[Nadia's P.O.V]
"What? What do you mean, 'you refuse'?"
Hayden stopped staring at the control panel to look at me with an uninterested look. "It means that I refuse because I have my own stuff to do." He replied to me as if I was a six-year old. Grabbing his sword that he stabbed at the wall, he sheathed it back to his scabbard and then proceeded to take a seat on the driver's side of the sea pod.
After I asked Hayden to join me, I was instantly rejected without any hesitation. He then proceeded to ask the new Pirate King of the armada if there's a lifeboat in the battlefield we were standing on, leaving me in shock. The woman gratefully led him below the brig, where there's a mini-dock fully equipped with a personal pond where multiple sea pods floated by the platform. By the time I snapped out of my stupor, Hayden had already received the information he needed to whatever he's planning to do and began climbing aboard the only functioning sea pod in the entire dock. Luckily, I was able to catch up. But it wasn't going as good as I thought it would be.
"Now, do you mind pressing that red button by the wall?"
I fixated my gaze on the plastic covered button on the gate, where a large handwritten sign stated to only use it for emergencies. Well, most of the ship is destroyed or out of order, so I guess it's kind of an emergency. I walked over to it, but not before giving Hayden one last pleading look.
"Come on, Hayden. What's so important that you have to ditch me?" I questioned, leaning my body against the wall with my arms crossed.
"I have to follow this clue that I'm... following. I don't know what it is or where does it lead to. But frankly, I don't give a damn." He secured the chain attached to the propeller of the pod, applying some oil to smoothen it out. "Unless we have the same lead, I'll come with you."
"I'm heading wherever the pirates were supposed to go in the first place." I replied, slightly hoping that we have the same destination. Sadly, by the look of Hayden's face, it wasn't it
"They're going to Russia. Moscow to be precise." Hayden glanced at me with a pitying expression. "Sorry, but I'm headed for Japan. The Pirate King already told me that some of their supplies came from the Yakuza."
"You'll use a sea pod to head over to Japan?"
"What? No? I just need to reach land to catch a flight to Japan."
I let out a sigh of defeat. I could no longer do anything about it because as far as I know, we're both headed at different locations and it's not like we have a deep connection that would prompt him to cone with me. Plus, the only reason why I want him to come with me because he's rather interesting. He moves, fights, kills like a professional but talks and acts normal or even awkwardly towards other people. Both sides are a complete mystery to me so I wanted to find out what's lurking behind the identity of Hayden.
"So, this is it, huh?" I shrugged in resignation.
Hayden shot me yet again, another unimpressed look. He's been getting good at that ever since we've met. "Don't act like this is goodbye. We'll bump into each other soon. There's no way, we won't." He plugged his foot at the pedals and gripped the control wheel. But then his eyebrows shot up for a brief moment before shoving his hand down his ragged pockets and then pulling out a small, red device in the shape of a cookie. Without turning towards me, he flipped the device backwards where I caught it with ease.
Now that I held it in my hands, I recognized it to be a beeper of some sort. A screen was welded on the cookie-shaped device. The chocolate chips turned out to be blinkers to alert the user of a notification or an incoming message. Still, who the fuck makes a cookie beeper?
"If you're wondering, I got that from hitting all three cans with a rubber pellet." He shot me a grin, which I responded with a baffled stare.
"What were you doing in a carnival?"
Hayden flicked the switch up, which started up the engine and sent out a loud rev across the entire dock. He shot me a smirk and said, "It's not a crime to have fun, is it?"
And with that, he stepped on the charge up and the sea pod burst off of the dock, speeding through the waters. I shook my head in amusement as I flip the plastic cover open and pressed the button, activating an alarm that sounded off as an underwater hatch slammed open. The sea pod Hayden was driving suddenly popped out a bulletproof glass shield over the pod as it slowly sank underwater, disappearing.
However, I wasn't that sad. Sure, I'll miss the feeling of a powerful person who could match up to my skill. But after all, he said that we'll meet again. I stare at the cookie-shaped beeper in my hand. The sight brought a smile to my face. It's just another reminder that I'll see that idiot again. Who knows, maybe it'll be sooner that I'll expect.
The armada began to position back to its original formation as the Kraken sailed back to its course. As the new Pirate King took her place in the throne, where the entire crew saluted her as the new leader of the most powerful army in the ocean. The situation had already been resolved after the woman, who identified herself as Jade, explained to the crew about her current status, who then relayed the message to the rest of its fleet and then later on reached the entire armada. But first, they would hold a meeting to discuss the future of the fleet, now that the former Pirate King was locked away in the brig and was stripped off of his status.
