Ahoy, hearties! Hope yer holiday season be splendid. Mine be plenty busy. A bit of a heads up for ye; I'll be goin' on a trip for a little while and unfortunately, my computer will not be accompanying me. So next chapter should come out sometime at the beginning of January. Until then, I be wishin' ye mateys merry holidays!

Enjoy!

"Tell me, have you ever heard of something called orichalcum?"

"You mean that legendary metal from greek mythology?"

"Yes and no. Amongst the many legends surrounding the fallen Shayee, is one that claims they came from the sea itself. I assume some may have thought that it linked them to the fallen empire of Atlantis, the sunken island."

"That's ridiculous. There's no proof that Atlantis ever existed."

"There are many legends in this world, dear baron. Legends come from at least a bit of truth. It all comes down to how much of it you believe. In any case, that isn't relevant. The point is, some believe that legend. We both know how superstitious pirates can be. Not only that, they are adventurous. What do you think would've happened if they believed that the Shayee were hiding something as precious and legendary as orichalcum?"

Seto stares without truly seeing the coast from the quarterdeck of the Blue Eyes, slowly advancing alongside it. The conversation from earlier today replays for the hundredth time in the baron's head. The question Pegasus asked weren't at random. In fact, it feels like he already knows far too much. As if he'd been preparing all along for something like that. His thoughts go to his father. The previous baron also despised the admiral, always complaining about him putting his nose everywhere. Not surprising considering his scumbag father of his was knee deep into illegal transports and dealings. The only one clever enough to be on to him back then was Pegasus. Perhaps the admiral suspects him to be just like Gozaburo. The thought nearly makes him gag in disgust.

It's taken him years to rid the Kaiba company of corruption and pull it out of the black market. It has even required him to create a brand new private militia of trustworthy people. Even now, some of the lower branches are still rotten to the core and a third of his work is dedicated to erasing the traces of his father's egotistic doings. If that was the reason Pegasus keeps probing him for information, it would't be as bothersome. He couldn't care less if all of the Caribbean knew about his father. His reputation might suffer, but he'd stay on his feet like he always has. The problem is that Yugi is the one that started that interrogation. Too specific. Too perfect timing.

'What are you after, you nosy bastard?'

He bites the inside of his cheek. Now is not the time to focus on that. Fast ships from Pegasus's squadron have been sent ahead to scout places Arcana and his crew are rumored to hide and spend their tribute. Meanwhile, all he can do is follow the coastline hoping to find something. Anything that could even just point him in the right direction. The sun is almost completely set now. They'd have to stop for the night soon. Searching blindly would help no one. He knew that but at the same time, it infuriated him. Unlike trading, time can't be bent to anyone's will.

Where are those two now? Have they managed to hide or have the pirates found them? The thought of what could've been done to them were they found out is sickening. Especially Yugi if by the worst chance, he disguise has been seen through. His hand closes tightly on the little bracelet in his pocket again.

"Damn it," he cursed to himself for the millionth time.

"Lord Kaiba." He turns around to face the captain of the Blue Eyes. "I apologize but we have to stop for the night. In an hour's time, it'll be too dark to see anything. Not even a Shayee could see in darkness."

It's a common expression and Leichter means nothing more by it. He has no idea the effort it took him to stay calm when he heard that.

"What is the nearest port town?" he asked instead.

"Liverand, my lord. We should stop there for the night and pick up the search at sunrise."

The answer didn't really matter. Something was off. The wind was good, and they'd travelled north a good amount of time. They should've come across something by now. Anything. They have fished out of the water about half of the initial crew of the Golden Whale. That means the other half was entirely composed of pirates.

'The biggest transporter in the Caribbean doesn't just vanish like that this quickly. Not with only half the crew requires to navigate it properly. One, they would've been slow. We would've caught up with them by now.'

They have to be hiding somewhere. The darn question is where… If they'd made a straight line into the open sea, the closest island is at least two days away. Too far and too unpractical. No, they're hiding nearby. But where do you hide a massive vessel like the Whale? The only possible docking places are port towns. Unless…

He looked at the coast. It's stopped being beaches a while ago and was now composed of cliffs and drop offs. No ship in their right mind would approach them for fear of hitting conspicuously hidden rocks in the water. It's intriguing. The varied shapes of the cliffs by the setting sun gave him a funny impression. Some of the shapes looked like entrances but he knows it's only dusk's shadows playing tricks on their eyes. But he finds himself unable to look away. His insides were bugging him. Something was off but he couldn't put a finger on it.

