The fastest updating, most complete novel is the Novel Website. Once Fang Senyan confirmed this idea, he immediately deduced another conclusion. The Novel Website is that there must also be a considerably complex origin between Davy Jones and the Focke family! Otherwise, the fact that the Focke family is strong on the outside but weak on the inside concerns the very survival of the lineage; such a major secret would hardly ever be leaked unless it was between father and son, blood relatives. This, in turn, could explain the Flying Dutchman's decision to anchor offshore and maintain neutrality; it was likely Davy Jones had some rapport or agreement with the Focke family, and also knew that the riches in Tortuga Castle were meager, thus unwilling to enter that muddy conflict!

The captain of the other legendary pirate ship, Blackbeard, was a ferocious and suspicious fellow. He might have had some misunderstanding or conflict with Davy Jones. Seeing the Flying Dutchman remain motionless, he naturally dared not make a move either. This is because pirates are unlike regular armies; once they land and join the ranks of plunderers, it is very hard to bring them back under control. At that point, if anyone were to launch a surprise attack, defeat would be almost certain!

Although these thoughts sounded lengthy, they flashed through Fang Senyan's mind in a mere instant, a fleeting moment of stunned realization in reality. When Fang Senyan noticed Davy Jones showing signs of impatience, he immediately pulled out Armand’s silver rapier, offering it with both hands and respectfully stating:

“In addition to this, I shall also present you with the sword of Armand, Son of the Black Sea, as proof of my allegiance to you.”

According to Fang Senyan’s deduction, this silver rapier of Armand’s was not only extremely powerful but could also control a ship; it was at least of the Silver-tier Vow Weapon level! Its value was immense and difficult to quantify. From a normal perspective, the value of equipment differs based on the part it covers, and generally, given the same quality, weapons are undoubtedly superior in worth to defensive gear—one only needs to recall how many famous weapons versus famous pieces of armor existed during the Three Kingdoms period to understand this simple logic.

If it weren't for the harsh condition that this weapon could only be used after killing Armand, Fang Senyan would absolutely never have offered it to Davy Jones. His Charm rating was already low, so even using direct gifting on a close associate would yield only half the effect, making it quite a bargain. However, once this weapon became soul-bound, it would turn into scrap iron. Moreover, Armand had now moved from the open to the shadows, making the difficulty of ambushing him again undoubtedly much higher, and he harbored a deep-seated hatred for Fang Senyan!

Therefore, for Fang Senyan, one reason was that he wasn't certain he could kill the man for a long time, and the second was that he couldn't know when he would next enter this world after leaving. Thus, rather than keeping a useless Silver-tier Vow Weapon on hand, it was far more practical to trade it for immediate combat power, even at a discount.

The emergence of the Silver-tier Vow Weapon finally moved Davy Jones. He handed the miniature fishbowl he was holding to a nearby pirate, stepped forward quickly, and grasped the hilt of Armand’s silver rapier. The instant his palm clasped the soul-bound weapon, a dazzling silver light erupted, causing even Davy Jones to lose his grip, stumble back half a step, and let the weapon clatter to the floor.

The loyal pirates nearby were instantly shocked. Some impatient ones already drew their cutlasses and shouted curses at Fang Senyan, clearly believing Fang Senyan might be plotting some conspiracy to harm their leader.

Only Davy Jones was pleased rather than alarmed. He laughed heartily, waved his hand to stop his subordinates, and then nodded with satisfaction as he looked at Fang Senyan:

“Boy, well done. From now on, you are one of the crew of the Flying Dutchman. I hear you’re quite capable in your work and know a bit about navigation. Coincidentally, Calis was gravely wounded by those Spanish pigs and probably won't be able to be a pirate anymore, so stay aboard and serve as a temporary Third Mate for now~~ Remember, if you show even half a shred of incompetence, I’ll kick you right off this vessel.”

To these pirates, betrayal and slaughter were commonplace, so they offered no resistance to Davy Jones appointing Fang Senyan, the betrayer. The duties of the Third Mate were primarily to assist the First Mate with various coordination and scheduling tasks, with the remaining time spent supporting the navigator. For Fang Senyan, this was familiar territory.

He also breathed a massive sigh of relief upon seeing Davy Jones's reaction, as he had been taking a gamble: although Armand’s silver rapier was an incomparably precious Silver-tier Vow Weapon, to him at this moment it was scrap iron—most importantly, he needed Davy Jones to think the same way! Otherwise, it was hard to guess what this volatile pirate chieftain might do, especially since the Second Mate, Old Barry, who had been financially squeezed by Fang Senyan almost down to his last pair of trousers, was still aboard.

