Part 10
[Jesus Christ, this game suddenly decided to throw everything at me. We are not, I repeat, we are not going after Henry Morgan for no less than 15 years.]
Our course decided, we were to hunt down some treasure.
[I'm not even going to bother commenting on most of these unless it's an abnormal amount because there's a metric screwton of these screens in this update, believe you me.]
Just as in the map, we found Shark Cape! I only had to lead the men north towards the buried treasure.
The treasure was due north of the totem pole according to the map.
[Interesting placement of a totem pole.]
Just as the land turned from sand to grass, I spied the treasure marker a short walk away! Roc's treasure was our own!
[A small amount, but useful for getting us back to our original amount before I divided the plunder. Oh boy, how small and insignificant that amount was.]
However, the word was that the Baron had been seen due west, so west we went, raid many a ship along the way.
[If you think THAT'S a high number, just you wait.]
The men were exhausted from the various raids. A week with French wine ought to do the trick.
[Now to sell off our fleet.]
After selling the ships, I found myself holding on to some sort of parchment.
I wasn't able to remember how I had obtained it, but I stuffed it into my pocket all the same.
Of course, all of the plundering put me in the position for another promotion from the governor of Tortuga.
I bought a new sword as well. It was a little bit costly, but a new sword is worth it when fencing.
Baron Raymondo was still where we had last heard he was. Our trip was not in any danger as he would have to pass us to get past us.
Oddly enough, we ran into Blackbeard along the way. A worthy salt such as him deserves no less than my blade.
[Something I really enjoy about Blackbeard over the other pirates is this little thing of his where he would take lit cigars and weave them into his beard. This game liked that enough to actually make them give off light. A nice effect.]
[You can see it better in this picture.]
Sword cuts rope.
Pirate looks shocked.
Pirate flies. The same old trick just keeps on working. Notorious. Ha ha ha!
[Ship Lessons 101: Hey, time for some Blackbeard information.
Real name: Edward Teach. Often braided his hair. His actions were often exaggerated, such as the cigars. Matches were his choice, matches being a lot more dangerous I'd find than cigars. Often had numerous pistols, knives, and swords on him and is genuinely well known. When he died, he was decapitated and his head was used as a prize of sorts to show other pirates that the mighty Blackbeard was slain and that it was best not to tamper with them any longer. Unfortunately, due to his status as a legend of pirates, it is often hard to discern the facts from the fiction even during his days of piracy. I mean, come on! There's even a festival in Virginia named after the man.
...Great. Now I want to go to that festival. Curse my love of piracy.]
We reaped great rewards from the Adventure Prize, including the sailmaker.
Money matters more though, as the crew would have happily agreed.
[Jesus Christ, we're richer than we were before dividing the plunder. Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!]
There was no way the Adventure Prize was leaving our side. However, after such a catch, there was little to look forward to save for more plundering and selling.
All this plundering was grounds for yet another promotion, or so the governor of the Florida Keys said.
[...]
I couldn't tell if the governor was angry with me or attempting to reward me.
His beautiful daughter didn't seem to mind the odd hat, though, and requested I dance with her.
[Ah, glitches. How I love thee.]
[Alright, dancing is a curious thing. What you do is you wait for her command as well as a button flash and don't press it immediately. Just wait a second, press the button, and she'll begin to love you for dancing and not stepping on her toes. Pretty simple, but I dislike it all the same.]
We danced the night away.
She was quite taken with my attempts at dancing, though to this day I do not know how the Florida Keys governor's daughter knew of my lost sister.
Yo ho yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
[You've got to be bloody kidding me. Another one already?]
[Same old, same old. Same exact animations.]
[And so he flies off into the sky in a different direction.]
More gold was our own, but the pirates of great notoriety were rather weak. Perhaps they are strong, I am simply stronger.
[Ship Lessons 101: Stede Bonnet, a Barbadian pirate known sometimes as the Gentleman Pirate wasn't actually that great of a pirate. He was often incapable of leading a crew and even so ended up losing much of his crew in his early career as a pirate to Blackbeard when the two teamed up to commit acts of piracy together.]
