[Chapter 815: The Ocean Doesn't Rest, Neither Do Pirates]
"Master, good morning. We've got a bit of a situation here," said Tanner, pacing nervously.
"Yeah, what's up?" William White noticed the tension in Tanner's face, a mix of worry and frustration. He braced himself for bad news, but hoped it wasn't too dire.
"Master, a cargo ship got attacked yesterday. Thankfully, we had a few guys on board. Otherwise, it could've been a complete disaster."
"Damn, I knew there were pirates out there. Isn't that a cargo ship weighing tons? What were they thinking? What was it carrying -- precious emeralds? No, typically, pirates wouldn't target that."
"No, it was a shipment of cars from China. This was the first big export, and if something went wrong, it would've been disastrous."
"China? Was it off the coast of Somalia or the Strait of Malacca?"
Tanner paused, surprised at how quickly William processed the situation.
"Somalia. The small fry around Malacca got dealt with before; they've been pretty quiet since."
"WellI can tell by your expression that someone got hurt."
"Not seriously, just a few scrapes. But these guys had a mission; they decided to toss their gear and weapons overboard."
William frowned. There was little anyone could do about situations like this -- not even the U.S. looked good in this scenario. It seemed like they needed some sort of presence in Somalia.
What was going on with these idiots? As far as William knew, the real surge of piracy didn't happen until after 2000, peaking around 2008.
"Tanner, this place is a mess; Pentagon made a mess and then just left it alone. It'll only get messier later. Tell the shipping companies to form convoys. And remember, if things get dicey, don't do anything reckless. All they care about is the money."
"Got it, master. For now, we just have to deal with these idiots."
William couldn't help but grimace; Africa was just a complete chaos at this point, and one misstep could lead to serious trouble.
"Oh, by the way, did we find anything on the pirates off Lania Island? Those guys look tough to crack."
"Nothing yet. This group is definitely not easy."
"Alright, keep digging. I can't believe pirates still exist in this day and age."
Tanner thought to himself, those who make moves like that aren't really pirates. More often than not, they were either the old-timers or just some opportunists.
The truth was that piracy had persisted for so many years, and it couldn't be easily eradicated. The saying about the ocean continuing to be a refuge for pirates wasn't just a joke.
William wasn't worried about the typical pirates from Somalia; they were only a nuisance that increased shipping costs. Once things escalated too much, someone would eventually take care of them.
These were people looking for survival, and good and evil didn't quite fit in such a context.
The pirates wiped out near Lania Island were a different story; they were the real threat.
Taking advantage of piracy for plundering was something rooted in history. Captain Drake was a famous pirate; later, the British gave him a license to be one.
When it came down to it, there were no original pirates today. If they still existed, they'd need protection.
So-called pirates were merely remnants of greater powers. As for the Somali pirates, why couldn't they be wiped out?
This issue was far more complicated than it appeared. Just look at how even the Russian battleships were out there patrolling. Had piracy been wiped out?
Not at all.
Just because it looked like desert tyrants were untouchable didn't mean they'd get away with it. If they misbehaved, they'd find it hard to get their oil out.
Did desert tyrants really think they could wage a price war against the Russians? Or take down the U.S. shale oil industry?
What was the truth?
As long as the U.S. was willing, Somali pirates wouldn't be an issue at all.
Oil prices peaked in 2008, which was also when the U.S. faced its subprime crisis, and the most oil was imported during that year. It was also when Somali piracy was at its height.
No need to overthink it; it was quite evident.
The ones deciding oil prices were never the desert tyrants. The OPEC organization was just a facade, so who cared what they had to say?
That being said, the desert tycoons had it rough too. The Russians couldn't compete with the U.S. but had no trouble dealing with them if it came to it -- all it took was a wrong move from them.
Wait, the U.S. will rescue you?
Cough, cough. Just survive the attack first. Like with Kuwait, sure the U.S. intervened, but not without a delay.
And the Russians weren't naive. It was hard to find anyone willing to mess with them.
Are you really sure the U.S. politicians will take action?
It was mostly fifty-fifty.
As William pondered, he was shocked at how much of the chaos in this world linked back to the U.S.
It was important to clarify -- Pentagon was one thing, the U.S. was another. That wasn't the same deal.
To put it simply, William's interests wouldn't align with the Pentagon's. If a policy favored him, then he complied. If it conflicted with his interests, he wouldn't hesitate to fight back.
There was a saying -- "There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests."
Alright, that was very American.
Speaking of pirates, William thought of Captain Jack.
The films were thrilling, but pirates of the Caribbean weren't that incredible.
Without a doubt, the best pirates were the British, who turned piracy into a global dominance. Who could possibly surpass them?
...
When he returned to Jurassic Park, William intended to take a look around. Of course, it would only be a brief tour. Interestingly, with a new contractor, the buildings looked much sturdier. At least they had improved visually.
"Such wonderful weather! Want to go play some golf?"
Nicole curled her lips, obviously unhappy. Well, she was tormented by someone, and now she should be feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Stop messing around. I don't want to be on the headlines."
"Don't take it too seriously. With me around, staying out of the headlines is tough. Besides, you've got such a graceful walk -- all good!"
"Ugh, just go change. And you better not mess this up."
"That's not fair! I'm the worst golfer. I'm basically the laughing stock of high society."
Nicole shot him a look, expressing disbelief. "When was that? I think the people who made fun of you are too scared to challenge you now."
Golf isn't really that posh; it's just a game meant for anyone. As long as you play often enough, it wouldn't be much of a hassle.
"Did you really buy wrong size?"
Nicole glanced at him with irritation, a small huff escaping her lips.
"It's all your fault. Look at that bruise! Damn it, now I'll have to wear long skirts."
"Alright, I apologize, but you can't blame me; you're just too charming."
It was supposed to be a casual day of golf, but for some reason, their 'workout' ended up being disastrous.
*****
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