The whole point of the game revolves around Sam's fake death and when they kill the prison warden in the intro:



They don't like Vargas' demand for a quarter cut, so they kill him, and Sam "dies" in the botched escape, and this forms a key element to the plot.


I replayed this the other day, and this just doesn't make sense. There's an easier way out of this. Why not just accept his demand for the cut, then leave the prison, and just forget about him? AFAIK, no part of the game from there on goes anywhere near Panama. It's all Europe and Africa from there on.

Why not leave the prison, who GAF about Vargas? He's a prison warden in a third world country. Is he going to chase them around the world? Has he got any influence anywhere that matters? Is he going to tell on them?

Doesn't make sense. He has no idea about the pirate lore or where to even begin looking for the treasure. He's clueless and beyond Panama, useless. Just make a phony promise for a cut and GTFO of that prison.

That's not a plot hole, but bad writing.
The warden maybe has some ties with dangerous men and Drake don't want the heat