Chapter 38: Cervantes' decision
- Rock! – yelled one of Cervantes' crewmen.
Rock was knelt, scrubbing the deck. He stopped doing it and stood up.
- Yes?
- The captain wants you to go to his cabin. Right now!
Rock was equally surprised and scared. Cervantes had never summoned him to his cabin since he arrived at the ship, and as far as he knew, the captain hadn't summoned any of the crewmen either. Had Cervantes made his decision concerning him?
Rock had no other choice but to obey and he headed to the cabin, where Cervantes was waiting for him, standing with his back turned to him.
- Did you call me, captain?
- Aye.
- What do you want from me?
- Your probationary period has finished.
That sentence terrified Rock.
- What?
- I've decided what to do with you.
- And…so? – asked
- I think you can be very useful to me. You perform your work well and you're physically fit for fighting.
Rock didn't say anything, just waiting for the final decision.
- I want you in my crew.
Rock wondered if that were good or bad news.
- Thank you, captain. Can I…leave?
- Of course, of course. Go back to work. – answered Cervantes, without turning around.
Rock was going back to deck when he heard a gun hammering behind his back.
He ducked just in time to avoid the shot, which impacted on the cabin's door.
Rock reacted immediately. He pounced on Cervantes, unsheathed the pirate's sword and stabbed it in his chest.
The pirate didn't offer any resistance, confirming Rock's suspicions: he could only be killed by destroying Soul Edge.
Before Rock could do anything else, he felt the steel going through his guts.
All blacked out.
...
Rock woke up on deck, but he felt really strange.
He stood up heavily.
He felt sick, so he looked out of the rail in order to throw up.
However, before he could do it, he saw something that shocked him.
His reflection was looking back at him from the water. A reflection of someone with whitish skin and dark eyes. Rock had become one of Cervantes' zombie crewmen.