Chapter 3: Pirate Ship? Treasure Ship! Seeking Collection

  Tang Jie was running down the narrow corridor of the ship's cabin, with a group of sinister figures chasing after him.

  There were some people who wanted to block his way, sneering at him as they pounced on him, but Tang Jie dodged and weaved, throwing them behind him, then collided with the pursuing soldiers in a heap, amidst a cacophony of shouts and cries.

  "Get up, you numbskull, you're crushing me!"

  "Damn it, you're tangled around my feet, let go quickly!"

  Tang Jie turned his head to look back, saw the wretched appearance of the person behind him, and secretly smiled. However, his complacency didn't last for a second before he saw Nia holding a long sword in her hand, already furious and chasing after him.

  He was startled and quickly turned his head to continue running.

  The cabin corridor was narrow and dark, with only a strip of sunlight shining on the wooden floor in the distance, like the light of freedom from heaven, guiding Tang Jie's escape route.

  Tang Jie ran towards this sunny direction and climbed up along the ladder.

  He climbed to the top of the ladder and as soon as he poked his head out, he felt a dazzling sunlight shining on his face, making him unable to open his eyes.

  Tang Jie subconsciously covered his eyes with his hand, squinted, and gradually got used to the sunlight before slowly opening his eyelids again.

  He took one look and was instantly stunned, his eyes wide with wonder as he stared at everything around him, unable to utter a single word.

  The azure sky was cloudless for thousands of miles, like a gigantic blue gemstone that seemed to stretch on forever, hanging high above Tang Jie's head, pure and transparent, without a single speck of impurity.

  Under this sky, all around is the vast and boundless ocean, so wide that it makes one's heart feel carefree and drunk with delight at a single glance.

  The ocean, a symbol of freedom and vastness, synonymous with grandeur and profundity.

  Tang Jie felt as if he was in the midst of a vast ocean, tiny like an ant. He was surrounded by the blue sky and the sea, and people emerged from the cabin like mechanical wooden puppets.

  He blankly withdrew his gaze from the sea and looked at the boat under his feet.

  This is a medium-sized two-masted sailing ship, about twenty meters long, with a main mast and foremast standing tall, sturdy canvas sails billowing in the wind, forming a powerful arc. The dense and neatly arranged ropes are pulled by the sailors on the deck, their bare upper bodies glistening with sweat, their rugged, bronze-colored skin reflecting a masculine beauty under the sunlight.

  They gave a hearty and united heave at each pull of the rope, and even some of the sailors on deck, who were scrubbing the decks with brushes, joined in the chorus.

  "We are pirates, fierce pirates!"

  "With a wine bottle in his left hand and treasures in his right!"

  "We are pirates, free and easy pirates!"

  "With the guidance of the Blood Flag, mighty and powerful, shaking the heavens!"

  The azure sky, the vast ocean, the speeding ships, the soaring sails, the passionate sweat, the loud whistles, and the strong masculine hormones emanating from the robust men, all mixed with the salty air, like a toxic substance burning in Tang Jie's throat. This scene before him was like a shocking and stirring painting that shook Tang Jie to his core.

  "I boarded a boat..."

  He muttered to himself.

  The man at the helm in front of him, wearing a triangular captain's hat and sporting a brown sideburns, shouted loudly, his voice rough but extremely magnetic.

  "Hard to port! Take in the mainsail, adjust the sail trim, you lazy bums, don't let those guys behind us catch up, let them know that on this ocean, no one can be faster than us!"

  The sailors let out a loud shout in unison, their robust muscles bulging as they worked, the massive sails slowly changing direction, and the ship followed suit, altering its course.

  Tang Jie's body swayed with the movement of the boat, and he looked at the strong and fierce sailors around him, saying another sentence in a daze.

  "It's still one, pirate ship..."

  He had barely finished speaking when a loud shout was heard from behind: "He's here, quick, I'm about to catch him!"

