People stared out of the town streets, startled to see Clawford vanquished and pulled by Karisa, who held the rope, as they arrived in the town to which Clawford had taken them.
"You've put on a lot of weight! Why am I the one who has to draw him away? Boys often have more muscle mass than girls."
"Because the majority of us are hurt, and Natan just won't take it."
As he stared into Natan's serene face, irritated by his refusal to assist, Codey claimed and grasped his knuckles.
"Don't just be quiet, moron!"
"I don't hold garbage music..."
"He's a man! Not music! How are you known to be the 'Shadow Rider' with such a stupidity clearly gathered inside your brains?! May as well leave then!"
"I'm not leaving. Not until your friend there gives me the money that he promised."
"What money?! Tim, please explain what this guy's saying!"
Tim shifted his body around and gripped the top of his head with an unamused grimace, as if he was suffering from a headache.
"You want that money, right? Then, how about we make a deal?"
"Depends on the deal. If it's hunting somebody down, I'll be pleased to do it."
Tim giggled quietly and slowly pointed his finger forward, his face resembling the whiskers of a cat, with a wicked smirk.
"You'll get that money if you join my crew. Having a gunner would be very efficient."
Natan's serious visage erupted in rage, a vein on his forehead popping, and he yelled aloud.
"I already told you! I won't join your crew! I don't care if you came here to help. I never asked for your help, I only wanted Clawford's bounty! They don't call me a 'Bounty Hunter' for nothing! So, if you don't understand it already, I'm declining your recruitment!"
"Aww, too bad... I guess that money is ours then. What do you guys think? We should buy loads of food for the course!"
"I think a compass would be better! That way we'll have an easier way of coursing through the 'Vast Expanse'."
"How about loads of paper! Then we can make lots of maps from the islands we passed!"
While the three of them continued to ponder and speak, they began to dispute about nothing. Their voices were blaming each other, and the majority of what they said was repeated by their talking, with Natan looking at their conflict with a puzzled expression that caused his eyes to become dots.
The most frequently used words were "compass," "map," and "meal," although none of them were in agreement.
"Compass would be a lot more useful! We'd be able to navigate the water and the islands considerably more easily!"
"We won't have to go hungry on our travel if we have a giant collection of food! It's pointless to get a compass, because we've been doing so well with navigation!"
"You said you'd let me draw the maps of the islands! So, you should consider accepting my wish!"
Natan's patience began to fray as his head grew larger and his vein on his forehead continued to explode. He yelled angrily at them before announcing his decision.
"All right! Fine! I'll join your crew, just give me that money you promised!"
The three of them grinned, turned away from Natan, and responded by flailing their hands and whistled.
"Should we believe that?" Tim wondered, gripping his head, for Codey to respond back.
"No way. Why should we trust somebody who we just met?"
"Maybe we should just leave him alone, or maybe he should promise to come with us."
"Karisa! That's a great deal! I would accept his promise, unless he decides to break it. But I'm sure somebody this popular wouldn't break a promise to ruin his reputation."
They made sure Natan could hear them, and they continued to look back with their gaze, eventually noticing Natan screaming one last time.
"Fine! I promise! I'll join your crew!"
Others swirled around in unison, while Karisa leaned forward, her arms held together and her right ankle raised, her gorgeous face and flushed cheeks visible.
"That's fantastic!" She smiled as she hurriedly raised both arms to press them together near her cheeks. She spoke out as she placed her head near her palms.
"We'll be happy to accompany you!"
"Whatever! As long as I get that money, I'll do whatever!"
"Hold on. Our deal is still not made, yet..."
Tim and Codey exchanged bewildered looks with Karisa as they listened to her next deal. They attempted to figure out what she was plotting, but they couldn't until she said it out loud.
"Once you've received the funds. You must agree to remain our crew mate and accompany us to the 'Outer-Sea Barrier.' If you can't guarantee that, we'll take the money."
Natan's brows began to twitch as he grumbled, but he eventually became sober and attentive. With sweat flowing down his forehead, he surrendered to their persuasion and adjusted his neck collar to conceal his mouth once more.
"I give up. You win. I'll be a member of your crew with a promise."
