“Huh?” Fang Senyan, who had relaxed, suddenly looked up at the dark sky. A gentle breeze caressed his cheek. He couldn't help but take a deep breath, feeling the moist and wild air of the sea. For someone who had spent over seven or eight years on ships, this feeling was very familiar, a precursor to an approaching hurricane. But there wasn't a single haven around Hope Island!

Clearly, Fang Senyan wasn't the only one who felt the approaching storm. Almost instantly, the pirate ships anchored around Hope Island began sounding their various unique horns. Some were deep, some shrill, some short, some long, all summoning the pirates back to the ships. Based on Fang Senyan's experience, the hurricane was still at least half an hour away. If they used the wind to their advantage and set sail, returning to the excellent haven of Tortuga would be no problem at all. But the premise was that they couldn't waste more than ten minutes here, or they would easily be caught up by the hurricane from behind, resulting in the tragedy of ships being destroyed and people dying.

Fang Senyan let out a long sigh. Those who came from Tortuga to collect the goods should have already realized that Lady Caterina Hawke was missing, but they clearly hadn't found her body yet. Otherwise, they would never have been so quiet. They would definitely have raised the blood-red flag and fired their cannons to search for the murderer in a high-profile manner. But this hurricane, which came at just the right time, undoubtedly forced their search to be interrupted and return to Tortuga! Otherwise, the ships loaded with the stolen goods would most likely capsize at sea. For the Hawke family, which was in a precarious situation, this could even shake the foundation of the family, so no one could take responsibility for it.

Then, the search for Lady Caterina Hawke would probably have to be suspended as a matter of course, and would not be able to resume until the hurricane stopped and the wind and waves calmed down. That would be at least two or three days later. For Fang Senyan, this was a very good piece of news. He believed that even if he had left any clues, they would be washed away by the violent tropical hurricane and rain in the Caribbean Sea, and the necklace that Jack Sparrow had given away would not disappear in the short term—that was enough.

As the saying goes, a joyful event lifts one's spirits. When Fang Senyan hurried back to the Bell and Mug, it was exactly when the drunken pirates on board were bumping around like headless flies—because the ship's high-level personnel, such as Scarface Henry, Charles, and even Armand, were probably drunk as mud because they had shined at the pirate high-level meeting and made a fortune. They were locked in their cabins, snoring like thunder. Even if you knocked on the door loud enough to shake the heavens, they wouldn't hear it. The newly appointed first mate, Long-Legged Robben, was sober, but he was mediocre and had no prestige. He was shouting himself hoarse on the side, but he was just making things worse. Some drunken pirates even started dancing the hornpipe next to him.

Seeing this situation, Fang Senyan's face darkened, and he strode onto the gangplank. Anyone who dared to block his way, any guy still drinking and going crazy, was either lifted up or kicked by him, and they were all thrown into the sea with a yell. The scene was very similar to dropping dumplings into a pot. Of course, these pirates were all skilled swimmers and wouldn't drown, but they would inevitably drink a few mouthfuls of seawater and suffer a bit. Some pirates with bad tempers would naturally splash around in the water, cursing and swearing, trying to find some common ground between the family women and their own lower parts of the guy who did this, but once they realized that the culprit was Fang Senyan, their faces would turn embarrassed and they would obediently shut up. Even the pirates who didn't get along with Fang Senyan only dared to mutter a few complaints while working.

Soon, the order on the ship became well-organized. Fang Senyan walked around the ship, loudly shouting and cursing at these murderous guys, assigning and allocating tasks. Sometimes he would go to places where manpower was urgently needed and lend a hand, sometimes he would climb to the side of the sail handler and pat him on the shoulder to encourage him, and sometimes he would kick a passing pirate and curse a few swear words. Strangely enough, the pirates who were kicked into the water, despite being full of resentment, still bought Fang Senyan's act, and their work efficiency was faster than ever before. In less than ten minutes, the Bell and Mug was the first to set sail.

At this time, the signs of the hurricane were already very obvious, and even the sound of thunder could be heard in the distance. If it were daytime, you would definitely be able to see the oppressive scene of "dark clouds pressing down on the city, threatening to destroy it." The square sail raised on the main mast of the Bell and Mug was full of wind, looking incomparably full and bulging, providing ample power. This slender sailing ship rode the waves at an amazing speed, sailing back towards Tortuga as gracefully as a nimble flying fish. This speed was not much inferior to that of the Black Pearl, the king of speed in the Caribbean Sea.

