Pirate Gold Tooth

"Gold Tooth? Boss, what do you want with him?"

Naz, whom Guk had summoned in a hurry, wore a strange expression when he heard the name—both confused and curious.

"If I want a lot of iron, does he have any?"

Hearing that, Naz understood what Guk meant. He scratched his head and answered uncertainly:

"He should, in theory, but I heard he's a greedy git. He only recognizes teeth or other stuff. Anyway, I don't really like him. That blue-faced one."

"Where's his tribe?"

Guk did not like trading either. If he could seize something, that was naturally best. But Naz knew what he was thinking and shook his head.

"The Blue-faced Ghost isn't on land."

"Underground?"

"No, on Poison Water. His tribe floats on Poison Water."

The Poison Water Naz spoke of was the sea. Guk found that utterly bizarre. How could a tribe float on water?

"Don't fool me."

"Boss, I'm telling the truth. That blue-faced tribe floats on Poison Water. They've got huge houses made of iron and wood, and they're crafty as hell."

"Then go find him. I want to trade him for iron. I've got more teeth than I know what to do with."

"Fine, but I can't guarantee he'll say yes."

"You go tell him. That's all."

Guk had seen plenty of greedy Boyz like that. There were many in the White Hand Tribe. They were all good at business—buying this cheap and selling that dear. Other than his own guards, they generally had the best equipment.

They would never easily pass up any deal either. Guk was confident.

While Naz went to contact Gold Tooth, Guk hurried to cast new cannons. Yet even using iron molds, the failure rate remained terrifyingly high. Of the three cannons he cast, only two passed inspection.

And that was by Ork standards—meaning they did not explode after firing two shots in a row.

"Boss, our Gunfire Regiment needs a few cannons."

After hearing from the Boyz that Guk was casting cannons, Beluf rushed back from Red Eye Fortress and immediately started asking for things.

"No."

Guk refused without even thinking. What a joke. If he gave cannons to everyone who came asking, he could never make enough.

"Boss, we're still using knives and axes. How can we call ourselves the Gunfire Regiment if we don't even have cannons?"

Beluf was not an Ork who gave up easily. He had wanted artillery for his unit for a long time, but Guk had held onto the stuff so tightly that Beluf had never gotten a chance.

"Aren't you having the Mekboyz make big guns?"

"They ain't done yet, Boss. You said you'd provide the stuff."

"I never said I'd give you cannons!"

When Guk did not agree, Beluf simply lingered around the fortress, pestering and wheedling him all day. He annoyed Guk so badly that Guk could not even sleep properly. Guk got so angry he nearly beat him up, but whenever he was about to do so, Beluf would immediately run off, only to come back later. It truly drove Guk mad.

On the fifth day after Beluf returned to the fortress, Guk finally lost patience and gave him a savage beating—but he also agreed to his request.

"Get out! Take those human cannons! Get as far away as you can! Don't come back without my orders!"

Amid Guk's furious roar, Beluf, battered black and blue, happily led the Boyz in dragging the remaining human cannons back to his own lair. Before leaving, he even swiped a few barrels of freshly made gunpowder, making Guk so angry he nearly chased after him to beat him again.

After the cannon foundry shut down, the Mekboyz turned their attention to firearms. Beluf offered a hefty price to have a batch of big guns made for Orks.

His demands were fairly high. They had to be easy to load, powerful enough, able to fire continuously, and operable with one hand. That stumped the Mekboyz, but his offer was indeed extremely high: a full thousand teeth. Gork knew where he could get so many, but that astonishing number still attracted plenty of Mekboyz.

The few guns Guk had kept as collectibles quietly vanished under such circumstances. If he had not been keeping a close eye on the workshop, the fortress would have fallen into chaos again.

A full ten days later, Naz finally returned to the fortress with news.

"Boss, Blue-face agreed, but he wants to meet you."

It was not an unexpected outcome. Guk wasted no time, immediately putting on his armor and leading a large group of White-Helm Guards toward the meeting place.

