Chapter 15: Freightful Capture

Mannen

I had been on this ship not too long before I discovered a few things. One: never, ever interact with the captain if you could help it. Two: the first mate was a different kind of scary from the captain, so best to avoid him too. And three: Go was an idiot. I followed him to this ship because he was different from the rest of the pirate scum I encountered daily at Port Royal. He made me think that there were some decent pirates out there too.

But it wasn't long before I found out that he wasn't a cool pirate. He was just a big idiot who didn't look out for himself. I figured the only thing he could do well was anything to do with swords—either making them or fighting with them. Along with the chores he gave me, from being his personal gofer to scrubbing the deck, he made me practice sword fighting with him.

As if I didn't know how to use swords already! Well, actually, my old master had never given me lessons per se; I would sneak out in the back of the store and swing a sword around myself when he wasn't around. I figured it was enough, but Go told me that I was not only holding the sword wrong, but that my stance was completely wrong too.

That busybody needed to stop worrying about others so much. Just as he took me under his wing, Go was clearly keeping an eye on Awayuki as well. Not that Awayuki needed much looking after. He was well versed in all things nautical—perhaps more so than Go—and had an interesting way of dealing with the first mate. As if he wasn't completely afraid of him or something. But maybe that was because he had his idiotic moments too.

Awayuki taught me how to furl or unfurl the sails according to the wind, how to tie sailor's knots, how to climb my way up to the crow's nest and—most importantly—how to get along with the crew. Awayuki differed from Go; whereas Go would avoid the rest of crew excluding Awayuki and myself, Awayuki would make an effort with the crew. Although there were times where I sensed that Awayuki had a grudge against the others of the crew.

All in all, it was a better life than the one I had as an apprentice to my former master. I could put up with the beatings initially, but they only increased in frequency over time. For a brat born in a brothel, I didn't have a ton of options. If I had been a girl, my mom would have kept me and trained me. As a boy, I could work in a tavern, a shop, or learn a trade. I decided that learning a trade would be the most useful.

As an apprentice to a blacksmith, I could get at least one guaranteed meal and a place to stay for my work. And for the most part, the pirates that came ashore kept their business clean when purchasing weapons. Probably because my former master made some of the best weapons available at Port Royal. I guess they felt that there was no need to ruin that business relationship. So my previous job was safe, secure and useful.

But I was going nowhere. I figured if I stayed where I was, I would be stuck there forever, accumulating bruises and broken bones. I wanted to go out and explore, but not with another master who would only beat me up some more. The first moment I saw Go I felt that he was someone I could go with. He seemed naïve and, oddly enough, kind and caring. Not that I needed anymore babying me. It was…nice…to meet someone like him. It seemed like a sign.

And in such a short time, I already felt like a seasoned pirate—except for one thing. I hadn't seen any action yet. No sea battles, no capturing loot. Just steady sailing through the sea. And boy, was it getting boring. I considered learning how to fish just to kill time. That or find something to read. At least the captain or the first mate must be able to read. I decided if things continued at this pace, I would sneak my way into one of their cabins to get myself a book. Sneaking into their cabins alone would be exciting. I grinned as I thought of how thrilling it would be.

"Whatcha doing grinning like that?" Go called out.

I froze. I had completely forgotten about whatever menial task he had given me. I turned to run off before he could give me a reminder, but he caught me by the back of my shirt.

"Where's the inventory I asked ya for three hours ago?!" he asked, his hands on his hips.

I grinned sheepishly and began to run.

"Just taking a little break!" I called out as I ran below deck.

I wasn't watching where I was going since I was more focused on getting away from Go that I slammed straight into someone's torso. I stepped back, looked up and cringed when I realized it was Kei.

"My bad," I said, grinning and rubbing the back of my head.

Kei continued past me as if I were no more than an inanimate object that he happened to bump into. Now Kei I could understand. He was straightforward and calculating. He didn't bother to care about other people like Go did. Kei was smart, and I knew it was people like him—people who only looked out for their own self-interest—that made it in the end.

I noticed that the activity of the crew was more today than it ever had been since I had joined the crew. I also wondered that Go had asked me to re-check the inventory after I had done so only three days ago. I initially figured he was just trying to keep me busy to keep me out of trouble, but now I felt like something else was up. I grabbed a passing crewmember and asked him what was happening. He laughed at me and continued on his way. The nerve! Did no one take me seriously on this ship?

That's when I saw Awayuki, giving instructions to the crew to check that the rudder and sails were in working order.

"Hey, are we going to war or something?" I asked cheerfully. He turned to me with a dead serious expression and nodded.

"Really?" I asked.

