Upon hearing Fang Senyan’s command, those pirates, though somewhat taken aback—perhaps thinking their new captain enjoyed picking up soap—quickly set about the task. Reef breathed a sigh of relief; he clearly hadn't wanted to see the prisoners slaughtered, a consideration Fang Senyan had thoughtfully factored in.

Under Fang Senyan’s ingenious direction and meticulous arrangements, the three-masted "Galleon" hybrid sail-and-oar vessel began to rapidly come alive. The heavy sails on the masts swelled full of wind, and the seasoned pirates, somewhat unfamiliar with the deck controls, quickly found their rhythm managing the large ship. Fang Senyan occasionally kicked them in the backside, spurring them on until they worked with the acceleration of a tightly wound mechanism.

As the three-masted "Galleon" hybrid slowly got underway, Fang Senyan immediately received a prompt from the Nightmare Mark: "You have gained control of this vessel, the three-thousand-one-hundred-ton ship The Sam."

"The number of plot-line pirates now under your command is one hundred and seventeen."

"Milestone Achieved: Pirate Captain!"

"You have acquired the Title: Pirate Captain. Your Intimidation effect on common pirates is increased by 100%, and your underwater breathing time is extended by 10 minutes. When you are on the sea surface, you can effectively boost the Attack Power, Defense Power, and Movement Speed of nearby allied units within one kilometer by 15%! (This includes ships; this effect does not stack with other Pirate Captain effects)."

"Additionally, when you successfully capture/destroy other ships and enemies at sea, you gain a special ability to view rare special components/rare special materials/rare special equipment related to naval warfare found aboard them."

"Milestone Achieved: Pirate Admiral Emerging."

"Pirate Admiral: Your reputation among all pirates has reached the level of Worship. You possess a ship with a displacement of seven thousand tons or more, populated by no less than three hundred plot-line pirates."

"Note: Upon completing this milestone, you will receive a Black Iron tier title."

Seeing this series of notifications, Fang Senyan immediately equipped the new Pirate Captain title. He first searched his own vessel but found nothing new, then proceeded to rummage through One-Eyed Hog’s battered pirate ship.

It was then he suddenly noticed that the figurehead at the bow was emitting a strange, faint light—a glow entirely different from that of equipment or items. Fang Senyan immediately jumped aboard, searched around, and discovered the light was emanating from the figurehead itself. As he looked closely, a string of data materialized before his eyes: Dolphin Figurehead (Bow Ornament)

Equipment Slot: Bow

Equipment Nature: Special Plot-Line Equipment. This type of equipment cannot be taken out of this world; it can only be used by world natives, though it can be sold to the Nightmare Space. Only contractors possessing the relevant abilities can investigate and collect Special Plot-Line Equipment.

Origin: Madrid

Equipment Rarity: Light Blue

Material: Oak

Attachable Device: Eye of the Gem.

Effect: Increases the ship’s movement speed at sea by 3%, and increases the hull durability by 3%.

Installation Slot: Bow (Unique)

Description: Only a captain, with eyes full of wisdom, can discover excellent special components and materials aboard enemy ships. Install these components onto your ship and make your beloved vessel stronger! Of course, you must capture the ship first to do so.

Description: Or, if you feel these materials are not powerful enough, you can sell them to the Space for a large amount of Universal Points or Potential Points; you may choose only one.

Having found this treasure, Fang Senyan unhesitatingly called for men to lift the figurehead and install it onto the captured three-masted "Galleon" hybrid. The figurehead it replaced was a common, basic white item, unsellable, so he casually tossed it into the sea as scrap.

After hoisting sail, Fang Senyan gave the order to navigate toward the edge of the battlefield, avoiding the enemy as much as possible. Simultaneously, he ordered the removal of all gun emplacements from the ship. The reason for this was simple: the temporary squad Fang Senyan commanded had been established for less than half a day, and with over half the crew suddenly bolstered by pirates, expecting them to be "well-trained, instantly obedient, and highly coordinated" was nearly impossible.

Yet, naval combat absolutely demanded those very traits! Every sailor aboard a ship had to merge completely with the vessel to form a single unit for maximum combat effectiveness; conversely, individual prowess mattered far less in a sea battle.

