Cutlass Harbor

[Yin Tiger: Hey, hey, your turn!]

Seeing that no one continued after Rabbit introduced herself, Yin Tiger immediately spoke up to remind them.

[Yin Tiger: Shen Monkey, your turn.]

[Shen Monkey: ...]

[Yin Tiger: ?? What's that supposed to mean? You Rooster, you go!]

[You Rooster: Heh, idiot!]

Ignoring the farce that followed, Dunn put away the silver mirror.

Although You Rooster's character remained to be seen, he had been right about one thing: anyone who caught the eye of a high-ranking legend like the Eye of the Firmament had to be exceptional. Exchanging information within limits would certainly bring enormous benefits.

As for signing a River Styx Contract and joining the Eye of the Firmament and the others, Dunn still preferred to keep his distance.

The resources the Eye of the Firmament and the others could offer would drive any professional below legendary rank mad, never mind a mere second-tier professional like him. Even some legends would be tempted.

But that was precisely why Dunn had resolved never to join unless he had absolutely no other choice.

The more generous the payment offered in advance, the greater the danger of the experiments he would have to participate in after advancing to legendary rank.

Still, as the Eye of the Firmament had said, no one could guarantee that they would become a legend.

If he truly became stuck at a bottleneck in the future, unable to make any progress, joining them then would be an option.

At least having this silver mirror meant he had another path to choose.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

The [Black Pearl] veered off the main shipping route and headed north. Now that Dunn had a bounty on his head, the islands along the main route were no longer suitable places for the [Black Pearl] to dock.

After all, although professionals on the right side of the law would not actively become bounty hunters, they had no reason to turn down a juicy prize delivered to their doorstep.

Four hundred gold coins was no small sum even for a third-tier professional.

Clang! Clang! Clang! ...

Dunn was sparring with Green on the aft deck.

The clash of blades rang out continuously. Dunn did not use Rokushiki, relying solely on his base attributes as he sparred with Green using the swordsmanship Green had taught him over the past days.

The longsword in Dunn's hand danced in flashes of steel, but Green blocked every strike with ease.

"You're already quite proficient with this [Thunderclap Sword Technique], but you're still lacking in adaptability. You can't rigidly follow the technique's routines in combat." Even while fending off Dunn's attacks, Green had enough attention to spare to give him pointers.

Dunn listened to Green's advice without a word, but his sword moves gradually changed, slowly putting a little pressure on Green.

Over this half month of training, Dunn's strength attribute had increased by one point. His strength was now at 16, surpassing Green's.

However, this increase had also exhausted the benefits brought by his sharp rise in stamina. Any further improvement through training alone would likely take years.

Suddenly, the lookout, who had been keeping watch at the lookout post, shouted:

"Captain, Cutlass Harbor is in sight!"

The pirates aboard all perked up at the news and crowded onto the deck.

Life at sea was dull and monotonous, especially since they had previously been forced to set sail because of the [Golden Tangerine] after spending less than a day at Greenleaf Island.

The pirates had not had enough time to indulge themselves, so every one of them was eager to get off the ship.

Moreover, Dunn had already authorized Boatswain Lewis and Sailing Master Hans to recruit a batch of elite pirates willing to fight hard and take risks at Cutlass Harbor.

The pirates' attitudes had gradually shifted over the past few days. Having become professionals, they were beginning to resent still having to do so many menial chores.

Had they not feared their "brutal" captain, they would probably have started complaining long ago.

Now they could hardly wait for a batch of newcomers to exploit, so they could experience what it felt like to stand above others.

Hearing the lookout's shout, Dunn and Green stopped sparring.

Dunn tossed his longsword to a nearby sailor, took a towel, and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. He said to Annie, "We'll stay at Cutlass Harbor for a few extra days this time. Besides recruiting enough sailors, we also need to refit the [Black Pearl]."

"Refit her? Don't tell me you want to turn the [Black Pearl] into a warship?"

"That's right. With the [Black Pearl]'s size, fitting her with over a hundred gunports wouldn't be a problem. We're pirates, not a merchant ship. There's no need for such a huge cargo hold."

"Over a hundred gunports? What are you thinking? Where are we supposed to get the money for that?" A vein twitched at the corner of Annie's eye. Between the refit and the cannons, it would cost at least eight hundred to a thousand gold coins!

The meager loot from the [Golden Tangerine] had not even covered the two hundred gold coins she had put in. She had paid this month's crew wages out of her own pocket, too!

"Annie, you need to think long-term. Once we improve our armaments, won't the gold just keep rolling in? You see, while others stockpile money, we stockpile cannons. That makes them our little treasuries."

"Put up the money for now and consider it an investment. I'll pay you back double later. You control the purse strings aboard our ship, so you don't need to worry about not getting repaid!"

Dunn dangled grand promises before Annie, imitating the bosses from his previous life. Then, leaving Annie to her thoughts, he turned to Lewis and Hans and instructed them:

"You two, arrange for people to watch the ship. Also, tell everyone going ashore to keep a low profile and stay out of trouble."

"I'll leave recruiting the crew to you. Recruit at least two hundred people. Remember, I only want elites who are willing to fight hard and take risks."

"Leave it to me, Captain!"

"Understood."

The two answered in turn, then gathered the pirates to make arrangements.

"I'll leave finding a shipyard for the refit to you two. Don't skimp on the gold. Fit everything out to the best standard. We'll earn back whatever we spend sooner or later."

Although Annie felt something was not quite right, she could not put her finger on it just then and could only nod in agreement.

Soon, the [Black Pearl] approached Cutlass Harbor and stopped in the coastal waters nearby.

Before long, a small boat carrying an old man with a lantern came rowing toward them, zigzagging along a peculiar course.

As a port devoted entirely to pirates, Cutlass Harbor not only had coastal waters riddled with hidden reefs, but had also spent heavily to set up several magic arrays. Trying to enter without a dedicated guide would almost invariably end in shipwreck and death.

The small boat soon reached the [Black Pearl]. They hauled the old man aboard, boat and all, and paid an entry fee of one gold coin.

Yes, that was only the entry fee. Berthing fees were separate.

Under the old man's guidance, the [Black Pearl] slowly sailed into Cutlass Harbor.