"I plan to challenge Orff next time I go to sea. There will be many people supporting me then. In fact, I have won far more than half of the votes. We are in sight of victory." Goodwin stretched out his hand and said sincerely , "I don't want to say this before the final results come out. It seems that I am arrogant, but Orff's era has passed. Join us. The future is ours."
The son of the farmer beside him heard this with excitement and wanted to immediately hold the black gunner's hand of friendship. However, Zhang Heng sat motionless in his seat.
Goodwin's hand hung in the air for a few seconds, and his expression gradually changed.
Zhang Heng said in as polite a tone as possible, "I'm quite satisfied with the current situation, and I have no intention of changing it for the time being."
Goodwin was still making his last effort, "I can understand that as newcomers who have just been on board for more than half a year, you don't want to offend the old people on the ship and are afraid of retaliation, but you also need to know that when the war starts, no one likes to sit on the fence. group."
Although the black gunner said it very euphemistically, the threat mixed with it was also obvious. He was warning the two men not to think that only Orff would retaliate against those on the other side.
Marvin's heart was in his throat, and he wished he could hold Zhang Heng's hand instead.
The latter was silent for a moment after hearing this, and finally stretched out his hand. Seeing that his intention was achieved, Goodwin raised the corners of his mouth, but then heard Zhang Heng say, "Sorry, I still stick to my previous position and don't want to get involved in this matter." inside."
The smile on the black gunner's face froze at this moment, "You will regret your choice." After saying this, he moved his eyes to Malvin on the other side, "What about you?"
The farmer's son was a little scared, but he had been with Zhang Heng for a long time, and this kind of empty threat would not make him defect. However, he really couldn't understand why Zhang Heng refused such a good opportunity.
If Goodwin hadn't lied, then his chances of winning this time were indeed very good.
The black gunner now has a cold face and no longer has the enthusiasm of the past. In his previous plan, Zhang Heng and Marvin should have been able to get the votes easily, both in terms of the previous harmonious relationship between the two parties and the promises he made. It could be said that he was very sincere, and he really couldn't think of any reason for the two of them to refuse.
Now this result was something he hadn't thought of before he came. Goodwin didn't want to sit down anymore, so he got up and left without even making an excuse.
Looking at the black gunner's retreating figure, a look of worry appeared on Marvin's face. On the other hand, Anne upstairs was quite happy. She must have heard something, so she looked down and said, "If you can't survive on the Sea Lion, , just form a team with me!”
"…………"
"Apply your medicine carefully and don't let the wound get infected." Zhang Heng said.
But the farmer's son seemed to realize something, and asked tentatively, "Do you...don't think he can win?"
"What are you afraid of? Do your own thing well. No matter who loses or wins, can this ship still be without the cook?"
Malvin curled his lips, "I feel sorry for you. If Goodwin can replace Mr. Orff, you promise that he can become the captain of the ship's rigging. Now, no matter who loses or wins, he can become the rigging captain." It’s not you anymore.”
Zhang Heng didn't take it seriously. He would not stay on the Sea Lion forever, and he didn't care about his position. As long as he could learn something, he would not stand beside Goodwin even without the reminder of the old pirate Fraser. Here, because he cares more about maintaining a good relationship with the skilled old people than the newcomers.
But he won't tell anyone this kind of thing.
This time, the rest time left for the pirates was very short. In less than three days, the Sea Lion set sail and anchored again. Not only did Goodwin not panic, but he felt confident.
There is only one possibility for this situation to occur, that is, Orff panicked and did not want to leave him any more time to lobby. However, the black gunner no longer cared. Even if there was a small accident with Zhang Heng and Marvin, He had already received enough votes to support him in taking the helmsman position and becoming the Sea Lion's second-in-command.
On the night of going to sea, Goodwin summoned everyone to the deck and began his speech with confidence, "My brothers, I don't know if you have noticed that although our battle is still brave and our skills are still strong, However, our income has dropped in recent times when we went overseas. Aren’t you curious why this happened..."
Griffin, the ship's bookkeeper, rushed into the storage room in a panic, where Orff was checking the supplies and fresh water reserves for this voyage.
"Something is going wrong, Mr. Orff. Goodwin is inciting the crew to depose you!"
"So?" Orff ticked the boxes in his notebook one by one without looking up.
"So... shouldn't you do something? If this continues, your position as helmsman will be lost." The bookkeeper stammered.
"Why do you say that?"
"There is reason to believe that Orff is well prepared this time. I heard that he has visited many people before, with newcomers as his main target. If within five years, the ratio of newcomers to seniors on the Sea Lion is 2: 1, which means he can get two-thirds of the votes." Griffin said quickly.
Orff finally closed the item book in his hand, put it into the bookkeeper's arms, and encouraged, "Well done, there are no problems with the accounts, keep up the good work."
The latter was stunned when he heard this.
"Okay, busy with the things at hand, it's time for me to end the farce outside."
When Orff walked out of the cabin, the black gunner's speech came to an end, "...Based on the above reasons, we have reason to suspect that Mr. Orff can no longer perform the duties of the helmsman and safeguard the interests of the crew."
When he finished speaking, he found that there was no cheers around him this time.
Seeing Orff, the crowd automatically gave way to a path under the latter's years of accumulated power.
Although the two sides were now opponents, the black gunner did not want to lose his dignity. He cleared his throat and greeted politely, "Mr. Orff."
However, Orff seemed not to see him, and glanced at the sailors on the ship. His expression was a little surprised, because the person he thought would appear here did not appear, but this did not affect his next move. things to do.
He retracted his gaze and said, "I have to admit that I haven't cared enough about you recently. I have heard those private complaints about the recent decrease in loot. Some people suspect that I colluded with the captain and violated I can understand that it is for the interests of the crew, and this is human nature."
He paused and continued, "Some people think that I am too old to fight as bravely as Mr. Goodwin. I do not deny this. As for the conflicts between newcomers and old people, they exist on every ship, no matter what. No matter how you deal with it, there is always one party who feels that they have been treated badly. I saw it but didn’t take it seriously, so it’s also my fault.”
The crowd gradually became commotion. Everyone thought Orff would refute Goodwin's accusations point by point, but what they didn't expect was that he actually admitted them all.
What is this, are you ready to admit defeat?