'If there had been any caves around here, even assuming it was big enough to hide a transport ship, there'd be no way to know. Unless one wanted to risk a ship trying to find out. No one is that idiotic. Unless… they somehow knew there was one around here."

In fact, that's the only explanation that makes sense. But it' too basic. A child could've thought of that. But how would they have known? Surely they didn't sacrifice a dozen of ship to test out dancing shadows on a cliff.

"Captain, lend me your spyglass."

"Yes, my lord."

He looks at the cliffs again. As expected, a close up doesn't change much and the fading day light isn't helping either. He must be overthinking this. They're just piles of rocks and he's that desperate to find an answer. Putting the spyglass down, he rubbed his eyes.

"Are there any caves around here?" he still asks the experienced man.

"No, sir. There have been far too many accidents on this coast already. Everyone steers clear."

The idea keeps poking at him. He's that desperate isn't he? Returning the spyglass, he orders Leichter to take them to Liverand so they could anchor for the night. He rubs his eyes again. What it has nothing to do with them? Is this his punishment for everything he's done? After all this time, is he finally getting his due? If he is, then whatever greater force out is punishing him is only started putting him through hell.

Another heavy sigh leaves me as I stare at the ceiling. I don't know if it's the tenth of hundredth time. I don't even know what time it is. How long have we been in here? An hour? two? Maybe more. I glance at Mokuba again, asleep on one of the mattresses Joey gave us before locking us up. He hasn't spoken to me at all since either and turned his back to me. I understand. Not having defended Seto while our captors bad mouthed him is the same as having stabbed him in the back to him. His emotions are all over the place. He's afraid, confused and that mix turned to anger and panic. No matter how bright he is, he's only a child thrown in the middle of an impossible situation. Still, I feel like crying. Having him think I'd ever betray either of them hurt more than when that sword went through my arm.

I can't sleep. I feel the exhaustion from today and my eyes are heavy, but I can't stop thinking. We're in even more danger than I thought. Not only because of Bakura but because if Atem's words were true — and they sure sounded real to me— then their plan revolved around killing Seto. If they ever were to learn who Moki was… I can only imagine what they'd do. That last thought is enough to make two tears drip on my cheeks. I quickly wipe them pushing away the temptation to break. I look at Moki again and my hand finds his hair.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper, hoping he can hear me in his dream. "You and your brother… you're all I have, Moki. I have to say things and not say others to keep you safe. I know he'll find us. When he does, I'll beg him for forgiveness. But until then, I have to keep quiet."

I half expect him to shake me off but he just keeps on sleeping. Again, I sigh and take my hand back.

"Still can't sleep?"

I nearly jump out of my skin. From a dark corner in the room, I see a pair of bright eyes staring at me. Joey's been here all this time, just like he's been ordered to. But he hasn't moved from that corner and was so quiet that I nearly forgot he was here at all. I thought he'd fallen asleep already. The first mate gets up from the floor and approaches the cell. I look down to hide my red eyes. No doubt his vision in the dark is just as good.

"What about you?" I say back.

"I'm supposed to be watchin' ya, remember? Besides, there's nothin' unusual bout a wolf man bein' awake at couple o' nights at a time."

I look at his feet. Wolf man. I never thought there could be others like me. Well not like me. Inhuman… The word rings in my head. How can I not be human? I don't know why, but the sensation of loneliness that usually weights on my shoulder has doubled in pressure.

"Did Bakura spooked ya that much?" asks Joey, misinterpreting my tension. "Ya don't have to worry about him creepin' up on ya. With everythin' he's gulped down, he'll be out till noon. Or was it me who scares ya?"

I look back up, confused. He's still smiling but there's an air of sadness about his eyes. I know what I saw on the main deck but Joey's been nothing but welcoming with us. Too welcoming.

"You belong to the crew that kidnapped me and my brother," I say. "I'm wary of you and everyone else here."

He seems to read in between the lines and his usual grin returns. "But my other half doesn't scare ya."

