1 Dirque: Arrr! Cap’n Long Tom Short be the best cap’n I ever be servin’ under!
2 Dirque: Can I be gettin’ a commission to be servin’ in yer navy too?
2 Governor: Sounds fair, my good man.
3 Long Tom: How many cap’ns be ye servin’ under, Dirque?
4 Dirque: Just you, cap’n! But I be figurin’ a share o’ loot and a royal salary be worth a bit o’ hyperbole.

Just nobody tell Dirque that Royal Navy sailors don't actually get "a share of the loot".

EDIT: A few readers wrote to tell me that this is incorrect. In the 1600s Royal Navy sailors actually did get a share of the loot! If they captured enemy vessels that were defeated as part of official Navy duties, then the crew did in fact receive shares of the money raised by selling those ships and their cargoes. As Jonathan R. writes:

This [my original statement at top] is true today (but only since 1945!) but it was certainly not true for RN sailors of Dirque's time: the prospect of prize money was a big factor in persuading men to join up and suffer the privations and miseries of the Navy at that time. I've found a scholarly thesis on the subject (PDF file), but this web page is briefer and slightly more entertaining.

Who said webcomics weren't educational?