Chapter 7 – Meet the Duke
"Bless me, bagpipes," Scrooge groans. "What hit me?"
He rubs his throbbing head as he attempts to sit up.
"Awe, look," A female's voice chimes.
Scrooge looks over to see two dog pirates watching him from the other side of a bared wall.
"The old man is awake." The female chuckles.
"What do you pilfering poachers want with me?" Scrooge growls, rotating himself into a sitting position on the bench.
"Are you trying to threaten us, old man?" The male pirate chuckles.
"Open this cage, and I'll show you threatening," Scrooge promises, glaring hard up at them.
"Not a chance." The female pirate chants. "We were hired by the deadliest treasure-slash-bounty hunter, Duke L'Orange, to get you."
Scrooge lifts a brow. "Who?"
The door to the outer hall opens, and Don Karnage enters with a smug smile on his face.
"Ah, if it isn't the captivating, Scrooge McDuck to grace us with his presence." The captain chimes.
"Did I have a choice?" Scrooge grumbles.
"Well, no, but would you have rather be another pet of Duckburg?" Karnage shrugs.
Scrooge doesn't answer, even though the pirate has a point. The only regret he has is that his surviving family is still in that town, with no escape. He worries if they may end up being apart from Magica's statue garden. Somehow, Scrooge has to go back there and save them.
Another pirate enters the room and swiftly walks up to Don Karnage.
"Captain," the young girl-dog whispers. "The Duke is here."
"Already?" There's an almost fearful expression on the wolf's face. "Is he still at the loading dock?"
"Well, no, sir. He's right here." The teenager shrinks as she points at the door.
The second everyone turns to the entrance, a duck wearing a purple jacket and hat walks in.
The most striking feature is the golden mask that looks similar to a duck's hockey mask but with red eyes. With a grey tough of hair poking out from his hat, and a golden-colored sword at his hip, the masked duck walks up to the cell. Once he stops, the three pirates start groveling at his presence.
"Duke L'Orange," Karnage bows. "We have the bounty you requested."
Scrooge instantly glares at the purple-clad duck.
"Oi!" Scrooge points aggressively. "What do ya plan on doing now that you have me captive? Ransom me off to the highest bidder, no doubt!"
"Disrespectful!" The female pirate snaps.
"You will speak when spoken too, old man." The male pirate barks at Scrooge.
Duke L'Orange calmly looks over at Scrooge before turning at the pirates.
"You three, leave." L'Orange demands in a low gravelly voice.
"But," Karnage questions.
"I said leave," the masked pirate growls forcefully. He quickly draws his golden sword and points it at Karnage's neck. The red eyes give an eerie glow as he speaks. "I want to interrogate him to ensure he's the real deal. Is there a problem with that?"
The captain struggles to swallow a lump in his throat before responding. "No problem. Take your time."
With that, Karnage and his crew rush out of the room.
Not wishing to be interrupted, Duke returns the sword into its sheath before walking up to the door to lock it.
"So, what do you plan on doing with me?" Scrooge is rephrasing his question. "Just to let you know, my fortune has currently been pillaged, so you're out of luck there." He jokes with a chuckle.
Duke L'Orange doesn't respond; he stands in front of the bars in silence. It is like he's studying the old duck's actions and words.
"Who are you?" The Duke finally demands.
"What do you mean? I'm Scrooge McDuck." The elder barks in response. "You should know, I'm the bounty you are collecting. My question is, who's out to get me this time? Rockerduck? Mark Beaks? Or could be…I don't know…"
He pauses for a moment to think of any other names. Out of frustration Scrooge blurts out, "Goldie? No, wait, that doesn't make sense. Kidnapping me isn't her style."
Again, the masked pirate quietly watches him. He crosses his arms and shifts his weight to one leg.
Scrooge relives the events he's experienced throughout the day. His eyelids blink heavily, feeling both physically and emotionally draining.
"You know, I don't have the strength to fight you right now." The old duck admits. "If you only knew the loss I've gone through today."
Duke tilts his head, showing a sign of sympathy.
"My family, a few lost their lives, some are still prisoners of Duckburg. It pains me that they are suffering through this, and I cannae do a thing to help them." Scrooge says with a grievance.
There's a moment of silence before the masked duck finally says something.
"Ducks don't back down," Duke murmurs as if he is reliving a memory.
Scrooge barely heard Duke speak and was not sure if he heard correctly. The quote is vaguely familiar. Something his nephew Donald may have said once or twice. He blinks a few times before looking up with a raised brow.
"Wait, what did you say?" The elder duck asks.
Duke remains silent for the second time. He, instead, tilts his head to see what Scrooge might say next.
Scrooge stands up from the bench and walks up to the bars. He starts to observe the masked duck.
"Who are you, really?"
The masked duck ignores the question and turns his head to one side to let out a small sigh. Scrooge studies his features, especially with the shape of his beak. The billionaire's eyes widen. He wonders if he could be right on the identity of this mysterious duck. There's only one way to find out.
"Dewey…?" Scrooge asks carefully.
Duke turns his head slightly towards Scrooge once more. With another deep breath, he uncrosses his arms to lift off his hat and removes his mask.
Scrooge is speechless. Before him is an adult version of his lost nephew.
His eyes, once filled with life and excitement, are now is drained with sadness and regret. The young adult tries to push a slight smile upon his beak as he starts to speak.
"Hi Uncle Scrooge," Dewey finally responds with a softer, more familiar voice.
"You're alive? How? I was told your plane exploded over the sea." Scrooge choked on his words a bit.
"It's true, I should have died in the crash, but I didn't." Dewey shrugs.
"Lad, tell me, how did you survive then?" Scrooge asks, dripping with disbelief.
Dewey places the mask and hat on a nearby chair before glancing back at the door. After he is sure no one can hear or see them, he reaches under his dark navvy sweater and pulls out a shiny object dangling from a thin black string.
The round silver treasure reflects in Scrooge's eyes. He smiles at the sight of his beloved #No. 1 Dime.
"I guess you could say I got lucky," Dewey explains with a faint smile.