Adjacent to the massive Tour Bidouane, separated from it by the Passage de la Poudrière, stretches a small esplanade buffeted by the sea breeze. This is where the statue of Robert Surcouf, an emblematic figure of Saint-Malo, stands. He is seen with his right arm outstretched, his index finger pointing out to sea, but his head turned to his left, his gaze burning, as if he were ordering his crew to engage in a boarding maneuver. His saber, held in his left hand, rests at his side, a silent witness to his past victories.

Robert Surcouf (1773-1827), a native of Saint-Malo, was one of the most fearsome French privateers. He scoured the Indian Ocean, capturing numerous British merchant ships and sowing panic along the trade routes. His most notable exploit remains the capture of the Kent in 1800, a powerful ship belonging to the English East India Company, captured with only 150 men against more than 400.

After his campaigns, Surcouf became a wealthy shipowner and returned to Saint-Malo to end his days. His statue, unveiled in 1903, remains today a defiant figure facing the ocean, a reminder that the corsair city was once the birthplace of men who dared to brave the world.