Arthur awoke with a slight creaking of the ship. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, his blond hair tousled and the lack of sleep colouring the skin under his eyes. He slid off of his bed, slipping on his boots, and grabbed his red coat, sliding it on as he walked out of his quarters. It was close to dawn, yet the sun hadn't started to rise just yet. The crew was still asleep, so the ship was quiet except for the creaking of the wood every now and then.
He went to the rigging and wrapped his fingers around the net. He swung himself so he was on the outside of the ship and began to climb up it. The air was cool and felt nice. Arthur made it to the crow's nest and sat down, his right knee pulled up to his chest. He tilted his head up and looked at the moon overhead, smiling slightly at the beautiful night sky.
Surrounded by his two favourite things: the night sky and the ocean. The salty sea smell was almost overwhelming, but it still had a sense of home to him nonetheless. He hardly ever got to sit at the top of his ship, just watching the sunrise. It was one of those things that calmed him down. And he needed that more than anything.
Lately, many of the other countries' ships had been targeting him. He was at the top of the bounty list and he wouldn't be surprised if something ridiculous happened tomorrow. He barely had been able to get any sleep and most of the crew were starting to doubt serving under Captain Kirkland. Only his first mate and the first few members he had recruited still had their faith in him.
Arthur rubbed his face, leaning his head against the wood behind him. He kind of smirked at nothing in particular as he remembered how many people had tried to kill him in the past week. Spain, Prussia, even the few colonies America had that he didn't have possession of. He wouldn't be surprised if China or Japan came after him next. Ah, but what could he do about it? He was a pirate and pirates hunted other pirates. Surely the others have realized this by now, especially that idiot Antonio.
Arthur saw the sun start to rise, watching the midnight black sky start to turn to a deep violet. He heard the waves lap against his ship and a few seagulls calling. Other than that, it was quiet and peaceful, two of the things Arthur didn't really have the time to enjoy anymore. The stars slowly started to vanish as the sun continued to rise.
His mind was blank as he just sat there, watching the sky. He was grateful for the distraction and he really did need something to ease his nerves. He wouldn't admit to the crew that a sunrise was what calmed him down, considering it was a tad cheesy, but he still loved it. The colors were magnificent, almost like a work of art how they reflected in the surface of the ocean. It was the best sight anyone could ask for. So why couldn't the English captain get to enjoy it as much as he wished?
Well, no point in dwelling on it. Getting upset over something ridiculous as not being able to watch the sun rise wasn't really what Arthur needed to be doing. What he needed to be doing was making preparations. He needed more supplies and his ship still had to be repaired from the last attack. They were running low on mortars and cannon balls, and he wasn't going to risk getting attacked without anything to defend his ship. Luckily a port was close by.
The sun had almost fully risen, the last remnants of the night sky found by the faint image of a lowering moon in the west. The sky was now tinted with rosy pinks, light oranges, and faint purples. The low hanging sun had a mirrored reflection on the ocean water.
He smiled but realized he couldn't stay up there anymore as the crew were about to start waking up. Arthur stood up and was about to go to the rigging again when he froze. He listened, making sure he had heard correctly. He thought he might've heard the sound of cannon fire, but when he stopped, everything was quiet again. He furrowed his brow, but then shrugged his shoulders, thinking it was just his mind playing tricks on him.
He quickly climbed down the rigging and jumped back on the deck. He went back into his quarters to grab his hat real fast and then came back out, rolling his neck a little. He went to where the helm was and sat on one of the crates there, pulling out his journal and writing his daily entry.
I'm still being hunted. Every now and then, I swear I hear the sound of cannon fire. Maybe these attacks are starting to get to me. Maybe I'm getting too old for this. No, Antonio is way older than me, yet he keeps this up. I've lost too many members of my crew for my liking, and I know the attacks won't stop until I'm either captured or killed. Of course, being captured is more likely. It is hard to kill a nation.
He closed his journal and set it aside. He knew today was going to be a long one. He usually woke up earlier when it was. Whatever would happen, he wasn't sure if he was going to be prepared for it. And he had a feeling that he truly wasn't.

Kiku walked down the hall, each of the soldiers standing at attention as he walked past them. He made his way to his conference room, even though no one else was in there. Upon entering, he went to the desk and grabbed the bounty he had been given earlier that day, running his gloved hand down the picture of the man on it.
Arthur Kirkland, British pirate captain, also the representative of England.
He was another nation like Kiku, yet the two had never met. Now he was supposed to go out and capture this man for being an extremely dangerous pirate. He had no clue just how dangerous Arthur was, nor if he could even find him. The ocean was vast and there was no telling where he was. Still, even if he had to search for weeks just to find this man, Kiku was going to capture Arthur.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Kiku said, setting the flyer under one of the books that was on the desk.
One of the Japanese soldiers came in, bowing to Kiku respectively. "Sir, we may have found Arthur's ship. We believe he's near the Gulf of Mexico, traveling towards the island of Puerto Rico."
"Very good," Kiku said. "Ready the ships. With any luck, we'll be able to catch him."
The soldier bowed once again before leaving. Kiku sat at his desk, rubbing his temples. It was a fifty-fifty chance that they would find Arthur, possibly even less than that. He could always change where he was headed. Someone else could capture him. He could get caught in a storm. The possibilities of Kiku not being able to find him seemed to be endless and it unsettled the Japanese nation. However, Arthur needed to be captured. They had no intentions of killing him.
They simply needed answers and those answers could only be found in him.