After the storm, the sea was as calm as a giant sapphire.
Although the sea serpent sustained some damage in the storm, with a few ropes snapped and several gashes on its hull, its main structure remained intact, not affecting its voyage.
The atmosphere on board was a world apart from before.
Roger was no longer the 'rookie' everyone could order around.
Instead, he had become the most respected person on the entire ship, his status even subtly surpassing that of Captain Barbossa.
The pirates no longer called him 'kid' or 'hey,' but respectfully addressed him as 'Mr. Roger.'
Or, more intimately, directly called him 'Brother Lin Ye.'
"Brother Lin Ye, come, have a puff?"
Bearded Billy, as if presenting a treasure, offered a rough cigarette he had rolled himself.
"Mr. Roger, thirsty? I have fresh water here!"
A young pirate eagerly ran over, holding a waterskin.
Even Gibbs, the One-Eyed Man who used to boss him around, now followed Roger like a loyal servant, never leaving his side, addressing him with 'you' every time.
"Mr. Roger, do you think our current heading is correct?"
Gibbs held a crude sea chart, leaning towards Roger to ask for guidance.
Roger glanced at the chart, which looked like a scribble, then looked at the sun's position and the ship's direction, shaking his head:
"It's off."
"Adjust five more degrees to the southeast, and we should see the coastline of Tortuga in about two days."
"Alright! Southeast five degrees!"
Gibbs, as if he had found a treasure, immediately bellowed orders to the helmsman.
"Did everyone hear that! Mr. Roger said, southeast five degrees!"
The helmsman, without a word, immediately began to adjust the direction.
Captain Barbossa stood by the Captain's Cabin door not far away, arms crossed, watching the scene with a complex smile on his face.
He, the captain, now seemed like an outsider.
However, he wasn't angry at all; instead, he found it somewhat amusing and fortunate.
A subordinate walked over and whispered to him:
"Captain, this kid... his prestige on the ship is now even higher than yours."
Barbossa glanced at him and snorted.
"What? Do you have an opinion?"
The subordinate shivered in fright and quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, no! How could I have an opinion!"
"I just feel... a bit strange."
"What's so strange?" Barbossa looked at Roger's back and said slowly.
"At sea, whoever can lead everyone to survive, whoever can lead everyone to find treasure, that person is the boss."
"These are the rules of pirates."
"This kid has the ability; not to mention his prestige is higher than mine, even if he were to say now that he wants to be the captain of this ship, I, Barbossa, would hand over the position to him without a second thought."
The subordinate listened, dumbfounded.
Barbossa patted his shoulder.
"We survived this time entirely because of him."
"And, haven't you noticed?"
"Following his guided route, our ship speed is at least 20% faster than before!"
"This means we can reach our destination faster than others, whether it's chasing merchant ships or going to port to fence goods; this is a huge advantage."
He paused, a hint of emotion in his tone:
"We've struck gold this time."
"This kid is a true navigational genius!"
Just as Barbossa said, under Roger's guidance, the sea serpent's sailing efficiency improved by more than one level.
He taught the crew how to precisely adjust the angle of each sail according to different wind directions to achieve maximum thrust.
He taught them how to observe the color of the seawater and the shape of the waves to judge underwater currents and shoals.
He even designed a simple device.
With a bucket and a few ropes, he could roughly estimate the ship's speed.
These pieces of knowledge, for Roger, were just the most basic part of modern navigation.
But for these 17th-century pirates, it was as miraculous as magic.
"My heavens! Mr. Roger, look!"
"It's really as you said, by adjusting the angle of that small sail, the ship suddenly sped up so much!"
"It's amazing!"
"I used to think that just hoisting the sails as high as possible was enough!"
"Mr. Roger, where on earth did you learn these skills? Were you an officer in the Royal Navy before?"
Facing the crew's barrage of questions, Roger just smiled and vaguely replied:
"I learned it in a very distant place."
He couldn't very well say he had transmigrated from several hundred years later.
This sense of mystery, on the contrary, made the pirates respect him even more.
They discussed among themselves, speculating that Roger might be the descendant of a fallen noble, having received the most top-tier navigational education, or perhaps a secret disciple of a legendary navigator.
In short, no one treated him as an ordinary castaway anymore.
Two days passed quickly in calm and efficient sailing.
When the lookout shouted again, his voice was filled with joy.
"Land! I see land! It's Tortuga!"
The deck immediately erupted in cheers.
Roger walked to the bow and looked into the distance.
At the horizon where the sea met the sky, a dark blue coastline appeared in view.
As the ship approached, the outline of the island became clearer and clearer.
A port town nestled in a bay slowly revealed itself.
That was Tortuga, the most famous fencing ground, supply station, and safe harbor for pirates in the Caribbean Sea.
The port was filled with various sailing ships, masts standing like a cluttered forest.
The buildings in the town were crooked and looked dilapidated.
But in the air, there was a pervasive sense of freedom, chaos, and vitality.
The scent of rum, women's laughter, and the quarrels and songs of pirates could be heard from afar, reaching the ship.
The pirates on the sea serpent could no longer hold back.
They whistled, tidied their weapons, and prepared the goods to be fenced ashore, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation.
Captain Barbossa walked over to Roger and handed him a heavy leather pouch.
"Roger, this is your share."
Roger took the pouch and opened it.
Inside, it was filled with glittering gold and silver coins.
Gold coins!
Roger's heart suddenly pounded.
He suppressed his excitement and poured them out to count.
There were a full twenty gold coins, and a large handful of silver coins.
This was definitely not his deserved 'double share'; Barbossa had clearly given him a much larger share than promised.
"Captain, this is too much," Roger said.
"Not at all," Barbossa waved his hand, a sincere smile on his face, "This is what you deserve."
"Without you, we, along with the ship, would have long been shark food, and these riches wouldn't exist."
"Take it, Brother."
He looked at Roger and said solemnly.
"This is just for this time."
"From now on, as long as you are on the sea serpent, you will take 20% of all our gains!"
"This is a decision agreed upon by all the crew."
Twenty percent!
This was already the share of a first mate or even a partner.
Roger looked at Barbossa, then at the pirates around him who cast kind and approving glances his way, and his heart warmed.
He no longer refused, tightly gripping the money pouch.
"Alright."
This was not just a bag of gold coins.
This was the first true recognition and wealth he had gained since coming to this world.
It was also his hope for activating the system.
"Go! Brothers!"
Barbossa waved his hand, full of vigor.
"Ashore! To the Mermaid's Song tavern!"
"All expenses tonight are on my tab! For our hero, Brother Lin Ye, a welcome feast!"
"Oho!"
The pirates, carrying their goods, surrounded Roger, cheering as they walked down the gangplank and stepped onto the land of Tortuga.
Roger followed in the crowd, one hand tightly clutching the bag of gold coins, while the other quietly reached for the translucent blue panel in the lower right corner of his vision.
The first pot of gold was in hand!