Chapter 4

"There she is!" Bill said with an evil grin as he looked through his telescope on deck.

"What do you see?" Dipper asked curiously coming close to Bill's side.

"A cargo ship owned by an old friend. His ship should have enough supplies to help us on any journey we may plan to venture."

Dipper stood close to the railing of the ship, squinting to try and see what Bill was looking at on the horizon.

"Would you like to see?" Bill asked.

Dipper was yet again surprised by his captain's kindness as he held out an expensive looking telescope to him.

Dipper has been beginning to notice that Bill, as his captain, has been treating him much better than the rest of his crew. Sure he gets yelled at when it comes to work. But he doesn't invite others to dine with him or to spend quality time in the captain's quarters. Was it because Bill felt responsible for him as he was the one who invited Dipper into his crew? It couldn't just be that could it? Either way, Dipper becomes just more confused by the captain's actions as they make him flustered in embarrassment at times.

"U-Umm… D-Do you mind?"

"Not at all little star! Just be careful with how you handle my tool and it should be just fine." Bill said softly. But the smile on his face hid his dirty mindset with his cabin boy.

Dipper then hesitatingly took the telescope from Bill. It was smooth and had a golden shine to it. He then carefully put it to his eye and looked in the direction Bill was looking. After a few moments he was finally able to see the ship that Bill had planned to pillage before their journey set. And seeing the ship just through the telescope made Dipper nervous.

The Cargo ship looked twice the size of the Dreamscape. Dipper knew this meant more canons and more crew members on the enemy ship. He guessed there had to be at least twice as many crew members than the Dreamscape.

"Feeling uneasy little star?"

Dipper looked up to Bill who noticed his nervousness and looked down on him with a smile.

"It's perfectly fine if you are since it is your first time being part of a raid. You can always go hide below deck if it gets too intense for you." Bill teased.

"Of course I won't! I can handle myself." Dipper pouted angrily. He hated when the captain treated him like a child.

"Of course you can." Bill smirked.

"But every man needs to be prepared and have the right tools for the job at hand. Do you even have a weapon to protect yourself?" Bill asked even though he already knew the answer.

Dipper stood there silently. Even though he said he would join the pillaging, he agreed that he was quite unprepared for it. He wouldn't be able to defend himself without a weapon. Not with his girlish figure.

"Should… Should I go ask one of the crew for something?"

Bill could only smile at the young man in front of him.

"Hmm… You know what?" Bill said pretending to think about it.

"I'm feeling generous. You've done very well as my cabin boy. Maybe I should reward you for your efforts."

Dipper grew wide eyed in his surprise yet again. The captain was being way too generous for someone who is said to be the harshest and most bloodthirsty of the sea.

"No, you don't have to do that!" Dipper said waving his arms in denial.

But Bill had already made up his mind.

"I'll let you choose from my private amoury in my quarters." Bill said as he grabbed Dipper's arm and started leading him onto the main deck.

Dipper remembers the gold and jeweled swords in the captain's quarters spread throughout the rest of his treasure. Just thinking that Bill would let Dipper have something so precious and valuable made him flustered. He wouldn't even know how to take care of such a gift.

"I-I couldn't take those! They're too much for someone like me. Besides they are more precious to you aren't they?"

"Not as much as you." Bill blankly stated making a blush spread across Dipper's soft cheeks. Bill had to be teasing him. This had to be all it was.

Bill couldn't possibly think he was special. Someone who grew up every day he can remember in a gutter. He couldn't possibly be precious to him or even worth his attention. At least that was what Dipper believed.

Bill stopped in front of his quarters and said, "Which is why if you are going to join the raid, it would be better for you to have something I'm confident in."

Bill then shouted to the rest of the crew that was in earshot, "PREPARE FOR BATTLE YOU FILTHY MUTS! WE SHALL CATCH UP TO THEM SOON AND CLAIM WHAT IS THEIRS!"

The crew cheered with drawn swords in excitement of the raid.

With that Bill dragged Dipper into his quarters and shut the door behind them.

"Take your pick little star! And make sure to choose wisely as this offer won't come again any time soon."

There was no use fighting against Bill's decision anymore. Defeated, Dipper began to look around the cabin at the various weapons spread around the room. And as Dipper took his time in choosing, the evident battle grew closer.

Dipper looked through all that Bill had. Axes, spears, crossbows, guns, and daggers. But Dipper was interested more in the swords that were spread across the room within the piles of gold and jewels. Seeing that swords were more practical in defending himself.