"Our next target is not even a half day sail away from us. And with the wind propelling us forward, we should intersect the Belleza even sooner. Best that you stay below decks when the fighting breaks out," he explained in a monotone, even as his hands were busy at work.

"No way! My first capture! I'm gonna see this one through!" I grinned.

Awayuki shook his head at me, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to become a weary, jaded pirate like Awayuki and Go. No, I would keep the thrill of adventure within me for the years to come. I intended to have lots of fun with this pirate thing.

I killed time by going through the inventory again and by the time I reported to Go, he looked strained.

"Where have ya been?" he said, grabbing me by the ear, "Geez. Anyways, get below deck. The target's in sight," Go said.

I looked out at the horizon and could see a small speck in the direction Go was indicating. Sweet, I couldn't wait for the cannons to start firing. I wondered what kind of treasure we would get. Gold? Silver? Or diamonds?

"Go to the armory. Now!" Go said sternly.

I walked away, looking defeated until he turned away to focus on his job. No way was I missing out on this. I weaved my way through the crew and smiled in excitement as the pirate flag was hoisted up. Skull and crossbones on simple black clothe.

We were gaining on the target ship. The Belleza…a Spanish ship with a very unoriginal name. Why name a ship 'beauty' anyway? Oh well, each to their own, I suppose.

The captain had come aboard. I could hear his distinct boots thudding on the deck even from the opposite end of the ship. I saw him from a distance giving his first mate what were probably orders, which that obedient dog of a first mate then promptly barked at the crew. No effort wasted by that eerie captain.

I felt a shiver of anticipation as the cannons were loaded simultaneously. Would we fire first or would the target ship? Was it an armed merchant ship? Or a naval ship?

We fired first. The first cannon hit its target, but due to the distance, missed the crucial midpoint of the ship. It barely grazed the deck as it flew by. And that was when I began to hear the screaming.

Granted, I knew that pirates were scary if you were on the receiving end. But something about the screaming felt different—it felt wrong. Maybe this was how captures usually went though. I tried to ignore that feeling that was bugging me and continued to watch.

Another series of volleys. The screams grew in volume—whether from escalating fear or because we were getting closer was unclear—and I noticed with a sinking feeling something that should have been obvious as day: they weren't firing back. It was as if they were sitting ducks in the water. Why weren't they fighting back? That made it boring—and cruel—to continue our onslaught.

The first mate raised his hand to cease the firing. A temporary ceasefire until he could figure out the situation I assumed. At least he wasn't completely merciless. That captain, however…

Now that we were closer, I could see the elaborate decorations on the Belleza. For a ship, she was beautiful. Someone had taken painstaking time to add on gold leaf plating and even the name of the ship was engraved with silver letters. The Belleza's figurehead was a beautiful woman with long, dark hair and alluring eyes. It made me wonder why the Pretear's figurehead was a strange combo of weaponry—a sword, an axe, a whip, a thin cannon, an arrow, a chakra—held in the six arms of a demonic woman.

After admiring the ship decorations, I realized that the ship had no cannons whatsoever. What kind of ship travels without any sort of defense? And the meager crew that I could see was hoisting a white flag in response to our black one.

I turned away. This was too pathetic. I hoped we would just turn around and look for a more worthy target for looting. A defenseless ship like this one probably didn't even have anything worth taking.

And then the grappling hooks were released. I watched in horror as the crew made their way over to the Belleza, drawing their swords amid the screaming. I could tell that more than men or able-bodied crewmembers, the Belleza held women and children. And the crew of the Pretear went in greedily, cutting down the children and the men who fought back—few men as it was. I watched as a kid around my age looked at me with tears streaming down his cheeks before a sword sliced him in half.

I didn't want to keep watching anymore. This was cruel, plain and simple. This wasn't adventurous or even daring. It was…

I found myself vomiting as I saw that kid's body get sliced into two over and over in my mind. It wasn't fair…it wasn't fair…it wasn't fair…

"I told you to get below deck, didn't I?" Go cried out, grabbing me by my shirt.

I caught his expression and it was one filled with pain.

So this was why Awayuki and Go looked as jaded as they did. They knew the truth—they knew what it was like to be a pirate. And I understood why he had tried to get rid of me so many times. Because he was an idiot and cared about me. Because he didn't want me to see anything like this. Because he didn't want me to be caught up in all of this.

I didn't want to look so pathetic, but I was crying all the same. Loud, obnoxious sobs with hiccupping. That kid…that kid…he was so…frightened…that kid…this kid…so frightened…this kid…me…

I felt big arms grab me into a hug, burying my face into a broad chest. And I stayed there; crying and shaking in anger long after the capture had finished.