One of the first meetings had been called. A meeting of Captains and crew. The Sea Grail hadn't left the dock of Gold Bay since they arrived. They were stocking up on supplies, drinking as much as they could, and waiting for Captain's word to ring out for them to leave. Today was suppose to be the day that they left, but now that wasn't going to happen yet. A messenger from the center of the island had been sent out to inform all of the docked Captains and their crews that they were being invited to a meeting. None of them knew what this meeting would be about, and they weren't going to find out until they got there.

The entire crew of all the ships were invited, but that didn't mean that everyone had to go. For example, the kids weren't allowed to leave. Even though the kids were technically apart of Burne's crew, they were directly told to stay on the ship. A few of the other crew members were left to guard the ship and watch over the kids. So, while the rest of the crew, minus a few, left the ship, the kids were in the lowest part of the ship, sitting at one of the tables. Five of them sat around the table, plates in front of them with some food that they were brought from one of the bars.

For the most part, they all ate silently. Some of them chewed pieces of bread, some gnawed on pieces of meat, others didn't eat. Both Ivo and Edith sat together, exchanging foods that were on their plates that they didn't like and sharing bread. Roulan wasn't eating anything, but a few things from his plate were already gone. Oliver sat next to Tawny, both of them eating shreds of chicken and carrots. Nobody really said anything, until Ivo broke that silence.

"Am I the only one that wonders why we couldn't go with everybody else?"

"No, but we should have seen it coming. Captain hasn't let us leave the ship since the other day, " Oliver stated, finishing a piece of his bread and looking over at the boy with the black eye.

"We are just kids to them, " Roulan said, no emotion as usual. The other kids looked at him for a moment. He wasn't wrong, and they knew it. They were just kids to the other pirates, whether they did any work or not. In a way, the way that the crew thought of them was similar to the way Burne saw them. It was kind of like not being given credit. Like having a job and doing it but not getting paid or appreciated. It was understandable, though. All of them were under 10 years old. It wasn't like they could truly defend themselves in a room full of unpredictable pirates from ships and crews they didn't know. Oliver and Lewis had held their own, but that was three pirates. Three singular drunk pirates. Going against full crews of fully aware pirates would get them killed.

"But there is one thing I don't understand, and I think I speak for everyone about who went to this meeting..., " Edith said with a low voice, all of the others looking at her. They knew what she was talking about. They knew.

- Meanwhile -

A large building surrounded by trees in the center of the island was where the Sea Grail crew had been led to. With Captain Burne at the front of the group, he saw many other Captains that he recognized. Some of them were friends of his from when they were younger, others were more established pirates. He was still never told what this meeting was about, but it seemed like a lot of the "smaller" pirate crews were all invited.

As he approached the old building made of stone, he heard a familiar voice.

"I would know that ugly face anywhere."

As he looked over, there stood a man, around Burne's age, with a short beard, a black hat, torn clothes, and distinguishing blue eyes. With both a glare and a smile, Burne approached the other man. "It's been a long time Cooper, " Burne stated, smirking at the other man.

"Come on now, no formalities are needed with me. It's Marooner, and you know it, " the other man stated with his own devilish smirk. Standing behind him was his own crew, who all seemed to be carrying beers in one hand and knives in the other.

"Ya wouldn't happen to know what this is about, would ya?"

The man known as "Marooner" shook his head. "I'm as clueless as you."

Both men looked at each others' crews. The two had interacted before, as had their crews, so the two crews seemed to merge together, speaking with those that they recognized. Even Snap had his own acquaintances. There were others who stood off to the sides, those that were newer to both crews.

"So, I heard what you did. That was some move you made, and a big risk. Though, I guess you never did think before you acted, " Marooner said, chuckling slightly at the thought.

"Good. That's what I did it for. That, and to get rid of that damned navy ship that's been pesterin' me all these years, " Burne stated, shaking his head. He remembered the ship at Greymouth had chased him down and tried to hunt him many times, That damn Captain of their's did almost anything he could to throw Burne off balance.

"So, is it true what I heard? That you destroyed Greymouth and stole children? I never imagined you going that far."

"Yes, I did both of them, but one wasn't on purpose. Not originally, anyway, " Burne stated, looking towards his own crew. Then an idea popped into his head. He looked over at Marooner again and smirked even more than before. "As a matter of fact, there's somebody I want ya to meet."

"And who is this?"

"My name is Lewis. I am one of Captain Burne's crew, " Lewis stated, his face hard and stern as he looked at this fellow Captain. He had to admit that being surrounded by pirates like this slightly concerned him. But he didn't play by the rules as the other kids that was why Lewis had been asked by Burne to accompany him when they found out about the meeting.

"So, this is one of the kids you took away from Greymouth? Pleasure to meet ya, kid, " Marooner stated, looking over at the boy. Lewis couldn't hide the sudden discomfort and anger on his face. The mention of his hometown, and talked about in such a way after what happened, it angered him. These pirates saw the destruction of his home as an accomplishment and something to be proud of. Even with the way that he was, Lewis couldn't deny that it was awful. How these people saw killing people and destroying whole towns as an amazing feat was unknown to him.

"Was this the only kid you took? That surprises me. I know that once you do something, you go all out."

"He isn't the only one. The others are back at the ship. They ain't used to being one of us like Lewis is. They already caused me some trouble, " Burne stated, muttering under his breathe. He couldn't deny that he was fond of all of these kids he had taken in. But they were kids. They didn't know the difference between doing what a normal kid does and what a pirate does. Which explains why Lewis was the only kid of the group brought.

"That's too bad. I was hoping to meet them. Maybe I'll have to visit your little followers when this meeting is done, " Marooner commented, the hint of what seemed like a threat hidden in his voice. Burne didn't seem to notice, but Lewis glared at the other pirate Captain.

If he did show up at the ship, I wouldn't let him get anywhere near the others, especially the girls, he thought, turning and looking at the building. There was suddenly a man who trotted out of the building and over to Marooner, whispering something in his ear. The other Captain seemed both surprised and slightly excited at whatever they told him. The man looked to Burne and couldn't hold back his smirk.

"I know what this meeting is about." Lewis and Burne both looked at him in curiosity and confusion. "Creating a fleet."

I got it done at last. It took me a little while, but it's done.

Why was Lewis the only kid invited, really? Who is this new Captain? What is this about making a fleet?

Thanks for reading!