Again, it's a matter of perspective. If he were to go 'full wolf' like Tristan stated, and attack me, I'm pretty sure I'd be scared out of my wits. But it clashes with the image the first mate's been giving us since we got here. Either he's a terribly good liar or he's truly is this open. Everyone on this cursed ship seems to hide something. If there's nothing that I can do other than collect information, then I might as well get on with it. Learning is power. Yet another thing Seto's taught me. And all chance of going to sleep seems lost for tonight.

"Joey, why are you nice to us?"

He doesn't seem surprised by the question and crouches down to put his face on the same level as mine. "Cause I like ya. Ya got a good scent. Why do ya ask?"

"If you're just going to kill us when he tells you to, I'd rather you didn't."

"I'm a pirate, Yug. I do things cause I wanna. Everyone here does."

"Then why do you follow orders?"

"Cause we trust Yami. He's got the brains to come up with plans and we execute them. We're the ones who chose him."

I frown. "Yami? As in the sea serpent?"

I remember reading about sea monsters in folklore books while researching my people.

"That was how the cap'n was called by the local navy in the pacific and Chinese sea. That's how scared they were of him."

"You came from Asia?" I ask surprised.

"The cap'n found us all over the world. Back when I met him, he didn't even have a ship. He was just lookin' for strays." He chuckles. "A stray lookin' for strays."

"You keep calling yourselves strays. What does that mean?"

"Be honest. The first thing ya thought about when we told ya that was a stray dog, right?"

I feel my cheeks heat up with shame. "Yes."

"Well that's it. None of us got anywhere to return to. The cap'n found us wanderin' around. In the end Yug, we're exactly like ya. We got collected."

"I was kidnapped against my will," I say frowning. "That's hardly the same thing. What would he have done with me if I weren't a Shayee?"

He shrugs. "I told ya; most o' what goes on in his head is beyond me. All I know is he's getting us were we want. That's good enough. It don't really matter how."

For the first time, I feel a twinge of anger in his words.

"I know one thing for sure though," he continues. "He wouldn't have given ya to Arcana."

I almost scoff. It sure sounded like he was about to before he knew I could hold a sword and that was before he found out I was a Shayee. I stay quiet for too long it seems. The blond man straightens up, plunges his hand in the pocket of his breeches and pulls out a key.

"Since neither of us is goin' to sleep, what d'ya say about takin' in some fresh air? It's pretty quiet right now."

"What time is it?" I ask.

"Almost dawn."

Dawn?! For the first time in a long time, fear's kept me awake all night. I consider Joey's offer. Fresh air sounds amazing right now. I'm choking. And looking at the sea is really tempting. But I look at Moki. The thought of Bakura coming here while I'm taking a walk…

"I told ya, he knocked out," replies Joey as if reading my mind. "I can smell him from here. Besides, to get from his quarters to here, he has to pass by the main deck. We'd see him. And I got the key."

Since learning what he really is, Joey's constant reference to his sense smell is a lot less peculiar. I decide to trust him and he lets me out and closes the cage behind me. I glance one more time at Moki before following the first mate out of the prison and then up the wooden stairs. The cells are on the third lower deck. On our way up we pass the armory, the kitchen, the sailor's resting area… All much smaller than on the Whale. Everything is quiet just like when Atem played the amayuta. I hear snores and the ship occasionally creaking. The gentle rocking tells me the sea is still quiet. That's good. It helps.

We finally come up to an empty main deck. Some of them are still here. Half asleep, leaning against the edge and still holding on to probably empty bottles. Joey nudges me to tell me to follow him and takes us up the completely deserted quarter deck. The sound of gentle waves crashing and a light breeze making our hair fly. I lean on the edge, staring at the horizon. The faintest lights of dawn were showing but looking up, one could see the moon and stars still burning bright. It's beautiful. So peaceful. A peace a crave for and can't reach. Not here. Not now. The temptation to let go, to jump in the water and let it all take me. I close my eyes and breath in the fresh yet slightly salted air.

"That's the kind o' thing that feels like home to ya, don't it?" says Joey, looking head as well.

Again with the being nice. "Atem said you were from the Appalachians. That's a mountain range in northern america, right?"

"Aye."

