Chapter 132: 132

On the second morning, every pirate was asked to gather on the deck . Those who were injured and tasked with assignments were exceptions . That included the captain, Edward Teach, and the helmsman, Orff . A solemn expression adorned the faces of all present . In total, 47 pirates had been killed in battle, with 29 suffering severe injuries, and seven died last night . There was a good chance the remaining 22 wouldn’t it till tomorrow .

All the pirates on deck knew too well that the path that they chose would be smothered by blood and flesh . Though they were well prepared, they still grieved for their mates who left them . Marvin’s eyes welled with tears as well . They were not shed for the dead pirates but he was simply sad that someday, he too might end up like them . The wind traversing the ocean battered the mainsail with distinct flaps . Everyone on deck remained silent .

“Let’s begin,” proclaimed Edward Teach as he nodded his head .

Four pirates moved the dead who were covered in white cloth to the gunwale . Orff then started to spell out the names of the dead pirates . Once a name was spoken, their body would be tossed into the ocean . The dead spent years out at sea, and naturally, their final resting place would be the ocean . When the last body was committed to the sea, Orff closed the name list .

“I pray that Thetis, Goddess of Ocean, would guide your souls forever . Farewell, my brave friends . ”

After that, Orff tossed a bag of salt into the ocean to complete the ritual, with Edward Teach returning to the captain’s quarters once the bag sank down . The moment the captain was gone, the pirates on the deck finally let out a sigh of relief .

Most pirates had mixed feelings towards the captain . No doubt, he was fearless when he was in battle, the worst nightmare for his enemies . On the other hand, they also felt tremendous pressure each time they were in the same room with him . They were afraid of him but respected him a great deal at the same time . Luckily, he didn’t usually join them . Most of the time, he hunkered down in his own quarters, away from the crew . Orff was the one who relayed his messages to the pirates .

“We have lost countless of our own during the last battle . Some positions on the ship are now vacant . I’m sorry for what happened to our old Michael . We need a leader for the boatswain position . Since we are all here now, let’s vote!”

“Zhang Heng! Zhang Heng! Zhang Heng!”

Before Orff could even finish his sentence, the pirates started to shout the name out loud .

“It appears we all agree that Zhang Heng is best suited for this position . ”

Orff then nodded at Zhang Heng and said, “Congratulations, you are now the leader of the boatswains on this ship . Lead us to the treasure! Next, we need some frontliners! 20 positions are available…”

Zhang Heng wasn’t surprised by the outcome as well . The previous boatswain’s leader had worked only two months before a bullet hit him . Zhang Heng’s vote count came only second to Michael, and he had performed exceptionally well during the previous battle as well . Naturally, the pirates on board would vote for him again . Though combat power had nothing do with the boatswain’s leader, that was just the way pirates thought . Usually, there were two types who could win over their votes . The first kind got voted because they truly deserved it . As for the second type, they voted for them because they wanted to . Most of the time, the second scenario would win the person more votes .

If they could think logically, none of them would abandon their life to become a pirate . Besides, Zhang Heng was Rothko’s only disciple, and he was good at what he did . All things considered, Zhang Heng truly deserved the vote .

After he was appointed the boatswain’s leader, the system awarded him with another five game-points, though he had no idea if this was a good or bad thing . He would be leaving the ship in a month and didn’t mind if he didn’t become a leader of any position . Noticing that the election went so smoothly, it proved that he had quite an influence on the vessel . Sadly, this could have been the very reason why Orff saw him as a significant threat on this ship .

To Zhang Heng’s surprise, another person had looked for him before Orff . During lunchtime, a limp old pirate sat right opposite him .

“Are you a man of faith?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t misunderstand my intention . I’m just trying to give you a good reminder . Under the leadership of Teach and Orff, whatever happened this morning will continue to happen . Eventually, we will all die on this ship . I’m right, am I not? The residents of Nassau would usually use the Thetis ritual to send away the dead . They believe that their souls would travel the deeper parts of the ocean . If you have someplace you wish to go, I think you should tell Frazer . After all, all these things have something to do with personal freedom . Of course, that includes the freedom of religion . ”

“There had been only one exception since I joined this ship . That kid was an Alava from Saint Vincent . According to the culture of their tribe, they would usually devour their dead . Alava believes that the ritual allows them to stay with their loved ones forever and ever . We feared that he would die someday . Unfortunately, his right leg was shot during one of the raids, leading to its amputation . In the end, he did not survive the surgery . So, we are all voting to break his tradition . We chose not to devour him . Oh, right . Let me introduce myself to you . I’m Kent, cannoneer of this ship . ”

“Cannoneer?”

“I know that everyone prefers to call me the carpenter . I would use a saw to slice an enemy into half during a battle . That’s how I got this nickname . ”

Suddenly, Kent lowered his voice and looked around cautiously .

“This is not a good place to talk . Orff is watching us . We need to talk . Come look for in the carpenter’s quarters on the second floor . ”

Zhang Heng did not say a single word after that .

“Did you know, a lot of pirates on this ship are related to Frazer? Why is Orff so cautious of you? Frazer will never simply get a debt collector without a good reason . Throughout the many years, Frazer had only two debt collectors working for him . You and the only other being our captain . In other words, both of you are his disciples . ”

“Edward Teach used to collect debts for Frazer?!”

“Yes . Frazer groomed him to become captain, hoping that he would take his place someday . Unfortunately, Teach conspired with Orff to betray him in the end . Right now, you are in grave danger, and I’m the only one who can help you!”