【】
The negotiation with the half-drunk Lars finally ended in a win-win cooperation. In addition to the "settlement" work of the cat-eared girl and the retired pirate, many pearl minerals exchanged on the seabed were also ignored by Lars. I bought a lot at wholesale prices lower than the market price.
In exchange for real money, the next step is to make arrangements with the relevant people.
Even though the generous George paid these old pirates a lot of severance pay, when it was time to bid farewell to the sea, these usually majestic men all lowered their legs and chests, with tears in their eyes.
At this moment, George suddenly remembered what his master, the Reaper vice-captain Sister Yao, said when he was on earth -
The biggest enemy of warriors like us is aging.
The gears of time roll forward, and the alternation of the old and the new is the eternal theme of the world. Regardless of the length of the life cycle, living things will always age. A weak old wolf will take the initiative to leave the group and go to a place where no one can find it to wait for death. Aging humans will take the initiative to leave the city and return to their homeland to enjoy the last peace.
Indeed, some of the sailors abandoned by Captain Dark on the Dark Knight may have gone against Captain Dark's will, some were unlucky and did not have time to get on the ship, and most of them were elderly. Old sailor.
The old man is afraid of the young. These pirates may not have read many books, but they know it very well in their hearts. Even though Captain Qiaoqiao's god-like attitude of being responsible for one man and one man made them lucky to escape the disaster of the Bloody Harbor, their increasingly weak bodies It was not enough to support them to continue to take up arms and shout with the young enemies on the deck.
Besides, the White Pearl is no longer what it used to be. This huge emperor-class battleship carries the undead, ghosts and vampires whose bones are still cold. There is no place for the living!
Maybe follow Captain Jojo’s advice, put down your sword and shield, buy a boat, pick up a harpoon and net bag, and battle wits with tuna in the shallow sea, bask in the sun in your free time, make an appointment to play dice and bet money, or find a Square table, try a game called "Mahjong" that Captain Qiaoqiao newly taught them. It seems to be a good way to live?
With this mentality, the sailors finally left the White Pearl with the gold coins in their arms, sighing in three steps and looking back in five steps. But just when George thought he could breathe a sigh of relief and turn around to deal with the most difficult cat-eared girl, the heavy footsteps coming from behind made his heart twitch again.
"What's wrong, Dwayne Johnson, don't you go down with the others? Do you think your pension is not enough or do you want to get your sword back?"
Dwayne Johnson, one of the first pirates George has known since he first boarded the Dark Knight, is also the original owner of the pirate scimitar on George's waist. Although he is over fifty years old, apart from adding a bit more white to his stubble, the years have not done any damage to his tendons.
It's not George who praises him. Even if he has reached the age of retirement, in terms of combat effectiveness, even if he fights a young man of George's age, it is not enough for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to fight alone.
"I want to stay."
There was no trace of confusion or hesitation in Johnson's voice.
"Only the dead can remain on this ship."
"I'm ready."
"No, you didn't!"
George's voice suddenly rose a few degrees. He whipped out the pirate scimitar from his waist and pointed it directly at Johnson's throat. As long as he moved half an inch forward, the sharp edge of the scimitar could easily cut Johnson's throat!
"Isn't it good to live? Isn't it good to stay and be a civilian? In the worst case scenario, you wait until the White Pearl leaves before joining other pirate ships. Isn't it good to live and be a human being?"
"Captain Jojo, I want to stay."
Johnson's big hand forcefully pushed away the blade of the pirate's scimitar, allowing the sharp blade to make a deep scratch in his thick palm. Johnson found a barrel next to George and sat down. He took out the wine bottle from his pocket and talked about the past while drinking.
"In the past, I was a defender of an island town. I became a squad leader in the army with my brute force. Although my income was not high, I had a wife and children by my side and a harmonious family. The days of training were indeed hard. For the sake of my family The days of hard work can be considered happy.”
