Ahoy, me hearties! Time to go face to face with our fearsome and mysterious captain who orchestrated such a detailed attack, and find out where that bullet ended up!

Enjoy!

The gunshot rings in my ears. But no pain follows. Did he miss? Do I not feel the pain for some reason? Still, I do not move or open my eyes and keep a firm hold on Mokuba.

"Hold your fire, quartermaster!" orders a voice far away.

Forcing my eyes open, I dare to take a peek. The people around, including the quartermaster, all have their attention on the quarter deck. Indeed, standing on the banister, a man lowers a pistol pointed at the sky. The sun behind him makes it impossible to discern him clearly until he jumps down on the main deck. Immediately, the men make a way for him. This has to be the captain. It doesn't seem to matter from which crew. It's abundantly clear that everyone here wouldn't dare cross him. As he gets closer, his features get clearer.

'It can't be…'

There's no doubt about it. This is the tan man with the ruby eyes that kept me from falling from the docks this morning. Only he'd discarded the Monmouth cap, letting his thick, spiky black hair free. Also now he's wearing a short-sleeved, long red coat over his clothes and has a sword and a pair of pistols at his belt. Each step he gets closer, the strange pressure coming over me makes my body heavier and heavier. Finally he stops next to the quartermaster and eyes us from head to toe.

"We don't have time to deal with stowaways," growls the quartermaster. "We've got enough trouble on our hands as it is."

The already heavy atmosphere suddenly intensifies with what I can only describe as murder intent. The tan man looks like he's about to rip out the quartermaster's insides and strangle him with them.

"You're being wasteful, Bakura. There's nothing I hate more than waste. Besides, I doubt even the devil himself would forgive shooting a woman in the back." A smirk stretches out across his face when he looks back at me. "Wouldn't you agree?"

A shiver of discomfort travels down my spine and swallowing my spit takes more effort than it should. How does he know? No one's ever been able to see through my disguise, to my regret. But now of all times? All eyes were on us again, me specifically.

"That's a lass?" says one, eyes wide with surprise.

I suddenly feel like I've been stripped of all my clothes. Another jolt of panic makes me pick up the knife I've dropped. The quartermaster just as quickly, moves to raise his pistol again but the captain stops him.

"That won't help you," he says, clearly amused by my pointless actions.

My hand hurts from clutching the knife so hard. He's right. I know he is. But what else can I do? I say nothing. I look around to find something, anything that could help us right now. There's nothing and we're trapped like rats. Suddenly, the tan man makes his way towards us with a tranquil pace. I fight my stepping back reflex and stand my ground. He stops two steps away, that smug smirk still decorating his face.

"Why don't you hand that to me before you hurt yourself?" he says, extending a hand.

That's about as much tension as my nerves can take. In a movement of panic, I slice the rusty blade through the air, missing his face by an inch when he steps back just enough to avoid it. He's fast. I don't have time to readjust my stance and strike again. His hand closes on my wrist and next thing I know, two fingers hit my throat. In a mere instant, the airway to my lungs is cut off and my head spins uncontrollably. Bringing a hand to my throat, I fall on my knees.

'I can't breath…'

"Sorry, love. I really don't have time to deal with you at the moment."

Something metal-made —probably my own knife— collides with my temple, throwing me to the ground. The pain quickly fades along with my consciousness. Mokuba's voice rings in my ears but darkness takes me.

"Yugi! Yugi!" The voice gets closer and closer, piercing through the darkness that surrounds me. "Come on! Please, wake up! Yugi!"

I open my eyes and blink a few times. Above me, Mokuba smiles in relief.

"Thank goodness, you're alright."

My memory catches up to me and I spring up, my heart pounding in my chest. Both of us have our hands bond by ropes behind our backs.

"Are you alright?" I ask, looking to see if he has any injuries. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No, they just tied us up and locked us in here." I follow his gaze towards the large cage around us. A cell? "I think this is where the mutineers get locked up."

