“Are you going to explain what the hell happened on the beach?” Honegg enquired in a displeased manner.
“The beach? What’s going on?” asked Zhang Heng.
Honegg cursed Zhang Heng in his heart for being so shameless. It was no secret that Zhang Heng was the one who had massacred Wilton and his pirates, but nobody could find any substantial evidence to pin this crime on him. Most importantly, Wilton and his pirates were all dead. In other words, there were no witnesses alive to prove that Zhang Heng was guilty of the allegations.
“Attacking a docked ship with cannons and massacring the entire gang?! Aren’t you afraid of the public’s wrath?”
“Who would be angry at me?”
Honegg was speechless again when he heard the question. He was so focused on Zhang Heng’s crime that he’d forgotten to rethink the whole incident carefully. The two events that Honegg mentioned earlier were rather severe. Almost everyone on this island had one or two enemies in their lifetime and nobody wished that their throats were slit while they were fast asleep.
However, the Skeleton and her crew weren’t originally from this island. They were outsiders. Also, the way they made their presence felt had angered many of Nassau’s folks. Judging by the reaction of the crowd this morning, nobody sympathized with Wilton’s death. They were, however, shocked that Zhang Heng would come up with such a dramatic solution. They became more cautious of him, but their feelings weren’t as intense.
“Captain Honegg, I know that you have sacrificed a lot to protect and maintain order on this island. The existence of you and your men have made it possible for Nassau to stay peaceful. Just like others on this island, I’m grateful for that. Please know that I’m not trying to destroy everything that you have built. You have talked to Wilton before, and you know what kind of person he is. Forgive me for being honest; you should know better than anyone that your wish will never come true. Wilton and his pirates are not about to stay here without causing any trouble.”
“Are you saying that I should thank you for solving my problem?”
“Let me ask you a question. Do you wish to see my body lying on the beach or Wilton’s?”
Honegg didn’t know what to answer Zhang Heng, and although he was still mad, he had to admit that Wilton was never going to reason with him like a respectable human. He and his gang were more like wild beasts. Still, he felt troubled that Zhang Heng killed them even after he attempted to bargain with Wilton.
Honegg didn’t seem as angry as before, and he had calmed down a little. After all, Zhang Heng did not go all the way to push the button. Though the entire Nassau knew that he was responsible for the Wilton gang massacre, at least Zhang Heng didn’t admit that he was the one who did it.
Right now, Honegg had weigh the consequences that resulted from this incident. If it was in the old days, he could simply hold Zhang Heng accountable for his actions, or he could exert his influence and exile Zhang Heng from Nassau. With Zhang Heng’s current reputation, he surely couldn’t pull off something like that. On the other hand, if he took a step back and let it slide, it would show everyone that he was losing his edge. They would then doubt if he still had the capability to hold the fortress. Honegg had gotten used to life on land. He was never going to go back to sea.
Just when he had reached a crossroads, Zhang Heng spoke to him.
“Many on this island do not know how important you are. We can set sail with peace of mind knowing that nothing would happen to Nassau. All these because we know that you are here with your men. Let me tell you this, defending Nassau shouldn’t be the responsibility of a single person.”
Honegg twitched his eyebrows and waited for Zhang Heng to finish. Thankfully, what he was about to say did not disappoint him.
“I’m willing to make an official announcement that I’m willing to protect Nassau with you. Of course, you and your men still hold absolute authority. I’ll only be there when you need me to deal with the utmost of dangerous situations. Anyone messing with you is equivalent to messing with the Jackdaw.”
Right after Zhang Heng finished talking, a group of people walked toward him furiously. The man leading the group was Domingo. Through the fog of his drunkenness, he was still shocked when he heard that Honegg had gone ahead to confront Zhang Heng. The news of Zhang Heng’s actions had spread throughout Nassau like a raging wildfire. Although the Jackdaw didn’t have many pirates, no one dared belittle them anymore. Domingo was worried about Honegg’s safety and brought everyone from the fortress as a backup.
They were at the ready to fight with Zhang Heng. Although nowhere as good as their young selves, they possessed undying loyalty towards Honegg. To their surprise, they saw Honegg calmly chatting with Zhang Heng. Domingo couldn’t figure out what was going on. However, when he saw that Honegg was alright, he was relieved and stood down.
“I’m old. This is an era for the young now. Yoy and Sam are the future of Nassau. Old men like me with a busted leg can only stay with a pile of useless rocks. But, you guys don’t have to worry. As long as I still live in the fortress, I will make sure that I’ll protect Nassau with my life. With that, you can always set sail knowing that our home will be safe.”
……..
The reason why Zhang Heng decided to kill Wilton was a straightforward one. The moment they crossed paths, Zhang Heng knew that Wilton would become his arch-enemy. If he didn’t kill everyone on the Skeleton, it would have been him who was lying dead on the beach. Wilton definitely wouldn’t hesitate to destroy Zhang Heng once he fixed his ship, which was why Zhang Heng chose to attack the Skeleton at a time least when everyone least expected it. At the same time, he intended to send a message through Wilton’s body as well. Anyone that dared mess with Carina’s ship would end up like Wilton.
Since Zhang Heng was done with the black-market alliance, Carina was essential to the Jackdaw. One might even say that Carina couldn’t live without the Jackdaw. The truth was, the Jackdaw couldn’t live without Carina either. On the one hand, she was the only one who could help Zhang Heng sell all his loot. On the other, Zhang Heng had to make sure that his partner would be safe all the time. As for Honegg, Zhang Heng knew that Wilton and his pirates didn’t really matter to him. All he cared about was his authority in the fortress. And this wasn’t a hard problem to solve. After thinking for a bit, Zhang Heng figured out that partnering up with Honegg was the best solution to the problem.
Amongst the two respectable elders in the world of pirates, Zhang Heng’s relationship with Frazer had turned sour. This indicated that Honegg’s support was now vital. Honegg’s reputation was enough to make everyone obey him, and partnering up with the Jackdaw would only fortify his authority on this island and the fortress. Zhang Heng had no interest in controlling the fortress. At his age, he would never want to sit in a stone wall and do nothing like Honegg. However, it was good to have an ally that had Honegg’s authority.
This was a win-win situation. Hence, Honegg decided that he wouldn’t go up against Zhang Heng.