  "Idiot, move your butt, crawl faster! By the time you catch up to him, turtles will have crossed the Western Sea!"

  A loud thud of footsteps came from behind, and Tang Jie turned his head to see the pirates below the cabin rushing up like a string of gourds, one by one climbing up from the stairs.

  Tang Jie looked around and saw nothing but the endless sea and this ship. Was he supposed to jump into the sea to survive?

  That's courting death!

  Tang Jie couldn't help but smile wryly - he had indeed gotten on a pirate ship and couldn't get off now!

  Fighting on this ship with so many strong and skilled sailors is really not a good idea...

  His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, observing the terrain and environment. In combat, observation of terrain and environment is crucial, sometimes a small stone underfoot can be fatal.

  The pirates behind him had climbed onto the deck, their shouting voices attracted the surrounding sailors, who gathered around Tang Jie.

  Although Tang Jie has rich fighting experience, it doesn't mean he is an invincible Superman like Ultraman. On this ship that can sail through the sky and dive into the sea, Tang Jie not only had no space to dodge and weave, but also his balance was greatly affected by the swaying of the ship. Meanwhile, these pirates who were familiar with naval battles became even more formidable.

  Tang Jie was secretly cursing in his heart when he suddenly heard a loud shout: "What's all the commotion? What are you all gathered here for? Get back to work, every one of you!"

  The pirates who rushed to catch Tang Jie shouted loudly: "Captain, this guy has escaped!"

  Tang Jie turned around and glared at him: "I'm not your prisoner!"

  The pirate didn't back down and glared right back: "Oh yeah? And what are you?"

  "A traitor!" Nia said coldly, drawing her long sword and emerging from the cabin to the deck, looking at Tang Jie.

  Tang Jie secretly said: "Spy? I don't even know where this place is, who am I spying on?"

  The pirates around him shouted: "Catch him, chop him into eight pieces and throw him into the sea to feed the fish!"

  Tang Jie smiled wryly: "What a great bunch of hospitable guys!"

  "Shut up, you little brat! While you still haven't wet your pants, pray quickly!" Beer Barrel yelled, holding a sharp knife.

  "Yes, kill him! Kill him quickly!!" The bloodthirsty and war-loving pirates were excitedly shouting wildly, the ship was in a mess for a while.

  "Shut up, all of you!" Bahl bellowed from the helm. "You're a bunch of noisy crows! Do what you're supposed to do! We've got friends behind us who are pushing our backsides, do you want them to kick your arses?"

  The beer barrel still rankled with Tung Chih-fang. "But Captain," he exclaimed loudly, "what about him?"

  Bar glanced at Tang Jie and then at Nia, whose face was as calm as water, and smiled with interest: "Actually managed to escape from you and Nia? That's interesting. It seems our guest has some background."

  He beckoned to Nia: "Nia, bring him over here!"

  Nina nodded and sheathed her long sword, giving Tang Jie a cold glance: "Did you hear that? No need for me to invite you, respected guest?"

  Tang Jie heard her tone was extremely unfriendly, and helplessly shrugged his shoulders: "In such an environment, can I refuse?"

  He made his way through the sailors gathered on both sides and walked up the stairs of the deck to stand before Captain Ball.

  Ba looked carefully at the man in front of him, who had black hair and eyes. He was about 1.8 meters tall, with a strong physique, and although his face wasn't particularly handsome, it was full of masculinity, with thick eyebrows and big eyes that shone brightly.

  When people first see Tanger, they are often drawn to the smile that hangs on his mouth, a kind of unruly and lazy smile that makes people feel warm and pleasant, thinking he must be very approachable and gentle. However, when your gaze moves up and sees his angular eyebrows, you will find that this is actually a man with a gentle appearance but a strong inner character.

