Faced with the intimidating presence of Fang Senyan, the pirates huddled together, their expressions clearly betraying deep fear of him, yet they steadfastly refused to clear a path, nor did they dare to attack. The standoff lasted less than five minutes when suddenly, the lookout perched at the highest point yelled and roared with laughter, pointing toward the stern: "Hahahaha! One-Eyed Hog has fled in a dinghy with his cronies! You damned fools are fighting tooth and nail down here while your leader abandons you!"

The pirates blocking Fang Senyan's path staggered as if struck by lightning upon hearing the news. They couldn't help but turn to look, and sure enough, they saw the One-Eyed Hog, looking like a stray dog, clutching his severed arm, taking several trusted men into a small boat and pulling away. Their spirits instantly sank, and the weapons they held clattered onto the deck.

As it turned out, One-Eyed Hog was truly having a run of bad luck. Having just narrowly escaped Fang Senyan’s jaws in a lifeboat, he had the misfortune of being spotted by an armed British merchant ship. A few leagues out, the dinghy was blown apart by a single cannon shot, and the men aboard truly did feed the sharks of the Caribbean...

Strictly speaking, One-Eyed Hog hadn't intended to simply abandon his comrades. However, his spirit had been broken; the more he thought about it, the more powerful Fang Senyan and his group seemed. Hog knew the capabilities of the men he left behind perfectly well. Fully expecting Fang Senyan to unleash a massacre, he deemed his subordinates cannon fodder, essentially already dead men. Thus, he made a decisive break; if he hesitated, he wouldn't escape at all, intending instead to find reinforcements from the main pirate fleet for vengeance.

How could he know Fang Senyan had ulterior motives? He actually intended to recruit and assimilate these very men! Therefore, this entire sequence of events perfectly played into Fang Senyan's scheme, unfolding exactly as Fang Senyan had scripted it.

Seeing the pirates lose all will to fight, Fang Senyan waved his hand. His own pirates, brimming with high morale, raised their weapons and surrounded the remaining fifty-odd men belonging to One-Eyed Hog.

Although Fang Senyan’s actual numbers were slightly fewer, in terms of feeling and presence, it seemed as if ten times the number of men were encircling Hog’s crew. These pirates trembled in fear, packed tightly together. Some began to beg, while others started to roar in fury.

Facing this, Fang Senyan stood coldly before them without uttering a sound, waiting until an atmosphere of complete despair dominated the pirates. Only then did he viciously slash his long saber twice through the air, then roared curses at them: "You cowards, you scum, you fools! Have you lost the very courage to fight?"

No one dared to answer Fang Senyan, but some began to feel insulted, the blood rushing to their heads as they raised their weapons toward him.

At this moment, Fang Senyan nodded in satisfaction. He gazed at the pirates who dared to raise arms against him with a hint of admiration: "Very good. You lot, who should have been tossed into the sea to feed the sharks, finally show some mettle."

Saying this, Fang Senyan turned around and roared at his own pirates: "Tell these disheartened curs who they lost to!"

Fang Senyan's pirates, whose morale was sky-high, instantly roared in unison with all their might: "You lost to the Third Mate of the Flying Dutchman! To Sailor Yan from the East! The Heart of the Corrupted Soul is his trophy, and Armand was toyed with in his palm!!"

To One-Eyed Hog's subordinates, what the Corrupted Soul or Armand meant was nothing compared to the resounding thunder of the Flying Dutchman. The status of those three legendary warships in the hearts of all pirates was as deeply rooted as sacred ground or religious belief.

Even their leader, Sivalle, no matter how powerful, had never commanded a warship that ranked among the legendary vessels.

Immediately, the pirates began to whisper amongst themselves, occasionally glancing at Fang Senyan, clearly trying to match him up with the stories circulating from various bartenders and dancers!

Less than half a minute later, One-Eyed Hog’s men looked deeply dejected. A hulking man wearing a vest made of animal hides walked forward dejectedly, bowed, and said: "Since we lost to Your Excellency, then our defeat is not entirely unjust. To successfully capture and use the English three-masted 'Galleon' caravel with these old, weak, and crippled men and a sloop—you are indeed a renowned figure from a legendary warship. We decide to cease resistance. Please take our lives—if that can appease your wrath."