So we're still on the Whale? My mind races. What do we do now? Not only did we get caught, the captain —and most likely the man who orchestrated the attack— knows I'm a girl. Panic strikes me and I turn to the twelve year old.

"Moki, do I still have my headscarf?"

He nods and I sigh in relief. "But your tricorn fell off when that guy knocked you out. Yugi, what do we do now?"

Good question. There isn't any porthole in this cell to see outside. And it's unnaturally dark. Please, please make it so that we're still near the coast. Futilely, I pull on my bondage. It's no use. It's so tight I can barely move my wrists.

"I don't suppose you still have Seto's knife?"

He shakes his head looking down. "Are we… going to die?"

I open my mouth to shout 'no' but nothing comes out and I end up gritting my teeth. Our situation cannot get much worse. The quartermaster was ready to get rid of us without a second thought. What does that captain want with us? The most likely thing is that he noticed Mokuba's clothes and can tell he's from a wealthy family. But they have their tribute after all, they have no use for hostages. Pirates don't bargain, they steal. The ruby eyes come to mind again. What is it about this man? If I'm right and he's the one who organized this attack, then I have no idea what to expect of him. One thing for sure, he is no regular pirate.

'He must've studied the route and investigated the Kaiba Company for weeks if not months to pull off a scheme like that. That's how enemy militaries operate, not pirates. And why choose to go after the Kaiba company? There's the most well protected. Pirates are known to pray on easy targets. Something's not right. It's like this was a specific hunt.'

"Moki," I say, while glancing around to make sure no one can hear us. "They're probably going to ask us questions. Whatever happens, do not tell them who…"

Footsteps and whispers approaching quickly interrupted us and soon enough, two men appear in our line of sight.

"Ye filthy liar," said one. "Yer just tryin' to find a reason to make me slack with ye."

"Nay, hearty. The captain himself said one o' the rats was actually a woman. Trust me, the man's got eyes. Besides, we got here, didn't we? Nobody's slacking."

Two pirates approach our cell and there isn't nearly enough distance between us and them. One of them is tall and bald with an impressive collection of tattoos while the shorter one has a young beard and curly black hair. Needless to say, the way they eye us makes me feel like a bird being watched by a cat. The bald one snorts upon seeing me.

"Ye call this a woman? That's barely a lass! She looks like a boy."

"I ain't difficult, like ye." replies the shorter one, practically drooling. "Oi, lass. Why don't ye come a bit closer? Don't be shy. What's yer name?"

I say nothing and scoot over to the wall, as far as possible from them as the short one tries to reach for me. I look away, trying to shun them as best I can. But every part of me is shaking again. What I wouldn't give to have a sword right now.

"Come on, there ain't no need to be like that," continues the curly-haired man as he crouches down. "Promise I don't bite. Why don't ye show us what yer hair looks like. What color ye think she be, mate?"

"Hmm, I'd say brunette, I would," said the other one, joining in. "She's got the skin of one. Tan easy don't ye?"

"Oh, I like brunettes."

The short man licks his lips. Everything he says makes my stomach turn. I wish Seto was here. Why is this happening to us? I jump when the tall one kicks the cage.

"Oi, we're talkin' to ye. Least ye could do is talk back."

"At ease, hearty. Look at her. She's all shaky. Bet ye t'is the closest she's ever been to a real man. I'll show ye more if ye come closer, sweets."

The comments make the blood rush to my face. Tears sting my eyes, and it takes everything I have to keep them in. Just go away, already!

"Leave her alone, pirate scum!" suddenly shouts Mokuba. "Or you'll have me to answer to!"

Surprise and fear strike me at the same time. The boy stands on his feet throwing a defiant look at the two pirates. I recognize Seto in his eyes. He's realized fear's not helping, so he replaced it with anger. But that's the worst idea possible. As predicted, their attention turns to him and irritation marks their faces.

"Got somethin' to say, half-pint?" says the curly-haired one, clearly annoyed.

"What kind of man picks on a defenseless girl like that? You're nothing but disgusting dogs!"

