1 Prologue: The black galleon.

The Black Galleon was one of those many lowly taverns lost in the South Seas that pirates in search of adventure and pleasure were fond of. The building was made of thin wooden planks, barely polished and varnished, with approximate lengths that became soaked by salt water during the tide season and began to rot. A vague pungent smell of cheap rum, oily marine odours and rotting seaweed permeated the building, which was nevertheless inhabited by a few rodents which, for lack of a better place, had taken up residence between the trembling baseboards of the building. Yet like all low-rise taverns, the Black Galleon remained highly frequented by pirates. Those men attracted by the smell of alcohol, it was said of them that they had neither good fortune nor simple fortune but only drunkenness to console them. On the island of Balmort there was a saying that summed up this very special relationship between the Black Galleon and the pirates.

"Poverty doesn't cure my thirst, it's Cai Hong's rum that does."

That evening the mood was festive, the alcohol was flowing and fogged the sailors' minds ; they laughed with their grave and tired voices that echoed to the back of the room. At the counter a group of men were trying their luck with the barmaid Cai Hong, who also owned the establishment. Who played her charms on these few rascals foolish enough or drunk enough to try to seduce her. She extorted a few pieces of bronze from them, against a simple conversation in full view of everyone, which always ended with the same sentence.

" Would you like another drink, buddy?"

In the middle of the tavern, at a shaky round table, with crumbling wood and strangely sticky, three pirates were sitting at a table in the middle of a conversation.

"You heard the news, a pirate with a scarred face looked serious while pouring himself a glass of rum. The captain of the Black Galleon had found a treasure; 10,000 gold coins; and to get them, he would have sunk three galleons of the royal fleet before relieving them of their contents. »

his glass-eyed, unshaven-headed comrade swallowed a sideways gulp of rum, which he spat out loudly before hurrying to refute the allegations he had just heard. " Impossible is just a story, nothing more. " The other man sat between them, remaining silent watching the progress of the conversation with amusement.

"Impossible, and why is that, Jony? You may not be aware of it, but not all captains are penniless like you. »

- Without a penny! Do I need to remind you that I am your Captain Tony, Jony stood up while giving a powerful blow on the table with the flat of his hand. There was a time when you weren't so insolent and begged me to take you on my crew," Tony sighed in dismay at the scene, once again his captain lost his temper for a small matter.

"If only I had followed the captain of the red shark, Tony looked up to the sky and said in a sigh. I'd be rich; not drinking a strange rum in a shabby tavern", barmaid Cai Hong, who was listening to the conversation with one ear, grimmed before her eyes turned towards the three sailors.

" Jinx Tony. It's one thing for you to insult your poor captain, but it's quite another for you to insult my establishment. Her voice was hoarse from shouting into the room to be heard. If I hear you talk about the Black Galleon like that again, you'll end up as shark food. "

The few men at the counter laughed loudly at the sight of this big guy, Tony's jinx, a respected and fearful man, being reframed by the sweet Cai Hong simple Barmaid, like a child who would have disobeyed to his mother.

But Tony, who had been knowing Cai Hong for years, didn't take his remark badly and turned to her with questioning.

"And you; what do you think about the story of 10,000 gold coins"

Strangely the sailors at the table in the tavern fell quiet, an insistent silence settled in the tavern where all eyes turned to Cai Hong. Who was known in the area to be well-informed about everything, if anyone in that tavern was able to untangle the true from the false it could only be her.

Cai Hong seemed to be thinking while tapping the counter with her middle finger. A few seconds passed before the flat calm of the tavern became more and more uncomfortable. Finally Cai Hong decided to stop the irregular tapping of her middle finger, while smiling mischievously in the direction of Tony.

"If you want to know this information, pay me the price"

Soon Tony took a purse out of his pocket and threw it in the direction of Cai Hong, who received it. Tony's eyes were filled with regret and nostalgia as he watched his last savings fly away into the hands of this succubus in human form. (Nt: she not a succubus, just a expression)

Cai Hong greedily inspected the stock exchange and then carefully tucked it under the counter like a rodent would do with its provisions. Then she turned to the display case where brown and white rum was juxtaposed ; in the middle a bottle painted in white and decorated with gold leaf attracted Cai Hong's. She grabbed it before biting the cork off and drinking from the neck as if the alcohol had no effect on her. Once the bottle had been emptied, she took off her lips and looked at Tony, with all her attention.

"Do you want me to tell you what I think of this famous captain and this so-called 10,000 gold coin story?

- Exactly," nodded Tony.

Cai Hong was silent for a moment, his serious gaze was lost in the contemplation of his almost empty bottle. The sailors in the room were surprised and began to wonder, maybe the famous Cai Hong didn't have the answer to the question. Until a mischievous smile appeared on her face and she plunged her hand into her cleavage from which she took out a magnificent round gold coin with a clear inscription.She holds it up to Tony as if it were enough of an answer, then seeing that the room is silent she clears her throat.

"See these rumours are all true, and not one of them is exaggerated, he did sink three galleons of the Royal Fleet and this coin was given by him to pay his debts with interest, Cai Hong paused before resuming. Is this information is good enough for you?

