Aboard the Bianca.
Under the night sky.
Bianca, having no way to win an argument with Dexter, couldn't be bothered to banter anymore. She crouched down in front of Will Turner to examine him.
The situation wasn't too dire.
Will Turner's right shin was broken.
As for treatment...
In this era, surgery and steel pins weren't exactly an option. All she could do was splint it with some wooden boards and pray that Will Turner was tough enough to survive.
Bianca busied herself for a while.
Time ticked by. As midnight approached, Gibbs's voice rang out.
Dexter, who was bored out of his mind waiting, perked up instantly upon hearing it and looked toward the sound.
Gibbs was approaching, leading a noisy group of people carrying piles of supplies.
Dexter immediately walked to the railing and shouted a greeting.
"Captain, we're here!" Gibbs replied happily.
After that, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Gibbs directed the newly recruited crew to load various supplies onto the ship.
Being a pirate meant long stretches at sea, so they needed a lot of provisions.
First and foremost was rum. If a pirate ship didn't have rum... heh, who the hell would want to be a pirate on it?
Next came fresh water and food. A voyage could last anywhere from half a month to several months. Running out of food was bearable; running out of water was a death sentence.
In the blink of an eye, over an hour passed.
People and supplies were all aboard.
Gibbs gathered the twenty-plus crew members in front of Dexter.
Dexter stood side-by-side with a beaming Bianca and an equally excited Carl.
Both sides made simple introductions and exchanged a few words.
Done.
Hoist the sails and weigh anchor!
In the dead of night.
The Bianca's anchor was hauled up. Then, the sails unfurled, and the ship began to move slowly.
"Captain, where are we heading?" Gibbs walked up to Dexter, who was at the helm, and asked quietly.
Dexter grinned. "Gibbs, ever heard of Isla Cruces?"
Gibbs shook his head directly. "Never heard of it. Is there treasure there?"
"There's something ten, a hundred times more precious than treasure there!" Dexter said with a smile.
Gibbs instantly got pumped. He lowered his voice even further, asking mysteriously, "Some kind of mystical artifact?"
"Mmhmm!" Dexter confirmed.
Gibbs felt like he understood perfectly and laughed heartily. "Aye!"
The night deepened.
The ship sailed smoothly.
Bianca was sleepy, yawning constantly.
Carl, on the other hand, was truly impressive. He had already mingled with the crew, drinking rum with them and listening to their tall tales.
Dexter glanced at Bianca, then summoned Gibbs over. He temporarily handed over control of the ship and the nautical chart to Gibbs, putting him in charge. Then, he took Bianca to the captain's quarters to rest.
Bianca was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, walking unsteadily.
Watching her like this, Dexter couldn't help but chuckle.
Once in the captain's quarters, after tucking Bianca in, Dexter wasn't sleepy at all. He lit his pipe, sat down nearby, pulled up the System, and started opening loot boxes.
Now that they had officially set sail and begun their pirate journey, boosting their strength was crucial.
Otherwise, whether they ran into other pirates or the Navy, there was a high chance the ship would be destroyed and everyone would die.
> [Karma Points: 274,560]
Still over two hundred and seventy thousand points left.
Considering what he planned to do next, this wasn't much. He needed to earn more.
Which meant if they ran into pirates or the Navy... they had to fight the bastards.
> [You opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations! You obtained: Ship Hull Defense Upgrade.]
> Upgrading...
> Upgrade successful. Hull defense increased to Level 1. Acquired Level 1 Defensive Shield, capable of withstanding one round of cannon fire!
Badass!
> [You opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations! You obtained: Unlimited Cannons... Claimable one by one.]
> [You opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations! You obtained: Unlimited Cannonballs... Claimable one by one.]
> [You opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations! You obtained: A Living Figurehead... This figurehead is customizable. You can visualize it in your mind, customize it, then claim it... During battle, this figurehead can participate in combat, and can also die.]
Whoa!
This thing was powerful!
So...
Dexter thought for a moment, his mischievous side taking over as he made a decision.
Since the ship was named the Bianca, the figurehead naturally had to be modeled after Bianca.
A few minutes later.
The figurehead customization was complete and claimed.
Silently, a larger-than-life sculpture of Bianca, sword in hand, appeared at the prow of the pirate ship Bianca.
> [You opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations! You obtained: Flintlock Marksmanship - Master Skill.]
> [You opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations! You obtained: Swordsmanship - Master Skill.]
> [You opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations! You obtained: Pirate Cuisine - Cooking Master Skill.]
> [You opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations! You obtained: 50 Gold Coins.]
Alright, Karma Points were down to two hundred thousand.
He stopped opening boxes for now. He'd come back when he earned more points.
Dexter pondered silently.
The ship now had a Level 1 Defensive Shield. With this advantage, if they encountered a lone Navy vessel or a pirate ship that didn't look too tough... taking them on shouldn't be a major problem.
After thinking it through, Dexter paused that train of thought and switched his mental focus to connect with Little Crow.
A short while ago.
Elizabeth Swann had been captured by Barbossa's men and taken aboard the Black Pearl.
Little Crow had followed them and was currently perched atop the mast, diligently keeping watch.
On the deck.
Barbossa struck a deal with Elizabeth, then ordered his men to cease the attack on Port Royal and set sail.
At this moment.
Jack the Monkey, standing on Barbossa's shoulder, suddenly looked up at Little Crow.
Spotting Little Crow, Jack the Monkey chattered twice, then leaped onto the mast and scampered up toward the bird with incredible speed.
Little Crow blinked, shot Jack the Monkey a look of disdain, and didn't move until the monkey was right in front of him. Only then did he casually flap his wings and take flight.
But Little Crow wasn't fleeing; he was attacking.
Little Crow flew up, quickly circled around behind Jack the Monkey, and before the monkey could react, opened his beak, grabbed a tuft of fur, and yanked it out.
Jack the Monkey yelped in pain, screeching in anger.
Barbossa loved Jack the Monkey. Hearing the cry, he immediately looked up.
It took him two seconds to spot Little Crow, whose all-black feathers made him very hard to detect in the night sky.
"Where'd that crow come from?" Barbossa muttered in confusion. He decisively drew his pistol and fired a shot into the sky, intending to scare the bird off.
"Caw~ Caw~" Little Crow cawed unhappily, then flapped his wings and flew to another part of the Black Pearl to avoid the heat for now.
"Damned crow," Barbossa cursed with a laugh as he watched the bird fly away. He holstered his gun, dismissed it, turned back to Elizabeth Swann, and grinned wickedly. "Ms. Elizabeth, welcome aboard the Black Pearl! Hahahaha~~"