  Having seen countless people, Bai Lu was extremely perceptive and noticed that beneath Tang Jie's gentle smile lay a wildly untamed soul. Such a man was like a male lion who liked to laze around in the shade of trees, never showing his majesty normally, but only revealing his brave and powerful side at critical moments, awe-inspiring and unmatched.

  As Ba Er carefully sized him up, Tang Jie was also sizing up this rough-looking man in front of him.

  He wore a yellowish-brown leather tricorn hat, its edges frayed and perforated from time and the elements, looking worn and tattered; but he was the only one on this ship wearing such a hat, which meant it was a symbol of status and identity.

  Only the captain can wear triangular hat.

  The man had a broken arm, an iron hook prosthesis that looked very intimidating, his face was covered with long and hard beard, rough like a thug, but Tang Jie could find from his neat clothes and his shiny black high-top leather shoes that he was a meticulous and careful man.

  This man looks like he's over forty, but the light radiating from his piercing eyes is sharper than all the young people here.

  "But why did pirates always fit a hook for an artificial limb after their hands were cut off?" Tang Jie's gaze fell on Ba Er's severed hand, and a question flashed in his mind.

  Balthazar noticed his gaze and lifted up his iron hook prosthesis, swinging it: "Does it make you feel scared or curious?"

  Staring at a disabled person's prosthetic limb is obviously very impolite behavior.

  Tang Jie smiled and didn't say anything.

  "Young man..." Bar also smiled a little "Tell me, what's your name? Why are you floating on the sea? Where do you live?"

  Tang Jie opened his mouth, just about to speak, but suddenly heard a loud "thud", Captain Bar slapped a gold coin onto the sturdy and hard ship's railing, he laughed: "If I find out you're lying, I'll stuff your head up your ass!"

  Tang Jie's eyes widened as he stared at the gold coin embedded in the wooden railing. He tried to test the hardness of the wood with his hand, and it was as hard as steel. In his heart, he secretly admired: "This person has a great deal of strength!"

  He heard Bal's words and smiled bitterly: "But I feel that even if I tell the truth, there will be no good outcome."

  Ba Er shot him a glance: "How did you know?"

  "Alright, I'm Tang Jie, from China. As for why I was floating at sea, I have no idea either. All I know is that when I woke up, I was on your ship..."

  "Tangjie? What a strange name! China? Where is that place?" Bar asked with squinted eyes.

  Tang Jie smiled: "A very, very distant place..."

  Ba Er smiled: "Why haven't I been there, or even heard of it?"

  Tang Jie smiled slightly and said with a hint of sarcasm, "This world is very big, there must be some places you haven't been to, or even heard of, right? Honorable Captain?"

  Nia shouted angrily beside him: "Mind your tone! The one standing in front of you is the greatest pirate in the entire Nierthys Ocean, Captain Jones Bar!"

  Bar looked at Nia and smiled: "He's just the greatest pirate in the Atak Sea."

  Nina looked at him and said respectfully: "Captain, in my eyes, you are the greatest, without any distinction of sea domain!"

  Tang Jie listened to Nia's words about Bal and suddenly felt a slight sourness in his heart.

  A disabled person is still better than an able-bodied one who does nothing but eat and enjoy life.

  Balha laughed: "Nia, this is not the time for flattery!"

  He turned his head, smiling at Tang Jie: "Listen, young man, I don't have the patience to listen to you rambling on here. If you don't tell the truth again, I'll throw you into the sea to feed the tiger sharks!"

  Tang Jie's face also had a smile, his tone was unprecedentedly strong: "Listen, Ogi-san, every word I say is true. You don't believe it because your judgment is wrong, not because my words are wrong."

  Bar was somewhat surprised, seemingly not daring to believe that the young man in front of him, who looked delicate and youthful, actually had the courage to confront him head-on. He lost his smile and said: "Are you threatening me? Or do you think you can kill me?"