Luckily, the Kraken's crew immediately warmed up to the new King because in reality, they preferred the woman rather than the young sadist. They described him as ruthless and evil, refusing to allow any opinions or directions from the crew. Jade was more reasonable and took charge whenever the Pirate King was off drinking in his room or fucking another tavern wench he picked up along the way. So, it's safe to say that Jade would have no problem leading the Kraken.
However, the real problem is how she'll convince the rest of the armada to follow her. The chief captains of each fleet followed the former Pirate King because of his bloodlust, power, and overall savageness. Jade almost has none of that. So it'll be a challenge for her to convince the rest of the chief captains.
Realizing that she has zero experience at differentiating a normal meeting to a pirate's negotiation, I offered a helping hand because why not? I have tine to spare. Plus, I'll need the pirates to lead me to Russia. Although, that's just another excuse to help Jade.
As of now, we've set a course to Bjørnøya, a small patch of land north of Finland and belongs to the Norwegian Svalbard Archipelago. It's where the meeting would take place and it's also an advantage for me because it's quite near to Russia. It's been a while since we first sailed off but the armada was surprisingly fast. Not as fast as a plane or anything, but the entire group of ships moved as one. I have to say, pirates aren't as messy as I thought they were.
I strolled down the hall, passing by a few of the Kraken's crew, only to be greeted warmly and even offered to eat by the ship's mess hall. Granted, they talked like they were speaking through a radio whilst having a bad signal. A few words were missing here and there, but other than that, they were especially nice. They cleaned up well, owning a couple of pure white sailor coats and a few jewelries hanging by their clothes. Most surprisingly, their hygiene isn't all that bad. Their teeth are squeaky clean, even if some of them lacked a couple of incisors and molars. Their hair is nearly kept back and I might even say they look attractive-as attractive as a sailor after a week of sailing.
There were even a few women on board who aren't disguising themselves as male. Although, there were a couple who did. I have a perceptive sense of sight that can catch the tiniest detail and deduct it into what available evidence I have. Those girls were even more glad that the old Pirate King was dishonorably kicked out. I can easily tell that their run-ins with the young king was not pretty and even less pleasurable.
But among the ranks of the pirates, the only thing dirty about them were their weapons. Blades were stained with dried blood. Guns had rust growing in the metal sections. Bombs were used circular containers filled with a mixture of gunpowder and chemicals. All these were present to complete their attire. I believe it's just a simple reminder that they're still pirates, no matter how much they appear well-dressed.
Soon, I reached the deck. Once the facial-recognition scanner identified my face, the watertight doors opened horizontally for me to enter. As I stepped in, I was greeted by clear view of the waters and the cloudy blue sky. I then realized that there was a glass frame separating the deck and outside. As the doors closed behind me, I walked up to the railings and looked down to witness the magnificent sight of the control room.
Arched counters were organized into two separate sections, while having three of each. Each counter had multiple pirates operating on the ship's navigation system as well as the communications. Screens of radars, maps, graphing sheets were plastered across the face of the counters. There was an even lower section, embedded downward from the rest of the platform. From the visuals of missiles, guns, and scopes on their screens, I think it's for the weapons system.
I take the stairs down, passing by the navigation system and into the platform where the throne was supposed to placed. But I was shocked to see the Pirate King missing from the golden seat and was instead conversing with the captain of the Kraken up on the front.
Fortunately for her, she ditched the revealing clothes her former partner forced her to wear and took it upon herself to select her choice of attire. I didn't expect the woman to be a modern-day fashionista. Nothing in about her clothes yelled out pirate or dangerous. A warm, fluffy muffler was tied across her neck and hung down over her fine, silk jacket. The sleeves were far too long so it had to rolled up to her elbows. Her forest-green button-down shirt peaked out of the collar of her jacket, as well as the gleaming jewels carefully placed on the buttons. Even the brown, bronze-plated war skirt around her waist and her knee-high boots with chains hanging from the heel to the calf, fitted perfectly.
It would be a lie if I said that I wasn't jealous. I mean, look at that! Where the hell did she get those clothes and how did she get in a fucking pirate destroyer?!
Clearing my thoughts, I walked up to the Pirate King after she finished her conversation with the captain and presented myself to her with a respectful bow. "Good afternoon, your Viciousness." I greeted her with the pirate label.
Jade gave me a warm smile and shook her head. "Please, call me my name. Plus, I hate to be called vicious when I barely could hold a sword." She replied softly and femininely, the exact opposite of a pirate. I could see how the other captains would refuse to follow her.