Fang Senyan was a man, not a god; no matter how powerful he was, he couldn't instantly forge these inherently scattered pirates into an iron legion! Therefore, he had decided from the outset to engage in close-quarters brawls! He would avoid cannon duels with the enemy entirely.

Thus, the ship currently under his control would prioritize only absolute speed and survivability, specifically targeting slower vessels for close-quarters boarding and brutal melee combat!

Of course, warships possessing potent long-range firepower had faced such scenarios countless times; their ships would inevitably carry equally formidable marines, unafraid of boarding actions. Under normal circumstances, Fang Senyan’s hundred or so pirates would barely register.

But now, after gaining the Pirate Captain title, Fang Senyan could grant these pirates substantial enhancements, complemented by his potions' powerful buffs. Furthermore, Reef, a formidable Main Tank adept at disrupting enemy formations, was present.

This setup was akin to three tigers leading a charge of sheep: the tigers would tear open the enemy’s defenses, and the pirates, already inclined to prey on the weak, had a very simple task: follow the charge, scream loudly, and start hacking at enemy skulls with their axes!

Admittedly, people would get hurt during this process, perhaps even die! Fang Senyan regretted this, but he simply had no time for formal training. The battlefield was the best training ground, and only the strong would survive!

Fang Senyan ordered them to patrol the perimeter of the battle zone, not engaging directly. After half an hour of sailing, the pirates finally achieved a basic level of synergy. Meanwhile, the older pirates were organized to begin modifying the ship.

The sea remained vast to humans; voyages often spanned years. If a ship broke down and had to return to drydock during such a journey, it would surely have sunk long before then. Therefore, many older sailors were skilled carpenters, doubling as hull maintenance and repair specialists. Fang Senyan didn't ask them to fight; instead, he demanded that the ship become faster and tougher, accepting the trade-off of zero ranged offensive capability. These older pirates were happy to undertake this work.

Next, Fang Senyan turned and called out to Camby, who had just emerged from the hold: "How many of those remaining British sailors are aboard?"

Camby thought for a moment, scratching his head with some difficulty, then yanked over a rather slender-looking pirate nearby. "Hey, how many of those Limeys are left?"

The pirate shrugged. "Alright, I remember they were all locked in the lower hold. I’ll go count them."

Saying this, he hurried below deck. But less than two minutes later, a piercing gunshot echoed from below, followed by the pirate’s agonizing scream: "Bad news! They’re planning to blow the ship and escape using the longboats!"

It turned out that although the British crew had outwardly surrendered, they later realized that the pirates on board, aside from the trio of Fang Senyan, Reef, and the other main figure, were relatively weak. Many pirates couldn't even recall the names of their own comrades, which immediately stirred up seditious thoughts.

The Sam was originally their ship, and they were very familiar with its layout. Even while confined to the lower hold, they had managed to find weapons under the leadership of a lieutenant, aiming for a swift escape, only to be discovered.

Hearing the scream, Fang Senyan's expression instantly changed. He violently lifted his foot and brought it down hard on the deck! With this stomp, Fang Senyan poured all his strength into the blow, and with a sharp crack, the impossibly sturdy deck fractured, revealing several long fissures.

Amidst flying sawdust and dust, Fang Senyan dropped to one knee, then savagely drove a heavy elbow strike into the breach. The poor deck could no longer withstand the immense impact; with another crack, it violently shattered, creating a massive hole. Fang Senyan tumbled straight down into the lower compartment.

He exerted force, sprinting forward, rounding a corner just as he saw a British Second Lieutenant, his face set in a look of determined sacrifice, raising a torch near the powder magazine. Without hesitation, Fang Senyan unleashed the power of his Demonic Sight, charging forward with ferocious momentum in a domineering collision. He struck the lieutenant with a single punch, sending him tumbling through the air seven or eight meters away, while Fang Senyan simultaneously crushed the torch in his hand!

Fang Senyan exhaled heavily, shook his head, and walked over to the downed officer, his face ashen. "I meant no harm to the tiger, but the tiger sought to wound me! I intended to give you a path to survival, unwilling to treat you with overly extreme measures, yet you planned to take my life!"

Indeed, had the rebellious sailors' mutiny succeeded, the explosion of the gunpowder magazine on a ship of this size would have gravely injured Fang Senyan and his companions, if not killed them outright. Furthermore, all the painstaking planning and strategy Fang Senyan had laid out would have dissolved into nothingness!

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