Morning sunlight streamed into the sea cave, painting the water's surface with rippling hues of crimson and orange. 

Ren's face changed faster than the tides. Just yesterday he'd wished Sven dead, yet today he was already cozying up to him by the ship's railing, chatting amiably as the sea breeze blew. The items Sven had stolen were so outrageous they might as well have been performing lung therapy for the heavyweight champion's mother - absolutely fucking suffocating in their sheer audacity.

With Sven now officially part of the crew, conversations flowed without restraint. They dug into deeper topics, including how so many lunatics had ended up aboard this ship.

Ren sighed as he recounted his own boarding experience. "Back then I couldn't afford lodging and got kicked out at night. With nothing better to do, I wandered around."

"Then the heavens showed no mercy - pouring rain started without warning. Not a copper coin to my name, I was practically clinically depressed, fast-forwarding straight to the 'don't laugh challenge' phase of life."

Ren began spinning his tale with typical exaggeration.

"Uh... not really following," Sven said blankly.

Waving a hand, Ren took a drag from his cigarette and continued, "Figured I'd find somewhere to take shelter from the rain, so I wandered into some back alleys looking for a decent awning to sit under."

"Never found that damn awning though. Instead I ran into three harbingers of doom - Captain Li Site, Shadi, and Micah - moving corpses in that dark alley."

"The three of them stared right at me. I pretended not to notice and turned to leave."

"This was about five years ago. Shadi here - don't let his quiet demeanor now fool you - back then every other word out of his mouth was about murdering families. The most ruthless of the ruthless, you get me? No mercy, no hesitation - that's how you paint the landscape with blood."

"He told me to get the fuck over there. That set me off - I'd just been kicked out of an inn, now this bastard wants me to crawl too?"

Ren narrated with vivid flair, displaying natural storytelling talent.

At Linden City's main port, they only recruited legitimate sailors requiring background checks. But fugitives would bribe locals for directions to the secret port, hoping to join pirate crews.

Beneath the Fumark Vengeance might as well have been a job fair - Boss Direct Recruitment at its finest.

Despite having just held their spoils banquet, the crew's efficiency in preparing sailors still impressed Sven. He watched Shadi energetically recruiting on the docks:

"Being a pirate without joining Black Sails is like reading literature without The Arcania Travels - it shows a person's lack of literary accomplishment and self-cultivation. They can't comprehend this refined, high-class art form or grasp its profound spiritual essence. Their entire existence remains stunted at that level, doomed to live a relatively failed life."

Shadi repeated Li Site's classic recruitment lines from Black Sails' early days.

To Sven's astonishment, several people actually approached to inquire. Ox sat nearby screening out the weak, disabled, or inexperienced.

Sven considered Shadi and Micah the most approachable crew members - hard to believe Shadi had once been so violent. Though who knew if Ren's story held truth.

Ren continued: "I didn't care - I was pissed and broke anyway. Figured I'd rob them."

"That's why Li Site's captain material. He played the honest man, calling me 'brother' and offering a gold dragon to help dump some bodies at sea."

"I thought - easy money! Just moving a couple corpses. Then I turned the corner and saw ten more fucking bodies."

"I said no way, but he insisted - told me to borrow a wheelbarrow from the night market."

Ren took a deep drag, still finding it absurd years later.

Sven nodded solemnly. What a wheelbarrow story. Brilliant.

"Li Site shoved five silver coins in my hand as deposit. I took the money and left with no intention of returning."

"No idea what I was thinking - five silvers wouldn't last long anyway. After some drinks and women, I actually went and borrowed that damn wheelbarrow."

"True to his word, Li Site paid the gold dragon. Then convinced me to help push to shore for another, saying the road was rough."

"Fell right into his trap. Miles through forests and hills we pushed that damn thing before dumping everything at sea."

"When I went to return the wheelbarrow, Li Site kicked it into the ocean."

"He said even with the deposit, my werewolf stature would draw suspicion for the missing bodies. Might as well join his pirate crew. Fuck me."

Ren flicked his cigarette butt into the sea.

Sven struggled to contain laughter before finally managing: "Nice."

Ren smirked, about to recount Morrison's even more dramatic boarding when Li Site and Fen descended from the upper deck.

Li Site immediately noticed Ren cozying up to Sven. Typical Ren - face-changing champion who'd wanted to skin Sven yesterday now buddying up after seeing his stealing skills.

Scanning the deck, he saw two burly newcomers oiling the rigging.

In these times, whether soldier or bandit, everyone just scraped by. Most ships didn't even pay wages - just room and board. Yet here they served meat soup daily and matched East Coast Navy wages at eight silvers monthly, plus performance bonuses - the fucking corporate elite of piracy.

"Recruit more kitchen helpers! I can't do all this alone!" Archer shouted between drinks to crewmen on the dock.

"Where's Micah?" Li Site asked after noting the doctor's absence.

"Whorehouse," Ren answered. "Probably hitting the high-end spots with his new money before the rush."

Fen's expression darkened. "No one stopped him? Right after making the rules?"

Li Site pulled him aside. "You can't watch everyone. Micah's been here longer than you. Trust him."

"I'm going into town with Fen. Volunteers?" Li Site planned to visit the Adventurer's Guild, check Thieves' Guild movements, and buy newspapers. After years in exile, he hoped against hope to find old comrades - preferably to kill that damned sorcerer together. Returning home remained but a distant dream.

"I'm in. Ship's booze tastes like horse piss," Archer slurred, still confused from waking to new rules about gems, stones, and leaving only in death.