However, she has proved herself to be quite the navigator and strategist when it comes to sailing. So far, we have avoided encountering other fleets of ships that would've slowed down the trip. She also proved to be a master at leading the crew. Normally, when there's a new Pirate King, the usual system would be disrupted because the new Pirate King would change it entirely in order to differentiate himself from the past Kings.
But Jade was able to keep up with the crew and even led them through dangerous courses across the ocean. This would make a great reason on why the other captains should follow her, but of course, she needs more than navigation and leadership skills. If Pirate Kings are nominated through those qualities, then a normal sailor could be one. There a lot more things needed to successfully win over the other captains.
"So, you ready to meet the captains?" I ask the nervous Pirate King. She rubbed her hands together in an anxious fashion as we slowly reach our destination. There's only a couple miles left and I could almost see the island rising up to my vision.
Bjørnøya, from what I remember, is a native Norwegian island in the middle of the sea. Almost no one lives there, except for a couple wild and strange creatures. I've never visited it myself but I saw the inhabitants because they were sold as exotic animals back in the States. I've never seen a two-headed snake nor have I seen a fire-breathing lizard. But after coming across some animal traffickers, I couldn't believe my eyes. Of course, I set them free but I was a bit concerned on how they'll blend in.
"Not really. I kind of already met them in more ways than one." She replied, leaving me appalled. Noticing my expression, she nodded her head sadly. "Yeah. Jasper thought it would be an experience for me to be passed around like a common whore."
Anger flourishes inside of me at the new information I received. "The fuck? Did they actually do it?" I cautiously asked. I didn't want to dread up some awful memories and make the new Pirate King even more uncomfortable than she already is.
Fortunately, Jade responded softly with a shake of her head. "Some of them did, but they were a lot better than Jasper. They asked for my consent and even treated me with some food and proper clothes." She replied with a small smile and a faint blush on her cheeks. "While the rest were more focused on work, they took some time to actually teach me how things work around the ships."
"Well, I certainly did not expect that from pirates." I remarked, raising an eyebrow.
A feminine chuckle escaped Jade's lips, prompting her to cover her mouth with her hand. "I know. I guess modern civilization changed them? Perhaps they got tired of raping and pillaging villages?"
"Nah. They still steal from nearby villages but I'm not sure about the raping part. Maybe they have some limits upon themselves?"
"Or maybe they find more pleasure in the sea rather than women."
"That somehow both makes me feel down and glad at the same time."
"Agreed."
We both let out a laugh that resonated across the deck, nearby crew members glanced at us and shot us a weird look but otherwise, ignored us and returned back to their jobs. It was quite relaxing and euphoric to lay back and talk with others without having to watch my back all the time. Every time I meet with Camilla, it's all about business. And even when we meet, I always have to be on guard or on the lookout for any recording devices. After all, I still am not socially accepted by the government.
But now that I'm around a bunch of social outcasts, I can stretch out my legs and let go of my guard. But I will always keep my weapons on me in case of an emergency. After all, pirates still are known to be vicious and merciless people even in the modern world.
"Hey." Jade said, tracing her fingers over her wrists nervously. "Do you think they'll follow me? The chief captains. I'm actually pretty nervous about it. I'm just a nobody and then all of a sudden, I'm going to lead them? Am I suited for that?"
"No."
The Pirate King whipped her head towards me and stared at me with an indecorous look. I pursed my lips together as I gazed out into the glass windows. I could feel the waves crashing against the hull of the Kraken as it nears the designated island. Our fleet stayed behind for this is a meeting for the chief captains only. Destroyers of every kind appeared to our sides, leaving their fleet back as well.
"If I'm going to be honest, you'll make a bad pirate. You're too sensitive. You don't have any combat experience. You lack the will to pillage, steal, and kill." I replied honestly. I saw Jade's face fall at every sentence I stated. But I couldn't tell her it's for her own good. The expression on her face was reduced to a whimpering puppy, one that proved my point.
"In other words, you'll make a bad Pirate King." Once her pride and confidence was stomped on, I decided to build it back up again. I just wanted to tell her the truth. Because if I wasn't able to, how could I tell her this without sounding like a complete liar? "So that's why I'm going to help you become one."
The frown on Jade's face almost literally turned upside down. Her face lit up as bright as Christmas tree, so much so that I had to metaphorically cover my eyes from the amount ofpositivity being radiated. Yeah, this is going to take a while.
"But first, we'll have to do something with those clothes."
