Prologue
"Keira Jones Bartholomew Hook, you are the smartest, most beautiful, most cunning pirate I have ever met and I am so proud of you," he whispered. She cradled his dying form in her arms, tears flowing down her face as she wished she could turn back time.
"Please don't leave me," she sobbed.
"I must. I am so grateful to have you as a daughter, to have you be the one to carry on my legacy. My time must come to an end for yours to begin," he smiled. As fearsome as he may be, he loved her with all his heart. With his final breath, he gave her one last piece of advice.
"Whatever you choose to do in your life, follow your heart. Kira, I-I," and then he was gone.
Her breath hitched for a moment before a plethora of sobs washed over her. The only man who had ever truly loved her was gone. He raised her when her mother couldn't; he taught her how to sail before she could fully walk; he taught her self-defense and helped her master sword fighting by the time she was nine. He was a villain, but he was more than that. He was a father.
Taking deep breaths, she put gently put him down before walking out onto the deck. The rest of the crew had somber faces. She knew that if she showed weakness, they would all be dead within a weak.
"We lost a great man today, but letting that stop us from finishing this mission would not make him proud. The Jolly Roger is our home, and I refuse to let it be taken away by some prissy prince who decided that we should all be condemned to a shitty island with not a single opening into water!" The crew cheered and she continued.
"Tonight, we finish what our parents started, magic or no magic. We are pirates, we are thieves, we will not rest until we succeed!"
"Murphy, hoist the sails! Juke, ready the cannons! Mullins, crow's nest; be on the lookout for any opposers. And I need the rest of you on navigation, except you Wibbles. You're swabbing."
"Why am I always the swabbie?!" he complained.
"Because you're an incompetent piece of shite," she responded.