"Moki, don't…"

Too late. The tall one reaches into the cell and grabs him by the collar, pulling him off the ground.

"Ain't ye got a big mouth, brat? Ain't yer mama teach ye any manners?"

"Look who's talking!" shouts back the boy, struggling to get free. "Keep your filthy hands off me, you bastard!"

"I think ye need a lesson, boy."

My eyes widen in horror when his free hand rises to his belt to grab a knife handle. I spring up and kick his arm as hard as I can, crushing his wrist against one of the metal bars. He screams in pain, letting go. Mokuba is free, but before I can move away, a hand closes on my ankle, and I hit the floor.

"Got ye," sings the curly-haired one.

"I really am going to kill every single one of you, scurvy dogs, before your ships get here, aren't I?"

All of us freeze and an imposing silence falls on the room. Standing at the entrance, with two more men behind him is the quartermaster. I pull my ankle free from the distracted pirate's hold.

"Q-Quartermaster!" he mumbles, too frightened to care. "We ain't slackin'! We got the ship to destination, that we did Sir…"

Without bothering to answer, the man called Bakura closes the distance between them, grabs him by the hair and mercilessly, slices his throat open with a dagger. A horrible gurgle escapes the pirate's mouth as he chokes on his own blood. I want to look away but can't detach my eyes from the bloody spectacle. I swallow back the vomit coming up in my throat.

"This is why mixing crews is a bad idea. Can't follow one damn order correctly. Undisciplined bastards. You!" he calls out to the second one, still holding his sprained wrist.

"A-Aye, Sir."

"Get out of my sight and find something useful to do before I bury you alive," threatens the white-haired man, putting his knife away. "And take that with you."

The tall man picks up the now dead body and hurries out, leaving a trail of blood on his path. The quartermaster sigh before taking a key out of his coat pocket and inserting it into the cell's door. He eyes us for a moment, that same murderous glare as before in his eyes. The message is clear. Give me trouble, and you're next.

"Bring them," he orders the two people behind him.

The first one to step in is bare-chested and has short pointy brown hair. He can't be older than Seto. He makes a surprised face when he sees us. "Those are the stowaways? They ain't much. What does the captain want with them?"

"Stop wasting time, Taylor."

"Alright, alright." He grabs Mokuba by the arm and throws him over his shoulder. "I'll take the brat. Jack, you grab the lass."

"Hey, put me down!" protests the boy.

"Settle down, tiger," says the relatively calm pirate. "If you don't, the captain'll have you walk the plank."

The second man is taller. Much taller than the man from before. Probably taller than Seto. He has long blond hair held in a ponytail and a blank expression on his face. He says nothing and just pulls me up to my feet before dragging me along. With Bakura leading the way, the pirates lead us into the hallway of what I recognize as the second lowest deck. The quartermaster still rants to himself as we walk. There's a lot of movement. Sailors seem to be transporting merchandise from the lowest deck to the main one.

'They're splitting the tribute.'

"Out of the way, scrubs!" shouts Bakura.

Everyone around stops moving and make a way to the staircase. They stare and whisper. Thieves and murderers are staring and whispering about us. The shivers just keep on coming at the thought. They take us out on the main deck and I realize why everything seemed so dark. The Golden Whale is in a giant, round shaped cave, and the light comes in only through a large opening on the edge. The same opening leading back to sea I presume. My heart throbs.

'We're still on the coast.'

The giant pirate yanking on my arm pulls me out of my daze. They've brought us at the foot of the mainmast —probably to get us out of the way of all the movement— and push us against it.

"Sit," orders the quartermaster looking at me dead in the eyes.

Finding I don't obey fast enough, the giant presses on my shoulder until I lower myself to the ground. The one named Taylor puts Moki down next to me.

"If you two value your lives, you'll stay put," warns Bakura before turning to the two others. "Watch them."