[Normal P.O.V]
A snow white rabbit began to dig its way out of the hole it was buried. Using its retractable claws, it shredded the dirt away and was able to free itself from the dreaded trap. Its singular curved horn popped out of the dirt as his body followed. Upon reaching the surface, it shook its body to get rid of the excess dirt from its fur. Even with the bright, afternoon sun shining down on the forest, the rabbit was able to survive in the harshly heated weather. However, its celebration of freedom was short-lived.
All of a sudden, an incoming arrow homed its way towards the rabbit's ignorant body, piercing it straight through and forced to pull back to the ground. Blood trickled down its wound until the rabbit's stricken heart completely stopped. The man responsible pumped his bow in the air and yelled out a battle cry in celebration.
"Yah! Got it!" He grinned as he took off running for the rabbit, placing his hand over his head to avoid letting his bicorn hat. Kneeling down on the ground and then grabbing the rabbit along with the arrow protruding out of its bloody flesh, he took it and stored it in his backpack, but not before yanking the arrow out of the small mammal.
The man adjusted his quiver that hung along his belt, filled obsidian-tipped arrows. He then folded his long bow into three equal parts and hid it underneath his camouflage coat. His sunken, hollow eyes flashed with glee upon his brand new catch of a exotic species. But before he could search for more, a voice called out for him.
"Chief Captain Bones!" A young man with a kerchief tied around his bald head came over. "Da' meetin' sa' bout' to start!"
A crooked grin appeared in the chief captain's lips. His boots crunched against the grassy ground as he walked back up to his first mate. Taking off his gloves to reveal his greasy thick hands, he tore off the silver pin off of his right shoulder patch and threw it on the ground. The symbol of his loyalty to the old Pirate King was now discarded. His right shoulder patch is now either missing to have a leader or was glad to be free. Time would only tell.
"Iz bout' time! I wanna meet dis' new Pirate King!"
The first mate wrinkled his nose in response. He already met said Pirate King because the old chief captain ordered him to take care of her while he does some business. He was quite fond with the poor woman, even if he had to protect her 24/7 from the rest of the crew. He glanced at the chief captain, who took the lead to the designated meeting place. He was allegedly anointed by the old chief captain at his dying breath. There was no evidence to prove his claim, but there is also no proof to deny it. So until then, he was the chief captain of the Hammerhead Fleet.
As two made their way to the middle of the island, more destroyers landed across the shore and the chief captains hopped out to greet each other. Male and female chief captains alike were there to participate in the incoming meeting. However, not everyone is excited about it. Some has questions. Some were glad about it but has their own doubts. Some believes that the old Pirate King should come back. But that's why they're here for-to figure out what course of action they should do next.
All remaining chief captains walked up the dirt path towards the stone temple in the middle of the island. Accompanying them are their first mates or their trusted advisors. They walked separately from each other, but were close enough to have a conversation.
"What do you think about this, Rayburn?" One of the chief captains asked. Her silky, black hair fell down her shoulders from the top of her head, which was wrapped with a light blue kerchief. A silver cutlass hung along her waist, dangling along together with a couple of skulls.
Chief Captain Rayburn, an old man with greying locks and a hefty beard, stroked the tip of his hair with a creased forehead, slowly rising from his deep thoughts. "I have met the young lass. She is a great sailor but doesn't know shit about us pirates." He replied in a Southern accent, his golden-tech eyes flickering in interest. "But who knows. Maybe she'll surprise us."
"Bah! If da' bitch doesn't have me attention by da' half of da' meetin', fuck her and dis' armada she be leadin' to." Came the voice of a large, bulky man. His head was polished clean, not a single strand of hair present. A long trench coat was wrapped around his hulking body, enclosing him in a brown leather cocoon. A warhammer sat on his shoulder dangerously as a sneer formed on his face and he gripped the handle of his weapon tighter. "I hab no business wit' half-assed Kings!"
"I also have no business with underdeveloped people like you, Hardwick." Another man joined in. His body was long and slender, as well as his hands and fingers. Adjusting his steampunk-era monocle, his right eye twitched disapprovingly. The half-goggle was strapped over his eye by a brown leather pad that's wrapped across his head. Wearing a vermilion coat and black tie, Chief Captain Oxworth walked with superior and intellectual fashion, holding his head up high.
The bulky man's menacing gaze shifted towards him. He stepped away from his path to confront him. Without wasting a second, his warhammer was now free from his shoulder. The handle creaked upon the intense grip of Hardwick. However, the Oxworth seemed unfazed and looked directly at the man's eyes with no fear at all.
Before things could get out of hand, a wooden stick flew across the air and slammed against both of the chief captains' heads, earning whoever threw it a surprised and questioning expression from the two.
"Hey! Get your shit together!"
