It was nightfall on a remote island, and the sky had turned almost as dark as outer space itself because the moon could not properly illuminate the island; its light was blurred out by coverings of thick, dark clouds. Gentle breeze blew with an average speed through the old brick roads and through the streets of the island, causing the rustling of leaves, the swaying of old street lamps, and the displacement of very lighter objects.
For a moment, the island was in a natural silence; nothing could be seen or heard, not before the fleeting appearance of very quick dashes of shadows on the frail-looking walls of the houses close by. This quick phenomenon repeated itself for about five times, each followed by the sound of light footsteps.
In the midst of this short incident, a figure was sighted on the rooftop of one of the buildings. A quick glance would send a message to a viewer that it was the figure of a man, not just static, but in motion. His movement was as smooth and graceful as he ran across the rooftops, jumping from one building to another. He possessed quite the agility of an athlete, and he ran with a speed of about five times faster than that of the breeze that blew within the island. His upper body was leaned forward, and his left hand was slung over his shoulder, indicating that he carried something heavy, enclosed in a bag.
With the way he ran and with the syncing of the movements of his whole body while running, it was only obvious that he possessed athletic and acrobatic skills.
On the ground below, just beside the slim figure on the rooftops, another figure could be seen, but unlike the slim physique that the figure on the rooftops had, this one possessed a more masculine and ferocious build. He wore a more masculine attire that consisted of huge black pirate boots, dark blue baggy trousers, and a milk-coloured shirt that covered his built upper body. A red bandana with black paisley designs was tied on his forehead, adding to his intimidating appearance, and there was a black eyepatch on his left eye, and although the eyepatch fully covered his eye, it still revealed the terminals of three straight scars running from the top to the bottom of the covered eye.
Unlike the slim figure on the rooftop, Jack ran in a more straight and rigid manner, and instead of one, he carried two bags in each hand, showcasing one of the reasons for his muscular build.
As Jack rounded the closest bend, he was forced to an abrupt halt as his gaze met with a group of men who stood ominously on his path. Their presence was so unexpected, and Jack's speed was at the same time so great that he tripped on the rough brick road, but with a swift reflex, he managed to gain back his balance, but he could do nothing more than stare at the men in perplexity.
Just then, one of them lit up a torch by striking it on the rough walls of one of the buildings close by, he then gave the torch to the man who stood at the frontline of the group. As soon as he did this, the other accomplices drew their own torches forward, towards the first lit torch, and when this was done, there was quite a high level of illumination.
It was at that moment that Jack noticed a fact – They were armed with heavy rifles and sharpened swords.
Jack was so full of surprise that one could easily notice a change in countenance from a quick glance at him.
'^Darn it! ...I could have known better ! What's worse than dying in the cold hands of some wretched town soldiers? .... And to think that that godforsaken boy who calls himself a captain didn't think out a plan for a situation like this from his overhyped brain. What was he thinking anyway? Did he really believe we could just throw a 'hit and run' here without a hitch? I swear his overconfidence is going to be the death of us all..... I just hope Santiago isn't foolish enough to dive int...^'
Just before he finished his thoughts, the slim figure jumped down to where he was standing; he was the one whom Jack was referring to as Santiago.
Santiago wore dull blue dhoti-like balloon trousers with a red waistband, a short sleeveless open vest of the same colour, and a dull red bandana on his head, which could not fully contain his exceptionally long hair - hair so long that the terminals of some strands were out of the bandana, covering some parts of his face.
Santiago's initial appearance looked nothing short of slender, but this was just a sort of illusion created by his acrobatic posture while running. As he landed beside Jack, his true appearance was revealed: Athletic but not unusually lean.
Santiago's attention had been drawn to the unexpected illumination in that area, which went against their plan back on the ship to avoid lights unless it was absolutely necessary. Moreover, that was also the designated meeting point with their captain, and Santiago, when he saw the lights, sensed that something was not right. He jumped down to investigate, but before he could enquire about the situation, a sudden gunshot was heard in the air, followed by a stern warning from the lead soldier.
"Nobody moves! ... You move, and I'll move you to your grave!" The soldier said as he switched his gaze between Santiago and Jack in suspicion.
"Something isn't right here... " he muttered to himself. " ...There can't just be only the two of them !?"
Santiago and Jack remained still, unsure of what may happen next as the soldier's eyeballs tilted sideways, searching for any signs of hidden danger or additional accomplices.
" ... Alright!, let's simplify this for the both of you...
... Where is he? " the soldier asked as he was already losing his patience, however, instead of a vocal reply, the two men exchanged a deceptive look of confusion and puzzlement, and this only made the soldier flare up.
"Don't give me that look of pretence!... " he barked furiously. " ... I know that you know exactly who I'm talking about. Don't play dumb with me!"
... He took a step closer and tightened his hand around his gun...
"Where is he?!!... " he repeated with more rage. " ...Your captain, the one who thinks he's above the law;...
...Captain Noname!, where is he?!!!"
Jack and Santiago, however, weren't moved by his rage; their facial expression still conveyed puzzlement and confusion, refusing to give in to the soldier's intimidation, and just then, a low, rumbling sound, like a gentle growl, was heard from behind the soldiers.
"Mmrr Mmrr Mmrr ."
The noise was clear and unmistakable – a clearing of the throat to announce a presence, and suddenly all eyes hastily turned to behold the figure emerging from the darkness behind, the very individual the army leader had been enquiring about. . . .
This man appeared unique, courtesy of his one-of-a-kind attire that consisted of a black straight trouser held by a brown belt that had a silver buckle, a black button-up long-sleeved shirt on his upper half, on which was a pitch-black coat that had some mystical, esoteric white designs which only added to the air of mystery around him. On his feet were black boots that gleamed in the faint light, and on his head, a pirate hat sat majestically, covering his pitch-black hair. The hat itself also had some designs that also seemed to be one-of-a-kind.
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Captain Noname was a pirate of relentless ambition; he was still in his early thirties, but his impact in the world of pirates was remarkable! Though he was not the most physically strong or skilled member of his crew, his intellect and high sense of mischief had earned him a reputation as the fastest-rising pirate of his time, giving him fame, not only in the world of piracy, but in the entire spectrum of society.
His remarkable, but certainly evil, achievements led to good and evil forces seeking to capture him :–
Law-abiding citizens sought to capture him with the hope of claiming the rewards for his arrest, offered by political and legal authorities, while rival pirates sought to defeat him with the aim of boosting their own reputation and being known for taking down one of the fastest-rising pirates of their time.
What marvelled people the most was the time frame of Captain Noname's career. It had been A YEAR! since he set sail as a captain, yet his numerous accomplishments within this short period of time have left many in awe, as it defied time and experience.
A sad truth... is that Captain Noname's life had not always been one filled with the thrill of piracy and freedom; in fact, his early years were very tragic, one that literally began from the second he was born. So bad were his circumstances that he was denied even the simplest of human rights – A Name! . . . . His parents, for reasons known only to him, subconsciously chose to withhold this basic aspect of identity, leaving him without a name, it was not until he was discovered by his mentor, 'Henry Louis', on a tiny, remote island that he received an alias.
Henry nicknamed him "Noname." The name, actually meaning, and pronounced the same way as "No Name," was a reminder of his beginnings and the journey that had brought him to this point.
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