The Junk lay at anchor among hundreds like herself. She had sailed the South China Sea for nearly seventy-five years. One hundred men were on her right now, but she had carried as many as four hundred during her heydays of pirating. At that time a woman led them and 50,000 to 80,000 pirates aboard 2,000 ships of prey. The China government sent their fleets to destroy the pirates but failed. The government finally offered pardons to the pirates, and most had lowered their sails. The China government allowed the pirates to keep their treasure, and many became politicians or took jobs within the government. That was over fifty years ago, but many, like Na"s father, had remained pirates.
Na"s father claimed this very ship in a raid, and it had stayed in the family. It was a business, a family
