There was a lump in Chloe's throat the size of a small barnacle.

"Rammy, how did it happen?!" she asked turning whiter than the belly of a whale.

"I don't know..." Ramone said softly. "The ruffians downstairs are truly ruffled by this!"

"Duh," Chloe said, trying to play it off. "Double duh. He's the king of the pirates!"

Ramone clutched at his pearls, and with his hooves that was a hard thing to do. "Who could possibly want him dead? He may have been chief hooligan, but he was suprisingly kind and courteous to us. He let us go after all!"

Chloe was silent, before Ramone prodded further. "My queen. Do you know anything about this?"

"NO!" Chloe interjected, balling up her fists.

"Gadzooks!" Ramone gasped. "My queen did you wake up on the wrong side of the sea bed?!"

Chloe, with her utter confidence and bravado, turned a shade of beat red. As her face heated up, she realized that blushing was a truly rare occurrence for herself. "Eep! I'm sorry, Rammy," she said, trying to minimize her raspy snarl. "We were just so close to having an ally."

"Were we?" Ramone asked. "He only had us here, my queen, to find Chief Inspector Valcom!"

"That's it!" Chloe exclaimed, her eyes bright. "Big anchor arms lady killed him! It was with an anchor in the tavern late at night!"

Ramone raised his bushy eyebrows. "This isn't a game of Hint, my queen! And besides, how did you know it was in the tavern?"

Chloe nearly recoiled at the accusation. "Err ah...that's usually where all the fights go down. In the bar! And this is the scurviest, surliest bar after all!"

"Excellent point, Queen Annabell!" Ramone applauded her. "That point is very on point, as you always are."

For a moment, the room was as silent as the sunrise. "Rosemary!" Chloe said inside her mind. "Explain yourself please. What the shell happened last night."

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There was no answer and it only made Chloe more agitated. "Let me see what happened. It's the least I can do as the Queen of the Mainland."

For the first time, the young queen made sure to act responsible over a crime she might have been responsible for.

Stepping out into the hallway, Chloe was greeted by Monica in hair curlers, Vinnie with a singular haircurler in his pompadour and Captain Abacab with several beard curlers rolled in his naturally curly beard. Laura and John Lion were also there, but aside from some mane curlers In John Lion's, Laura had none.

"Morning crew," Chloe said wearily and she narrowed her eyes. "Sunny. Why don't you have any curlers?!"

"I'm not old and moldy yet!" the young clown girl said.

She earned hostile glares from all her crewmates. "I mean ageing like sour grapes! Er...I mean smooth grapes! Uhh...Chloe help?!"

Chloe shoved her hand in her face. She wasn't the only one who wasn't careful with her words.

"Did you hear, senorita?" Monica asked. "The Pirate King, he is..."

Chloe looked down the stairs trying to make out the unfortunate scene in the tavern. "It wasn't" she exclaimed with a cracked red eye

All of her crewmates gaped at her in disbelief. "I mean, it wasn't me who heard that terrible news!"

"Righto toots," Vinnie exclaimed. "i figure its dat anchor arms babe! She is da pirate slayer after all!"

Chloe swallowed hard. She never knew she'd be depending on Chief Inspector Valcom for something. Even if that something was homicide.

Heading down stairs, Chloe found all of Big Joe's crew standing mournfully over a tarp. Everyone had sorrow in their eyes, except for Buckeye whose eyes were covered.

"My condolences mateys," Captain Abacab roared to them. "I've been in this rogue port many times over the years and I must say, Big Joe Rogers was the most dignified pirate ruler in all the four seas. No one could ever compare."

Chloe winced. Normally she would have protested against someone else being the greatest pirate ruler in the four great oceans, but this was a special case. If they found out, she'd need an attorney. Or a pirattorney.

"Who could have done such a thing?!" the orange haired Navi the Navigator cried. "Big Joe was the greatest man I knew. Even if I mostly knew a lot of bad men and him!"

Antonio Sabreheart wrapped his arm around the crying pirate lass. 'Do not worry, mi amor. Whoever did this was a lying, scheming pero of the sea!"

Vinnie's eyes nearly bugged out. ""Ey, why you lookin' at me, pal?"

Antonio chuckled. "You are the sketchiest hombre here. Even that chica with you looks at you with nothing but suspicion."

Vinnie turned to Monica who shaded auburn. "Really?!" he exclaimed. "Come on, Moni, I ain't dat sketchy!"

Buckeye gave a loud cough interupting the squabbling. Everyone turned to the fully blind pirate. He turned away from them. "Aye," he said with two patches over his eyes. "You lot don't realize who the culprit is, even though she's right in front of your face. Sometimes, only the blind can see what the seeing can't."

The blind pirate pointed vaguely in Chloe's direction. "The killer, is the young lassy in front of you. Miss Chloe Cutlass herself. Or should I say, queen of the pirates!"