More than a hundred kilometers west of Blood Skull Fort, the waters of Iron Snail Bay were as tranquil as ever. The azure sky reflected upon the sea, while passing seabirds occasionally let out piercing cries. As a crucial section of the Benedict Empire's eastern trade route, this area was relatively peaceful compared to other regions, because there were not many islands that could serve as pirate nests, and the Sinister Wasteland to the east was so dangerous.

But nothing was absolute.

"Damn Orks!"

Ahamaiti clung to a plank of wood, watching his ship slowly sink in despair. In the distance, a floating mountain of junk periodically erupted with wild laughter, and a blue flag painted with a smiling face fluttered above it.

The Poison Water Tribe was a rare Ork pirate group and a foe that gave the Imperium's Eastern Navy endless headaches. Their ship had originally been a stranded second-rate sailing ship of the line named the Giant Tooth. It frequently appeared in waters near the Sinister Wasteland, posing a tremendous threat to the Imperium's trade routes.

After several extermination campaigns, the Imperium finally dealt this infamous pirate ship a crippling blow. But just when people believed it had sunk in some unknown corner of the sea, it appeared on the trade route once more. This time, however, few could recognize what it had once looked like.

A great mass of seemingly haphazardly piled wood and steel had turned the entire ship into a moving fortress of sorts. Its enormous sails made many sailors wonder how the thing could possibly move, but that did not stop it from continuing to plunder everything it saw. It had merely become more cautious, evading every Imperial Navy operation against it.

"Boss, this haul was pretty good!"

A burly Ork with a red band tied around his head carried several bottles of liquor to the helm, where a tall figure stood.

"Prey that doesn't struggle is too boring."

Golden tusks gleamed beneath the blazing sun. A black captain's hat perched atop his enormous head, looking somewhat ridiculous, while a black-and-white naval dress uniform was wrapped around his body. The tall Ork took the bottle, bit off its wooden stopper, guzzled several mouthfuls, and burst into hearty laughter.

Gold Tooth, leader of the Poison Water Tribe and helmsman of the Giant Tooth, was also one of the most notorious names on the Imperial Navy's wanted posters.

"We got plenty of spices this time. Isn't Black Knife's lot willing to buy them at high prices?"

The Giant Tooth's first mate shouted. He had always wanted a few fine pistols—Ork-sized ones. Only the pirate black markets had people capable of making such things.

"Don't rush. It isn't the time when prices are highest yet."

Gold Tooth understood the workings of the market well. The season had not arrived yet. If they waited a few more months, the price of this batch of spices could double.

There were merely fewer pirates in Iron Snail Bay than elsewhere, not none at all. Those who could survive here were all ruthless characters, and the Imperial Navy was not as dutiful as people imagined. Sometimes, they deliberately or inadvertently let certain people off.

Thus, pirate black markets naturally arose. In a coastal cave somewhere on the western side of Iron Snail Bay, many transactions were completed.

Gold Tooth was not merely a pirate; he was also a businessman. The Poison Water Tribe had its own secret camps in the Sinister Wasteland. They exchanged human goods with other Ork tribes for teeth or other more valuable things, then used those teeth to recruit strong Boyz. That was how the Poison Water Tribe survived.

That was why their equipment was so lavish. Every Boy had several huge gunpowder pistols tucked into his belt. Because of fighting at sea, they did not like wearing iron armor, but every one of them wore lighter leather armor.

"Oh, right, Boss. That thing with Naz is today."

Hearing that, Gold Tooth stroked his chin and pondered for a while before saying in a low voice:

"The Ork King. That guy's got some nerve calling himself that. I don't know whether I should go."

Gold Tooth was somewhat hesitant about Guk's invitation to trade, especially after learning that this terrifying fellow had already annexed several large tribes and proclaimed himself king.

"We aren't going ashore anyway. There's nothing he can do to us."

The first mate did not think much of it. They had never feared land-dwellers. No matter how many there were, without ships they were useless.

"That's true. Turn the helm!"

Gold Tooth could not bear to give up such a major deal. Cooperating with a tribe that large meant endless teeth. Just thinking about it excited him.

"Adjust the sails!"

