Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

77. Why did you encourage me?

Captain Sparrow ordered a reduction in speed and deliberately avoided the main patrol channels, taking advantage of the sea fog day and night to sail smoothly along the coastline.

After a full day's voyage, the ship successfully passed through the narrow Strait of Gibraltar and sailed from the Atlantic Ocean into the azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Compared to the raging storms of the open ocean, the Mediterranean Sea is calm and tranquil, with gentle ripples. After nightfall, it becomes completely still, with only the stars and moon casting their faint light.

Late at night, the Ceylon, guided by the faint starlight and the lights along the shore, quietly approached the port of Tripoli on the North African coast.

Without even needing to approach the port area, the silhouette of a massive, elongated ship clearly came into view on the distant horizon.

That is the USS Philadelphia of the United States Navy.

The USS Philadelphia lay quietly in Tripoli's inner harbor, its massive and imposing hull and towering masts still exuding the aura of a capital warship, even after being plundered by pirates and left idle for many days.

Under the cover of night, it lay silently in the harbor like a bound steel behemoth, witnessing the arrogance of pirates and the chaos of the seas.

"That's it." Dekat took a deep breath.

"They're yours now." Captain Sparrow pointed to a row of sailors standing behind him, carrying daggers, pistols, and spears, each with a can of flammable grease on their waist.

Two lightweight transport boats were quickly launched into the sea and floated silently on the waves.

"Set off."

"Wait a minute," Dugan called out to Dekat.

"?" Dekait looked at Dugan with some surprise.

"Take this." Dugan handed his pistol to Deckard.

Dekait was moved.

Dugan said, "I hope you can return it to me yourself."

"Definitely." Dekat replied with a tragic air, as if the wind was howling and the Yi River was cold.

The others on the ship were all very impressed with Dugan for his loyalty to Deckard.

Of course, some people secretly thought that Dugan was probably afraid that if the young American sailor died, no one would return his £400.

Dekat was the first to leap into the small boat, leading twenty sailors in two separate boats. Under the cover of darkness and the waves, they stealthily made their way towards the inner side of Tripoli's port.

The oars made a very soft sound, hidden among the sound of the waves. The two small boats, like ghosts in the dark, gradually approached the sparsely lit harbor area and finally disappeared into the shadows of the shoreline.

The deck suddenly became empty.

Dugan and Captain Sparrow stood side by side at the bow of the Ceylon, gazing silently into the darkness of Tripoli Port.

"Mr. Dugan, why would you encourage me to take such a risk?" Captain Sparrow suddenly turned to look at Dugan.

The sea breeze was cool, and the night was deep.

Dugan was taken aback at first, then looked at Captain Sparrow with a smile, without saying a word.

Of course, Dugan couldn't tell Sparrow that he was a time traveler with the ability to predict the future.

Of course, he couldn't tell Captain Sparrow that he was just bored and wanted to have some fun.

"I can see you love adventure, just like that Yankee kid," Dugan said. "I think that kid will succeed, and you'll become a legend just like him!"

Captain Sparrow glanced at Dugan, said nothing, and continued to gaze at Tripoli in the darkness.

Time passed by, second by second.

About half an hour later, the once quiet Tripoli port area was suddenly filled with a dense and chaotic burst of gunfire!

The crackling of gunfire, the shouts and curses of those fighting, and the whistles of the port sentries suddenly shattered the tranquility of the night.

"Let's make our move." Sparrow's spirits lifted.

Within the port, a fierce, close-quarters battle had already begun. Twenty elite sailors, in coordination with Deckard, launched a surprise boarding raid, catching the pirate defenders completely off guard. The hasty resistance was chaotic and disorganized.

The gunfire continued for fifteen minutes before gradually thinning out and subsiding, indicating that the resistance of the ship's defenders had been completely wiped out.

Immediately afterwards, crimson flames suddenly lit up the hull of the Philadelphia, which was shrouded in darkness.

At first, there were only a few scattered small sparks, flickering and appearing intermittently.

However, the ship's wooden structure was dry and flammable, and with the flammable fuel that everyone had prepared in advance, the fire spread extremely quickly.

In just fifteen minutes, the spark had become a prairie fire.

The raging fire spread wildly along the deck, mast, canvas, and cabins, instantly engulfing most of the ship.

Crimson flames shot into the sky, completely turning the dark port of Tripoli red, illuminating the panicked pirates, and reflecting a crimson glow on the sea.

Flames rolled and thick smoke billowed as the once mighty warship was completely engulfed in flames.

The wooden hull crackled and shattered in the flames, and the mast burned and collapsed.

With just over twenty men, they destroyed a flagship warship that the North African pirates were so proud of during a night raid.

There was still a full half hour left before the latest return time agreed upon with Dekaet.

"Ha, this kid truly deserves to be called a legend." Captain Sparrow exclaimed excitedly.

Just as chaos erupted in the port and pirates were busy putting out fires and searching, two dark figures quietly slipped out of the port's shadow and quickly approached the Ceylon.

It's a small boat on the return trip.

The two small boats sped close to the ship, and the group worked together to tow the boats to the side.

Dekat was the first to climb onto the deck, his clothes stained with soot from the fire, his face slightly tired, but his eyes were full of energy.

The twenty sailors who followed him all returned to the group. Only two of them suffered minor scratches. The entire crew returned safely, with no one killed and no one captured.

What was even more surprising was that Deckard and the others also brought back two small wooden crates and six large wooden barrels, which weighed heavily on the ship. They were obviously spoils that the group had looted from the Philadelphia's secret compartments and pirate stockpiles during the chaos.

"Successfully captured. The Philadelphia is completely destroyed." Dekat reported in a deep voice, his tone filled with a sense of relief and satisfaction. "The ship's ammunition magazines have been set on fire. In a few moments, it will be completely blown up and sunk, beyond repair."

Before Sparrow could even marvel at the heroic act of burning the ship, his gaze was already fixed on the six wooden crates, his eyes filled with fervor.

The crew immediately stepped forward, lifted all six wooden crates onto the deck, pried open the seals, and lifted the lids.

"I'm sorry, Captain Sparrow," Deckard said. "We didn't have time to open that secret compartment."

Sparrow glanced at Dekat and thought to himself, "Still acting? That so-called compartment doesn't exist at all."

With a clang, the wooden box opened.

Inside the two small wooden boxes, rows of gleaming Spanish silver dollars were neatly stacked. Each dollar was of excellent quality and had a bright luster. They were a common hard currency in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and the quantity was considerable, making them quite valuable.

The four large wooden barrels contained no gold or silver jewelry, but were filled with tightly packed, high-quality American tobacco.

These tobaccos were wrapped in thick oiled paper. Once opened, the leaves were thick, glossy, and had a rich aroma. They were the most sought-after luxury goods among European nobles and the upper class. They were extremely popular in European ports and could be resold at high prices, generating astonishing profits.

"Congratulations, Decatur," Dugan stepped forward and hugged Decatur. "You'll become a hero of the U.S. Navy!"

Dekat patted Dugan hard on the back before turning the pistol upside down and handing it back to Dugan.

"Thank you, General Dugan."