"Armand seems to have found a good navigator?" Several pirate captains murmured as they gazed at the sails of the Bell and Mug.

In less than an hour and a half, the towering cliff contours outside Tortuga, like the arms of a giant, appeared in front of everyone. The light of the lighthouse used for navigation was also faint, as if it were a candle that could be extinguished at any time in the wind. The surging of the sea could already be clearly felt, as if the entire Caribbean Sea had formed a whole and was rippling, full of irresistible majesty. Despite the lack of a navigator's command, Fang Senyan still skillfully shouted at the helmsman to successfully steer the ship into the safe haven, which undoubtedly added a bit of mystery to Fang Senyan in the eyes of these pirates.

For these murderous pirates, guiding ships into the channel and successfully docking in the dark was already a secret only known to navigators, but they didn't know that in Fang Senyan's world, this basic thing belonging to the scope of a pilot could be easily mastered if you wanted to learn it. For Fang Senyan, who was determined to develop into a 10,000-ton chief mate and even a captain, it was even

a kind of compulsory course.

As the returning pirate ships continued to enter the port, the hurricane followed closely, stirring up huge waves as high as seven or eight meters on the sea, which was frightening just to look at. Even though the ships were already berthed in a good haven and had heavy anchors dropped at both the bow and stern, it still felt as if the sea was roaring in fury, and it seemed as if even the entire Tortuga was about to be overturned. At this time, the North Sea three-masted square-sailed ship sent by Tortuga to collect the stolen goods also returned with a shaky support, but its condition was obviously quite bad. The main mast had obviously been cut off due to the excessive wind, and the two triangular side sails next to it were also torn by the strong wind, rolling wildly in the air. Looking at its miserable appearance, it seemed that it would sink in the next second.

Fang Senyan stood at the bow of the ship, but beckoned to Robben and said:

"Prepare a sampan for me. I'm going ashore."

Robben said in astonishment:

"First Mate, the bars look like they're all closed."

Fang Senyan said lightly:

"Can't you just knock on the door? And I really don't like being on a ship sleeping in such a big storm."

Robben shrugged and said:

"Your will shall be carried out immediately."

Fang Senyan nodded, returned to the cabin to get some things, and a quarter of an hour later, he was standing on the dock of Tortuga. Although the hurricane was raging, with a momentum that seemed to turn the world upside down, with the return of the pirates, there were still several bars in the port that opened their doors and wanted to do business with them. The dim yellow light struggled to shoot out from the cracks in the doors. However, Fang Senyan was not in a hurry to enter the bar, but after looking at the time, he came to the seaside.

The sea was surging and churning, and huge dark waves crashed heavily against the thick breakwater, then burst into millions of water droplets, and you could even clearly feel the blue-gray reefs under your feet vibrating slightly. Such a scene would naturally be extremely shocking to people growing up inland, but it was a common sight for Fang Senyan. He folded his arms across his chest and stood quietly on the breakwater, waiting.

Before leaving port, Fang Senyan had obtained a hidden mission from Cree, and the follow-up of this mission was obtained from that stingy grocery store owner, Mogul. Although Fang Senyan had been brutally slaughtered by that old man, he had also obtained a few cups of golden rum from him, and in the end, the old man also gave him a piece of crystal ball shard, which, when placed in water, gave him the following prompt:

When the midnight bell rings, the wails of the dead will be restored to reality, the dust of history will be wiped away, and the truth will be revealed.

At this time, the seaside where Fang Senyan was staying was exactly where he had placed the fragments of the crystal ball into the seawater during the day. As midnight arrived, silvery lights began to shine on the surface of the sea here, like the bright moonlight shining down. However, the light gave people a deep and cold feeling, as if it was going to absorb the vitality of living people. Where the silver light shone, the surface of the sea also became strangely calm, only rippling slightly, while the strong wind and huge waves seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to stir up any waves.

(Pictures of some of the props and equipment appearing in this book will be attached in the work-related section. If you like them, you can go and take a look, but remember not to use sub-volumes or full text.)