The sea serpent, laden with treasure, set sail for Tortuga.
However, the atmosphere on board became somewhat eerie.
The pirates were no longer as cheerful as they had been on the way out; they gathered in twos and threes, wiping their weapons while secretly sizing each other up with the corners of their eyes.
An air of tension and suspicion permeated the ship.
The source of all this was the dozen or so treasure chests, radiating an alluring glow, piled at the entrance of the Captain's Cabin.
This wealth was too immense, so immense that it was enough to make any brotherhood and moral commitment fragile and vulnerable.
Everyone was calculating in their hearts how much they would get.
And Captain Barraba, these past few days, had been cooped up in the Captain's Cabin, grinning foolishly at the gold coins all day long.
Except for meals, he hardly spoke to anyone.
His eyes grew increasingly wild and dangerous.
Gibbs, full of worry, found Roger.
"Mr. Roger, I feel… something isn't right."
He lowered his voice.
"The Captain… he seems to have changed a bit."
Roger was at the bow, wiping a brand new cannon he had captured from a spanish warship.
Without lifting his head, he said:
"He hasn't changed; he's just finally revealed his true nature."
"Then what do we do?" Gibbs asked anxiously.
"Many people on board have been with the Captain for many years. If the Captain really has some ill intentions, we…"
"Don't worry, Gibbs."
Roger stopped what he was doing and patted the cold cannon.
"The sea serpent now is no longer the sea serpent of before."
Gibbs was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood Roger's meaning.
Indeed, after plundering the spanish warship, the number of cannons and the quality of weapons on the sea serpent now far exceeded what it had before.
And these cannons were all captured under Roger's command.
The few best gunners on the ship had been asking Roger for guidance every day these past few days, and they had long since worshipped him like a god.
Unbeknownst to them, Roger had already grasped the core military power of this ship.
Gibbs's heart settled a little.
Finally, when they were still a day's journey from Tortuga, Barraba gathered everyone on the deck.
The distribution of spoils was about to begin.
"Brothers!"
Barraba stood on the treasure chests, spread his arms, and shouted spiritedly.
"We succeeded! We found the treasure of the santa trinidad! We're rich!"
A sparse cheer erupted on the deck.
But everyone's eyes were fixed on those treasure chests.
"I know what everyone is most concerned about right now is how to divide this money!" Barraba smiled and continued.
"According to our pirate rules, the Captain takes twenty percent, the officers and meritorious individuals on the ship take ten percent, and the rest is divided equally among all brothers!"
This distribution plan was a customary rule among pirates, and most people nodded in agreement.
"However!"
Barraba's tone suddenly shifted, and his voice rose sharply.
"The situation this time is a bit special!"
Everyone's hearts tightened.
"This operation carried huge risks!"
"It was I, Barraba, who bore all the risks and led everyone to find this place!"
He pointed to the treasure chests at his feet.
"Therefore, I think the distribution plan this time needs to be changed!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, finally resting on Roger's face.
"I have decided! This time, I will take ninety percent of the treasure! The remaining ten percent will then be divided among everyone according to the rules!"
As soon as he said this, the deck instantly erupted in an uproar.
"What? The Captain takes ninety percent? That's against the rules!"
"This is too greedy! He's taking half the money by himself?"
Some old pirates immediately expressed their dissatisfaction.
But some of Barraba's loyal followers immediately stepped forward to defend him.
"Shut up! If it weren't for the Captain this time, we wouldn't even have touched a hair of the treasure! What's wrong with the Captain taking ninety percent?"
"Exactly! Without the Captain, you'd still be drinking the north wind in Tortuga!"
The two factions immediately started arguing.
And Roger, from beginning to end, said nothing, merely watching Barraba's performance coldly.
He had long guessed that this old fox would pull such a stunt.
But he didn't expect that Barraba hadn't even discussed his previous verbal agreement of "seventy-thirty split" with him with the crew who had faced life and death together.
And this time, it was an even more outrageous "ninety-ten split"!
He was treating his brothers like dirt!
Damn it!
"Everyone quiet down!"
Barraba roared and drew his cutlass.
"Whoever dares to object again, don't blame my blade for being merciless!"
The deck instantly fell silent.
Although the pirates were dissatisfied, under Barraba's oppressive power, no one dared to step forward again.
Barraba smiled contentedly. He looked at Roger and said:
"Brother Roger, I know I promised you before that you would take thirty percent."
"But as you can see, this treasure is simply too much."
"And it was my ship, and the cannons are the latest model; otherwise, could we have defeated the navy?"
"It's only right that I take ninety percent and you take ten percent."
"How about this," he continued.
"To compensate you for your efforts this time, the fifty gold coins I lent you before don't need to be repaid."
"In addition, I will personally give you another hundred gold coins."
"What do you think? This is already a huge sum!"
A hundred gold coins?
Did he think he could buy out his rightful thirty percent share of this treasure, worth tens of thousands of gold coins, with a mere hundred gold coins?
The surrounding pirates couldn't bear to listen anymore, and their gazes at Barraba were full of disdain.
Gibbs and Billy were so angry their faces turned red.
He was about to step forward to speak but was stopped by Roger's gaze.
Roger slowly walked out from the crowd and stood in front of Barraba.
He showed no anger or argument, merely looked at Barraba calmly and asked: "Captain, are you sure you want to do this?"
"What? You're not satisfied?"
Barraba's face darkened, and his hand was already on the hilt of his sword.
"It's not dissatisfaction."
Roger smiled, a very cold smile.
"I just want to remind the Captain of something."
"Our original agreement was that I would help you find the treasure, you would lend me thirty gold coins, and after the deed was done, you would get seventy percent of the profit, and we would get thirty percent."
"It's one thing that you didn't discuss it with the brothers beforehand."
He paused, then said word by word:
"Now, the treasure has been found."
"But you seem to have forgotten the most important part of our agreement."
"What?" Barraba frowned.
"That is, I am only responsible for helping you find it this one time."
Roger's smile held a hint of mockery.
"As for where the next treasure, or the one after that, is… that depends on my mood."
Barraba's expression instantly changed.
Roger's words precisely pricked his deepest greed and fear.
Indeed, this treasure had been found.
But this young man, he was a living treasure map!
He still held countless "Santa Trinidads" within him!
If he fell out with him now for this bit of money… then all those bigger gold mountains in the future would be gone!
A fine layer of cold sweat seeped from Barraba's forehead.
He looked at Roger's eyes, which seemed to see through everything, and suddenly felt a chill from the bottom of his heart.
He realized that he seemed to have fallen into the trap set by this young man from the very beginning.
He thought he was the hunter.
But he didn't expect that he was the prey lured by the bait.