighty-two?" Barraba's face instantly fell.
"Good heavens! Where are we going to find so many?"
"We only found... we only found this one!"
He subconsciously clutched his chest.
However, there was no need to worry about this, as the real Captain Barraba had probably already collected most of them.
"That brings us to the second condition."
Roger looked at him and said meaningfully.
"The blood debt must be repaid with the blood of those who participated in plundering these gold coins back then."
Roger's words instantly made the atmosphere in the cabin incredibly eerie.
Gibbs and Billy were completely confused.
But Barraba's face turned ashen.
He remembered the legends about the black pearl and the legendary pirate captain also named Barraba.
Legend had it that they once possessed such cursed gold coins and consequently became undead monsters.
Could it be... those legends were all true?
And could this one in his hand be one of the lost ones?
"Then... then what should we do?"
A hint of a sob entered Barraba's voice.
"I wasn't one of the people who stole the gold coins back then."
"So, we don't need to use our own blood."
Roger smiled.
"We just need to find those gold coins, then find the people whose blood is needed for repayment, and return the gold coins."
He was subtly changing the concept.
He simplified the complex process of lifting the curse from the movie into a task that Barraba could understand and would be willing to undertake.
And just as Roger finished speaking, the system in his mind reacted again.
"Host is attempting to collect 'Ancient Relic'."
"Task System Activated."
"Main Quest: Era Advancement"
"Quest Objective: Collect all 882 'Cursed aztec gold coins' and forge them into 'Ancient Relic - cortez's heart' through the system."
"Quest Reward: Upon submission, the technology tree will advance to the 'Medieval Era' and unlock brand new medieval ship technologies."
"Current Progress: 1 / 882"
Looking at the clear task brief on the system panel, Roger's heart couldn't help but beat faster.
Medieval Era!
These four words held infinite temptation for him.
If ancient technology allowed him to establish a foothold in this era and own a decent ship.
Then medieval technology would give him the capital to crush ordinary pirates, after all, not every ship was at the forefront of civilization!
Most ships were still very primitive.
That would mean a more robust hull structure.
For example, a double-hulled design!
That would mean a more efficient sailing system.
For example, the complex rigging layout of a full-rigged ship!
That would mean more powerful firepower.
For example, 32-pound long-barreled cannons capable of firing heavy cannonballs!
As long as he completed this mission, he could leap from a small pirate captain with a bit of skill to a true pirate lord capable of dominating this ocean!
The temptation was too great, so great that Roger was willing to take any risk for it.
He already had a complete plan in mind.
Because, according to the movie's plot, Barraba and his black pearl crew held the vast majority of the aztec gold coins!
As long as he found them, Roger's mission would be more than half completed.
And this "fake" Barraba was his key to finding the "real" Barraba.
Because the gold coins would attract each other.
"Captain, is the gold coin in your hand guiding you in a direction?" Roger asked.
"Yes! Yes!"
Barraba nodded repeatedly, as if he had found a kindred spirit.
"It keeps calling me, telling me to go to a place... it seems to be... it seems to be called Isla de Muerta!"
"Then that's right."
Roger nodded, putting on a confident demeanor.
"Cortez's chest is on Isla de Muerta."
"The other gold coins are also there. We must go there, find the chest, and put all the gold coins back."
"But... but I heard there are... there are immortal monsters guarding it!" Barraba said fearfully.
"With me here, what are you afraid of?"
Roger patted his shoulder, his tone full of strong confidence.
"If I can lead you through the Devil's Triangle, I can lead you through Isla de Muerta."
"Leave those monsters to me."
He now needed to build absolute confidence in Barraba, making him see himself as the sole savior.
Even if he himself wasn't entirely sure... "However, before we go to Isla de Muerta, we still have one more thing to do."
Roger changed the subject.
"What is it?"
"According to the information I've received, besides the one in your hand, there's another cursed gold coin out there."
Roger's gaze drifted out the window, looking towards the distant horizon of the sea.
"It's in the hands of a young lady named Elizabeth Swann."
"And she should be in Port Royal right now."
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