Two Days After Setting Sail…!
On their voyage to Great Britain, the ship was ghost quiet, except for the crack of sails and babbling water against the bow. Winds were fierce, and the sea breeze was crisp.
However, the atmosphere was pretty awkward. Amidst the contrasting personalities of the pirates and sailors, shall we say. But one passenger, in particular, was loud in his own world.
"Twelve...thirteen....fourteen.... fifteen," Livie counted while peering around the ship. "Hence, there are sixteen sailors aboard."
He dove straight into his thoughts to reflect.
Hmm..., So few men into the pirate territory, why is that? The advantage in numbers is on the Goddess' end. Still, there's a chance the sailors are doing their task without any ill-will. Eh, whatever the case may be, this will be apt for the newcomers.
"Pondering vigorously about something, Livie?" Queried a voice that is easily recognized by now.
"Oi! It's Captain for you, sailor boy," Bree stiffly replied on her Captain's behalf.
Even so, Livie had a tongue of his own and preferred to use it.
"It's all right, Kibo. Allow William and I a moment of solitude."
Livie leaned over to her ear and whispered. "The fellas are on open waters with their ship. He must have grown a pair."
"Aye, Cap'n." She glared heavily at the Lieutenant and sauntered off to wander the British ship deck. She, without a doubt, caused trouble on her way around.
"She's quite a feisty one, isn't she?" The Lieutenant voiced as she left. "Plus, the rest of your ranks have, well, rather peculiar tempers."
"Me, hearties are an odd bunch, aye. But the weirdest set of creatures can be the most lethal." He slackened up his neck to get out some of the morning doze. "As for Kido, she's Asian, so I'm not sure where the sass came from."
"So fascinating." The Lieutenant asked once more. "Anyhow, what were you contemplating about?"
Though Livie's response was the last thing that he wanted to hear, "The princess, what's her status these days?"
"Er...!"
The Lieutenant instantly wore a craze expression on his face when the question met his opened ears.
"Her highness is doing exceptional. However, may I be so bold as to ask, why did you desire to apprehend such knowledge?"
"Frankly, I'm wondering why she couldn't travel with the Royal Navy. Instead of me having a voyage to Great Britain."
The Lieutenant strolled to the hull and replied. "Our King is notably shielding over his one and only daughter. Even in the public eye. Thus, taking her to a horrid pirate island was out of the question."
"Yet he's all hunky-dory with a squalid pirate like me, meeting her face to face." Livie had an ambiguous appearance as he tried to work out the circumstances. "Rather interesting."
Is this man truly a vile pirate, solely? Speculated the bewildered Lieutenant when musing about him. He is vastly wittier than any pirate I have confronted in my time of living. Plus, he is surprisingly candid yet sly with his words.
"Though the King is protective, his highness is still mild when it comes to Princess Rebecca's demands."
If I recall utterly, Blondie was a demanding brat. But to go as far as to bring pirates to face her is foolish on the King's part. Despite how much he may adore her, this is senseless..., Uh?
"Ye said public eye earlier." Livie curiously asked. "Is her blonde hair the reason?"
"I prefer not to speak on that."
Livie hissed his teeth and gazed away.
Now that I think about it, the sailors don't view us as heroes for saving her. Neither have they even mentioned it...?!
"Let me steer the vessel. I don't want your dirty pirate hands on my wheel!" The Old British navigator demandingly yelled. "The waters here are too choppy."
"Lookie here, yuh old seadog. Is either yuh cool yuh self or lose yuh self," Baba replied with a fearsome glare. "Pick one?"
"I choose naught." The old chap angrily answered.
The two navigators' minor dispute swiftly heated up into an altercation at the wheel.
Livie wasn't up for the petty conflict, so he opted to split up the two. However, the Lieutenant asked him to accompany him to the Captain's cabin for a moment.
"They are both men. Let them duke it out alone. Moreover, can you please join me in my cabin? We have much business to discuss."
"And here I held ye to be a mediator? Alright then," Livie proceeded to follow him to his cabin below the quarter-deck.
"Mr. Selly!" Livie did a little hand signal to him.
Though it was confusing to the sailors, Selly fully understood the omen from his Captain. He nodded his head to confirm.
"Quartermaster, shadow my steps, and be on guard."
"Aye, Cap'n!" Bree replied.
The ongoing quarrel on the quarter-deck continued when Livie left with the Lieutenant.
Four of them stood in the Captain's quarters. The Lieutenant, one of his sailors, Bree, and Livie. All of which armed with their respective weapons.
"Don't be on edge, chaps. I only desire to proffer you a briefing on what's to come when we arrive in England. Furthermore, will you please remove your cap? These are my quarters, after all." The Lieutenant asked with an eerie smile.
Livie peeped over at Bree, who lifted her shoulders in confusion. He yielded to his wishes and removed his cap.
The Lieutenant took a seat at his desk and stated,
"You will be authorized to stay for a maximum of three weekdays. The meeting with the princess will be on the second day. The third day is when you take your leave. It is quite a long voyage, so we are expected to be on Plymouth's harbor in the next few weeks."
