Vaas wraps his coarse fingers around the machete. He flexes his arm, relishing the weight of the object in his hand.
It's funny, he thinks to himself, that something so small can grant so much power.
Vaas has managed to persevere through constant tribulations and grievances—Jason Broody's escape, his failed attempt at his life—due to his ability to evolve and adapt to his current environment. The role of feared madman had suited him for quite some time, and so he played the part well and thoroughly, never letting slip his true intentions and goals. When that facade was shattered he was free to become his true self; with insanity he was without inhibition and did as he pleased.
Vaas is not the same man he was yesterday, and he will not be the same man tomorrow that he is today. And in a island on its way to annihilation, tomorrows are becoming less and less of a guarantee.
No longer is he a madman, he is an insane-man.
He wouldn't leave Rook Island, even if he could. The island may be dying but Vaas is flourishing. Never before has he been allowed to truly demonstrate his skill in such a refined way; his current position is much more elegant than dealing chemicals and rubbing shoulders with undesirables.
There is no delaying the inevitable, and if he is going to die along with the rest of Rook Island then he is going to enjoy the time he has left on Earth. It has occurred to him that his impending death does not bother him as much as it should; perhaps it is because he finally has what he deserves, what is rightfully his.
Power.
With a swift, fluid motion Vaas cuts the air with his knife.
"Shut the fuck up," he commands, his voice loud and powerful. The pirates fall silent and his lips turn upwards in a smirk of satisfaction.
The death of Rook Island may be rapidly approaching, but for Vaas life has just begun.