The steel bow of the explorer cut through the waves under the night sky.
On the ship, there was no longer that decadent atmosphere of being so bored that one could only pass the time by disassembling one's own parts.
Instead, there was a fervor and restlessness, like payday was approaching.
Over a hundred Black Iron Skeletons were gathered on the deck, engaging in a team-building activity characteristic of the explorer's corporate culture.
Arm wrestling.
Except, they weren't using their arms.
"Come on! Place your bets! Buck versus Billy! The battle of the century!"
Gibbs, clutching his abacus, was like a boss of an underground casino, spitting as he shouted.
In the center of the deck, Buck and Billy, two veteran employees of the company, were each butting heads, engaging in a primitive test of strength.
Their two Black Iron skulls gleamed eerily in the moonlight, and every time they exerted force, a grating, teeth-grinding metallic friction sound would emanate.
"Damn it, Billy, did you polish your head or something? Why is it so slippery!"
"Bullshit! I'm naturally beautiful! Don't bite me with your teeth!"
"I didn't! That's my nasal bone! It grew crooked on its own!"
Roger couldn't be bothered with this group of over-energetic madmen.
He stood at the bow, feeling the sea breeze, holding a crooked "Iwami Ginzan Defense Map" that Jack Sparrow had sent via a seabird, feeling more relaxed than ever before.
His employees' physical fitness met the standards, intelligence was in place, and the startup capital was so abundant that he wanted to swim in a pile of gold coins.
The right time, the right place, and the right people.
If he couldn't "zero-yuan purchase" that Iwami Ginzan this time, he would write his name, Roger, backward!
"Captain!"
Hector's voice came from behind, with a hint of excitement.
"The coastline is ahead! We can already see the lights on shore!"
"Very good."
Roger put down the map and picked up his extra-long cherished telescope.
"All hands, prepare for landing!"
"Tonight, I'm going to turn Iwami Ginzan into Iwami Basin!"
He aimed his telescope at the shore, ready to admire the enemy's laughable and pathetic defensive works in the face of absolute power.
However, what he saw was not a heavily guarded military fortress.
Instead, it was a scene of... brightly lit, singing and dancing prosperity.
In a large manor by the coast, lanterns were hung, and people were bustling.
A long procession, carrying lanterns, playing shakuhachi, and beating taiko drums, stretched down the mountain path.
The scene was livelier than New Year's.
"Damn it, what's going on?"
Roger adjusted the telescope to its maximum magnification.
"Are these Japanese pirates really that carefree?"
"We're almost at their doorstep, and they're still in the mood to party?"
Roger frowned, slowly moving the lens, scanning the lively crowd.
Then, his movements froze.
In the very center of that procession, in a luxuriously decorated palanquin carried by eight samurai.
A familiar figure was leaning there.
He was wearing a visibly expensive silk kimono, with his chest open, revealing the tattered pirate shirt underneath.
His iconic smoky eye makeup was clumsily imitated into a kabuki style, making him look out of place.
Most absurdly, his messy dreadlocks were actually pinned up with a hairpin, adorned with a delicate chrysanthemum.
He held a folding fan in one hand, fanning himself with affected elegance.
In his other hand, he held a sake cup, occasionally taking a sip.
His face bore a complex expression, a mix of drunkenness, "Who am I, where am I?" and "I'm the greatest in the world."
Who else could it be but Jack Sparrow?!
"Damn it!"
Roger almost dropped the telescope in his hand.
Wasn't this guy supposed to be undercover?
He's practically undercover in the enemy's bed!
Look at him, he's practically a gigolo kept by a rich woman!
"Ding! Employee Jack Sparrow is detected enjoying an over-the-top enemy-rear life, which has severely violated the company's spirit of hard work and frugality! Hidden quest triggered: 'Anti-Involution in the Workplace, Starting with Me!'"
The system's voice, sounding cheeky, rang in Roger's mind.
"Quest Requirement: Host, please immediately go to the banquet scene, conduct a cordial and friendly performance review with the employee, and convey the company's latest 007 work ethic to him!"
"Quest Reward: Jack Sparrow's loyalty +10, and unlock special skill: The Boss's Gaze!"
Roger didn't want to gaze at Jack Sparrow right now; he only wanted to stuff his chrysanthemum into the barrel of an Armstrong cannon!
Oh no, or perhaps the other way around would be better.
"Captain, what's wrong?"
Hector, seeing Roger motionless for a long time, came closer.
"Look." Roger handed him the telescope.
A few seconds later.
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