Fang Senyan scoffed: "Do you truly think my goal is a pitiful three-masted caravel sloop? You are mistaken! I am weary of being a Third Mate. My goal must be, at minimum, a large Caravel with five masts! My flagship will, in the future, certainly rank among the legendary warships!"

The hulking man in the animal skin vest stared blankly: "Your Excellency! Please forgive my presumption, but there is no way you can achieve that. In fact, with your current manpower, you can barely manage to sail away a large five-masted Caravel, and even that would be at the speed of women walking with their legs tightly pressed together during their period!"

Fang Senyan said seriously: "The road is walked step by step, and a meal is eaten bite by bite. I understand this clearly, which is why I need enough manpower, enough brave lads! What is your name? Tell me your name, big fellow."

The man in the animal skin vest hesitated dazedly and mumbled: "My name is Kambi, Your Excellency. You can also call me Hammer, because before I came to sea, I was a blacksmith—a decent blacksmith."

"Then are you willing to join me in taking a large five-masted Caravel? Or are you willing to die alongside me?" Fang Senyan asked suddenly, with sharp sincerity.

Kambi froze: "Your Excellency!! You are truly insane!"

Fang Senyan’s gaze was so sharp it seemed ready to tear flesh: "That is because I possess sufficient strength! And sufficient confidence!"

Kambi stared at Fang Senyan blankly for a moment, then bent his knee and knelt, his forehead touching the ground deeply: "I am willing to serve you, Your Excellency!"

"Excellent!" Fang Senyan pulled him up in one motion and then bellowed: "Those of you who dared to raise your weapons against me just now—do you still dare to step forward and gather together?"

As soon as these words were spoken, several pirates showed looks of indignation and strode forward. Fang Senyan looked at them with appreciation and roared in front of them: "You are conscripted by me! Did you hear me! Your bravery has moved me, so my benevolence spares your lives, giving you the honor to serve me! Anyone who disagrees can step out and jump into the seawater right now. Are there any? Any at all?"

The pirates exchanged glances, but not a single one moved. Unless absolutely necessary, jumping into the sea in this weather was definitely not a pleasant experience. Fang Senyan pointed at Kambi: "He will be your leader from now on! You must learn to obey his commands, just as you obey mine! As for those soft weaklings who didn't even have the courage to pick up a weapon, they are your subordinates—if anyone has an objection to my orders or feels they cannot accept them, step forward. I’ll give you ten seconds to ask questions!"

A thin pirate with a long neck timidly raised his hand. Fang Senyan tilted his chin up. The pirate asked fearfully: "Sir, if I understood correctly, your meaning is that we are all to join the Flying Dutchman?"

Fang Senyan said coldly: "That ship is currently filled entirely with half-human, half-ghost monsters. If you are willing to go aboard, I can provide you with a certificate and letter of recommendation."

A suppressed chuckle erupted from those nearby. The thin pirate shrugged: "But I feel that you and us are not much different, Sir—well, I only mean externally."

Fang Senyan said lightly: "There are always exceptions, aren't there? I want to make it clear to you now: I intend to become the Captain myself. Therefore, you will serve me for the foreseeable future. Of course, I will provide sufficient rewards for your service—I promise these rewards will be double what One-Eyed Hog gave you!"

Upon hearing this, the thin pirate nodded: "Understood, it is an honor to become your subordinate. I have no issues."

Fang Senyan waited a moment longer. Seeing that One-Eyed Hog's men were not only not discouraged but were actually whispering amongst themselves with excitement, he knew his gamble had paid off. The sea was inherently a world where the strong preyed on the weak. By directly suppressing them with force, these men, who were accustomed to following power, naturally knew how to shift allegiance.

Most importantly, the vast majority of these pirates were low-ranking and lacked true loyalty to the top—it was like if you took a basic employee from Foxconn, offered him a monthly salary of five thousand, and he would immediately quit the enterprise of the richest man in Taiwan, Gou Tai-ming, to follow you. Fang Senyan clapped his hands and issued his first command: "Alright, assemble! Everyone board this fine English three-masted vessel. You had better change into those ugly red and white rags of the British! I want to see this ship underway within five minutes! What? You ask me how to deal with these Englishmen? Wait, don't kill them. I have better plans for these arrogant fools. Everyone strip them of their clothes and drive them into the cargo hold!"

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