Chapter 156 The Tide Turns

At this time, people still placed great importance on alliances and oaths. Upon seeing the signal flare, several pirate ships immediately sailed over to help. However, the legendary ships Queen Anne's Revenge and the Flying Dutchman surprisingly chose neutrality, setting sail and moving far away. Despite the numerous pirates who came to assist, neither Captain Jack Sparrow nor his first mate, Jack Sparrow, appeared on the Black Pearl, leaving the pirates in a state of disunity and leaderlessness, resulting in a chaotic battle.

Meanwhile, Armand arrived on the deck, his hand resting on the silver rapier at his waist. He looked at the white knight cutting down pirates on the Black Pearl, a fierce light and burgeoning ambition flashing in his eyes! After the battle against the Invincible Armada a few days prior, Armand's reputation had risen to become second only to the three legendary pirate captains. Seeing the current leaderless state, he thought that if he could step forward and defeat the master of Tortuga, leading everyone to victory, his reputation would, at the very least, rival Blackbeard and Davy Jones, and even surpass them!

Just as Armand resolved to give orders, Fang Senyan took a deep breath and suddenly said:

"Captain! If I'm not mistaken, the person on the Black Pearl is likely to be Lord Fawk?"

Armand turned his head, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Indeed."

Fang Senyan met his gaze without fear.

"Although we don't know why Lord Fawk is attacking the Black Pearl like a madman, it's clear that Tortuga Castle has emptied its defenses, leaving it extremely vulnerable!"

At this point, greed flashed in Fang Senyan's eyes, and he lowered his voice mysteriously.

"Why don't we make a score?"

Armand's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at the battlefield again. At least five or six pirate ships had come to support, blocking the waters around the Black Pearl. The sounds of firelock guns popped like fried beans, and the air was filled with smoke. Boarding actions had also begun, resulting in a chaotic and bloody scene. If they rushed over now, the Bell and Wineglass would have difficulty even getting close. It would be better to attack Tortuga Castle and take advantage of their weakness. If they could force Lord Fawk to retreat in a panic, the credit would undoubtedly be his. Even if Lord Fawk was determined not to return, he could still fill his pockets!

In short: why save people when you can rob them?

Although Armand had already agreed with Fang Senyan's suggestion in his heart, he deliberately waited for a while until his men understood the key point and looked at him with the eager eyes of hungry wolves before saying:

"Yes, that's what I was thinking."

The pirates cheered instantly. It was the same to shed blood and risk their lives, but one path led to risking their lives to fight, only to receive a few words of gratitude from their allies. The other path led to easily killing, burning, and looting. Even an idiot knew which path to choose.

Armand's cunning was also profound. With a casual sentence, he claimed Fang Senyan's suggestion as his own, completely marginalizing him.

"Shahr, Matt."

"This time, you'll lead the team and take our best lads! But not too many, to avoid other bastards noticing and stealing a march on us." Armand called out these two names, then a cruel smile appeared on his lips. "The Fawk family has been peaceful for too long. This time, they dared to strike at pirates first! Let them taste blood and steel!"

Shahr, who had been called out, was not surprised. Logically, it should have been First Mate Henry leading the team, but the head injury he sustained in the battle against the Invincible Armada had not yet healed. Therefore, Shahr's participation was a natural progression. However, the naming of Blind Matt, the deputy boatswain, seemed unexpected but was actually reasonable. The Fawk family had been operating in Tortuga for seventy years, and the wealth inside could be described as mountainous. Once they broke in, the benefits would be immeasurable. Without Blind Matt, a trusted aide, to supervise and watch, how could Armand rest assured letting Shahr go?

As for Armand's decision to stay on the ship, it was also carefully considered. As one of the future Seven Pirate Lords, Armand was certainly not someone who would be easily seduced by wealth. Although the wealth accumulated in Tortuga Port over seventy years was astonishing and tempting, the situation on this particular night was extremely strange: the Black Pearl was attacked by Lord Fawk, and the other two legendary pirate ships, which should have been allies, stood by and watched. At least half of the other pirate ships were also standing still. In such a situation, it was certainly necessary to venture out, but it was even more important to protect the Bell and Wineglass as a way out! Moreover, Armand's perception was quite high, and he had always had a faint feeling of extreme danger in his heart, so he would definitely not leave his ship on this night.

For Armand, as long as he guarded this ship, the pirates who went out, even if they returned fully loaded, would eventually have to return to the Bell and Wineglass, which was completely a no-lose situation. And even if there were any unpredictable risks, Armand could immediately set sail and escape. With the ship's strength, as long as the Black Pearl and the British flagship Dauntless did not come, he would definitely be able to escape! Therefore, Armand's staying behind was a manifestation of his extraordinary shrewdness, a good move that could be both offensive and defensive.