The two chief captains both glanced down at the same time, to see a short, well-dressed boy with lime-green hair and shockingly pure-white eyes. His appearance resembles to one of an aristocrat, but the authentic broken skull symbol of his fleet that was inked into his hand reminded everyone of his status. Though he stood at around five-feet, no one should underestimate a chief captain. After all, the only way to achieve that rank is to be passed down unto you or kill the old chief captain. No one will know which is which unless you boldy declare it yourself.
"Chief Captain Synth, glad to meet you again." Oxworth greeted as he bowed his head respectfully at the shorter boy. "Where may I ask is your sister?"
Synth crossed his arms across his chest and pouted, causing the rest of the chief captains to silently coo at the cute gesture. "I can handle myself without my sister." He replied defensively.
"And I believe that. But as far as I'm concerned, I haven't seen her around so far."
The young chief captain's eyebrows rose in realization. "Oh, she went on ahead to meet the Pirate King first." He said casually, earning him indecorous looks from everyone who heard what he said.
"What?! Lovina got a head start?!" The lithe man exclaimed, his calm and collected demeanor shattering before everyone's eyes. All of a sudden, he unexpectedly dash forward in an incredible speed in order to reach the destination.
The rest, knowing why Oxworth abruptly rushed away, decided to follow his footsteps and sprinted away until the actual trip turned into a race between the chief captains and their accompanied members. By the time they reached the center of the island, they were drenched in sweat and out of breath. As they raised their heads, they were greeted by a large stone structure in the middle of the forest-a temple.
It wasn't a brand new building. It was ancient, with roots and moss growing out of the cracks in between the stone bricks. The glass windows had a colorful stained design on it, with metal bars over it to prevent it from breaking. Long and unstable stone pillars held the roof up. By the looks of it, the inhabitants of the island used to use this temple to worship their gods until they died out. They weren't that savage to build an entire temple made out of stone and wood. An old wooden, crooked door sat at the front of the temple as the entrance, with an iron bar blocking the opening. Other than that, the only new thing about it were the six people standing in front of the stone temple.
"Lovina!" Oxworth called out, putting the last of his strength into reaching the incredibly tall woman. As she turned, the lithe man was placed into a trance. Her hair was as waves of pure earth, softly reflecting the light of the sun; each strand moving freely in an ocean born breeze, a compliment to her stillness. With eyes of river waters, in glossy serenity, her aura seeped into the forest air between them. However, that trance was broken almost immediately when her fist came flying towards his face.
Luckily for him, his reflexes sharpened over the years of receiving said punches. His head craned over to the side by an inch, narrowly missing her fist. Upon noticing his newly sharpened skills, Chief Captain Lovina cracked a grin.
"Ah! Oxworth! Finally, ya were able to dodge me fist!" The proud woman let out a hearty laugh, nearly shaking the trees with her voice. "I thought ya would lose ye head before ya could do it!"
"Oi, reunion later. We still have to figure out what to do with this gate." An Asian man interrupted before the two could perform their handshake-Chief Captain Farr of Firefly Fleet. A single braid of hair sprouted of shaved head like piece of rope. His body was heavily clad in red and gold armor, a mix of iron and leather lacquered plates padded around his body and encasing him like a metal samurai robot. Two ōdachi blades were strapped onto his back, its unusually thick handles popping out from behind his head.
A short-haired woman walked up to the entrance and examined the rotting wood and rusting metal of the door. "It's old but the barricade was recently restored. Most likely picked up randomly to be installed as a barricade. It doesn't match the gate at all." Chief Captain Hanzel concluded. Her eyes were rumored to be very perceptive and sharp, even if one of them had been plucked out like a chess piece from the board.
"Lemme' handle this." A man with dark skin moved everyone aside and approached the rotting door. Even if the wood was weak, its size and weight still affects how tough it is. However, Chief Captain Salvodore is man of action. His body isn't as big as his fellow chief captain, Hardick. But with his lack of muscles, he makes it up with firepower. Hanging around his neck, are the straps of his dual bullpup pump-action shotguns. The weapons were not your standard guns and were considered extremely expensive.
He aimed both of them at the rusted iron barricade and pulled the trigger without warning. A loud bang resonated around the forest as two empty shells bursted out of the ejection ports, the explosive power shooting out of the barrel and then shattering the barricade into pieces, causing metal bits and shards to fall down to the ground.
"Damn it, Salvodore! Couldn't ya have warned us?!" Lovina exclaimed as she waved the dust away from her face.
"But it worked." Was the response from the African chief captain, his accent heavily affecting his speech.
