A faint smile appeared on John’s face when he heard the answer.
Wine and furs were both highly sought-after goods.
As for the gold...
it was practically equivalent to gold coins.
A merchant ship like this would undoubtedly be carrying a considerable amount of gold.
It was entirely possible that John could instantly earn back all the gold coins he had spent recently—and still have plenty left over.
There was simply no helping it.
That was how the world worked.
The rich only became richer.
He had originally intended to spend all his money, yet somehow he kept earning even more.
How troublesome.
These damned reserves of gold coins.
At that moment, the captain of the armed merchant ship asked,
"What are you planning to do with us?"
"If you hold us for ransom, you should be able to exchange us for a decent amount of gold coins."
John replied indifferently,
"Gold coins?"
"Are you trying to insult me?"
"I have no need for gold coins."
"You have two choices."
"Stay and become pirates under me..."
"Or die."
The merchant captain’s expression changed drastically.
What the hell?
Why was this man not following the usual script?
He did not even want money?!
At that moment, Izer stepped forward.
"My lord, the pirate ship over there has raised a signal flag."
"They are asking whether we can spare them."
A cold smile appeared on John’s face.
"Spare them?"
"In my world, there has never been such a thing."
He immediately ordered,
"Tell them to surrender."
"If they refuse..."
"Kill every last one of them."
...
Aboard the lateen-rigged pirate ship, Captain Mad Shark’s face had turned ashen when he learned that the hull was leaking.
Now they did not even have a chance to escape.
It was truly one disaster after another.
At that moment, a pirate suddenly shouted in astonishment,
"Look!"
"The warship changed its flag!"
"It raised a black flag!"
"It really is a black flag!"
"Are they one of us?!"
"What?!"
"The strongest main battleship of the Lothar Kingdom is actually a pirate ship?!"
Some of the pirates simply could not process what they were seeing.
Their minds went blank.
Captain Mad Shark looked over as well.
He saw the black flag.
Then he saw thick gunpowder smoke rising from the ships and heard the continuous crack of gunfire.
They were actually fighting!
In an instant, the despair in Captain Mad Shark’s heart was replaced by a glimmer of hope.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
Compared to being captured by the authorities and sent to the gallows, being taken prisoner by fellow pirates was far preferable.
Even if they were forced to perform hard labor, at least they would still be alive.
If pirates were captured by the kingdom, they would almost certainly face a death sentence.
Their end would be miserable.
But if they were captured by other pirates, then even if they were treated like slaves and forced to work themselves to the bone...
they could at least survive.
Captain Mad Shark knew perfectly well that the armed merchant ship had no chance against a Loren-class battleship.
And since his own ship could no longer escape anyway...
he might as well give up resisting.
With that thought, Captain Mad Shark immediately ordered his men to send a signal.
They begged the battleship to spare them, promising that if they ever had the opportunity in the future, they would repay the favor.
The signal was sent.
Soon afterward, a response came back.
[Surrender and live.]
[Refuse, and you will be killed without mercy.]
Captain Mad Shark sighed helplessly.
"Then surrender."
"We have no other choice."
The pirate ship decisively surrendered.
The Golden Merry immediately lowered several small boats.
The pirates were ordered to board them in groups and cross over to the Golden Merry.
The boats were far too small to travel any meaningful distance across such turbulent waters.
There was no need to worry about the pirates using them to escape.
Batch after batch of pirates crossed the sea and boarded the Golden Merry.
Woop followed the others with his head hanging low.
The Golden Merry was enormous and luxurious.
To these pirates, it was the kind of warship they could only dream of owning.
Yet the moment they remembered that they were about to become prisoners aboard it...
all their excitement vanished.
Woop sighed.
"I really envy John."
"At least he died early and doesn’t have to suffer through any of this."
"I should have just gotten captured with him back then."
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly noticed a figure approaching from ahead.
The silhouette looked strangely familiar.
It was a young man.
He wore expensive and elegant clothing.
His expression was calm and cold, while an indescribable sense of authority surrounded him.
A group of powerful-looking men followed closely behind.
"John...?"
For some reason, the first name that appeared in Woop’s mind was that of his childhood friend.
The young man looked far too similar to John.
No—
not merely similar.
They looked exactly alike.
The only difference was the aura.
This young man possessed an unmistakable air of nobility and authority.
That was something the John in Woop’s memories could never have possessed.
For a moment, Woop did not even dare recognize him.
But while Woop hesitated, several other pirates could not help crying out.
"John!"
"He really looks like John!"
"Is that actually him?"
"How could it be John?"
"People can look alike."
"John was just some minor pirate. Look at that guy—he obviously looks like a noble."
"Damn it, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me."
"Wasn’t John captured?"
"His corpse is probably already cold by now."
John listened calmly to the pirates discussing him.
He already had a plan for what came next.
Pirate Island contained a large number of pirates.
If John wanted to obtain an Overlord’s Token, he needed to build a powerful force.
These pirates could be useful.
Since the identity assigned to John by this world was that of a minor pirate...
he might as well take advantage of it.
First, he would become the Overlord of these seas.
Then he would continue expanding his power.
With that thought, John walked toward Captain Mad Shark and spoke calmly.
"Captain Mad Shark."
"Long time no see."
The moment Captain Mad Shark heard John’s voice, the last trace of doubt in his mind vanished.
The young man standing before him really was one of their own!
A minor pirate from Pirate Island.
A junior he had watched grow up.
The very same John who had been captured only a few days ago!
As for why John was now standing aboard a Loren-class battleship—and apparently held an extremely high position here...
Captain Mad Shark could not even begin to imagine.
But none of that mattered right now.
Meeting one of their own at a time like this was unquestionably good news.
Captain Mad Shark stared at him in shock.
"Y-You..."
"You’re John?"
Whoosh!
More than two hundred pirates simultaneously turned their gazes toward John.
Expectation filled Woop’s eyes.
John smiled faintly.
"Yes."
Boom!
The pirates felt as though thunder had exploded in their minds.
The entire group immediately erupted into chaos.
It really was John!
One of their own!
When Woop heard John admit it, his nose suddenly stung and his eyes turned red.
He immediately asked,
"John, weren’t you captured?"
"How did you end up here?"
John replied,
"There is a powerful figure backing me."
"He not only rescued me, but also gave me the Golden Merry."
He gestured toward the massive warship beneath their feet.
"This ship."
Captain Mad Shark’s eyes instantly lit up.
He asked excitedly,
"So that means..."
"You’re the captain of this battleship now?"
"The captain of the Golden Merry?"
"And you can do whatever you want with it?"
John smiled.
"That’s right."
"I can do whatever I want."