"One day, a small group of pirates came over. It was supposed to be a winnable battle to defend the city, but because the captain and the elite troops were enjoying themselves in the custom shop that day, we only had to rely on the few captains to fight on their own. It finally fell."
"All my men died in the battle, and I was the only one who was still struggling. I don't know how long I lasted. I only remember that someone knocked me unconscious from behind. When I woke up, the pirates had already snatched me away. The gold, silver and jewels, my wife and children were also taken away, leaving the town in ruins.”
"In order to avoid punishment, the captain of the city defense army who was lucky enough to survive downplayed the man-made disaster, told lies, shirked responsibility, and turned a blind eye to the abducted women and children when he reported the accident. I was so anxious that I ignored the rules and jumped to the next level to report. We asked for reinforcements, but were stopped by the captain.”
"The captain promised me a lot of benefits and told me not to talk nonsense. I understood what he meant. He didn't want to save people at all, so I could only kill the captain. This also made me lose my position and my salvation. A chance for my wife and children.”
…
"So, why do you want to be a pirate? Why don't you change your name in another city, or change your identity and become a mercenary?" The story of Dwayne Johnson gradually attracted George's interest, at least he didn't think about him as much as he did at the beginning. Kicked right off the boat.
"I became a pirate to kill pirates."
"Are you saying that you enjoy the process of killing pirates?"
"Yes, I like it very much! They took away my family, my most important family!" Johnson said without thinking.
"I once joined a mercenary group, and I also worked as an assassin, but I found that I still didn't have enough opportunities to face pirates. The funny thing is, when I became one of them, I found that I killed more pirates than We used to kill more. Pirates hated other pirates, they hated their competitors, so they attacked as soon as they spotted other pirates. After we came ashore, the rows in the taverns often turned into murder, or some drunk guy Dragging them into alleys and slitting their throats was a common occurrence."
"Have you ever counted how many pirates you've killed?"
"Captain, do you remember how much bread you have eaten so far? I can't count it. I really can't count it. If I have to say it, it will never be lower than this number!"
Johnson held up five fingers, each of which represented enough pirate corpses to fill a three-masted sailboat!
"That's enough. If it's just for revenge, you've killed enough! After killing so many pirates, it's time to retire."
George shook his head and looked at Dwayne Johnson with a trace of pity in his eyes. This iron-like strong man, the scars carved on his knotted muscles are not only the merits of the battlefield, but also the shackles of the past, even at this age...
"Captain, are you trying to say that it's really not worth it for me to still be running for revenge at this age?"
As if he could see through George's mind, Johnson spoke out the lines that George was holding back. He subconsciously poured wine into his mouth, but the bottle had already reached the bottom. In desperation, he had no choice but to put the spout of the pot in front of his nose. After taking a few deep breaths along with the sea breeze, he showed an intoxicated smile.
"What does the old saying say? People who can feel that they are alive always have some hope or pursuit in their hearts. People who can live contentedly and live forever will never leave any regrets in their hearts before they die. No matter what, survival is the key. It is not that easy to seek death. A life where you are satisfied with just eating, drinking, and sleeping, or a life where you find a rope to hang yourself on. What is the difference between these two kinds of lives and those of animals?"
"Killing pirates was indeed my previous thought, but at this juncture, I also figured it out. My biggest nostalgia is still the ocean and the smell of rum. I heard that after becoming an immortal, the soul cannot touch reincarnation. Door, it can retain some of the feelings of life? What about Captain, you must be more experienced than me in this regard, can you help me preserve my sense of taste? I don’t want to forget these tastes yet."
"Please, this is my only last wish!"
Seeing the carefree Dwayne Johnson in front of him, George felt helpless and decided not to dissuade him any more. After summoning the magic circle, he put his palm on Johnson's heart, and surging dark magic power burst out from the base of his palm. , swept through Johnson's body in an instant, taking away all the vitality of this body, and at the same time, the imprint of the death spell was also deeply engraved in Dwayne Johnson's soul!
"I received your last wish!"