The chief captain of the Hunter Fleet, Bones, was the first one to step up, an eager grin plastered on his lips. "Salvodore's right. Now let's meet dis' new Pirate King!" He said as he pulled his leg back and then propelled his foot into the wooden gate, causing the entire thing to fall down and crash onto the ground.
"Of course, Bones kick the door down. What a way to impress our new Pirate King." Another chief captain sarcastically remarked in a muffled and throaty, rolling his eyes. His clothes consisted only of a certain like modified linen that's cut into strips of cloth, used to wrap the man with its thick layers until his body was enveloped by it except for his eyes and a part of his nose, which gave him the name Ramesses.
Bones glared at the mummy-looking man, his hollow, grey eyes brewing a storm upon him. "Why don't ya just shut ya trap for once!" He exclaimed angrily, but Ramesses remained unfazed while the rest simply groaned in unison. Bones was always known to be an easily aggravated man.
Once the tension died down, the chief captains and their escorts stepped inside the dark temple, which was only lit up by a couple of torches. Upon seeing the contents of the room, they figured out that this was no ordinary temple. Instead of pews or holy objects, metal benches ran across the room. With a cracked tiled floor and the smell of rotting fruits, the place was obviously abandoned for centuries. But most noticeable object is the circular stone table in the middle of the room. Thirteen metallic chairs sat around it, perfectly suited for the thirteen chief captains.
"Where's the Pirate King?" Chief Captain Sombra questioned, her voice echoing around the empty temple. Or so they thought.
All of a sudden, a flame flickered from the dark and then flew to each empty torch, lighting them up and the room. Momentarily blinded by the light, their hands flew to their eyes to cover them. But onnce they got a hold of themselves and removed their hands from their vision, they were able to finally see the new Pirate King on her temporary throne, a fourteenth chair—with her supposed escort by her side, a woman with platinum-blonde hair and a pool of blood for eyes.
This time, she was prepared. Gone was her casual fashionista style. Her luscious black hair was flowingly falling down her shoulders like a beautiful river of darkness, three braids were tied from the top of her head and her sides until they met in the middle. A brown bandana with intricate patterns was tied around her forehead, a single black feather stood at her right ear, symbolizing her status of Pirate King. The rest of her body was concealed by a black, fireproof and bulletproof leather trench coat. The crimson red blouse slightly peeked from her collar, but otherwise her body blended in the dark.
If it weren't for Nadia knowing who she really is, she might've believed she was the Pirate King. And judging from how the other chief captains were immersed with the appearance of their new Pirate King, instead of the colorful peacock they used to follow. Silently, they took a seat on each of the chairs, filling them quickly except one, while the escorts did what Nadia was doing and stood by their side. Without further ado, the meeting between the pirate armada has begun.
"My name is Jade Beckett. As you used to know me, I was the woman of Jasper Hearth, the former Pirate King." Jade started, grabbing the attention of all chief captains. "However, due to certain circumstances, the status of Pirate King was given to me."
"And how, may I ask..." Bones suddenly spoke up, a suspicious grin on his face and his legs up disrespectfully on the stone table. "...did ya receive it?"
But instead of an answer, a blade zipped through the air and pierced the stone table, just inches away from the chief captain's legs. Bones' grin faded and his sunken eyes shifted to the blade that had managed to pierce through the thick, tough stone. Slowly, he lowered his legs from the table and sat properly.
Jade's arm still hovered in the air in a throwing position, giving it away that she was the perpetrator. Her glare unexpectedly held a threatening air to it and was able to force the others to take this meeting seriously.
"I don't really have to answer that, do I? As far as I know, you murdered your old chief captain but kept your mouth shut." Jade seethed out, earning her a gulp from Bones. "So don't I get the same privilege?"
After receiving a tight nod, she lowered her throwing arm and then cleared her throat nonchalantly, as if she didn't raise the chief captains' impression on her by a lot.
"Now, let's get to the topic of this meeting... me." Jade boldly announced. "What're your problems with me so that we could sort it out."
The chief captains gave each other a brief glance of concern. Now all of a sudden, their comments and judgement fell flat in their tongue. It took about a minute before Chief Captain Ramesses raised his linen-coated hand.
"May I ask, what are your plans in the future?" He asked, his liquefied metal orbs flashed with genuine curiosity.
Jade shrugged, taking the others by surprise. "Who knows. Pirates never had plans. But sadly, I'm not a pirate." She replied firmly. "I'm just a simple thirty-year old woman from the city of Boston, who just happens to end up in the clutches of the old Pirate King.'
"Then how are you going to lead us then?" Chief Captain Sombra piped in, her arms crossed over her plump chest.
"Simple, I'm not."
