Chapter 21: The Pirates of The Stepstones
The Stepstones, Cutthroat Isle, Pirate Fortress
The Pirate Fortress on Cutthroat Isle was a structure made of a mix of wood and stone. During its construction and riveting, the pirate's construction slaves filled the gaps with a special fish glue.
This allowed the rivets of the fortress to fit together perfectly, though the load-bearing capacity of this fish glue was not particularly good.
Combined with limited building materials, this meant the fortress remained only two stories high. To improve its defensibility, the pirates had the sudden inspiration to build it in a shape similar to an Aztec pyramid.
The base of the fortress was a four-sided stone slope, and for external exits, steps were only left on the side facing the pier.
If Garo, Narsas, and the others hadn't released the slaves on the first floor in advance, Jon would likely have had to expend a great deal of effort to take this place.
After Jon captured the site, he had been expanding and reinforcing the fortress. However, the island's resources were incredibly meager, with only a small amount of timber that was barely enough for Cutthroat Isle's daily consumption.
Since the pirates did not engage in production, there weren't many crops, and most supplies were obtained through raiding and trade.
However, according to some logging slaves, there was a very special kind of cassava in the forests of the main island.
Because the pirates never let them eat their fill, they would secretly plant cassava to stave off hunger. These cassavas were very easy to grow and didn't have high soil requirements.
Although they didn't store well, their high yield and ability to be planted at any time ensured there were always backup food supplies available.
With the death of the last batch of rebellious pirates, the entirety of Cutthroat Isle was now completely under Jon's jurisdiction, even if a few people still harbored resentment.
However, the charred corpses hanging outside the wooden fence were enough to deter many. Although the rebellion hadn't succeeded, the loss of nearly 50 young men still made Jon's heart ache with regret.
During the recent territory meeting, Jon finally obtained all the information regarding Cutthroat Isle from the pirates' former scribe.
Cutthroat Isle consisted of seven small islands with resources; besides the main island, the others were roughly only a quarter of its size.
Since "Skullcap" Bill was born in the Iron Islands, he was well aware of the role trees played in soil retention and wind protection for an island. Because of this, Jon inherited several small-to-medium-sized forests.
Although mostly coconut and olive trees were planted, these resources could guarantee some supplies for the island.
In terms of population, the "sea fox" Jon and his group originally arrived on had nearly 200 young men. Combined with the nearly 200 slaves and captives on the pirate side, Cutthroat Isle had a population of over 400.
However, after the battle and chaos of the previous night, the final actual population Jon tallied was only 386. Among them, the proportion of young men was the highest, reaching about 80%.
As for ships, there were 5 galleons, 3 rowed warships, 3 transport ships, and several skiffs and fishing boats. This level of strength was considered mid-tier among the various pirates of The Stepstones.
In terms of supplies and treasure, Jon's haul was significant. The total value of the treasures in the "Bloodraven Legacy" had reached about 10,000 Gold Dragons.
The reserves of wheat and black bread were barely enough to feed Jon's people for about 6 months, while other supplies would last for about 1 month.
Since the pirates had been fighting for years, the wear and tear on their weapons was severe, and scarce resources like iron ore were few and far between.
However, after some sorting, Jon managed to scrape together enough equipment for 100 people. The rest would have to use wooden spears for combat.
Therefore, given the current situation, Jon only needed to expand his strength steadily. For long-term considerations, he also had to establish trade relations with merchants on The Stepstones shipping routes.
Because Cutthroat Isle's resources were so scarce and mostly dependent on external imports, while cassava could be useful in a pinch, Jon would face a dead end if an enemy blockaded the entire archipelago.
The former "Sea Snake," Lord Corlys Velaryon, had suffered such a setback. After accumulating massive wealth, he built High Tide into an incredibly prosperous city.
Yet it was precisely because he failed to notice the dangers of being trapped on a small island that his painstakingly managed High Tide was destroyed during the "Dance of the Dragons" civil war.
Jon naturally wouldn't suffer the same fate. No matter how strong the defenses and fortresses, there would always be a day they were breached. Thus, in Jon's view, "the best defense is a good offense."
