CHAPTER 10 - FLASHBACK - ALGALUNGA: KING OF THE PIRATES
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The sudden wind had disrupted what had initially been a calm sea.
The wind blew fiercely from the east, much stronger than before, making it almost impossible to return in the opposite direction, forcing the crew to venture into the waters of Black Island. The waves rose with fury and anger, like giants of white water towering toward the sky and then crashing down into the water with a deafening roar. The sea at that moment was nothing but a palette of blue and gray, with splashes of white as the waves broke.
The wind howled through the ship's sails and lashed the crew's faces with saltwater. Kain stood up, clinging to a part of the ship.
«"Carpos... I’m not sure we’re going to make it back! Isn't it too late to turn back... We’re not that far away."»
Carpos turned, keeping his composure.
«"Stay calm and hang in there, it will settle down soon, I’m sure of it. How are the crates back there?"» he said, pointing towards Monomia and Seraniad, who were keeping an eye on the packages to prevent any accidents.
The ship rocked up and down, swaying like an unstable cradle, causing the crew to cling to anything to avoid slipping off the ship, making it almost impossible to be saved. The air was thick with tension and adrenaline as the crew worked frantically to keep the ship on course.
Monomia replied, sweat on his face.
«"Y-yes... they should be secure and glued to the floor of the ship, s-so don’t worry, captain!"»
«"C-captain... are you sure the sea will calm down?"» asked Seraniad, doubtful.
«"Seraniad, I’ve sailed in rough seas since I was ten years old, I’ve been on expeditions for eight years, I know the wind."»
«"V...Very well, captain."» Seraniad accepted Carpos’ statement, remaining with Monomia to maintain the stability of the cargo.
Dark clouds gathered above them, threatening, and the sky looked like a stormy sea, with the intermittent lightning illuminating the surrounding chaos. The turbulent sea was an unpredictable force, and the crew had to be alert at all times, ready to respond to any change in conditions.
Suddenly, as if by nothing, and as Carpos had predicted, the sea began to calm. Gradually, the sea started to settle down.
The waves, which had previously risen threateningly, began to lose their violence. Gradually, the deafening roar of the ocean transformed into a less menacing sound, a constant murmur that restored serenity. The clouds drifted away, making way for glimpses of blue sky.
The sunlight timidly reappeared, casting its rays on the now placid surface of the ocean. The ship stopped swaying so violently, and the wind began to decrease in intensity.
The sails, which had previously been dangerously swollen, now opened gracefully and calmly. The tension in the air slowly dissipated as the crew could finally relax a bit after the storm.
Carpos turned, smiling for a rare moment, raising his arm happily.
«"And what did I tell you?! I’m a senior sailor, I know these things unlike you!"»
«"Yeah, yeah, stop bragging, Carpos. You looked nervous too."» said Kain, who had once again seated himself on the floor of the ship after it had slowly calmed down.
«"But I said it from the start, you ugly fool! So it’s true that you have the intelligence of a sea creature, but are you sure you’ve evolved like us?"»
Kain stood up, full of fury. «"Repeat that, pescheria?!"»
Before the two could once again start a fight, they were interrupted by Seraniad.
«"Captain…"» Carpos turned towards Seraniad.
«"What is it?! I’m busy here!"» Seraniad continued, ignoring Carpos’ tone.
«"I think the wind wasn’t the only problem…"»
«"What do you mean—"» before Kain could finish his question, Monomia’s screams filled the air.
«"Pirates! Pirates are coming!"» The two forgot their quarrel, terrified, and approached Monomia and Seraniad, observing what they were looking at. To their surprise and misfortune, they were right.
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A large and majestic ship in the distance was approaching directly towards their ship. «"But where are they going?"» asked Seraniad. Kain turned towards him, furious once again.
«"Doesn't it seem obvious to you?! Towards us!"»
«"Crew, this is the last straw, turn back! Now!"» Carpos rushed to reverse course, but at that pace, the majestic ship had come so close that its shadow now covered the entire crew. A large dark wooden ship, its main mast had a logo on a flag, a diamond in two colors, red and black, with a circle showing menacing swords.
Suddenly, the ship stopped, and figures appeared from above the menacing pirate ship. A man of medium build and height, wearing a pirate hat with his crew’s logo, had piercing black eyes with spiky black hair and a long beard of the same color. A couple of pirates dove into the water, then surfaced and landed on the cargo ship, directly onto the cargo ship, and the crew was now trapped, with no chance of escape. Several sailors, with sharp swords pointed at the crew, descended from the ropes, restraining everyone and taking them hostage. Suddenly, the captain of the crew, still on his ship, began to speak.