  Tang Jie smiled, his voice faintly carrying a metallic tone: "No, in the place where I once lived, there's an old saying that goes: 'I won't harm you if you don't harm me.' Even if you want to throw me into the sea, I'll make you pay the price, I swear..."

  "Preposterous!" Nia drew her long sword with a clang, its tip pointing at Tang Jie.

  Bar stretched out his iron hook prosthesis, deflecting Nia's sword, and stared intently at Tangie. Suddenly, he burst into laughter: "Interesting, really interesting! It's been a long time since I've seen someone as interesting as you. Since you can board my ship, it means we have fate on our side. Anyway, I'm already in a lot of trouble, so I don't mind adding one more person like you."

  He smiled at Nia: "Nia, take our guest to the cabin later and arrange a special cabin for him. Don't treat him poorly."

  Bo said to Tang Jie, "It will probably take another ten days before we can land, so in these ten days, I'm afraid you'll have to put up with some discomfort as our mysterious guest. There are no fragrant flowers here, no comfortable soft beds, not even extra bath water, only salty seawater that will never run out, long swords and big guns, and the irritable pirates."

  "Also, I personally advise you, mysterious guest with a strong personality, not to wander around the deck and cabins for no reason. My sailors are not as good-tempered as me, if they get angry and secretly throw you into the sea, I won't turn my head to save you!" Bar laughed, his eyes swept over Tang Jie's face, turned around, one hand grasping the helm, without looking back.

  Nina Zhang opened her mouth wide and shouted loudly: "Captain, you can't believe him like this! He's a spy!"

  Bal didn't even turn his head, laughing and saying: "Oh, how did you know? Listen, Nia, take him to his room, this is an order!"

  Nina glared at Tang Jie with discontent, and coincidentally, Tang Jie was also looking at her. The two of them exchanged a glance, and Tang Jie made a silly face, which infuriated Nina so much that she stomped her foot on the helm platform and loudly shouted down to the beer barrels below: "William, take him to the cabin and arrange a special room for him!" She turned back to glare at Tang Jie: "Don't treat him badly!"

  Tang Jie smiled wryly.

  Never offend a woman!

  Barrel Willie stared, seemingly not having thought that this guy they had fished out of the sea would suddenly turn from a piece of bait into a guest. "But..." he exclaimed loudly.

  Nia impatiently interrupted him: "No buts, go quickly! This is an order!"

  Nina successfully conveyed her resentment to Beer Barrel Bill, to the point where not only Bill but even all the sailors on the deck looked at Tong Jie with a kind of inexplicable hostility, as if they couldn't wait to tear him apart in the next second.

  Tang Jie felt like he had fallen into a beastly jungle, with the surrounding gazes piercing him uncomfortably.

  But no matter what, it's still better than being thrown into the sea or fighting to the death.

  Niya looked at Tang Jie's figure, turned around and whispered to Bal: "We are on the run, Captain! At this time, taking in a guy with an unknown identity is not wise!"

  "Are you questioning my decision, Nia?" Bar's gaze swept over her lightly.

  "On this ship, no one dares to question your decisions." Nia said softly, lowering her head.

  Ba Ya turned his head to look at her, a benevolent smile spreading across his face: "Child, answer me, do you still remember what I once told you? To become an excellent Pirate King, one must..."

  Nina didn't wait for him to finish, and continued: "You must have a fearless soul, sharp eyes, crazy adventurous spirit, strong combat power, and..."

  "Also, a heart as wide as the ocean. Remember, my child, don't let anger blind your eyes just because someone has wronged you!"

  Bar's gaze fell on Tangie, who was slowly walking down the deck: "Pirates are born gamblers, and today's decision I made will be a very interesting bet. You'll understand later..."

  Nia bowed her head and thought for a moment before saying softly: "Yes, Father."

  "Bartholomew: 'I've told you before, on this ship, it's Captain Bartholomew!'"

  "Yes, Captain Bar..." Nia raised her head and looked at Tang Jie with an uncertain gaze.