While the Lieutenant went on with his briefing, Livie took a moment to gaze around the cabin. Mainly at the Atlas with the different territories and at the papers on the desk.
Livie reflected on the onboard numbers. "I hope the ship has enough hands-on deck. Therefore, coming across foes wouldn't be a hornet's nest, William."
"Don't fret. There will be enough." The Lieutenant promptly replied.
Huh.....?
"Capt'n, are you truly going to meet up with that royal wretc...!?"
Livie hastily covered Bree's mouth before she could get her final words out.
"Halt at once. But did I detect this hooligan naming our lovely princess, Rebecca Ivy, a royal wretch?!" The Lieutenant vexingly asked as he violently flew up from his chair and slammed the desk.
"Oh, please ignore her, mate." He tried to lessen Bree's comments. "She's just chatting shit, that's all...!?"
Boom!
Suddenly, specks of dust came falling from the ceiling above.
Wait, did the feud spread to the main deck? Livie asked himself.
The argument seemingly didn't feel like their words were the only threats thrown at each other.
"Those fellas are certainly going at it, aren't they? I better go check to see where's the peace."
When he was about to exit the stern, the Lieutenant said something unusual in an enraged tone.
Tsk! "They are two grown chaps. Let them rectify their worries themselves!"
The sailor accompanying him did a subtle shift towards the exit. More or less barring their way. But Livie wasn't obtuse to his sly actions.
"Quartermaster?" Livie noticed the gesture and ordered, "Blow him down."
"Aye, Capt'n." She calmly replied.
The sailor set his guard and was ready to counter any attack.
"I was itching to do away with you, filths." Yet his efforts were all in vain.
Bree smoothly drew both of her wakizashi out of its scabbard at lightning speed. With one rapid action, she cleaved him to be brisket. The blade hissed through the air like a leaping snake.
Yelps! The sailor yowled as he awkwardly fell to his knees for a fleeting moment. Blood gushed out from the slice across his chest, from the shoulders to the stomach. Stumbling left and right until he eventually collapsed onto his face.
The Lieutenant got weak at the knees, and his jaw dropped to the floor. How can a peasant pirate be so skilled? And a female, to boot.
He instantly froze on the spot, without an idea of what to do. Though to his relief, Livie was more troubled about what was occurring on the main deck. Instead of dealing with him.
Bree gave him a cold, menacing glare that carried more chills down his quivering spine.
Livie signaled to the Atlas on the wall. She nodded and hopped on the desk to roughly grab it from over the cowering Lieutenant.
They both raced up to the top deck from the cabin. And the sight in which awaited the two pirates was indeed a scene of chaos.
The clanging of clashing cutlasses and swords rang out louder than the raging sea. Men were getting cut down or shot down left, right, and center as dark rain came down upon them.
Still, that wasn't the only hell Livie's awareness was on.
It would be the fact the sailors were noticeably winning the pirates in numbers.
He had previously counted them before going to the cabin, so it made no sense. Also, he noticed the Goddess had...!?
BANG!
"Watch out! Capt'n!" Peacoat shrieked when he shot down an attacking sailor. "This ain't the time to stand around and inquire. Me too, have no focking clue of what's going on either...!"
BOOM!
"Check me front, Peacoat." Captain Livie required. "Quartermaster! Look out for any shooters!"
"Check me back, Capt'n," Peacoat responded.
Livie plucked out Shibito from its scabbard. With a quick swing, he took down three sailors, coating the blade in blood.
He then took glances around to have a better understanding of the situation.
Although Livie, Peacoat, and Bree were doing well on their part, the other pirates were dropping like flies in the cold.
Perhaps this was a result of the sailors having rifles. Still, that wasn't a problem for the three previously mentioned pirates.
Livie tried his best to sum up the bodies. And with a quick headcount, he deduced sixteen to twenty sailors were left.
"Captain Livie!" Selly hastily shouted, "At the longboat, Mother Sea, she's fiercely roaring!"
The ocean gradually came rougher and rougher as the ship sailed on. "Selly! Man-the-wheel, and bring a string upon'er. We will defend ye."
"Aye, Aye! Captain!" Selly yelled furiously.
Two sailors purposefully ran at Livie with muskets at the door that led to the cabin. He swiftly evaded the first sailor's strike. And in the same goddamn motion, he slammed his head into the wooden wall, Boom, unarming him at the same time.
The second sailor stopped in his tracks and raised his musket to fire.
Livie swiftly tossed the first sailor at him with a hefty push towards the second.
BANG!
The sailor was off his rocker as he wildly pushed off his comrade. "Aah! You bloody pirate!" He lifted his musket once again in rage and stuck with a thrust to the face.
Livie cleanly ducked under the sailor's musket. He followed it up with a hellish knee to the gut. Oof! And a solid shove down the stairway to the cabin. Thud!
Fourteen sailors left.
Haa…! Haa…!
