Everyone turned to Chloe with incredulous looks on their faces. Even some of her crewmates looked shocked by the blind pirate's revelation. Was she truly a foul murderess excited to usurp the throne and become the new pirate queen?

Ramone, much to her relief, threw his hands forward in rejection. "And how exactly do you know Queen Annabelle did it?!"

Buckeye pointed to both of his eyepatches. "I saw it, matey. I was downstairs last night 'aving a glass of gin!"

Ramone's wispy eyebrows rose on his head. "I'm sorry, my good sir. You saw her? But how?"

Buckeye gave a callous snicker. "The way all blind people see. With my ears!"

"Ah, so you heard her!" Ramone said, causing Chloe to protest.

"Rammy," the young queen cried out. "Surely you don't believe this."

Buckeye gave a cackle. "Look at the high and mighty pirate queen now. Reduced to wimpering like the little girl she is. Yee attempt to usurp the throne, but cannot handle when you're found out!"

Big Joe's crew all looked at one another. Tears formed in Navi's eyes, causing Antonio to clutch her tight. They both bowed their heads in mourning. Gino Taur let out a gruesome growl and pounded his cuff linked hooves together. Buckeye nodded. "If I heard correctly, Gino Taur here wants to send ye to the gallows before noon. That way he can focus on his latest contour, Vengeance In Red!"

Chloe helplessly turned to her own crew. Immediately, Monica and Vinnie leapt to her defense.

"This chica here," the noble swordswoman said, "is the most honorable pirate princess in the sea!"

"What she said," Vinnie said with a grin. "Even if pirates and honorable are oxymorons, dis gal is one!"

Abacab ruffled his orange beard. "And anyways, mateys, what kind o' place is this that executes people without a fair trial!"

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Buckeye crossed his arms. "Perhaps a town of pirates?!"

"Arrjection!" A raspy voice cried from the door.

Everyone immediately turned their heads to the door. Chloe's mouth nearly dropped open when she saw who it was.

It was a big round pirate man in a lawyer's tuxedo. He sported a bushy beard and and a hat with a skull and legal papers insignia. Chloe immediately knew who it was.

"Legalbeard, the pirattorney?!" Chloe shouted.

"Ay the one and only!" the noble pirate lawyer grinned. "Yo ho ho and a bottle of good legal advice!"

Legalbeard had once helped Chloe's friend Elise and her crew of ragtag misfits when the minister had put Captain Jonas Archibell on trial. He didn't exactly set them free, but he fought a good fight when it came to the sinister legal string pulling of Minister Dingsworth.

"Arrrr," Abacab rasped. "Well I'll be a whale's blowhole ("eww," Monica muttered) if it's not my younger brother!!"

"What the shellfish?!" Chloe exclaimed. "Abacab, "you're related to Legalbeard?!"

"Well, they both look like generic pirates!" Laura smiled brightly. "I can see the family resemblance."

"Harsh, but true," Abacab remarked. "But I haven't seen him since he went to study Seagalities at Yarr! Perhaps he can help us, after all, he did object to your unfair sentence, Chloe!"

"Actually," Legalbeard said. "I was objecting to the closed sign on the Scoundrel Saloon. I need my morning rum!"

Abacab glared at him. "Though," Legalbeard answered. "I can help you with your Seagalities. What exactly is tha matter?!"

Chloe and her crew proceeded to fill the pirattorney in on what had transported and the body that was tarped on the floor. All the while, Legalbeard keenly ruffled his beard and did his best to take it all in. "And..." Legalbeard said at last. "You say, that there are no trials in this town o' rogues?!"

Buckeye gave a twisted grin. "Of course. We can decide our own justice with an eye for an eye. Why do you think we have so many eye patches?!"

"Arrjection!" Legalbeard shouted pointing his finger at Buckeye. "That is true, but is that what Big Joe Rogers the pirate king would have wanted?!"

All of Big Joe's Rogers comrades mouths gaped open. Legalbeard pulled out an enormous black book of laws from his pants. "Where'd that come from?" Chloe asked.

"Arr," Legalbeard said with a wry smile. "why do you think I have such a big booty! But anyway, even in the Underpass, Big Joe Rogers recently reinstated that all scallywags, scoundrels, spitoons, and scum will have a right to a free and fair trial."

Chloe blew an exhale of air. Even if she might have murdered the great Pirate King, he had still saved her from an imminent doom.

"In this case," Legalbeard said with a gold toothed smile. "I will be Queen Annabell Chine's pirattorney in this case!"

"Thanks," Chloe said. "You may look like a scurvy scoundrel, but you sure a respectable man of the law!"

"That, lassy, and I want to get this out of the way so I can get my rum! Now, let the trial of Queen Annabell V. The Crew of Big Joe Rogers commence!"