"What's a wolf man doing on the sea? Isn't it far too out of your element?"

He chuckled. "Not gonna lie, t'was pretty tough at first. I was sea sick for months. But ya get used to it. Besides there's nowhere else I could be."

There it is again. That twinge of tension in his last words. He said we were alike. And I can tell it's not just because we got collected as he claimed.

"What happened to you to turn you into a stray?" I ask.

The smile vanished from his face but he kept his eyes on the horizon, though they peered into nothingness.

"Not too far off what happened to ya. My mate, my family, my entire tribe… They were all taken from me."

Something bitter pinches my heart. He had nowhere to return to. No one to call family. So that's what he feels for me. Pity. He knows what it's like. I dare not ask for details. I know how painful it is whenever someone asks. It brings the memories back. My own consideration for the wolf man surprises me.

"Ya ever heard the expression 'the lone wolf dies but the pack survives'? That also applies to wolf men. Our tribes are everythin' to us. But for some reason, I survived while everyone I knew died like dogs."

He doesn't have to say it. I know exactly what he means. Revenge. The previous baron often asked me if I ever thought of getting justice for what was done to my people. I never cared for their demise nearly as much as I did to find out if anything was left of the Shayee. But him? All of them? Judging from Bakura and Atem's argument yesterday, it isn't hard to guess. The better question is what does Seto have to do with any of this? I'm scared to ask.

"I take it everyone here is the same as you."

Suddenly, a distant lamenting sound reaches our ears, interrupting me. The cry is horrible. Just listening makes my insides tighten. We both look out further to the water. The faint light of dawn made it difficult to make out anything, but following the faster current in the water, I finally spot a large shape moving at the surface of the water some sixty feet away.

"Looks like a whale," says Joey, calm as ever.

I could've guessed that without even without seeing it. The whistle is unmistakable. Whales often passed by in migrating seasons. But I'd never heard a cry like this one. Something comes up my throat when it resonates again. Uncomfortable shivers shake my insides. What's happening? Why is she making that noise? Joey doesn't seem to be phased by it.

"It sure sings a lot."

Singing? I hear a lot of things but not singing in this cry. Pain, helplessness, panic. My heartbeat speeds up at the awful sound. Why does he not hear it?

"She's crying," I say, as a third call of distress reaches us and the shivers spread to my entire body. "She's hurt. "

"She? Crying? The hell do ya mean?"

I don't answer, keeping my eyes on the crying whale. We're too far to see clearly but something's wrong.

"She's not moving…" I realize. "She's stuck."

"Now that ya mention it," says Joey also trying to see better.

My body moves on its own. Before I know it, I grab Joey's sailor knife that's sticking out of his belt and jump over the edge. I hear his voice calling out to me just before I hit the water. I barely notice how cold it is or how good it feels to be in and start swimming forward. I don't know what's happening. I hear the cry of the whale in the water again. The resonance makes it that much worse and my movements speed up. I still clutch Joey's knife with everything I have. I don't have time to wonder why I'm doing this. All that's on my mind is the God awful cry of that whale. I don't know how long it take me to reach her, but it feels like an eternity.

She's a young Humpback whale. How did she get here? The water's shallow near the islands. I see the problem as I approach; around her tail, a net is entangled. Not just any fishing net. A bunch of them entangled with each other. One part is around her tail while the other end is caught in some coral and rocks. She must've been dragging that with her until it got stuck here. She cries again louder. That one breaks my heart.

Carefully, I swim up to her head. Her eye stares at me pleading and wary at the same time. Slowly, I bring a hand next to it and rub gently, hoping it'll do the trick.

'I'll help you, but I need you to stay still.'

Her eye softens and she cries again, quieter but just as heartbreaking. I take it as a sign of trust and swim down to her tail. The ropes are wrapped so tightly around it that they're cutting into her flesh. I have to take my time and undo the ones on her tail. If I just cut off the part attach to the rocks, she might take off while still having this. I carefully slip the blade under the first one and start sawing at in. The angle isn't ideal but it's the best I can do. I keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't panic. To my surprise, she keeps her tail still and keeps herself up mostly by using her pectoral fins. It frightens me. Is she helping me or giving up. The thought makes me speed up and I cut as fast as I can while trying to nit hurt her. She flinches and cries when I remove the ropes that have started eating at her skin and blood seeps out. I get back a little.

