"Oh, look, our captain is angry!"
"Hahahahaha..."
Captain Jack still hadn't established authority among the pirates. After all, he was promoted on the spot by young Freyr.
"Alright! Quiet down!" a hoarse voice called out.
It was the ship's cook. With the captain, first mate, second mate, and boatswain all dead (or, heaven forbid, tossed into the sea without food or water on two small boats—who really thought they could survive in the vast ocean?), the cook was now the highest-ranking pirate left.
The cook seemed eager to protect his son: "Shut up! What good does mocking my son do for you? Come here, son. I know you're in a tough spot. Our fates are now in your hands! You are the captain!"
Captain Jack glanced at his father and nodded. He was still young and hadn't picked up the bad habits of the seasoned pirates.
Though a pirate, he had a passion for the sea and adventure.
He took out a thick roll of cloth from his waist: "This... he just drew this."
"He? Who? That little noble? That little kid?" a pirate laughed.
Jack's face darkened slightly as he looked at the pirate, speaking in a low voice: "Old Bill, listen! If you want to die, keep calling him that! When he throws you into the sea, I won't say a word to save you!"
"We're all pirates! So am I! So is my father! But, do you really want to be pirates all your life?" The young man raised his head, looking at everyone:
"We all know, one day, we'll die on this damned sea! It's inevitable! Either in a storm, sunk by the Imperial Navy, or caught and hanged at the docks! Our bodies will be pecked by crows and seagulls, dried by the sun, like pieces of jerky hanging there for months! That's the fate of us pirates! My brothers!"
"I love the sea, and I love adventure... but I don't think being a pirate for life is the best choice... if we have other options! Listen, my brothers, our little nobleman, he's a man of high status; I can see that! This is our chance! We can shed our pirate identity and become part of his private fleet! We can continue sailing the sea... with a new identity... as part of a noble's private fleet! No more Imperial Navy chasing us! No more hanging at the docks! We'll just change our clothes, clean ones, fancy ones, and even magical ones. Then, we can drink with the Imperial Navy, ask for their protection... imagine that!"
Someone voiced a concern: "But if we stop being pirates, what will we eat, drink? Where will the money come from?"
Captain Jack didn't answer directly—in fact, he didn't know. But he hinted: "Did you see those two girls? Guess what I saw?"
"Saw them bathing? Haha, you're lucky..." the gold-toothed pirate laughed.
Bang!
Before he could finish, Captain Jack punched his nose flat!
The poor guy screamed, holding his nose with one hand and drawing a knife with the other, ready to fight Jack.
"You fool! I said, if you say that again, I'll kill you! You idiot! If that woman hears you, we'll all be in trouble!" Jack's face showed a hint of murderous intent.
The pirates looked at the flattened-nosed man... no one felt sorry for him, nor did anyone want to help him.
They all knew Jack was right. If that foul-mouthed guy offended the terrifying woman, they'd all suffer!
Maybe... tossing him into the sea tonight wasn't a bad idea...
Captain Jack kneed him in the face, knocking him out. Then he turned back: "Alright, back to our topic! Guess what I saw?"
No one spoke.
"Magic!" Captain Jack whispered, "Magic! Those two girls are Wizards! Damn it! We're facing Wizards... and two of them!"
Everyone gasped!
For a long time, the awe and fear of Wizards prevailed, and no one dared to speak disrespectfully again.
"I saw them use magic to ignite flames and dry their clothes in the room... maybe they thought our hands were too dirty to touch them," Captain Jack whispered. "Our little nobleman wanted me to see this; it was a warning. You should understand, Wizards are not ordinary people! They can kill us all easily! Especially that terrifying woman; she's not just a Wizard, she's a formidable warrior!"
"But, Captain, what's in it for us to serve this little noble? What will we eat, drink? Will he support us? I don't understand, besides being pirates, what else can we do?"
Though the question was sharp, it was clear they were more respectful now, even starting to call him "Captain."
"I don't know," Captain Jack answered. "But one thing's for sure: first, don't forget, we saved his life! We pulled him from the sea. That's a favor. If we behave, he won't make things hard for us and will likely give us some benefits. Secondly... two Wizards! My brothers! Have you ever heard of Wizards lacking money?"
Everyone relaxed!