«"A cargo ship, but didn’t they tell you the rules? Never pass through the waters of Black Island."» The crew dared not respond, leaving space for the mysterious pirate to continue.
«"My name is Captain Algalunga, the greatest Narwhal pirate who ever existed! And you dare to sail through my waters? Fools! Tell me, what is that cargo? Money, meat?"»
With that question, it was finally Carpos’ turn to speak.
«"It’s flowers."»
«"Flowers?!"» replied the captain, astonished.
«"Yes, flowers. We’re delivering flowers, it’s nothing special, I assure you."»
«"Liar! Crew, cut open the crates! I want to see what you’re hiding inside and if you’re lying to me!"» Suddenly, the pirates on the boat cut open one of the crates with a single slice, from which fell kilos and kilos of flowers piled together.
«"Huh?! Flowers? Cut another one!"»
Another crate was cut open, with the same result. After observing it with surprise and frustration, he turned back to the crew.
«"So you weren’t lying, huh? You’re honest, that’s noble, but I didn’t come here to go home empty-handed. If I can’t take the cargo and I can’t take that makeshift raft, then..."» The captain, with a threatening tone, pointed his finger directly at Kain, freezing him in place. More pirates dove in, appearing on the ship.
«"It means I’ll take the entire crew!"» he burst into laughter. The crew watched anxiously. Kain turned to Carpos. «"What do we do?! Let’s fight them!"»
«"Are you crazy?! Have you seen how many there are!?"»
The crew and the captain stared at each other for a few seconds, long seconds that felt like hours filled with agony. Then, Carpos stepped forward in front of the other crew members. All the pirates pointed their swords at him, but with a serious face, he looked at the pirate, responding to his threats.
«"Don’t take the boy."»
The crew turned towards him, Kain, scandalized, responded shouting. «"What?!"»
«"Repeat, boy. I didn’t hear you well."»
«"You can take us, we surrender, but leave the boy."» He pointed towards Monomia.
«"Surrender? You had no choice, idiot! Why should I leave the boy when I can add him to my crew, hmm?"»
Carpos, thinking quickly, found a way to convince Algalunga, pulling Monomia by the front of his shirt, bringing him to his position, directly in front of Algalunga’s view.
«"He will tell stories of his crew! Of their battles! Of his... Pirate honor!"»
Algalunga turned his attention back to the crew, which he had lost due to the security of having captured them. «"Continue."»
Monomia turned to Carpos, whispering, «"What are you doing?!"»
«"I’m saving you, just play along."»
«"I don’t want to leave, I don’t want to abandon you here! The captain never abandons the crew, but the crew never abandons the captain, those are the rules, right?"»
Carpos silenced him completely, looking him in the face. «"If you stay with him, we’ll never get home. If you go back home, you have a chance to save your captain and your crew. What do you think is the better choice?"»
«"So? Do you want to hurry up?"» Algalunga was growing impatient. «"Or shall I take you to the ship to talk to me?"»
«"I..."» Monomia didn’t know what to say, his mind torn over what to do, whether to abandon his crew in hope of finding and saving them, or to stay with them and live in slavery. Before he could say anything, Carpos spoke for him.
«"We’ve decided. The boy will return and, as a messenger, will spread his wise figure to the entire people! Everyone will know the legend of the great Algalunga."»
Monomia turned, almost furious that words he had never said were used as if he had said them himself.
«"Hmm..."» Algalunga smiled, stroking his beard and murmuring to himself. «"Hmm... Yes... The legend of Captain Algalunga. It’s decided!"» he exclaimed, then continued. «"Let the boy go, if he survives the sea. And you, young man,"» he pointed at Monomia. «"Tell your comrades on the island about the great Algalunga! The pirate chief!"»
Kain, realizing that Monomia would stay, turned to Carpos, «"Captain... Did you sell us to the pirates?!"»
«Sell us?! Do you think I’m gaining anything here!? And you see how stupid you are?!!"»
«Rah... Calm down."» said Seraniad, who had remained silent all this time, in an attempt to calm his companions. Monomia had nothing more to say.
Algalunga burst into laughter, «"Hahahaha! I’ll have a world of fun with these guys. Now, take them to the ship, and I’ll make you work to repay me for the effort of reaching your useless ship."»
Carpos turned to Monomia, «"Captain, how could you do this to me?! I will never leave my comrades in the hands of a pirate!"»
After a long sigh, and after realizing he wouldn’t be able to convince him otherwise, he took action. With a strike, but not too severe, he hit Monomia in the throat, giving him a sense of choking and preventing him from coming, causing him to fall to the ground. Before leaving for the ship, he gave him a final order.
«"Return safely to the island, understood? And when you get back, I trust you’ll find a way to save us. Forgive me for having to do this, but it was the only way."»