Only by continuously beating the surrounding enemies into submission and fear would they refrain from showing their fangs to harm Jon.
So, after completing all the statistics, Jon ordered Narsas and Kapo to summarize all the intelligence they had gathered over the past few days.
At this moment, in the hall of the Pirate Fortress, a large round table was placed by the pillar to the left of the main gate.
At the round table were Jon, Garo, Narsas, Kapo, and the four knights of "The Ring Guard Squad." These people were Jon's core inner circle.
Except for Kapo, they had all undergone systematic modification to become system-class warriors under Jon.
"Kapo! You are a native of The Stepstones. Now, tell us about the distribution of power in The Stepstones and what you know about'Skullcap' Bill's previous situation!"
With the scribe's departure, only Jon and the others remained in the hall, so Jon asked Kapo this question point-blank.
"Yes, Lord Jon! The pirates of The Stepstones are as numerous as crabs on a beach. However, after years of development, the entire Stepstones has been carved up by several Great Pirates."
Jon's question and recognition made Kapo very happy. Being allowed to stay here proved that Jon treated him as one of his own.
"The most prominent powers on the surface are the five Pirate Kings: 'Mad' Jack, 'Bloodwitch' Mary, Blackfox Letho, and 'Bull' Jason. They control most of the pirate forces."
"Then what kind of existence is Salladhor Saan?"
Upon hearing Jon's question, Kapo stood dazed for a moment. He was clearly shocked by Jon's inquiry.
"Gods above! Lord Jon, you actually know about that fellow Salladhor Saan? You really knew about him already, which is why you chose to come here, isn't it?"
"Ugh..."
Looking at Kapo, whose thoughts were beginning to over-analyze again, Jon really wanted to cast a "Forced Calm" spell on himself. Unfortunately, as a Dragon Lord, he still couldn't use magic.
"It's like this, Lord Jon. The one I specifically wanted to talk about is Salladhor Saan. This guy is a rising pirate power that has emerged in recent years."
Seeing no reaction from Jon, Kapo instantly calmed down. He knew better than to second-guess the thoughts of his superiors.
Although Kapo believed Jon might already know many things, since Jon wanted him to speak everything out loud, the other's intentions were not for him to guess wildly.
"It seems Lord Jon wants everyone here to know the situation, so he's using my mouth to tell them!"
After thinking of a possible reason, Kapo suppressed his excitement once more and said slowly:
"The Gusta and Bill that Lord Jon encountered were both forces under Salladhor Saan. Furthermore, I know that the big financial backer behind Salladhor Saan is Adolf Ferret, the Archduke of Tyrosh."
"But I recall he seems to be a lysene?"
Jon's words shocked Kapo once again, raising his opinion of Jon to another level.
"Ye... Yes, Lord Jon! That guy is a chameleon. Although he is lysene by name, his heart belongs to Tyrosh because that Archduke of Tyrosh seems to have some deal with him."
"I didn't expect you to know so much?"
The only reason Jon knew about Salladhor Saan was because of a certain poorly-ended TV show from his past life, but it was a bit strange for Kapo to know so much.
"That... well, actually, I was also taking money from the Myrish. These are things I learned while gathering intelligence."
"You, an Iron Islander, actually managed to play so well among the Three Cities of The Stepstones. Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
"Lord Jon! I am absolutely loyal to you! I swear by the drowned god that if I become a chameleon, I will be dragged into the Sky Purgatory by the storm god and be tortured by his lightning for all eternity!"
Hearing Jon's remark, Kapo was nearly scared to death. He rolled roundly under the table and began swearing oaths loudly to Jon.
If Kapo's former subordinates saw him like this, their jaws would definitely drop. In their eyes, Kapo had always been a wise figure, but now he was little better than a circus clown.
In fact, he couldn't be blamed. Every one of Jon's questions and remarks happened to hit his deepest secrets, and combined with being outplayed by Jon a while ago...
This left Kapo with absolutely no confidence in front of Jon, making him feel as if his every word and action were within Jon's grasp.
Add to that the legends within "The Chainbreakers" about Jon being a Skinchanger, it made Kapo believe Jon was monitoring everyone at all times.
"Alright, alright, I was just saying. Let's continue our discussion!"
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