The captain's senses were overwhelmed by the chaotic scene unfolding before him.
Muffled screams and a persistent ringing filled his ears, blending with the sounds of gunfire and death.
His vision was blurred, making it difficult to make sense of the carnage around him.
Struggling to rise, the captain realized that his left leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, dislocated at best and broken at worst.
Yet, amidst the horror, he felt no pain—no sensation at all. Next to his injured leg lay one of his men, lifeless and adorned with wooden shrapnel embedded in his face.
It was a miracle that the captain himself had survived, considering he had been closest to the door when the pirates stormed in.
These assailants appeared more akin to demons than men, their faces painted and adorned with sharp teeth.
The captain stood in stunned disbelief, witnessing a scene of utter chaos among his ranks.
One of his soldiers, overwhelmed by fear, had lost all control, simultaneously wetting himself and fainting. Nearby, another soldier was curled up in the corner, assuming a fetal position and screaming at the top of his lungs, completely consumed by terror.
The pirates showed no mercy, swiftly dispatching any resistance with axes, cutlasses, and daggers. Some even snapped necks with chilling ease, as if it were a chore.
Then, a pirate, no older than the captain's eldest son, swaggered into the room and nonchalantly squatted before the captain. With an unsettling calmness, he uttered, "Do you surrender?"
Speechless, the captain simply nodded. In the face of such overwhelming destruction and loss, with most of his crew lying lifeless around him, what choice did he truly have?
...
Dobbs the vipers' quatermaster walked through the hold of the ship, observing the pirates organizing their loot. He approached an old man who held something that resembled a stuffed animal and bluntly remarked, "Can't sell that. Leave that shit."
Continuing forward, he encountered two pirates carrying a coffin. Curiosity piqued, Dobbs decided to confirm its contents. Disappointed, he looked at the pirates and stated, "No."
During his journey, a pirate sporting golden teeth tried to ambush him, leaping out unexpectedly in an attempt to startle him.
Dobbs, unphased, simply fixed the pirate with a steely glare and said dismissively, "Grow up."
The pirate shrugged and followed Dobbs to a group of three pirates standing around a door. Dobbs arrived, scrutinized their expressions, and exclaimed, "What the fuck is this?"
The pirate with the golden tooth kicked the door and raised his hand. "Well, it's blocked, Mr Dobbs," he replied.
Dobbs, unfazed by the situation, shrugged nonchalantly.
In a matter of minutes, he efficiently rallied the pirates, directing them to forcefully breach the door.
As the door gave way, clouds of dust billowed into the air, but Dobbs stepped forward confidently. With his Flintlock pistol poised and ready, he entered, his eyes scanning the surroundings, fully prepared to confront any threat that might lie within.
To his surprise, he found a dead man on the floor, with a cutlass protruding from his back. Standing above the lifeless body was a young man—a 'boy,' as Dobbs perceived him—with his hands raised.
The 'boy' pointed at the dead man and greeted Dobbs, "Hello. He couldn't bear the thought of what you might do to him."
Stepping over the deceased, the 'boy' approached the pirates and declared, "On the other hand, I would very much like to join your crew. My name is Marcellus, and I happen to be a very good cook."
Dobbs smiled and lowered his gun. "A cook, eh?" he responded, intrigued.
Marcellus hesitated as he contemplated the crew he was about to join. Everything he had heard about pirates emphasized their brutality, leaving him uncertain if they would spare his life. He had no desire to test their ruthlessness firsthand.
Moreover, the item he had acquired from the cook held immense importance or value. It was valuable enough that the cook considered it worth risking his life to protect.
In truth, Marcellus's intention was not to genuinely join the pirates, but rather to patiently await an opportunity to escape. As he cautiously ascended to the deck, he observed a mix of seasoned and young pirates.
Some appeared physically frail, causing him to question his decision to hide. He knew he couldn't single-handedly alter the outcome of the ongoing battle, yet cowering like a rat in front of these men filled him with embarrassment, they did not look that strong up close.
As he finally stepped onto the deck, the full savagery of the skirmish unfolded before him—men missing lower limbs, others grimacing with broken bones, and a few struggling to climb aboard after being submerged in the water.
Maybe they are strong.
He even saw a man dangling from the top of the deck.
When did they have time to hang someone he lamented. Luckily he did not tempt his luck.
From the corners of his eyes, Marcellus spotted a group of women huddled together, and among them, he recognized Anne – a familiar face.
"Did she follow me here?" he wondered to himself. The thought seemed almost inconceivable, "Surely not," he thought, yet the presence of her familiar face in such an unexpected place sowed seeds of doubt and curiosity in his mind, he quickly pretended not to know who she was.
Marcellus wondered why the pirates had not subjected the women to their usual ravaging. According to his understanding, they wouldn't have simply left them be.
However, he knew better than to casually ask questions. He followed Dobbs onto the pirate ship, which wasn't much different from the vessel he had just escaped.
It seemed slightly wider, but what surprised him was the sight of the captain, whom he had inadvertently stowed away with. The captain of the trading ship was tied up to a wooden pole, bloodied but somehow still alive.
Marcellus winced at the sight, his sympathy evident.
Thank god I chose to join, Is that what they do to prisoners? Why is his leg bent like that?
Dobbs made his way towards an individual who, in Marcellus's eyes, was the epitome of a formidable.
This individual was bald, his dark hair shorn down to a near buzz cut, accentuating a certain starkness in his appearance. He loomed over Marcellus, a towering figure with eyes that pierced sharply through the surroundings. His eyebrows were thinly set, enhancing the penetrating quality of his gaze, and his nose was straight and pronounced. His overall demeanour and appearance radiated an air of intimidation.
To add insult to injury, the man was shirtless, revealing a well-defined six-pack and toned muscles. Marcellus couldn't help but notice the sheen of sweat and grime that coated his body, which would likely be appealing to certain women.
As Dobbs spoke to the man, whom he referred to as Tommy Bones, Tommy seemed unfazed by the discussion. He simply shrugged and remarked, "If Singleton keeps that up, it won't be just him looking to join up." Dobbs sighed and departed for the captain's quarters.
Tommy sensed Marcellus's lingering gaze and responded with an irritated look. Caught off guard, Marcellus snapped out of his trance and offered Tommy a feeble smile. Tommy's brow furrowed, forming a scowl that made it clear he was unimpressed.
Marcellus stood off to the side as he watched pirates surround the captain as they taunted him with an assortment of torture tools a man stood out from the crowd of pirates he had two scars on his face making him look funny or scary.