The explorer's maiden voyage was even smoother than Roger had imagined.
This single-masted sailboat, which he had personally designed, supervised, and enhanced with system technology, completely outclassed any vessel of its class in this era.
The hull structure was optimized, providing excellent wave-breaking performance.
Even against the wind, its speed was only slightly slower than with the wind.
The newly designed sail and rigging system more than doubled the efficiency of the crew in handling the sails.
A maneuver that previously required five or six people scrambling to complete could now be easily done by three.
"Captain! Look!"
Gibbs ran over excitedly, holding the simple speed-measuring device Roger had designed.
A fervent gleam shone in his single eye.
"I've been sailing my whole life, and I've never seen a single-masted sailboat go this fast! It's faster than many two-masted ships!"
The crew on deck also let out gasps of surprise when they heard the number.
They could also feel it directly.
the explorer's speed was more than just a little faster than the sea serpent they had previously sailed on.
"If we have a tailwind, won't we just fly?"
Billy stroked a shiny cannon, grinning foolishly.
"Calm down, this is just standard procedure."
Roger waved his hand, signaling everyone not to make a fuss.
He was kidding, this was a ship he had built using modern naval engineering knowledge combined with system black technology.
If it couldn't even reach this speed, he, as a transmigrator, would be too much of a failure.
He felt pleased with himself.
It felt like driving a modified supercar on a track full of classic cars; it was hard not to be cool.
Just then, the pirate in the crow's nest suddenly let out a strange shout.
"Captain! Ahead! There seems to be... a person?"
The lookout's voice was full of confusion.
"A person? At sea?"
Gibbs was stunned for a moment.
"Is he overboard?"
"Doesn't look like it... he... he seems to be standing on the mast of a ship."
The lookout's voice grew even more confused.
"And... that ship looks like it's sinking fast."
The pirates on deck all curiously gathered at the ship's rail, looking in the direction the lookout had indicated.
Roger also picked up his monocular telescope and looked.
With just one glance, he almost dropped the telescope in his hand.
Not far away, on the azure sea, a pitifully small sampan was sinking at a visible rate.
The seawater had already submerged more than half of the hull.
And at the top of that bare mast, which didn't even have a sail, a man stood on one leg, striking the pose of an eagle spreading its wings, proudly gazing into the distance.
He wore a tattered tricorn hat, with a chicken feather, plucked from who knows where, stuck in it.
He was dressed in an equally tattered but flashy coat, his hair braided into countless small pigtails, adorned with all sorts of strange trinkets.
Most striking were his heavily kohl-rimmed eyes, which exuded an air of cynicism and eccentricity.
This appearance, this way of making an entrance... Damn!
Who else could this be but Jack Sparrow?!
Roger's heart skipped a beat.
He never dreamed that he would encounter the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow in this way, in this place.
This was too much of a coincidence, wasn't it?
"That guy... is he an idiot?"
Billy looked at the scene through the telescope and couldn't help but complain.
"The ship is sinking, and he's still posing on it?"
"I think he's a drunk madman."
Another pirate chimed in.
As they were discussing, the pitiful sampan finally couldn't bear the last bit of weight, and with a "gurgle," it completely sank into the sea.
And Captain Jack Sparrow, standing on the mast, also sank with the mast.
He was now standing in the water in a very elegant posture, the seawater just reaching his neck.
Only that hat with the chicken feather still stubbornly floated on the surface.
The pirates on the explorer looked at this comical scene, first stunned, then burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! I'm dying of laughter! Is this guy here to be funny?"
"I bet he's a lunatic who escaped from an asylum!"
"Captain, let's just leave him alone and let him soak in the water."
Roger didn't laugh.
He stared intently at the figure floundering in the water, his mind racing.
Jack Sparrow... why was he here?
According to the movie's plot, at this time, he should have just escaped from a deserted island and was preparing to "requisition" a ship at Port Royal.
And his current course was precisely towards Port Royal.
Just a coincidence?
Roger's eyes grew fervent.
This was Jack Sparrow!
A legendary pirate with a protagonist's aura and incredibly good luck!
Although he was a trickster, always screwing over his teammates.
But it was undeniable that he always found the most crucial clues at the most critical moments and made the most unexpected decisions.
If he could get him on his ship... and he also had a magical compass... This thought, once it appeared, grew wildly in Roger's mind.
"Steer the ship over."
Roger put down the telescope and gave the order.
"Huh? Captain, are we really going to bother with that madman?"
Billy looked reluctant.
"He looks like trouble."
"Execute the order."
Roger's tone was unquestionable.
Billy could only pout and direct the crew to adjust course.
the explorer slowly approached the figure struggling in the water.
Just then, Gibbs, who had been standing beside Roger, suddenly stiffened.
He stared intently at the man in the water, his single eye filled with an expression of disbelief.
He rubbed his eyes and looked again carefully.
Finally, as if confirming something, he suddenly rushed to the ship's rail, tearing at his throat, and shouted in a voice as if he had seen a ghost.
"Jack?!"
"Jack Sparrow! You damn old dog! Is it really you?!"
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