Dirty Dirque is Long Tom's bosun. What this means is he runs the ship while the captain is off spouting piratical nonsense at his enemies. Dirque also liaises with colonial governors in order to obtain privateering rights. So far he's managed to get booty off the English for fighting the French, the French for fighting the English, the Spanish for fighting the Portuguese, the Portuguese for fighting the Dutch, and the Dutch for fighting the Spanish.