Captain Noname, for a reason unknown to him, was consumed by terror, and his body was slightly trembling with fear. His eyes were fixed on the mysterious pirate before him, who had slowly raised his head to reveal the face of an elderly man with a fierce, piercing right eye. The eye was a stark contrast to the calm, serene, and blank expression on his face that was partially covered by a black eyepatch. The pirate, just like Captain Noname, had pitch-black hair and pitch-black bushy beard, but his was quite longer and neater.
Despite this mysterious individual's first words, which meant no harm, Captain Noname remained frozen in fear; He was unable to move or speak; it felt as if this pirate in question had a death stare that could manipulate his victims movements.
As he stood still in his position, a lot of questions flooded Noname's mind—
'^Who is this anonymous pirate?!...
...How did he manage to slip into my cabin undetected?!!...
...Why does the air feel so heavy, so oppressive?!!....
What's happening?!!! How can so much fear make me unable to move?!!!....^'
As these thoughts persisted on and on, he couldn't help but think about all the things he should be doing at that moment; At the sight of a stranger, being a pirate, he should have at least reached for his gun and prepared for a possible fight, or at the very least, tried to defend himself, but his body seemed stuck to the spot. It was as if any movement, no matter how slight, would trigger a death trap. Even the simple act of rotating his eyeball felt like suicide!
The pirate's sudden movement – Standing up and beginning to speak, only added to Captain Noname's tension, as this stranger started a conversation in a rather puzzling manner...
"LONG TIME NO SEE ! "
'^L.. l.. long time no see?..." Noname thought. ".... I don't even know you! ^'
The anonymous pirate sensed Noname's confusion and added...
"It seems you have forgotten so soon about US!..... But I blame myself for not introducing myself the last time we met... "
'^we've met before?... Just who is this man?! ^'
Captain Black Jack walked closer to Noname and stood beside him, and with a calm whisper in his deep voice, he declared— "They call me... CAPTAIN BLACK JACK ! "
. . . This dreaded name, coupled with his deep ominous voice was like a black lightning; it struck deeper apprehension into Noname's heart and made his blood run cold, for that name was a name to be feared, a haunting name that echoed through minds long after it was silenced.
'^What!... is it...… is it really him?
No wonder the Fear,...the Pressure,….. the strong smell of DEATH! So this is what it is like to be in the presence of a Grande Pirate…. Wait! What am I even saying! Captain Black Jack is not a Grande pirate, he is still a regular, but his flaw, his dark aura, the respect he commands without saying a word, that is what makes the majority of people, including me, share the ideology that he is a Grande pirate; after all, his ominous aura of darkness was the very reason the word 'Black' was added to his name. It is also known that he has his own cove and battalion.
I don't know what the link is, but could he be the one whose name is mentioned when people talk about an entity called 'The Burning Shadow' ?...
Nevertheless, the important question here is what does he want from me?! .....But even though that question is a crucial key in unlocking this box of mystery, I can wait patiently for an answer as long as I'm still alive. The question to which I want an answer right now is what relationship do we have exactly?!!^'
While Noname was lost in his thoughts, Captain Black Jack had made a revolution around Noname, and then, as if he could read Noname's mind, he brought out a small stone-carved dagger from the pocket of his coat. "Let me remind you!" He said, as he positioned the dagger in front of the eye hidden behind his eyepatch.. . .
. . . This gesture, as off as it may seem, was like a key turning in a lock, unlocking a floodgate of an essential memory that Captain Noname had thought was long buried. Suddenly, a recollection burst out from the depths of Noname's mind, a memory that was both significant and almost forgotten. He remembered the same dagger, the same stone-carved blade, being used by his own hand....
.....to riddle Captain Black Jack's left eye!
At that moment, Captain Noname was breathless; the whole phenomenon was like a hammer being slammed on his head as he felt the weight of his past actions bearing down on him; the consequences of his own violence and aggression coming back to haunt him.
As the memory kept on restructuring itself, Captain Noname's heart started pounding in fear of sudden death, surely, it was only certain that his time had come, but still, all he could do was stare at the dagger, then at Captain Black Jack's eyepatch, and then at the dagger again!
/// --- ///
Out on deck, Santiago, with his ever-extraordinary eyesight, was searching for any anomaly, the weather itself was one, but being seen as a work of nature, it was quite ignorable. Jack, on the other hand, was resting on the floor, close to the wheel; his eyes were shut, but he wasn't asleep.
In the midst of the scene, Henry came out from beneath the deck, he looked up at Santiago and then gave a stern look around.
Henry's facial expression clearly showed that he knew something wasn't right, and this was not the first time he was experiencing such a bizarre condition of the atmosphere. With a sense of purpose, he started walking around the ship, staying close to the gunwale as he searched every direction out of the ship until he reached where Jack was resting. He then stopped and tried looking far into the distance, but all he could see was a calm horizon, blurred out by the fog as it grew thicker.
"Looking for something Henry?" Jack asked in concern.
"More like someone!" Henry replied.
Henry then called out to Santiago to toss him the spyglass, which he then used to survey the area with greater precision, but despite his best efforts, he could see nothing out of the ordinary. The sea remained calm, but Henry's intuition refused to be silenced.
"I can feel the presence... " he muttered to himself. "...but I can see nothing... something isn't right ! "
Henry had a growing conviction that they were not alone, that someone, whose presence was undeniable, was close by, or at the very worst... WITHIN !