'I'm sorry, I know it hurts.'

She laments some more and starts moving her tails again, pulling the couple of last ropes and making them tighten even more on her already wounded skin. Sending my apprehensions to hell, I grab on to the remaining ropes, getting yanked up and down with her movement, slip the knife under it and with one last move slash off them off. Yes!

Quickly, I swim back to avoid being taken away. Her tail is bleeding but not much. The salt in the water will heal her easily. Hopefully she can rejoin with her group. My body suddenly relaxes when she sings happily. Yes, this time it's a song. I watch her testing out her freed tail and turning spinning around. It's a magnificent spectacle. She'll be fine. She sings louder and the water carries her voice all around us.

'You should go now. Your family's waiting.'

I wait for her to swim away but to my surprise she turns her humungous body around and heads towards me. Directly at me in fact. I reflexively bring my arms forward when I realize her nose is about to collide with me. Like this, she starts pushing me back. I don't feel any animosity, in fact she seems quite gentle. But she's pushing me and sings while she does it.

'What are you doing?'

Then she pushes me up and I break the surface. Simultaneously, the blows water which falls back down on me. The sun has started to show, finally showing the first light of day. And I can't believe what I'm seeing. She is carrying me on her nose and behind me, is the Millennium. I look back at her and start laughing. Out of nervousness or pure amazement, I can't tell. She lets out a long whistle sound. A clear song of gratitude. I smile and pat her nose awkwardly.

"Uh…You're welcome, I suppose?"

"Yug!"

I look up again. Seems like we've had spectators. A couple or so of pirates —probably the ones sleeping on the deck— including Jaden and Joey are staring down at us in amazement. Have they all been watching this whole time? The first mate tosses a rope overboard which I catch. The moment I do, my new friend sinks back underwater and slowly moves away from the ship. Joey pulls me back up on the ship with impressive ease. The moment I touch the wooden ground my legs nearly give in. My breathing is still heavy. They're all staring at me in complete awe.

"Bloody hell Yug, what just happened?"

"I… I don't know."

What has happened? My head is completely empty, keeping me from thinking. What did I just do? A loud cry catches my attention and I look back at the water. The whale is swimming away, showing us her back as she goes and singing. Another thank you. How do I know that? I feel exhausted and lean on the edge for a moment.

"Ye be alright, miss Shayee?" asks Jade a hand on my back.

Then, amongst the pairs of bare feet around me, I spot one familiarity tanned. I jolt and look up. Atem is here. From the looks of it, he's gotten up in a hurry. Other than his black breeches, all he's wearing is his opened red coat. Curse my luck, but better him than Bakura. He's smiling and looks… satisfied. I straighten up when he comes closer but all he does is present me a watch.

"Sixteen minutes and thirty four seconds," he state.

"Pardon?"

"That's how long you were under."

My eyes widen. "S-Sixteen minutes?"

That's not possible. No one can hold their breath that long. I couldn't have been under there that long. I just couldn't. I go over it in my mind at sickening speed. No, that must be wrong. I had to have come up for air at some point. Multiple times actually. Or he's lying. When…what… My thoughts get interrupted by a a flick on the nose. I wince more in surprise than pain.

"Stop that," orders the tan man, irritated.

"Stop what?"

"Trying to measure yourself up with human standards. It's about time you stopped fooling yourself, Yugi."

If what he says is true —and sure seems to be with how everyone around is looking at me—then I… no, the entire Shayee race wasn't human. I look at the sea. How was I able to tell what that whale's cry meant? How did I know she was calling for help? Nothing could've proved it and yet I jumped in the water without hesitation. I stare into nothingness, trying to digest that.

"Sixteen minutes…" I mutter.

The morning breeze rushes through the ship, making goosebumps appear on my skin. I wrap my arms around myself when shivers shake me. My clothes are still soaking wet and my arm hurts. Before I can say anything, the captain slips his coat off and wraps it around my shoulders. I don't know which shocks me more; his sudden generosity or the unearthly collection of scars on his torso and all over his skin.

"Come with me," he orders turning in the direction of his quarters.

Oh boy... Merry Christmas and happy new year to all! See y'all in January.

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