- Yes... ", Tobie remained for a few moments haggard like most of the sailors in the tavern who felt insignificant in front of the exploits of the Captain of the Red Shark.

When suddenly a heavy and confused pat sound coming from the back of the room broke the silence. It was the famous drunkard Billy, also known as Billy the Alcoholic, who always lacked reason when he was drunk and who was always drunk because he lacked reason. He scraped his throat loudly before spitting on the floor, while ignoring the murderous gaze coming from Cai Hong.

"THIS... THIS is a captain, A TRUE one who keeps his promises of wealth. I should join his crew.

- And you think he'd want you, Cai Hong laughed when she saw Billy barely able to stand up.

- Who, Billy seemed to have already forgotten about the conversation.

- The captain of the Red Shark, cried Tobie in incredulity.

-Him... yes, yes, he would surely want me to join his crew, because if this man is the best captain of these seas then he needs the best sailor on his boat, that is me."

Jony glass eye, who had been standing back during the entire conversation, lost his temper again and got up from his chair while powerfully kicking his table. The glasses and rum bottles that were piled on top of the table poured crashing to the floor and all eyes were focused on him. Some of the sailors started rubbing their hands together, hoping to witness one of Jony's famous fights.

"How do you know he's the best captain in the area? Have you even met this man that you seem to admire so much, Tony turned to the sailors in the bar. Let me tell you something about what makes a good captain. It's not the wealth or the so-called exploits. It's how a captain treats his crew that makes him a good captain or a bad captain. How do you know that this rascal shared the 10,000 pieces of gold equally? I would have. And who knows how many sailors he had to sacrifice to sink three Galleons from the Royal Fleet. Do you really think a man with no regard for your life is a good captain? "

Jony had just scored a point, and many of the men raised their glasses in approval. As Billy approached the counter and served himself a bottle of rum under the watchful eye of Cai Hong.

"But you forgot something, Billy turned and faced Jony. Without money, being a good captain is worthless. Look at you Jony, you don't have a penny in your pocket and the only thing you share with us your crew is misery, I'd much rather be a cannon fodder for getting rich than live a lifetime in poverty. "

Billy's argument was unstoppable, who here was unfamiliar with the legendary glass-eyed Jony, known to be the poorest captain in the South Seas.

The tavern became louder and louder, and the debate between Billy and Jony at the start spread like wildfire through the establishment.Soon several camps formed, there were those like Jony who thought that a good captain was someone who respected his crew, those like Billy who thought that a good captain had to keep his promises of wealth, and smaller camps like Tobie the Jinx who thought that a good captain was someone who could protect his crew.

Soon the names of various captains in the area were chosen to represent different sides. There was, Marco the bearded one, known for his outstanding swordplay skills. Jony Glass Eye who respected and listened to his crew more than anyone else. The captain of the Red Shark whose exploits were known to all. And a few other captains whose names were familiar to some pirates.

In the end the debate was going nowhere, spirits were heating up and some men had to be separated to prevent fights from taking place. Until the old You Youg, said the wise man, decided to intervene to put an end to this childishness. He stood up with the help of his Albizia Saman's wooden cane and approached Jony who was in the middle of the room arguing with Billy.

"And if I told you that you're all wrong," the room became silent again, and all eyes turned to You Yong. Many people were in a state of total incomprehension. You Yong telling them that they were wrong was possible, but telling them that they were all wrong was meaningless, what captain could they all have forgotten. Billy who drunkenness made over-confident even questioned the old man's wisdom.

"Old man, I think you've gone senile, who could be a better captain than the ones we mentioned earlier this evening.

- One man in particular, You Yong looked Billy straight in the eye with defiance. You all think that you know everything, but you still have a lot to learn, Billy. You see the man I'm talking about plays in a higher category than you.

-And what did your captain do to be in that category?

- What did he do, You Yong said sarcastically. Well, I saw him clean the deck of a Galleon so quickly that your so-called strongest pirates of the seas would turn pale in front of this carnage. I've seen him obtain such insane and unimaginable riches that 10,000 gold coins would seem small in comparison. And if you wondered how he behaves with his men, to be honest he knows how to do it, he is more than just a captain to them, he is a brother who shares more than he receives..."

Billy, who was easily impressed by alcohol and stupidity, drastically changed his mind and approached old You Yong with an expression of disbelief that he shared with some other sailors.

"What's his name that I'm joining his crew! »

You Yong looked at Billy with a faint smile before sighing as he sat down at the nearest table.

"There are many mysteries surrounding this man and many names have been attributed to him. Some say he is death himself, others say he is a demon in human form, but in the end many agree to call him the King of the Seas.

- The King of the Seas," Billy repeated with admiration.

- If my memory serves me right, his close friends called him Kidd. In his youth he had been taken prisoner by the terrible pirate Black Joe, who planned to make him a slave once he got ashore... "

The tavern remained silent, only the trembling voice of You Yong was audible. All the sailors and even Cai Hong listened to his story with strange devotion, and soon they would know the life of a legend, the life of the king of the seas.