A pirate ship sliced through the waves on the sea, old but not hindering its speed. Swift was the word.

On the deck, a few scruffy, dirty sailors were talking.

"Old geezer! Is this Hamlet really as wealthy as the rumors say?"

"You young punks wouldn't know, but back in the day, who didn't know about Hamlet? Even Totnes couldn't compare..." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

An old man grinned with a mouth missing several teeth, with a few dreamy memories.

The long exposure to the sun and wind from pirate life had made him look extremely aged, and his thin body made one doubt whether he could still wield a knife.

"Bah! Boasting again, being better than Totnes, my foot."

"Ridiculous, then why is Hamlet gone now?"

"Of course, it's because he's dying with the old geezer."

"Hahaha!"

Not waiting for the old man to finish, several interrupted him with mocking comments and laughed, full of ridicule.

They weren't asking seriously; they were just looking for amusement.

But the topic sparked discussions among others.

"Everyone on the island is talking about it anyway, if you don't dare, you'll never rise up."

"The captain spent quite a bit for this voyage."

"Who knows, maybe this is the captain's chance to turn the tables."

In fact, the pirates on this ship could be described as the bottom of the barrel, different from those dirty but mostly young pirates before; few looked capable of fighting on this pirate ship.

If they weren't toothless, they looked bizarre with missing limbs, wearing crude wooden prosthetics.

But anyone could see the casual indifference to death from them, understanding they had once been infamous rogues on the sea.

Whether they could fight was another matter; surviving alone was impressive, showing their rich experience.

"Land spotted!"

The shout stirred the whole ship, and the captain hurried out from the cabin, finally showing a hint of a pirate's viciousness and madness.

His build wasn't tall but solid, wearing a simple long hemp shirt, open at the chest, with a sailor's knife and short musket at his waist.

Once the captain emerged, he pushed aside the crew taking prime spots, casting his gaze to the horizon, finally seeing vague silhouettes of buildings along the coastline.

The most striking sight was the old manor standing on the sea cliff.

Well... If anyone truly visited Hamlet, they'd know that the buildings ahead were not Hamlet but the Old City Ruins.

This likely happened due to Hamlet's decline, leaving the place unmanaged, even pirates were too lazy to care.

They found guidance from dying old pirates on the island, using a nautical chart from over ten years ago, pointing to the original site of Hamlet.

Indeed, the captain's purchased sea chart was over a decade old since he couldn't afford the latest information.

This ship's captain was a somewhat famous pirate on the island; one day, only a nearly wrecked ship returned to the island.

The few surviving crew stayed silent about the incident, no one knowing their ordeal.

The captain only claimed a storm nearly killed them, but his life's work was destroyed.

Few believed the story.

Some said they encountered a sea monster and escaped only through sacrifice; others said they fought over treasure; some claimed they were lured by a Siren's song...

The sea is fickle and merciless, gentle with endless calm waves, embracing you; a little favor could make you rich, turning you into a legend. But the next rage could destroy anything, making all wary of the sea's dangers.

Even the mighty Pirate King ruling a sea territory dared not claim conquering the sea; surviving the ocean is their taboo.

While the captain silently bore the hardships of failure, news circulated on the island about treasure found in a place called Hamlet, abundant but poorly defended.

Like a plump fish, Hamlet attracted many, though savvy pirates knew the rumors were iffy at best, because good fortune never spreads openly.

Yet the Big Pirates might ignore the obscure place, but for the captain to turn his fate, he'd stake everything.

Thus, the captain put his last savings into repairing the ship; hiring sailors on the island without money was a joke.

Because experienced sailors had teams, only unwanted trash remained idle, so those he recruited weren't quality.

But only such bottom feeders would risk lives for non-existent gold coins.

Alas, they were unaware, only knowing no other ships were around, making it their exclusive prey.

"Hahaha! We're the first to arrive."

"Brothers, whether we rise depends on today."

If only we plunder... if only we get some money...

Just dreaming about the future made the captain's breathing excited.