The sloop of war we captured had a sense of familiarity to it that the other ships captured thus far did not. I could not help myself in renaming it the Enkelblessure Bijten and handing control over to the corresponding commander.
Upon the ship we discovered another piece of Blackbeard's treasure map, oddly enough.
[This game has no shame. I wish it would stop throwing meat shields in my face.]
[It'd be nicer if these things weren't so darned easy to buy.]
[Oh COME ON! Jesus Christmas Cakes, these guys are all sailing in the same area as each other and directly in my route to Baron Raymondo!]
Great moments in piracy; being able to trick every last one of the most notorious pirates to sail the sea into being bumped overboard by their own supplies.
And thusly, more gold was taken under our wing.
[Ship Lessons 101: Jean Lafitte/Laffite wasn't really much of a pirate. He was more of a privateer and a smuggler, a French person who operated out of New Orleans as a disperser of smuggled goods smuggled by his brother Pierre. Eventually moved to Barataria Bay due to the Embargo Act of 1807 where their new port became very successful. While he was very successful compared to others, his powers died down and he was forced to be nothing more than a common thief, allegedly dying in a Native American village due to fever at the age of 47.]
[Bart? Already?! Why did the game spawn all these guys right here?!]
[Ship Lessons 101: Might as well. Bart Roberts, also known as Black Bart, the man from which Bartholomew Goonham received his first name, was the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy. He captured the most ships, though like all pirates, his career came to an end when grape shot caught him in the throat. His death triggered the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.]
There was only enough room on the seas for one pirate named Bartholomew, and that pirate was of course me.
[Fairwell, Barti Ddu.]
A quite nice sum of money he held on board that ship! It was time to return to plundering on our way to Baron Raymondo!
We docked at a local pirate haven where I bought yet another piece of Blackbeard's map, completing it. We set sail a week later to a nice surprise.
The Baron said that he was holding out on us before and that he wanted to hide a quarter of the map. His tricky little plan didn't work! Ha ha har! However, the trip back east was going to be fraught with boredom as the winds refused to change. There was little to do about this save for plunder more ships.
Pathetic for a Spanish ship. Absolutely pathetic. Dreadful even!
Very useful the carpenter was to us; he became a valued and respected crew member.
An entire fleet of money! We just had to sell them all! The closest French port was the Florida Keys; besides, I was pining for a dance or two with the lovely governor's daughter.
[Nooooo!]
At the time, I didn't know what had happened. It wasn't until we were within the vicinity of the Florida Keys that it had hit me.
[Those dirty Spanish monsters! I'll end them! Right after I sell these useless ships that have been slowing us down!]
It was as I had feared. The governor and his daughter were likely either prisoners or executed. The evil Spanish showed their true colors by taking away the first woman I ever truly set my sights upon.
We had the money, we had the number. The Florida Keys were going to be taken back in the name of France or I was going to die trying!
Baron Raymondo?!
It was settled then. I told the men to sharpen their blades and rest their heads well for the next month was going to be one dedicated to the rescue of the Florida Keys!
Throughout the tavern came cries of "Aye!" as I realized just how many men I had under my thumb. Many were going to die and yet so many were willing to do so in the name of France or against the name of Spain. A true pirate is a man who is brave regardless of how foolhardy it would be to be brave. These brave men under the three true commanders and myself were truly the heroes of that year, for without them, I would be drifting at sea with knives at my throat.
Captain's Log
Spain is evil. Destroy Spain. Destroy all Spaniards who dare sail in my sight.
The Choice
Today's choice brought to you by vengeance! An eye for an eye gets you a free eye patch!
Guys, we've got to go to the Florida Keys. We've got to.
1. Bomb Florida Keys and invade for the sake of restoring French rule and attempting to rescue the governor's daughter
2. Destroy Baron Raymondo and invade Florida Keys
3. Seek out L'Olonnais for some stupid reason despite us being 3rd or 4th most well known pirate
4. Seek out Blackbeard's treasure