But now Fang Senyan could set his worries aside. Davy Jones was clearly very satisfied with Fang Senyan’s welcoming gift, and simultaneously, he received a prompt from the Nightmare Mark:

Side Quest: Approach the Legend (Completed) Quest Summary: Board the deck of any one of the Black Pearl / Flying Dutchman / Retribution / Vengeance (some translations list as Victory) and become one of its crew members. Quest Description: You have received permission from Davy Jones, Captain of the Flying Dutchman, and successfully become the temporary Third Mate of the legendary vessel, the Flying Dutchman. Do you wish to claim the related quest reward? Yes / No.

Fang Senyan selected “Yes.”

You gained 1000 Universal Points. Your reputation among pirates increased by 3000 points (Indirectly due to the destruction of the Bell and Glass / Clapper and Cup +500 points, directly related to the death of First Mate Scar Henry +500 points, obtaining the treasure of Tortuga Castle +500 points, becoming the temporary Third Mate of the Flying Dutchman +1500 points). Your current reputation is: Respected (1113 / 6000) You gained 2 Merit Points. Your current accumulated Merit Points are 6. Prompt: You have twenty-one hours, fifteen minutes, and forty seconds remaining until the final deadline to leave this world. You may choose to continue exploring this world during this time, or you can abort your actions and return to the Nightmare Space at any time. Please note: You cannot return to the Nightmare Space while in combat. Prompt: “Your Merit Points have exceeded 5, your identity has been elevated, and you have been appointed as a Recruit.” “Your Nightmare Mark has received the following authority upgrade.” “Your personal storage space capacity has increased by 10%.” Warning: If your total Merit Points drop below 5, the current authority enhancement effects you have obtained will disappear, and the identity elevation will be revoked.

Fang Senyan read through this series of prompts. Clearly, this side quest was quite difficult, yet it only awarded a mere 1000 Universal Points. Therefore, the extra rewards must lie in those two Merit Points. Fang Senyan still didn't fully grasp what Merit Points were; for now, it seemed to be linked to rank, a symbol of status. However, up to this point, Fang Senyan only received two Merit Points for completing this task, indicating how precious they were.

Davy Jones’s mood had clearly improved significantly after obtaining Armand’s silver rapier. The few chests of wealth Fang Senyan brought were indeed not taken seriously by him; he waved his hand and ordered his men to distribute them. Only then did Fang Senyan clearly see that although those few treasure chests engraved with the Focke family crest appeared to be full to the brim, beneath the surface layers of valuables, they were packed with Piastres (a French silver coin, whose value was relatively low due to lead and tin being mixed in during the minting process). Estimating the total value, it amounted to only a few tens of thousands of Pounds. While this might be a huge sum for ordinary pirates, it was hardly impressive to a legendary pirate like Davy Jones.

After Fang Senyan’s reputation was elevated to Respected, he distinctly felt a significant shift in the attitudes of some surrounding pirates. For instance, some fierce-looking and unruly fellows would proactively give way to him. Second Mate Old Barry, despite giving him the cold shoulder and maintaining an unpleasant demeanor, still assigned him a relatively decent single-person cabin.

Even two pirates named Crow and Sata, perhaps because their compatibility with Fang Senyan was higher, dared to approach and curry favor with him, despite Fang Senyan's low Charm rating. The pirate ship had hundreds of pirates in total, yet Fang Senyan, leveraging the residual awe of being a Third Mate, only had two people actively trying to please him. This showed just how rare and fortuitous compatibility truly was—a low-probability event.

Fang Senyan certainly wouldn't miss such a fortunate opportunity coming his way. Although this pirate ship was currently normal, Fang Senyan knew that not only would its captain, Davy Jones, eventually turn into a sea monster, but the ship itself had gained sentience, becoming the most bizarre and arguably the most powerful vessel in the Pirates of the Caribbean world, bar none! How could the strength of the sailors aboard be weak? He had learned two full levels of Basic Ability from Blind Matt aboard the Bell and Glass, and he still had nearly a full day left in this world. If fortune allowed, gaining another level or two of Basic Ability was not impossible.

Those who could secure a foothold on the legendary Flying Dutchman were all quite capable. For example, Crow and Sata, though ordinary deckhands on the ship, when Fang Senyan used his "Insight" ability, he discovered that Crow's Basic Prayer skill had actually reached level 4, with its specific effects being ???. Special Ability: Can communicate with Crow. The only thing discernible about the other, Sata, was "Advanced Lunge," which was explained as gathering all bodily strength and thrusting it into the tip of a weapon for high damage, but it also left a significant opening.

...

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