Time passed quickly, and nearly two hours had passed. The battle on the Black Pearl continued. During this time, several pirate ship captains who were friendly with Armand also transmitted various pieces of intelligence:

There were reports that at 5:00 PM, Tortuga Castle had sent a steward to invite the Black Pearl's Captain Jack and First Mate Jack Sparrow to a banquet, ostensibly to negotiate this year's sugar cane quota. As it turned out only Captain Jack went, and First Mate Jack Sparrow didn't make it.

There were also reports that First Mate Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl had been seen on the west side of the island.

The last message said that Tortuga Castle seemed to have received information that the pirates were about to turn against the port and loot it, so they wanted to strike first.

These messages were very chaotic, and were obviously a mixture of truth and falsehood. Even Armand, as shrewd as he was, was immersed in deep thought for a while, trying to find the truth from these seemingly tangled surface phenomena. It was a thankless task. And it must be noted that Fang Senyan was not the only one who realized that Tortuga Port's defenses were now weak. The reason why Fang Senyan was able to react at the first moment of the change was because he was mentally prepared for this situation -- it would not be an exaggeration to say that Fang Senyan single-handedly triggered this storm sweeping Tortuga Port -- so various contingency plans and arguments had been rehearsed many times in Fang Senyan's mind, so he naturally appeared calm and composed in the face of emergencies.

It could be seen that several pirate ships had already raised the skull flag and began to send their men, holding knives and torches, rushing into the port along the familiar routes, shouting wildly - the only difference was that their identities had changed from consumers to robbers. The people who opened shops in the neutral port were not benevolent men and women either, so in a short period of time, the entire prosperous Tortuga Port was engulfed in blood, smoke, and war.

Armand stood on the Bell and Wineglass, his body straight. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the chaotic Tortuga Port not far away, his eyes becoming more and more solemn. Fang Senyan, standing behind him, also took a deep breath, letting the Caribbean wind with a slight smell of gunpowder fill his lungs, seemingly also worrying about something, but sneering in his heart.

"Things are developing as I expected..."

For Fang Senyan, who had created the current situation, he could naturally guess what Armand was worried about: the looting team he had sent out, led by Shahr and Blind Matt. According to the time, this team should have returned with a signal if everything went well. The delay in their return could only be due to two possibilities:

A. Possibility: They successfully entered the unprepared Tortuga Castle and looted a large amount of wealth.

B. Possibility: They were making poor progress in Tortuga Castle and were suffering heavy casualties.

If possibility A was true, then these pirates were on their way back to the Bell and Wineglass - and the situation in Tortuga Port had clearly spiraled out of control. Those pirates, already crazed and red-eyed with greed, would know what to do when they saw the huge wealth carried by Shahr's small team, even if they were idiots! Shahr's team would inevitably be surrounded and suffer heavy casualties!

No matter which situation occurred, the raiding team would suffer huge losses due to the lack of manpower! This was definitely not what Armand wanted to see. The Bell and Wineglass had already lost too many key members these days. If something unexpected happened to this dispatched team, the strength Armand had would not be enough to describe as damaging to his muscles and bones, it would have to drop a level, not to mention the huge loss of the spoils they would bring back if they succeeded in looting!

For a time, the people around him noticed Armand's hesitation and embarrassment, but no one could speak, and no one dared to speak. The situation fell into an awkward silence, with only the sound of the sea gently lapping against the hull of the ship clearly audible. Armand looked at the Tortuga Port night sky, which was dyed red by the firelight, and his right hand unconsciously grasped the hilt of his sword, tightened it, then released it, then tightened it again, clearly finding it difficult to make a decision.

At this moment, Fang Senyan took a deep breath.

The night was vast, and the sea swayed gently.

Fang Senyan stood by the railing, his whole person seemingly integrated into the deep and vast sea, giving off an indescribable sense of mystery and strangeness.

His breathing seemed to echo the tides of the sea. After a long while, he finally said a sentence.

This sentence was spoken by Fang Senyan, looking into Armand's eyes, and was said with great sincerity, from the bottom of his heart.

But only those who knew everything knew the shamelessness of this sentence! It was a long-planned/deliberately conceived/painstakingly crafted sentence. But it completely revealed the puzzles in all his previous arrangements!

Wahahaha, I'm going to reveal this sentence at 11:30 tonight. It's been a long time since we've played interactive games. Once this sentence is spoken, a large part of Little Fang's previous layout will be revealed.

Come on, guess what Little Fang said.

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