I Conquer the Seas with Black Sails

A letter of marque: half a chance at survival, half a death warrant. In the Age of Gray Ocean Exploration, the Holy Empire of the Southern Crown monopolizes the gold, spices, and sugar of the New Continent, “New Earth.” Its invincible fleet blocks the straits, trapping the Kingdom of Ambrose in a corner of the North Sea. The royal house issues letters of marque: civilian ships that hand over a fifth of their profits to the crown may legally plunder enemy merchant vessels. It is a tool for nobles to line their pockets, and the only ladder out of poverty for the common folk. William Thorne, son of a former navy captain, has hit rock bottom. His father was framed for treason by the powerful Lord Gray and beheaded in public. His younger sister, Leah, has contracted a deadly port fever, and her medical bills are an endless pit. With nowhere else to turn, he signs his name and boards the Sea Ghost, the veteran privateer captain “One-Handed Hawk’s” ship. With a small vessel and a dozen brothers-in-arms, he plunges headlong into these raging seas of blood and gold. Taking the Night Owl as his callsign and black sails as his flag, he launches night raids, storms enemy ships, and sets ambushes in the shallows. He smashes a gold transport ship in the raging straits and makes a name for himself as “Black Sails Thorne.” He braves the Black Reef, battles sea serpents, opens up New Earth, and burns plantations, throwing the Southern Crown Empire’s coast into chaos. He also understands politics, knows how to do business, rallies the common folk, and takes on the powerful…