Under the gentle sea breeze, the enormous mountain of junk slowly turned and sailed toward the coastline.

And there, Guk had already been waiting for quite some time.

"So this is the sea."

It was Guk's first time seeing the ocean. The sight of water stretching endlessly until it met the sky made him realize for the first time that he was not actually so big.

He slowly walked to the beach, crouched down, scooped up a handful of seawater, and lightly took a sip.

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

Bitter. Indescribably bitter. He had never tasted anything like it in his life, and he could not help spitting it all out.

"Boss, you can't drink that water. There was a guy who drank a whole bellyful once and croaked on the spot."

Naz kindly reminded him, making Guk somewhat embarrassed. He straightened up and resolved to break the habit of testing things with his mouth.

"Why isn't that guy here yet?"

"Uh, I don't know. He used to be pretty punctual... He's here!"

Naz stopped halfway through his words, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he pointed toward the sea. Guk followed his finger and saw a black dot emerging upon the horizon.

"Hand me that."

Taking the telescope from Mangul, Guk raised it and looked. He discovered that it really was a settlement. Though small, it was undoubtedly an Ork settlement. Of course, he still did not know what a ship was.

"It really is floating on water. I've gotta ask him how he does that."

The Great Mekboy's curiosity burned once more. Guk stood on the beach waiting for the other side to approach, but after the settlement drifted to within several hundred meters, it stopped moving.

"What's going on?"

"He's always like this. He'll come over in a bit."

Before long, the settlement lowered a strange wooden thing. It looked a little like the Mekboyz' hammocks, swaying on the water. Several Orks climbed down onto it along ropes and began stirring the water with wooden boards.

"That works?"

Guk found the sight remarkable. After the boards stirred a few times, the thing began moving toward them.

It stopped a little over ten meters away. An oddly dressed Ork shouted loudly.

"I'm Gold Tooth! Who's Guk!"

"I'm Guk!"

Though he knew the other party was asking the obvious, Guk still stepped forward and forcefully slapped his chest, immediately producing a clatter of metal.

"I heard you want iron?"

"Yeah! Can't you come closer?"

Gold Tooth raised his right index finger and wagged it, answering casually:

"You're strong. I'm scared!"

"Hmph!"

It was Guk's first time encountering someone so cautious. There was nothing he could do but continue shouting:

"How much iron can you get! Good stuff!"

"How much do you want!"

"I want as much as you have!"

"That's a whole lot of teeth!"

Guk smiled disdainfully and clapped his hands. Several guards immediately carried up two large chests.

"This is the deposit!"

As Guk kicked the chests open with two heavy blows, Gold Tooth's eyes immediately lit up. They were two massive chests filled to the brim with teeth! It was the first time he had seen so many teeth at once!

"Good, good, good!!"

Drool streamed continuously from Gold Tooth's mouth. He let out a sharp whistle, and another boat immediately descended from the Giant Tooth and pulled directly onto the shore. Several Boyz prepared to carry the chests aboard.

"Hold it!"

Guk pressed down on the chests. He was not stupid.

"You haven't said how much yet."

Gold Tooth lowered his head and thought for a moment before answering:

"Five hundred tons. My ship can only carry that much at once. I'll need thirty days."

"Fine!"

Guk decided to trust him once and released his hand, allowing the Boyz to carry the chests onto the boat.

"This is only the first time. If it goes well, there'll be plenty more chances later."

"Of course! Boss Guk wants to be a king. Us Boyz will need you to look after our business in the future."

With the deal done, any flattering words would do. Gold Tooth wore a broad smile, practically looking like a Snotling.

"Gold Tooth, do you want to follow me? I'll still let you be the boss. You can come ashore and do business directly. We've got Boyz as numerous as sand."

Faced with Guk's invitation, Gold Tooth refused without even thinking. Though he was an Ork, his long life of piracy had inevitably made him more accustomed to freedom.

"No. We've only got this few Boyz, just scraping by. We won't get in the way of your big plans, Boss Guk."

"Fine. I won't force you. Go get the iron already."

Watching the other party depart, Guk gave the boundless sea one final glance, then led the Boyz back.