This elicited a few murmurs of confusion and some bold curses of bafflement. Nadia subtly smirked and gave the Pirate King a wink, which she wholeheartedly received.
"Wat' do ye mean by dat?" Hardwick inquired. "Are ye just goin' to gib it up?"
"No. Instead let me state some truthful facts right now." Jade folded her hands on top of each other and wandered her eyes over all the chief captains present. "This armada was never a team."
"Of course not! We're pirates!" Chief Captain Labyrinth of the Scylla Fleet exclaimed. His hat's feathers flapped as he shook his head with emotion. "The only reason why we follow you Pirate Kings because it's part of the Code! If we don't, we become his enemies!"
"Then I'm giving you that choice now." Jade replied calmly, unfazed by the loud declaration of the chief captain. "You can leave if you want and I'll not declare war on you. But first, here me out."
Farr's armor clinked against each other as he place his arm over the stone table, tapping his finger on it "We're listening." He nodded.
"I'll put this in a simple way. There will be no Pirate King. All of us will sail as equals and we will do whatever we want as a single armada." Murmurs rose once again from the chief captains. Looks of perplexity and bewilderment flashed across their faces as they glanced at each other, silently asking the same question. "I'll just be the Chief Captain of the Kraken Fleet. We will share the same ideas and share the same loot. There will be no authority but ourselves."
"That'll be against the Code." Sombra mentioned with an arched eyebrow.
"Then I'll change it. The Pirate King has the power do to that, don't I?" Jade challenged, causing the other chief captain to back down. "I'll rewrite it and you could take a look at it yourselves."
Chief Captain Synth furrowed his eyebrows. "But only the Pirate King could look at the Code. Us chief captains are forbidden to lay our eyes on the book."
"But by the time I wrote it down, I no longer am the Pirate King but at the same time, I am. And so are you." Jade replied cunningly, shooting the boy a sly grin. "We will all be permitted to change the Code. But once I do, the Code is rendered useless by default. Since we will all have the power of the Pirate King, we can do whatever we want."
"That's splendid and a big change but..." Chief Captain Rayburn started, his old wise eyes piercing through Jade's heart like a knife, searching for any type of dishonesty or cruelty. But deep inside him, he already knew, after meeting her once, that Jade was as pure as it gets. "...this entirely changes the way of our lives. Aren't you concerned about the risks?"
"There a lot more risks of having a Pirate King than equality." Jade's eyes darkened almost immediately. "For example..." She then produced a small flip phone from her pocket and pressed a single button, which then was followed by a multiple beeps ringing at the same time. The chief captains began to frown as they all confusingly fished out a handheld device with a simple glass screen and with no case whatsoever. The screen emitted a blue hue of light as it flashed open, the same beeping sound ringing once again. Then almost in unison, the chief captains let out a gasp as the same message was sent to their device.
'You have received $250,000,000 from an anonymous donor'
Each chief captain almost jumped out of their seat in shock at the amount of money they had received. Once again, the room was filled with murmurs and curses. The chief captains were asking their escorts for confirmation, doubting the absurdity of the situation. However, one of the chief captains simply ignored the commotion and pocketed his device.
Bones gazed at the Pirate King with interest. "Ye think ya can just bribe me wit' money?" He tilted his head and his face contorted into a sneer. "In ot' er situations, maybe. But dis' is different."
"That isn't my money to begin with. It's yours. With a little extra." Jade replied, earning her a few confused gazes. "This money comes from your old Pirate King, Jasper. In his reign, he has stored up to more than three billion dollars. Most of it... were supposed to be shared with you. But unfortunately, his selfishness and greed got the best of him."
"So Jasper cheated us..." Synth stared at his glowing device, inspecting and studying the amount of money that is now in his hands. Slowly, a growing scowl came up his face. After all, if it's one thing pirates love to have and hate to be stolen—it's money. "What a fucking bastard."
His sister snorted in response. "'Honor' my ass! Dat' piece of shite was nothing but a lying fork-faced peacock-looking rapist!" Lovina cursed out loud.
"I would shoot him, but that'll just be animal abuse." Salvodore chimed in with his own insult.
"His ass must be jealous from all the bullshit coming out of his mouth." Farr scoffed out.
Nadia's eyebrows raised in astonishment at the creative insults the pirate chief captains has in store in their vocabulary. Some of them may have grammar problems or strange word placements, but when it comes to insults and badmouthing, they highly excel in that division. The poor former Pirate King would've been reduced to goo if he would've heard the insults.
