Final answer:
In 'Peter and the Starcatcher', Little Richard and Slank could have taken over the ship and captured the crew by using the chaos of a storm and the element of surprise, similarly to historical accounts of pirate cunningness and morale effects on ship crews.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question on how Little Richard and Slank were able to take over a ship and capture the entire crew in Peter and the Starcatcher involves a mixture of factors present in historical accounts of piracy and fiction narratives of ship takeovers. One key element is the unexpected situation such as a storm that disables the ship, making it vulnerable to takeover, as suggested in one of the provided excerpts. Similarly, pirates such as those in historical accounts of Julius Caesar’s capture were known to be bold and crafty, sometimes even allowing their captives certain freedoms, enhancing their chances to outsmart and manipulate situations to their advantage.
Furthermore, accounts of ship travel often mention crews made up of individuals lured by adventure or composed of prisoners, indicating varying levels of motivation and skill among sailors that could affect their ability to fend off a pirate attack. The importance of psychological factors like fear and camaraderie seen in other excerpts could also influence the crew's effectiveness during such crises. Thus, combining historical facts with the imaginative elements of storytelling, it's plausible within the fictional context that Little Richard and Slank seized the opportunity amidst chaos, leveraging fear and the element of surprise to capture an entire crew.