As the merchant ship was attacked by the pirates, it sustained some damage. Though nothing severe, it was also a bad idea to ignore them. Quickly, the two newly recruited carpenters were asked to fix the ship.

Once Owen was gone, Marvin could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Wiping away the sweat on his forehead, he said, “That was so close. It’s so scary. I really thought that they would have forced me on that small boat. I don’t wish to die there. Luckily, the two of us get to remain on board. On the bright side, though we are now part of a pirate ship, we can at least get to live to see tomorrow.”

“You looked really nervous on the deck just now. Why? Worried that I might replace you?”

“Huh? No. No. No. I was worried that they might hurt you. All of them are merciless monsters who would kill in a blink! I have to applaud your bravery just now. I don’t even dare to look ’em in the eye when I talk.”

“Marvin, I’m really curious. What would you have done if I replaced you just now? Will you tell them everything that happened in the galley?”

“What?! How is that even possible? You saved my life. I will never betray you, no matter what!”

“Good. That’s what I want to hear because I can assure you that if you tell them what really happened there, that won’t be a responsibility you can just shake off like that”

Marvin faked a smile, seeming like he did not believe a single thing Thorson told him.

“Do you know why I stabbed the pirate three times with that small potato knife after I killed him?”

“You… you!”

Marvin finally displayed a different reaction this time. Earlier, he could not figure out why Thorson would keep stabbing a dead horse. Right now, he had finally figured out the intention behind his ‘pointless move.’

“It is challenging to wound somebody from their front and back at the same time. However, this double injury could easily be achieved if a second person attacked as well. If you are going to betray me, you can go ahead and tell your story while I tell them my version of the story as well. In the end, the corpse will decide whose story is more believable.”

As they were talking, they suddenly heard somebody shouting.

“Victor! Victor! Where the fuck are you? You ain’t getting your loot if you don’t come out right now!”

A few pirates were in the corridor and were trying to look for Victor. Thorson quickly stood up and fixed his gaze on Marvin.

“It’s getting late. I should be off to claim my gun right now, and you should go and cook. We’ll deal with the body when everyone is asleep tonight. All we need to do is to toss the barrel into the sea, and that’ll be the end of our troubles.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

After putting Marvin’s mind to ease, Thorson looked for Dufresne, the one in charge of the armoury. Upon meeting him, he received a gun and a dagger with a crack on it. He had been entrusted to a new mission even before he could examine the weapons he just got.

And this critical mission was to…

Clean the deck.

On regular days like these, pirates were not very different from ordinary sailors. Frankly, most pirates on this ship had been, in fact, regular sailors before they became what they were. Some of them could not stand their ex-captains, whereas some wanted to go on an adventure. Of course, all some wanted was to get rich fast. Everyone had their own reasons for why they chose the pirate’s life.

Naturally, nobody in their right mind loved to stay in filthy places. Even the sloppy and messy pirates were no exception, and this had nothing to do with the love for cleanliness. There were simply too many things on the high seas that could kill a man. A pleasant and clean environment would surely help to improve morale on board. Besides, a clean ship would surely lower the risk of contracting diseases.

That was why the pirates would clean the ship thoroughly from time to time. This was especially true after a raid, where blood and bodies were everywhere. Thorson and the other five pirates spent a good two hours scrubbing down the deck to make sure every drop of blood had been washed off.

Before sunset, Marvin managed to cook a good meal for everyone as well. The food was surprisingly delicious. It was at that time that Thorson knew Marvin had passed the test. They would allow him to stay on and cook for them.

The value of a ship’s cook was never to be underestimated. The long, endless days out at sea caused unbearable boredom to plague the men. When they were bored, they could cause unnecessary problems. An excellent cook could usually soothe the angsty pirates by feeding them delicious food. Often, nobody would complain when the cook received the same reward as cannoneer even though they did not contribute to any battle.

Soon, nightfall. The captain and helmsman returned to the Sea Lion with two-thirds of the pirates. The remaining ones had been asked to stay on the merchant ship under the command of Owen. In other words, Owen had become the temporary captain of this ship.

Almost all the pirates were feeling extremely excited tonight. It was a total victory. In comparison, they shed only a small amount of blood to take possession of the entire merchant ship. In total, there were three dead, and five pirates suffered light injuries.

This achievement had called for a grand celebration.

The place was alive with the roar of loud chatter. Glasses clinked, and bagpipes skirled. The name, Victor, arose amongst them, where most were saying that he had secretly returned to the Sea Lion during the battle.

Some even said that Victor still owed them money, and he might have fled the ship in fear. Everyone kept bursting into laughter at the mention of his name.

Suddenly, Owen entered the galley, causing the commotion to die down a little.

“The Sea Lion has just informed me that they have not seen Victor for some time. Who here saw him last?”

Every pirate looked at each other in bewilderment when Owen asked the question. Victor either had to be alive or killed in action. They had never heard of someone disappearing during a fight.

“Could he have fallen overboard?”

“Not possible. I made sure to check the surrounding waters before I hoisted the sails.”

“He is right. I saw him running to the lower decks. He was amongst the first to go down there. After that, I did not see him anymore.”

No one could give a straight answer. That was when Owen turned around to look at his new recruits. When he was still in the kitchen, he saw that there was nothing wrong with them. They behaved entirely differently from the pirates, but it was understandable since they were the victims.

“Alright! Who’s managing the booty this afternoon? Meet me in the captain’s quarters in five minutes,” said Owen.