Restlessness pervaded the Danton Pirates' ship. With supplies dwindling, water and food had been strictly rationed. Ironically, these men sailing across the vast ocean now seemed as though they were stranded in a desert—parched lips, haggard faces, and depleted spirits.
Perhaps due to this dire situation, the normally short-tempered pirates lacked the energy to quarrel or fight. Simply operating the heavy sails and ropes each day drained what little strength they had remaining.
William's group was no exception.
Supplies were a pressing concern for everyone aboard, which was precisely why he hadn't chosen to leave immediately.
The small boat wasn't designed for extended voyages and couldn't carry substantial provisions. To avoid alerting other pirates, William and his companions could bring even fewer supplies. Without a clear destination—somewhere they could dock and restock—setting out into the vast, uncharted sea on an under-provisioned vessel would be tantamount to suicide.
Moreover, vital navigation tools like logs detailing sea routes and island locations typically remained in the possession of the captain or other key personnel.
Since their last encounter with the Marines, William had noticed Captain Danton occasionally inspecting the small boat, ensuring its readiness as a potential escape route. William understood Danton's intentions and was surprised by the man's patience, having waited nearly two weeks without making a move.
That night, while keeping watch with Vallon and monitoring the small boat, William finally spotted the figures he had been anticipating—three large men quietly loading items onto the boat under cover of darkness.
Fatigue dulled William's reactions, taking him two seconds to snap back to alertness. He quickly nudged the half-asleep Vallon, instructing him to wake Agin and Aramis.
As Vallon hurried away, William cleared his throat softly and stepped from the shadows.
In the stillness of night, the sudden cough echoed like a spell of paralysis to the three busy figures. They froze mid-action before slowly turning to face William.
One of them, upon recognizing him, growled in a low, angry voice, "You again!"
Squinting in the dim light, William realized it was Bamond, the second mate with whom he'd had a previous altercation. Alongside Bamond stood Danton himself and the ship's navigator, Gore.
Bamond, infuriated by William's repeated interference, immediately reached for his sword, but Danton firmly gripped his shoulder, stopping him.
Danton studied William, who stood before the three of them with a faint smile and no trace of fear. He knew William had deduced their intentions and understood they couldn't afford to make a commotion. If they woke the other pirates, their escape plan would be ruined.
"William, what are you doing here?" Danton asked in a low voice, his hand still restraining Bamond. "It's not your turn to keep watch tonight."
"I noticed the captain hasn't assigned anyone to watch the ship these past few nights. I thought you might have forgotten, being preoccupied with so many concerns, so I took it upon myself to keep watch," William replied with a soft laugh. "It seems you didn't forget after all—you left it unguarded deliberately."
The situation was transparent. Apart from the hot-headed Bamond, both the cunning Danton and Gore had quickly realized that William had anticipated their plan all along and had been monitoring this spot specifically.
Gore, the navigator, sneered, "Who would've thought you were such a considerate person."
"Captain, planning to leave?" William asked, ignoring Gore's taunt. His smile widened as he heard faint footsteps approaching. "Why not take us with you?"
At that moment, Vallon's shiny bald head appeared from the corridor, followed closely by Agin and Aramis. Though their clothes were slightly disheveled, their hands gripped their weapons tightly. The four young pirates now stood against Danton's trio, creating a tense standoff.
Danton, the seasoned pirate captain, bore the weathered look of a man who had spent years braving the elements. His face was lined and rugged, his jaw and cheeks shadowed with stubble that hinted at constant shaving. His graying hair swayed messily in the sea breeze, giving him the appearance of an ordinary fisherman. The only feature that distinguished him was the cold, lifeless prosthetic eye in his right socket.
But at this moment, as Danton's one functioning eye locked onto William, its icy glare blurred the distinction between which eye was real and which was false.
The air grew heavy with silence as Danton seemed to weigh William's "proposal"—or more accurately, his threat.
Just as William braced himself, suspecting Danton might decide to attack, the captain finally spoke. "Fine. I'll take you with us."
"Captain?!" Bamond protested, his voice filled with disbelief.
"I make the decisions!" Danton snapped, shooting Bamond a glare. Lowering his voice so only his two companions could hear, he hissed through gritted teeth, "We'll deal with them once we're ashore."
Simultaneously, William leaned toward Agin, Aramis, and Vallon, whispering, "Wait for my signal before making any move."
The pirate ship had once possessed several small boats, but most had been destroyed during their recent skirmish with the Marines. Only two remained intact. Danton's original plan had been for his trio to take one boat and scuttle the other, leaving the rest of the crew with no means of escape and forcing them to serve as a distraction for the Marines.
Now, however, he had no choice but to abandon that plan. Instead, they split into two groups: Danton, Bamond, William, and Agin took one boat to cover the rear, while Gore, Aramis, and Vallon took the lead in the other.
Once aboard, they began rowing swiftly, gradually distancing themselves from the main ship. William scanned the boat and noticed that Danton and his men hadn't brought many provisions. "Captain, do we have enough food and water?" he asked.
Danton seemed amused that William still addressed him as "captain." Grinning widely, he replied, "Supplies were already running low. I couldn't bear to take too much and leave the others with nothing. The island we're heading to is less than two days away. We should have enough for the journey, but once we're there, I can't make any promises."
Agin scoffed at Danton's feigned benevolence, letting out a derisive snort.
Danton's lone eye shifted slightly as he turned to Agin, his expression one of mocking amusement. "What's the matter, young man? Struggling to accept reality? If I recall, you were a fisherman once. Then you must know the frustration of working tirelessly only to find your net too worn to repair. You must know the feeling of being strong enough to haul in the catch, yet powerless against tax collectors and bullies. Do you think every pirate sets sail for the sake of some empty promise about the Pirate King? Who knows if he wasn't just raving in his final moments!"
"We're despised pirates, hunted by the Marines, fighting among ourselves for scraps. The Marines call us rats and wild dogs, surviving in the cracks of society," Danton spat into the sea. "And those damn seagulls are right. I became a pirate simply to survive, and I'll tell you this—after surviving in those suffocating cracks for as many years as I have, you'll learn that humans can be far worse than rats or wild dogs. We'll do absolutely anything to survive. Leaving enough supplies for those back on the ship? That's already more mercy than they deserve."
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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