Everyone smiled, glad to be able to continue searching for the town's enslaved residents. They entered the city and marched up the steps, passing by people who were constantly murmuring about Clawford's defeat, while Tim and his pals walked up the stairs to the office.
When they arrived at the town's main office building, they found two big cages containing a couple of the abducted persons. Those appeared to be Clawford's former slaves, but they were ordered to remain silent while the rest of society was barred from entering the office's yard.
People who were imprisoned lacked food and water, and some of them were youngsters who were barely living, and they were unable to move as a group. They just raised their gazes to Tim and his companions, with some of them gripping the cage's pipes, pleading to be let out.
Karisa chained Clawford to a large wooden pole and tossed the key to Tim, who moved forward and quickly placed it into the jail's keyhole, easily unlocking it. People were taken aback as they sped out of the jail while Codey shared some food with them. The same procedure was followed for the second cage, and within a few minutes, everyone had congregated on the yard's grass.
"There's food for everyone! As a result, make sure to eat as much as you require!" Codey exclaimed, and the crowd erupted in laughter. While the parents ate as much as they required, the youngsters were playing together, with one of them walking in front of Tim and praising him right away.
"We don't know how to thank you! Thank you so much! We've been stuck in these jails for days, and many of us were slowly giving up! I didn't expect pirates to be this nice."
"We're not really pirates, although we could technically be called so, since we have our own ship, and a crew. But, worry not. We're not the type of people who would try to ready an assault on another town."
Tim explained to a group of individuals who were looking at him with interest. They were overjoyed that someone had finally come to their aid, and some of them soon trusted them. Within minutes, the town's doctors arrived to assist the people, while Tim and the others decided what to do next.
They were surrounded by people being taken in by the physicians, who were finally relieved about the Grim Isle's condition, and Hiro and the others returned after about an hour, along with Ayuka, Elliott, and Nina, who dashed to their pals.
People who had been saved continued to applaud at the back, and Ayuka smiled as she looked at them.
"Looks like they're finally free of all abductions. They seem very happy."
"Ayuka, these people have been stuck like this for months. If somebody didn't do something about it, who knows how many would've survived."
"I suppose you're right, but we should really consider of leaving. I'd love to stay here, but if we do, then when will we have the time to return to our homes?"
They agreed as a group, and everyone praised them again, which became grating after a while. When Tim and the others returned to their ship, things cleared up in a few hours.
They all stepped on board at the same time as Codey and Tim raised the anchor, with a crowd of people gathered on the island, including Natan, who looked dissatisfied.
"I'm afraid I'll come to regret this decision..." People were surprised to see Natan standing right in front of them, and with Hiro and Ariana in the front, they were a little more communicative.
"Thank you. I'm sure that our lives would still suffer if it weren't for you! When you leave, make sure to take the medicine that I gave you Nina! It should ease up the pain, but make your body rather tired. But don't worry, it's not too harsh on your body!"
"I will! Thank you again, Ariana!"
"I guess some pirates are nice. So, thank you for helping us. We wish you the best of luck out there in the sea." Hiro shouted, waving his raised arm.
"Of course! We're glad to had the ability to help you! We'd like to stay longer, but we're somewhat in a rush! We'll see you again in the future!" Called Elliott, giggling.
"Natan, are you coming? We didn't forget about our deal! So, hurry up and get on board!"
Everyone was taken aback by Tim's appearance. They were astounded to find Natan working with others rather than alone.
"As long as I don't regret taking this trip. I suppose it's a good deal..."
They watched in silence as Natan scratched the top of his head as he climbed the ladder and boarded the ship, with Nina and the others looking at him.
"That's correct! I'm finally going to be able to do it! Natan, I can finally, thank you for pulling me out of that abyss! I'm glad you've decided to join us."
"I had forgotten how much I enjoyed assisting you..." Nina felt irritated and clenched her muscles, slapping the top of Natan's head, who appeared astonished, as a result.
"That's for forgetting,"
Finally, with a new member of the crew on board, Tim and his friends sailed across the ocean to the next island, accompanied by echoes of people's gratitude.
To be continued...