Zheng He's Voyages and One Piece

Jack reclaimed his ship and lived a carefree life on the high seas, thus proving that the storyline of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Cursed Coin has ended.

Based on the information about Xiao Feng, Russell roughly deduced that the current timeline is between the second and third parts, but the third part has definitely not started yet.

Also, one thing about Xiao Feng's intelligence is inaccurate: Captain Jack will definitely not be living a carefree life. His deal with David Jones is about to expire, and he will have to work on the Flying Dutchman for 100 years. He must be so anxious that his hair is almost turning into a Mediterranean.

David Jones was a sea devil, a powerful figure whom no pirate wanted to mess with. The fact that Jack made a deal with him was also partly due to the influence of Lord Beckett, the chairman of the East India Company.

Jack followed in his father's footsteps and became a wealthy Pirate King of the Caribbean. However, he was passionate about adventure and disliked killing and plundering. He was unable to bring treasure to his men, so he lived a very impoverished life and had no choice but to seek employment at the East India Company.

The East India Company owned a trading ship named 'the Wicked Wench', which could be translated into Chinese as 'bad girl' in a nicer way, or 'morally corrupt girl' or 'morally depraved girl' in a less nice way.

Jack becomes the captain of the ship and is ordered by Beck to transport a shipment from Africa. He discovers that the so-called shipment is actually African slaves, and out of a sense of justice, he releases them without authorization.

Jack paid the price for his actions. He was imprisoned by Lord Beckett and branded with the letter 'P', a symbol of piracy. The Bad Girl was also ordered by Lord Beckett to be destroyed and sunk to the bottom of the sea.

After Prison Break, Jack is determined to find his ship. He makes a deal with David Jones: David Jones will help him save the sinking Bad Girl, and after 13 years as captain again, his soul will serve on the Flying Dutchman for 100 years.

David Jones agreed, and he helped Jack rescue the Bad Girl and renamed it the Black Pearl!

To be honest, Jack made a killing on this deal; he got the fastest ship in the Caribbean, while David Jones only got a dispensable soul.

But things went wrong halfway through. Jack had the blood of an adventurer flowing through his veins; he wasn't interested in plunder or treasure, but rather in the adventure itself. As a result, nobody wanted to work for him. After two years as captain, he was drowning in debt and had made quite a few enemies.

Finally, the man appeared...

Hector Barbossa!

Barbossa, like Jack, is one of the Nine Pirate Kings, but his territory is not as wealthy as the Caribbean and is a bit remote. He is the Pirate King of the Caspian Sea.

What kind of place is the Caspian Sea?

It can't even be called a sea; it's a lake, the world's largest saltwater lake. You can imagine what Barbossa could possibly achieve in the Caspian Sea, which is why he went bankrupt early and joined Jack as the first mate, the second-in-command of the Black Pearl.

With two Pirate Kings on a ship, it was destined that one of them would be captured. Jack, who could not bring wealth to everyone, was abandoned by the crew and banished to a deserted island with only a flintlock pistol with one bullet.

What happened next is unnecessary to elaborate on. Jack spent 10 years reclaiming the Black Pearl and killed Barbossa with that pistol.

Once again captain of the Black Pearl, Jack is overjoyed to begin a new adventure. Unfortunately, he does some quick calculations and realizes that it's time to pay back his debts.

When it comes to paying off debts, Jack's first thought is to default on them. Rum and adventure are still waiting for him; he can't just die like that. But David Jones is not someone to mess with, so he has to go into hiding and trick his crew into traveling all over the world.

So he's probably hiding on some pirate ship living like a savage now. As for the inland areas... that's impossible. Jack feels restless if he can't see the sea for a day.

"Have someone gather information on Jack Sparrow. I need to know his exact location." Russell gave the order while petting the cat. The World Quest was currently unknown, but based on accumulated experience, the protagonist or those around the protagonist were the most likely group to trigger the World Quest.

He wants to see Jack!

"Yes, sir!"

Xiao Feng and Tai Huang bowed and left the room, leaving the twin sisters Lian and Pu to take care of Russell's daily needs. Russell had no intention of being like Xiao Feng, so he waved for the two women to leave and began studying the sea map in the center of the room.

Suddenly, he remembered that Xiao Feng possessed a treasured world map, which recorded many incredible treasures of the sea. For example, the route to the ends of the earth, Davy Jones's prison, and... the Fountain of Youth!

Eternal youth is indeed a very tempting phrase.

Russell stroked his chin. It seemed that the fourth movie would revolve around the Fountain of Youth, but unfortunately the plot was a disaster and lost the charm of the first three. He had only seen it once and had forgotten most of the details.