With that, he makes his way towards the quarter deck. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Mokuba and I glance at each other but neither of us dares to say anything. Curses. We're on the coast, this is our best chance of running. But we have to free ourselves first. If only there was something sharp around… Then I notice that the pirates are separating the tribute in two.

'That's odd. Aren't there four crews?'

I look over at the water. There's a ship there, slightly smaller than the Blue Eyes. It's name is Millennium. That must be the fourth ship.

"Hey," calls out Taylor. Every muscle in me tenses, in fear of him having the same thought as the two from before. But he only frowns at me and says; "Whatever you're thinking, get it out of your head. The captain ain't so merciful as to let you run without punishment."

As if on cue, Bakura returns at that exact moment followed by the Captain. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. To make matters worse, I can feel my stomach tightening even more. But for now, the two seem focused on their conversation as they approach.

"Really, Bakura? How many does that make? Six?"

"Five." The tension between them alone could kill someone. "Don't give me that look. The consequence for disobeying orders is death. We agreed on that. It can't be helped if Arcana's men are all undisciplined morons. A wench onboard is all it takes for them to start thinking with their cocks."

The captain glares at the quartermaster before sighing and finally turning to us. When our eyes meet, again, I can't look away even though there's nothing I want more. An eternity goes by before a smirk finally creeps up on his face.

"How was the nap?"

I bite my lips together and don't answer. There's no need to talk to him. The more information we give him, the more he'll have to use against us. And I still have that uneasy feeling about why they chose to attack Seto's company.

"Now that you have my undivided attention, I suggest you don't waste it for your own sakes." He's still smiling but that sounds bloody threatening. "Let's start with the easy questions. Who are you?"

I still don't answer, and look away. Slowly, prying eyes are starting to stare and gather around. The Captain snickers in amusement.

"Silent treatment, eh? Alright. Let me explain something to you. The only reason you're still breathing is because you may have some worth. If you have none or if it's useless to me, I have no reason to keep either of you. But I'm sure there are plenty of gents here who'd just love to have their hands on you, love."

The way he calls me 'love' leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Seto always says that a pirate's first weapon is intimidation. I know this man's words are true, especially with what happened earlier. Still, I ignore the snickering around us, and keep my mouth shut.

"You have guts, I'll give you that." He turns to Mokuba. "How about you, lad?"

"I have nothing to say to you, pirate scum!" snaps back the boy.

Fear strikes me again but the captain whistles in admiration. "Big mouth for a half-pint."

"You won't get away with this! If you do anything to us, my brother will make you pay dearly!"

"Moki!" I say, to stop him but he's too engaged in a staring contest with the pirate to listen.

The smirk on the captain's face doesn't fade one bit. "And who might this fearsome brother of yours be?"

"He's the strongest man in all of the Caribbean," assures the twelve-year old, proud as a lion. "He's Set…"

"MOKI, SHUT UP!"

My heart gallops in my chest. Finally I have his attention. As well as everyone else's. But all I need is for him to read my frightened eyes. There is no telling what these people will do if they learn we are from the Kaiba family. Ordinary pirates would kill us instantly. Them? Him? I think it could be even worse than that. He seems to understand. His expression falls apart and he regains his frightened face from before.

'I'm so sorry. But we can only rely on ourselves,' I think, hoping the youngest Kaiba can guess it.

"And she talks."

The satisfaction in the captain's voice tells me that that was exactly what he wanted all along. Suddenly, he's crouching in front of me, inches away from my face and a strong hand grips my chin, forcing me to look at those ruby eyes again.

"Bakura," he calls out, never looking away from me. "For every unanswered question, I want you to break one of the boy's fingers."

"No! Please don't!"

The tears I've been holding in all of this time finally burst out as the quartermaster cuts off the ropes binding Moki's wrists together. But the hand gripping my chin prevents me from looking at anything other than the captain of the Millennium.

"Let's try this again, love." He's not smiling anymore. "Who are you?"

O.O Oh dear! How are we going to get out of this one? What does Atem mean by worth? Before anyone asks; yes, Atem's hair is black. No, it's not a mistake.

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