Chapter 1
"Tavern"

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"Here. It's your fifth one." The Tapster put the rum on the table.

"Thanks." Joseph Barrington took the Tankard, and gulped down the coppery rum, hoping it would ease the pain in him.

"Careful. Don't have too much. You look strong, but you're alone, and this is a dangerous place mate." The Tapster said, looking warily at the men on the table behind Joseph. They were notorious pirate Eli "the one legged" Ripper, and his crew.

"I appreciate the concern, old man. But i have nothing to lose." Joseph slid back the Tankard, asking for more. He was visually irritated, but chose to ignore the cackles of Eli, and the phony giggles of the waitress sitting on his half-leg.

"I should take ye to my next voyage," Eli said grabbing the butt of the waitress. "We be sailing for days, and there would be nothing sweet like ye in miles."

She giggled, and caressed Eli's chest. "I love the sea- Unbelievable adventures, dangerous monsters, and brave pirates to fight them." He laughed, seemingly enjoying the praise.

While Joseph was swilling down more rum. Fools, he thought. The only reason she was listening was to make them stay and drink. Drunk pirates are so easy to fool, he thought. He didn't liked pirates. Although, he himself was one just few days ago, a captain at that, but he was not like them. They didn't pillager or plunder, rob or raid, they were men with honest cause. And yet, that distinction was what brought their demise.

He reminisced about his crew for a while, and then finally got up, deciding he had had enough for the night.

"Aah!" the waitress squealed and jumped out of Eli's lap. It was Joseph. While leaving he had tripped and tumbled down on the floor, knocking the rum from Eli's table all over him.

"Ye scurvy dog! Ye ruined my coat," Eli barked. "Get him up!"

Two men moved about, and pulled Joseph by his collar, bringing him on his knees. He didn't resist, of course because he couldn't. His hands and legs were jelly, barely in his control.

Eli laughed at his state and seized his jaw. "Look at those cheekbones," he said. "they be sharper than my cutlass." And truly Joseph was handsome, at least compared to Eli, who was in his mid-forties with a mouth covered by grey beard and rotting teeth.

"Captain, I know that face," One of the men said. "He's Joseph 'the fisherman' Barrington."

"Really? What is a noble man like you doing in this part of town?" There was a heavy sarcasm in his tone. Joseph didn't answer back. Eli then lowered himself, and pulled Joseph's hair to meet his mud-brown eyes. "I've heard about ye lot. Fishermen turned pirates… Hmph," he spit on Joseph's face. "Ye are a disgrace." His eyes were filled with disapproval.

"Where's yer fuckin' crew mate?" One of the men asked.

"Maybe those scoundrels left him and ran away hiding their tails after facing a real pirate!" Another joined. Everyone laughed.

Joseph was down. He didn't looked like a man who would fight for anything, just a shell of what he once used to be. So he stayed there, not saying a word, and listening to all the insults and all the abuse. They might as well do whatever the heck they wanted with him, he didn't cared, the worse had already happened.

Eli was enjoying this. He was itching to take down a famous name. There was a real good bounty on Joseph's head, and he had heard they were raiding a lot of government ships. He was thinking about this lucky chance when he was interrupted by a gunshot. Upon turning, he saw a gun was pointing at him. And behind the barrel was a woman; tall but slim he noticed. Accompanied by two men, who looked like her sub-ordinates. A woman pirate?

"Well well, what do we have here." He noticed her gaze towards Joseph. "Are ye one his crew? Perhaps, his lover." He laughed showing his carious teeth.

All eyes were on her. They were looking at her as though someone had put a meat in front of hungry dogs. She was dressed just like them, yet she looked high class.

She pulled back her pistol, poised. "No," she said, her voice calm, not threatening. "I just have some business with him, so it would be in your best interest to not harm him."

Eli was ticked off. Getting orders? From a woman? "And what would happen if i do?" He took a tankard and started pouring rum over Joseph, mocking her. "Lovely lass dressed as pirate, with nothing but two stinker henchmen don't seem like much of a threat to me." he said. And wondered what would he do with her.

"Forget him, and just take me!' One of the men laughed, taunting her.

She didn't rise to the bait, and just calmly pulled up her sleeve. "Does this seem like a threat then?"

And suddenly, everyone's faces changed as if the delectable meat they were craving to eat was poisoned. Eli froze in his place as he comprehended the mark on her soft hands- A red rose surrounded with spiky chains.

"Who are ye?" Eli asked, grimly. And now for the first time, he was serious.

She pulled down her sleeve with a smirk. "Who you ask? I'm sure you already know. I'm Anna. Though you might know me as Jewelry Bonny." she said. Half of the backed up just hearing that name.

"She's not lyin'. The mark bares the red rose, redder than blood." One of the men whispered. No pirate could forget that symbol. There was no mistaking it, they were all thinking the same thing- John Earrwing.

Eli stood there, shocked at this turn of events. This had really teased his greed, and other desires. But he knew well what would happen if he went against John Earrwing. That was the chance he didn't wanted to take, not for any price.

"Tsk. Let's leave," he said. "We've had enough for tonight." There was a hint of disappointment. All it took was a name to stop me? Slight disgust grew in him with that thought, but regardless, he swallowed his ego. "Yer lucky." He left Joseph there, and set off with his men. Anna stood there, ignoring him and his crew as they went past her, and then ordered her men to cuff Joseph and carry him to ship.

Joseph tried to get a look at his rescuer, but couldn't see much. He noticed a slender back before he finally passed out.
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