"What's your name now, offspring?", Eddy repeats his question as he leans forward slightly.

"Hitshiro.", he whispers softly. So softly that Edward can barely hear him and walks safely.

"Churro?" he wonders, "Isn't that something to eat?".

Hitshiro looks a little confused at the not-so-scary man before him.

Maybe pirates are a little stupid after all. Then again, maybe it's just these.

Even though he has already perceived, Hitshiro only now realizes that he is on a completely different ship. Hitshiro rubs his eyes and stares open-mouthed at the huge pirate ship he is on. The imposing ship rises majestically from the roaring waves, cutting the air. The mast behind Edward rises menacingly into the sky, its mighty canvas stretched taut in the wind. The flag at the top flutters wildly as it is emblazoned with sinister symbols - a skull with crossed bones, behind which a larger version of another skull hides, slightly grayish. The wood of the ship is dark and looks weathered. The ravages of time have left clear traces of countless adventures and battles. The planks are covered with scars and nicks, as if each mark had a story to tell. The ship exudes a gloomy atmosphere that makes Hitshiro's blood run cold.

Even though the cast on board had been focused on the boy until just now, the deck is now bustling with activity. Roughly dressed pirates in worn robes hurry back and forth, their eyes filled with an ominous glint. Their long hair flies in the wind, and their muscular bodies seem to be bursting with strength. With each step, the ship trembles slightly, as if it were a living creature.

As Hitshiro lets his gaze roam the deck, he discovers more details that underscore the terror of the pirate ship. Cannons with dangerous-looking barrels are strategically placed, ready to fire devastating projectiles at their enemies. Cages hang from the masts.

What are they going to do with them? You can't catch fish in them, the holes are much too big, they would just swim away.

The smell of gunpowder and burnt wood is heavy in the air. The sounds of the sea mix with the creaking of the ship and the muffled voices of the pirates.

Hitshiro slowly becomes more and more aware that he has been thrust into a completely new reality. His heart pounds loudly in his chest, and a mixture of fear and fascination flows through his body. He suspects that his life will never be the same again.

Hastily, Hitshiro himself rushes to the railing and leans over. A few meters below him, he looks out over the deep blue sea.

I wish I could swim. The water alone looks like there's a lot to discover! But you can't see an inch through it.

He leans further and further over the railing, not noticing how he loses his balance. But before anything can happen to him, he is already grabbed by the collar from behind. He feels his heart pulsing through his throat.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"You better watch out you don't fall in the water. We don't have a change of clothes for a little boy like you, do we? You don't want to stink up the ocean, do you?" says Edward, pulling him back in.

"How deep does it go down?" asks Hitshiro eagerly, as his grateful eyes turn away from Eddy again and toward the endless sea.

Edward begins to laugh.

"A curious sailor, huh?" he states, "I'd like to have the answer to that, too. But I haven't lived long enough to find it. You can hop overboard and take a look," he suggests to the boy. But the boy merely gives him a skeptical look.

"The others who looked haven't come back to give me an answer yet either. It must be so irresistibly beautiful down there that they don't want to come back."

Hitshiro, not yet able to really interpret the pirate's words, now imagines, being the creative yet at the same time naive boy that he is, majestic and sheer gigantic underwater constructions and strange creatures from unreality.

Irresistible? Are there maybe underwater castles down there? Deep sea kings or-

"Well, maybe they'll come back again sometime. Rather rude of you to keep the secrets of the deep from me, don't you think?", Edward asks the boy, who is still far too absorbed in his own stories.

"The boy reminds me a little of you when you were younger, Thatch," another female voice points out in a whisper behind Edward.

Hitshiro is so lost in his thoughts that he doesn't notice the conversation or even the woman.

Edward nods to the woman behind him. She is none other than Isabella Hands, Blackbeard's mate and formerly known by the title of "Siren Queen." Even though the group follows the dress style of a more or less typical pirate group, she stays true to elegance and wears a black, long robe. Her soft, dark green hair falls over her shoulders.

"Aye, I see what you mean, Belle." he agrees, turning to her, "He will be temporarily under our protection until we reach the neutral land!".

Hitshiro did catch these words now and joins in the conversation.

"So you'll take me all the way to Sangowa?" gloats the boy, who didn't expect to ever get off the ship again.

"Aye, but that will take time. Until then, you'll do a nice job of helping keep the boat clean and getting food, you hear me, boy?"

Hitshiro nods.

Even if I end up doing some boring cleaning stuff, at least I can learn new things. Maybe they'll talk about stories about the outside world, like Arvid used to. I guess it'll be worth it.

"And who knows, maybe Nyah will help you with that!" says Thatch, motioning toward the room from before. Slowly and quietly, he opens the door and looks cautiously at Nyah, who as usual is sitting in the corner a few feet away, engrossed.

"Did you hear me?" he whispers, "I don't mean to disturb you, but do you feel like cleaning the deck with the offspring later?".

"You did disturb me though!" she says as she calmly lowers her book and gives Thatch a deadly look. Offended, she turns away from him and out of nowhere the door slams in his face.

Hitshiro is a little confused as to why he's being so careful with her.

"I thought you were the captain of the ship. Why doesn't she listen to you or why are you afraid of her.", the boy wonders.

"Oh sometimes, you'll learn, you should just let a girl or a woman do her thing. Sometimes you should be afraid of her too. Depends on what she's like, but you usually learn that with time. Even if they are quite nice, they can also be exhausting!", Thatch explains with a proud smile on his face. However, this is quickly literally kicked out of him when Belle stomps on his foot with force.

"But you guys are better?" she counters with an amused smile. Thatch rubs his foot painfully on the floor and meekly admits:

"Okay, okay, guys can be exhausting too!"

Hitshiro watches the spectacle from the outside.

Actually, they are quite funny. I guess I'll be able to get by for the few days.

His gaze wanders from the suffering pirate on the floor to the door to Nyah's room.

Even though I shouldn't go into the crazy woman's room for the time being. I can still feel the blow from before.