"These lots are like mocks to a flame. Damn, I got hit." Livie grunts. "Quartermaster, how are you fairing…?!"
"Ah...!"
Bree was in a struggle of her own with another on the stairway leading to the quarter-deck.
"Shit!"
Livie sprung to her aid. However, he promptly got barred by a sailor. "Where do you think you're going, pirate?"
"It's fine, Cap'n. Bree got this."
The clash went back and forth as she constantly bumped her boot on the stairs. She was on the defensive end of a strict sailor's sword.
"Not so tough, aren't you, girly?"
Thus, Bree had to be quick on her feet in answering her weakness. And so, she was, as she threw back herself on the steps. Shadowed by a hurling kick to the sailor's leg with her wakizashi turned upwards.
The blade then sharply impaled the sailor's stiff neck to settle his demise. Thirteen left.
"Don't let up till ye hands fall off, mates. And if they do, use ye legs!"
"Aye, Aye! Capt'n!"
With a twin-handed pistol, Peacoat was, in all, a one-man-army. He quickly moved around on the deck, ducking and leaping, while firing his guns.
Bang, "One!" Bang, "Two!" Bang, Bang, "Three...four! Keep em coming, ye sons-ah-bitches!"
Nine sailors remained.
The pirates eventually retreated to the poop deck, including Livie, because the sailors were becoming overwhelming.
All five of them, Selly, Baba, Livie, Peacoat, and Kido Bree, withdrew to the rear and touched the rails.
They swung their weapons like monkeys on a vine to keep the sailors at a distance.
Huff! Huff!
Click! Click! "Fock!" Peacoat bitterly exclaimed, "We're near Death's door, maties. Better chip in a few prayers."
The nine sailors swarm them like feisty bees in a fallen hive.
"Relax, mates." Livie tried to calm his crew's ragged breathing. "How are yer con…!"
Splat! Splat!
He glanced at where the dripping sound came from and saw. "Kido! Yer arm is bleeding!"
"Well, would one gaze their eyes upon this sight?" The Lieutenant emerged from the pack. "Do you still fancy the eighty pieces of gold coins? Bwahaha...!"
Shit, didn't we outnumber them? And where the fock was Toppo during all this chaos?
"Though I may bear hatred to you chaps, I can't ignore the skills you all possess. Call parley, become privateers in the British and put them to genuine use."
Peacoat grumbled, "Fock parley!"
"Goh, suck off yuh husband, ye batty bwoy," Baba blurted out while flicking him off.
Pfft! "You chaps are and will always be filth, even in time of death." The Lieutenant strolled away and ordered, "Shoot them down. And don't let a single piece of lead touch the Scarlet Blade."
"Yes, Sir!" A sailor rushed to the front, "Position yourselves, men. Hold…!" He raised his hand in the air.
Selly jokily pleaded, "Oh, for the love of God and all that is holy. Allow this old geezer a sip of rum before he clocks in his days."
"And fi…!"
"Oi!" Livie settled Shibito back in her scabbard. He gave a stare full of keen daggers and uttered. "Tell Rebecca I'm coming for what's mine."
The Lieutenant's foot instantly planted itself. His stomach felt like stones, and the hair on his skin stood at attention. "Halt your fire."
He slowly turned and asked in a shaky voice, "W... what did you just say?"
"Ah, it was a pleasure doing business with ye, Mister Lieutenant."
"O... pen!"
"However!" They stepped back with their behinds on the rails. "Dying is the day worth living for!"
"Fir...!"
"Bottoms up, mateys!" Captain Livie shouted in a hurry as he dived headfirst into the roaring sea along with his crew.
"OPEN FIRE, YOU FOOLS!!!" Urged irately by the Lieutenant.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Splashes rained down when they hit the water.
"What are we supposed to do now...Sir William?" The sailor quired.
The Lieutenant was huffing and puffing but blew nothing down. He exploded in outrage, "GO AFTER THEM, NOW!"
"But Sir, the sea is hostile...!" Before the sailor could finish his sentence. The Lieutenant firmly grabbed his neck and tossed him overboard.
He glared at the rest. In fear, two more hurriedly follow the first steps, or rather, fall, as they dive into the sea.
--
Under the cold, relentless water, Livie and his men found themselves struggling with the harsh currents.
The rough conditions made the little slash on his belt from the rushing sailor larger. Shibito came unsheathed and sunk into the deep blue.
Livie shook his body and swam towards it. But there was a bigger problem that cannot be left ignored. The choppy waters were doing a beating on Selly.
Unfortunately for him, one of the three sailors who plunged into the water was onto Shibito.
He batted his heart and eyes as he went to rescue a drowning Selly.
Livie firmly grabbed onto him and swam up to the surface of the water.
However, it wasn't an easy task since the sea relentlessly lashed down in the form of waves.
His arms and legs began to feel weighty. Eyes gradually got impaired by the saltwater as it flickered in and out of the darkness. Holding onto Selly was the only thing keeping Livie from giving up.
Though will it be too much for the stalwart Captain?