But most of the swords Bill had seemed too flashy for Dipper since they were covered in handles of gold and jewels. They were nothing like the rest of the crew's swords with handles of iron making him self-conscious on why Bill would allow him to choose from such rich treasures. HE tried to look for something that would suit him more which was why one particular sword caught his eye.

Sitting in a large expensive vase with a couple other flashy swords was one that looked somewhat plain.

The blade was short which fit Dipper's dainty figure well. The blade looked to be made completely of silver and the handle made of iron. The blade shined so well that Dipper could see his reflection perfectly in the blade. The sword felt light in Dipper's hands and felt just right in his grip even though he never had held a sword in his life. Dipper swung the sword back and forth a little to get a feel for it as Bill watched intently with his golden eyes.

It felt perfect. Too perfect. As if the blade was made just for him.

"It seems you've made your choice." Bill said interrupting Dippers train of thought.

Dipper looked over to Bill and nodded in confirmation.

"You made a wise decision. Out of every weapon in this room, that one in particular I know to be very special despite how it looks." Bill said as he grinned.

Dipper's face filled with shock as he looked back down at the blade with a questioning look.

After seeing Dipper's confusion, Bill answered, "That sword once belonged to one of my greatest and most powerful rivals."

"I called him Sixer because of his having six fingers on each of his hands."

"Sixer was a great adventurer. My equal in every way! Perhaps even more because of being born special. Except he didn't believe in piracy. He earned what he wanted through hard work and dedication which made him a scholar in a way. Kings would come to him for help if they wanted to learn something. In fact, half the books you see on my shelf used to belong to him. There wasn't anywhere he didn't travel for the sake of knowledge while I did it for the adventure. His curiosity for the world and beyond was greater than any man I've ever met."

Dipper listened intensely about the man Bill thought as his equal. Which was new since he always talked of how he was the most feared on the ocean.

"That sword belonged to him until our final battle where I came out on top."

"What happened to him?" Dipper asked afraid he already knew the answer.

Bill only gave him a blank expression.

"I claimed his life for the sake of being my equal. And he accepted his fate with a heavy heart. He claimed that he still hadn't seen all that this world had to offer and that there was still so many mysteries to solve."

"Since you saw him as an equal…did you think of him as a friend?"

Bill never thought about Sixer being a friend. Though if he ever had one, Sixer would probably be the closest even though they were always at each other's throats until the very end.

"That depends on what he thought of me. Especially after I killed him."

Dipper didn't say anymore on that subject.

"Bill…I can't take this. A tool that belonged to somebody known as your equal is something that I could never be worthy of."

"That's were your wrong Little Star! I would never give that sword to anybody but you."

"And why is that?" Dipper questioned.

Bill came up close and whispered in his ear, "Because you mean more to me than Sixer could ever wish to be."

Dipper blushed a light pink on his cheeks. He wanted to question Bill on what he meant but his voice escaped him and trembled.

Why did he always feel like this when Bill got close to him. His cinnamon scent. His warm breath that prickled his neck. His deep venom voice. It all made his body go numb and cause a shiver to go down his spine.

Bill smiled at Dipper's blush but moved away to grab his own equipment for battle.

"Also, I think the magic that the sword holds might defend you better if you are ever worthy."

"Magic?!" Dipper asked intrigued as he gained back his composure.

"Yes little star. The sword you hold is said to bring out a user's full potential if he possesses the gift from the stars."

"Gift from the stars?"

"The ability to wield magic. Did you really think someone I claimed to be my equal would be a normal human being? No, Sixer was born special. It took him a while to realize, but when he did the world grew bigger than he could ever imagine."

Dipper sighed. If only he was born special.

"But whether you are special or not doesn't matter since you will be using that sword for now on."

"But Bill-"

"You were drawn to that sword without any knowledge of what it was. Only someone like that is somebody I could trust with it. Besides if there is a chance of it bringing the slightest hair of your hidden potential, it would be of great use to you." Bill said as he grinned.

Dipper stood there silent.

"You are a man aren't you. You want to be able to take care of yourself? Then greedily take the tools given to you that will help you do it. No man, not even I, am a threat without the tools at my disposal whether it be my ship, my crew, or my sword."

Dipper thought about what Bill was saying until he made a decision and sheathed the sword in his belt. And while he was at it, he grabbed a knife and a powder pistol along with it.

Bill's eyes seemed to glow in acknowledgement as Dipper then left out of the cabins quarters with a new-found confidence.

And as Bill followed, he could feel it. A change was about to happen before his very eyes. By the end of this raid, Dipper will have earned the sword from the man that Bill had respected. Bill knew that at some point, his little star was going to shine brighter than the sun itself.