Jade cleared her throat to grab the chief captains' attention, a slight blush on her cheeks from the vulgar language. "May I have your attention again?" Once the commotion died down and they redirected their attention back to her, she started. "With my proposal, there won't be an incident like this again. The loot we will... acquire will immediately be distributed to you, as a sign on agreement and alliance. After all, the reason why you became pirates is because of money. I may not be a pirate but I also crave for it. So, what's it gonna be?"
Silence fell upon the room. The sound of the torches' flames crackling resembled the thick tension in the meeting. The chief captains glanced at each other, silently contemplating for an answer. The escorts kept their mouths shut but in their head, they also searched for the proper decision along with their chief captains. The silence and tension was slowly starting to creep under Jade's skin. She couldn't but feel a rush of anxiety surge through her body. She had to stop herself from using her old nervous habit of tracing her fingers over her hand or else she'll give her façade away. Meanwhile, Nadia studied the faces of the chief captains. So far, she concluded that none of them were entirely sure. And to be honest, she had her own doubts. When Jade offered the proposal to her at first, she was reluctant. There were lots of sudden changes and risks in it. Changing the Pirate's Code has been done before, but not to the extent of declining the power of the Pirate King and distributing it to the rest of the chief captains. Granted, morale and trust would rise exponentially. But the risks of betrayal, greed, and hate would also rise along with it. The proposal is both a benefit and a curse to the pirates, which will eventually affect the rest of the world, whether it be good or bad.
"Inigo, you haven't spoken this entire meeting." Oxworth suddenly said to the shady, hooded person in the twelfth seat. Both Jade and Nadia winced when they noticed the twelfth chief captain. This entire time, they haven't sensed his presence. His basil-green cloak covered almost all of his body, including his face. His aura was almost considered invisible to the naked eye. The only reason why the rest could notice him is because they were already used to his faint presence.
Inigo raised his thin slender hands—almost feminine, and pulled his hood back. A head of short brown hair popped out as soon as the hood was removed. Like a thatched roof, his hair came down from all sides and resembled hay. A colorless strip of cloth was wrapped around his eyes where two long scars crossed in between them. His nose was pointed and his ears were curved and built high, almost like an elf's. His cheekbones were highly defined and almost seemed unrealistic. Apparently, his face was considered too gorgeous especially his eyes and caused many to envy him. As revenge, they slashed out his eyes and cut his hair into an unruly mess.
Thin lips opening to speak, a soothing calm voice came out in its stead. "The moment I saw her, I already accepted her as the King." He replied, much to the surprise of the chief captains and Jade herself. His head moved from side to side because he couldn't properly lock his blind gaze with the Pirate King. "But as time passed, she really proved herself to be unique and unlike any other Kings. Changing the code, willing to strip her status down and give it to us, sharing billions of dollars. She's no pirate, but I'm excited to find out what the future has in store for us if we approve of her plan."
"I also approve!" Came the thundering voice of Lovina, a giddy grin on her face. "I like ya! Like Inigo said, you no pirate. But I thank the seas for dat' because we would've never met you."
Synth let out a sigh of acceptance. "Wherever my sister goes, I'll go." He then opened his eyes and shot Jade a small smile. "But you got some good points too, lady. I'm in."
"Me and Salvodore are also good wit' it." Hardwick announced, crossing his arms over his broad chest and making his form even larger. "I now regret callin' ya a bitch. I'm sorry."
Jade blinked. "Sorry, what?"
"I as well." Ramesses' hollow voice stated with a nod. "There are certainly dangers in doing this but it's a risk I'm a willing to take." He then turned to the rest of the chief captains who still hasn't cast their votes. "Six has already agreed, what about the rest?"
A nod of agreement was then passed along in the remaining chief captains, evidently already reaching a final decision. Bones pulled his legs back up and placed them over each other on the stone table once again.
"We all decided to agree to ya proposal, but... in one condition." He replied. The rest of the chief captains weren't able to see it but Nadia did. Jade's face lit up for a mere millisecond before it vanished almost immediately after she heard that there was a condition. Unexpectedly, a cruel smile grew on Bones' face.
"Someone still has to stay as Pirate King. All da' proposal's points will be accepted but we still need someone to lead us." A dark shadow fell upon the chief captains' faces. Jade herself was biting her lip out of fear and anxiety. The rest simply kept their mouth shut and their opinions inside their head. Almost everyone knew what kind of man Bones is. A power-hungry man with no mercy in battle and has a lust for blood and gore. His response will be predictable but devastating.
"And we decided that it will be ya!"
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If you guys are wondering, Hayden found out about the stolen money and used it to blackmail the former Pirate King into giving up his crown. In the end, the truth was still revealed. After the next chapter, Hayden will appear again.