The fifth installment, Trident of Sea King, is the worst Pirates of the Caribbean; let's not even mention it.

"That trident of Sea King must be made of glass. Poor Poseidon, no wonder he was so thoroughly suppressed by Zeus. Such a fragile weapon, he deserved to be beaten to a pulp by his brother. Ahahaha... ha..."

(一`一)

"Oh dear, if Poseidon and Zeus really existed, wouldn't this world be in great danger!"

Russell calmed down and suddenly realized that this world was very complex, because the theme had been focused on the adventures of pirates, and he had subconsciously ignored the existence of the gods.

"Oh no! But I seem to need that trident, what should I do?"

Russell's motto in life is "A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall," "Live to the bitter end," and "Develop stealthily." However, as the level of the world he came into contact with increased, his unease grew stronger.

Character Card and Skill Card are indeed powerful, but the time limit is annoying. As for improving one's own strength... Russell has been working hard, but the path to becoming a strong person is not something that can be achieved overnight. Selling one's soul to the devil might make one instantly powerful, but what is the point of that?

"Sure enough, I still have to try my luck with the Trident. If I can trigger the lottery and get the Poseidon Character Card, I'll be set." Russell was petting the cat while calculating the risks and rewards, with two Xiao Luo having an internal battle.

Gou Xue Russell: "Give up. After all, it's Poseidon's artifact. Getting it is definitely not as easy as it is in the movie!"

Hot-blooded Russell: "I don't need to get it, I just need to get close and rub against it. It's that simple."

"There are gods in this world, you know. Do you really want to die?"

"Excuse me, are you referring to the sea goddess who was sealed away by pirates?"

"It's Poseidon, the Sea King in Greek mythology!"

"Stop joking. He didn't even appear in the movie from beginning to end. Maybe Ragnarok has already happened in this world..."

"That's just a possibility. What if he's still alive?"

"There's no such thing as 'what if'!"

"There really is; you always seem to run into someone named Russell by chance."

"What kind of talk is that? It's like you've been cursed!"

"..."

Just as Russell was hesitating, Xiao Feng presented him with a nautical chart and said respectfully, "My lord, please take a look. This is the Mao Kun Map passed down from my ancestors!"

Xiao Feng placed the nautical chart on the table, opened it, and rotated it according to the mechanism. The map changed accordingly, revealing routes and destinations.

Russell was captivated by the map, which was drawn on slender bamboo slips with a distinctly Eastern style and annotated with Chinese characters. It not only featured familiar symbols such as the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, but also depicted mountains and rivers in a rich ink-wash style, as well as portraits and monsters.

"You said this nautical chart Mao Kun Map, then... who is Mao Kun?"

Russell frowned. The structure of this nautical chart was consistent with the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), clearly indicating that it was Made in China. Mao Kun was definitely not an unknown figure.

Xiao Feng's eyes twitched, and he clasped his hands together, burying his head deeply. "My lord, Mao Kun Map is... Zheng He's nautical chart!"

Russell: "..."

Why don't you just say it's Zheng He's nautical charts? Why are you bringing up Mao Kun with me? I thought he was a calligrapher!

And why are you looking down at me? You're probably chuckling to yourself!

Russell's eyes were unfriendly. Xiao Feng was clearly preparing to make him look foolish. Such evil practices must not be allowed to grow. They must be severely punished... cough cough, given a good talking-to.

A gust of cold wind blew by, Xiao Feng shivered violently. He hurriedly said, "Please know, sir, that when Zheng He sailed the seas, he encountered many strange and terrifying sea areas. Based on local myths and legends, he personally drew up a series of nautical charts. Later, he found skilled craftsmen to integrate these routes that did not exist on the sea using the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, and thus created this ingenious Mao Kun Map."

Are you kidding me? Zheng He's voyages to the West were for adventure?

You're talking about One Piece, right? The world with the Grand Line and the Celestial Dragons.

Russell waved his hand, saying that it was a modified world based on the real world, and there was no need to pay too much attention to the details. If there was anything illogical, it was Captain Jack's age!

"This nautical chart was passed down from your ancestors. Could it be that someone in your family tree is related to Zheng He?" Russell looked at Xiao Feng with surprise. The eunuch Zheng He had no successors; his descendants had actually become pirates.

"That's not the case. I would like to be related to that person, but..." Xiao Feng raised his head, feeling embarrassed, and said awkwardly, "To tell you the truth, this map was obtained by my father in the South China Sea. He happened to meet a merchant ship while sailing, and a merchant had long admired him, so he gave it to him as a gift."

I don't believe you for a second!