Barbossa woke up at noon.
The hangover made his head ache terribly.
He gulped down a large glass of rum and felt slightly better.
Of course, it was a psychological effect.
Alcohol would only make his headache worse...
He walked onto the deck and saw the crew gathered in small groups, excitedly discussing something.
"Captain!"
Gibbs saw him and immediately ran over.
"Where's Roger? Where's that kid?"
Barbossa asked. What he cared about most now was the "big deal" Roger had promised.
"Mr. Roger went out early this morning, saying he was going to handle some formalities."
"He just got back."
Gibbs pointed to the north side of the dock.
"He's on that old ship right now."
Barbossa looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw Roger standing on the deck of the sea nymph, tinkering with something.
"Let's go take a look."
Barbossa led Gibbs and several curious crew members towards the sea nymph.
The closer he got, the more Barbossa's brow furrowed.
The ship was even more dilapidated than he had imagined.
It was practically a pile of garbage floating on the water.
Fifty gold coins for this thing, what was this kid thinking?
"Roger!"
Barbossa jumped onto the ship, and the wooden planks under his feet let out a grating creak that made his teeth ache; he felt the ship could fall apart at any moment.
"You bought this junk?"
Roger was inspecting the broken mainmast when he heard the sound and turned his head, a hint of unconcealed excitement on his face.
"It's done, Captain."
He shook the ship's deed in his hand.
"From now on, it's mine."
"Yours? Haha, congratulations, you've become the owner of this pile of garbage."
A pirate who had followed them couldn't help but mock.
Roger ignored him and said to Barbossa:
"Captain, regarding our next business venture, I already have a target."
"Oh?" Barbossa's spirits lifted.
He immediately cast aside his disdain for the dilapidated ship.
"Tell me quickly."
"santa trinidad," Roger slowly uttered the name.
"santa trinidad?"
Barbossa was stunned for a moment, then his face changed drastically.
"Are you talking about that missing Spanish treasure ship?"
This name was almost universally known among pirates and treasure hunters in the Caribbean Sea.
Legend had it that the treasures it carried were enough to buy all of Jamaica.
Countless people had set out to search for it, but all had returned empty-handed, not even seeing a shadow of the ship.
Over time, it had become a vague legend, and no one believed it truly existed anymore.
"That's right, it's her." Roger nodded.
"Brother Lin Ye, you're not joking, are you?" Gibbs was also stunned, "That's just a legend! No one knows where it is!"
"I know." Roger's tone was calm and certain.
Barbossa stared at him intently: "What evidence do you have?"
Roger unhurriedly took out a piece of paper from his In my arms. This was a simple sea chart he had drawn from memory that morning.
"Captain, look."
He pointed to a location on the chart.
"Here, it's southeast of the Spanish main shipping lane, an area marked as Razor Reef on the chart."
"All ships avoid this place because it's said to be full of hidden reefs and chaotic currents, a dead end if you enter."
Barbossa leaned over to look and nodded.
He, of course, knew about Razor Reef; it was a famous death trap at sea.
"According to the intelligence I received, the santa trinidad, to escape pursuit back then, did not return to Spanish, but chose a route no one would have expected, venturing into Razor Reef."
Roger continued.
"They thought they could pass through it, but they failed."
"The ship sank in the center of this sea area."
Barbossa, Gibbs, and the others listened, dumbfounded.
This account was detailed and convincing, not at all like a made-up story.
"You... how do you know all this so clearly?"
Barbossa's voice was a little dry.
"Where did you get this information?"
"An old friend told me," Roger casually fabricated an excuse.
"He spent half his life researching this and only told me the secret before he died."
Although this explanation was full of holes, the people present were all rough types who wouldn't delve deeply into it.
Moreover, half a lifetime, for these simple-minded people, sounded very convincing.
What they cared about more was whether this secret was true or false.
Barbossa's breathing became heavy.
In his heart, there was half doubt and half uncontrollable excitement.
If what Roger said was true... that would be a mountain of gold floating on the sea!
He looked at Roger, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.
This young man, the first time they met, predicted a storm.
In the Devil's Triangle, he guided the route like a god.
Now, he had even produced the exact location of a legendary treasure!
Who exactly was he?
How many secrets did he still hide?
How did he know everything!
Barbossa's heart was churning with immense waves.
He realized that his previous assessment of Roger's value was still too low.
This young man was not some navigation genius at all.
He was a living treasure!
A human treasure map that could continuously dig up gold!
At this moment, Barbossa suddenly felt that he had asked for too little in their agreement.
However, he did not show this greed on his face.
He pondered for a moment, pointed to the Razor Reef area on the chart, and said:
"Even if what you say is true, this place is not easy to enter."
"Razor Reef, no ship that enters there ever comes out alive."
He was testing Roger.
"With me, we can get out." Roger's answer was simple and confident.
This confidence completely dispelled Barbossa's last trace of doubt.
He recalled the scene in the Devil's Triangle.
If Roger could even navigate through a place like that, what was a Razor Reef?
He didn't believe Roger would joke with his own life without confidence!
"Good!"
Barbossa slapped his thigh fiercely, his eyes blazing with greedy fire.
"Let's do this one! When do we leave?"
"The sooner the better," Roger said.
"But before we leave, we need to make some preparations."
"I need some tools and materials."
"What do you need? Make a list, and I'll have Gibbs get it right away!"
Barbossa was already impatient now.
"Also," Roger glanced at the dilapidated ship under his feet.
"While I'm at sea, I hope the Captain can send a few people to help me drag this ship ashore and look after it."
"No problem!"
Barbossa waved his hand and readily agreed.
"Never mind dragging it ashore; when you come back, if you need help repairing the ship, you can pick anyone from my crew!"
His mind was now full of the gold mountain, and he was eager to fulfill Roger's requests.
In his opinion, as long as they could get the treasure of the santa trinidad, never mind helping Roger guard a broken ship, he would even give him a new ship!
Once things were settled, the crew immediately sprang into action.
Gibbs took the list Roger had made and led people to town to procure supplies.
The items on the list were all very strange.
Things like large quantities of tung oil, hemp fibers, and some names they had never heard of.
Barbossa, meanwhile, personally directed the preparations for the sea serpent to set sail again.
The entire team, driven by the immense temptation of the lost treasure, erupted with unprecedented efficiency and enthusiasm.
Roger stood at the bow of the sea nymph, watching the bustling crowd on the dock, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The fish had taken the bait.
He turned around, his back to the crowd, and submerged his consciousness back into his mind.
Now, it was time for business.
He focused his thoughts on the technology tree that could now be activated.
"Do you want to consume 10 gold coins to activate 'Ancient Ship Technology'?"
"Yes!"
Roger silently affirmed in his mind.