An explosion tore through the hull of the ship. He could feel the vibrations through his bed as he stared up at his mother. “Under attack…?” He asked. Is this a dream? He started to get up, but his body was sluggish after being woken up from his deep slumber. He could see fear in her eyes. Insistence. He rolled out of bed as she continued to tug on him, feeling the cool wood of The Jewel of the Saldaire beneath his bare feet. “What do you mean?”

She looked at him and then to the door. Fear visible. Another explosion tore through the ship and the vibrations were strong enough to knock him off his feet. He fell backwards onto the bed. The mattress, stuffed with feathers, absorbed the worst of the fall. His head thudded lightly against the wooden bulkhead of the cabin. He watched as his mother stumbled, her momentum carrying her wide of the bed.

She hit the bulkhead with a sickening thud. He clambered to his feet, his head throbbing from the blow and a knot forming on the back of his skull already. The muffled sound of another explosion made him wince and sent pain through his head. His mother didn’t rise. “Mom?” He asked. She was lying on her back.

He moved over to help her up. Maybe she’s just dazed. He leaned down next to her. He saw her eyes. Open. Sightless. “Mom?!” He shook her gently. She didn’t respond. What’s wrong with her? He touched a hand to her neck to feel for a pulse. Nothing. Her neck was twisted at an odd angle. His hand moved beneath her nose to feel for air. Nothing. Mom?! The thought of never seeing her again started to hit him. His eyes felt moist. It was hard to breathe.

He heard a loud thump outside. He straightened and looked towards the door. Under attack? I guess I should hide. He snuck beside the door as it begun to open. It swung inward. He hid behind it as he heard some particularly heavy steps. “Law? Law are you here?”

Sounds like Dad… He thought. He peered around the door and saw his father’s silhouette. He slid to the side of the door so that he wasn’t hidden by the wood. “Dad?” The shadow moved into the room and the door closed softly. His father stood there, tall and proud. His body was thick and strong like an oak tree. “What’s going on, Dad?”

His father was silent. He moved over to stand by his wife’s body. He crouched low and brought his fingers to the side of her neck, feeling for a pulse. His head and shoulders drooped. He hunched over her body, his strong arms surrounding her form as quiet sobs escaped his lips. His shoulders quivered.

After a few moments the man took a deep breath and seemed to steel himself. His fingers brushed over her sightless eyes, pulling her lids down. He lifted her body with ease and placed her on the bed. He leaned down to tenderly kiss her forehead and Law heard him speak, “Farewell, my love.”

He looked up and turned to face Lawson, lines running down his face where tears had escaped from his eyes and dove to the deck. “There are some very bad pirates attacking the ship and they’re preparing to board. We need to get you to safety. You’ll have to follow me, and whatever you do, stay close and low.”

Lawson moved close to his father and noticed something hanging at his waist. A belt with two holsters. A large knife was in one holster. The other held a large curved sword. His father didn’t seem bothered by the prospect of danger. His jaw was set, his eyes determined. His arms seemed tense as he opened the door. He seems different. Intense. The man stepped outside and motioned for his son to follow.

Law followed him outside. His dad was standing ahead of him, blocking his view of what was happening on deck but the sound of metal clashing on metal was echoing all around him. Gunshots thundered. It was chaos. Hell. There was black powder residue all over the deck. There was a black haze in the sky that reduced visibility, smoke filling the air and making it hard to breathe.

He heard the screams of combat around him. The sounds of battle. Of death. “It’s Captain Grimm! I can’t believe it’s him! Defend the ship! If we let them board, we’re done for!” Someone shouted from somewhere above. A few moments later a body thudded to the deck near Law, a thrown knife buried in the corpse’s neck.

He crouched down close behind his dad who was busy looking around the ship, as if trying to find something through the haze. Law turned his head to look at the vessel that had pulled alongside the Jewel of the Saldaire, the pirate ship was massive in comparison to the Jewel. Two gangplanks extended from the bigger vessel sloping down to lay on the bulwark, the small wall that surrounded the main deck of the smaller Jewel.

Men were rushing down from the pirate vessel with weapons high, trying to break through the crew of the Jewel that surrounded the gangplanks. He could just barely make out a flag flying high above the pirate’s ship, a black flag with a skull that had a tricorne on its head. The universal symbol for pirates.

Law’s dad turned and moved to the left, towards the port side and away from the pirates. They were closer to the back of the boat, the stern, than anything else. His dad hugged the bulkhead that made up the difference in height from the main deck to the quarter deck. When they reached the portside toe-rail, a low rail about waist high on Law, he began to move towards the bow, or front, of the ship. Law followed close behind. “What are we looking for?” He asked. The air was cleaner here. Clearer. He felt like he could breathe again.

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His dad never stopped moving as he answered, “I’m trying to find the captain. It seems like we might lose this battle. I want to know where we can hide you. Captain Grimm is a… Well, the man’s a monster. He’s a brutal pirate who is particularly notorious for what he does to children.” Law didn’t ask any more questions. He followed his dad to the bow of the ship where they ran into the captain.

The Captain of the Saldaire was standing on the bow of the ship with a brass spyglass in hand. He was sweeping iit back and forth to count the number of attacking pirates with a grim expression on his face. He wore a large red overcoat that was parted in the middle. He was of considerable girth but despite his belly, his arms were thick as tree trunks and suggested great strength. He had one hand resting comfortably on the pommel of a massive cutlass that hung low by his side.

Law had spoken with the man a few times. He seemed a good sort to the boy. Law had learned that Edward Rodgers had been the captain of the Jewel of the Saldaire for longer than Law had been alive. It was a good ship, with a good crew. A merchant ship.

They had to deal with pirates from time to time, so Law knew the crew was no stranger to fights but based on the screams he heard and the look on Captain Rodger’s face, this wasn’t a fight they were likely to win. His dad moved forward to speak with the Captain. Law only heard snippets until he got closer, when he heard his dad asking, “Where can I take my boy? Where do you keep items that you may want to… Ah… Avoid being prone to inspection?”

The man didn’t hesitate to respond, “It’s back the way you came. In the captain’s cabin, there’s a loose panel just to the left of my bed. Behind that panel, there’s a switch. If you press that switch, a small hatch will open up. That space exists between the decks. The mechanism is designed to reverse when the hatch is closed. If there’s anywhere your boy will be safe… That’s it.” The man reached down to his side and ripped his cutlass free from his belt. “Now, if you’ll excuse me… I have a ship to defend.”

“Good luck, Captain.” Law’s dad said. He’s just one man… Law thought. He looked down towards the main deck. The pirates were starting to make headway on the gangplanks. The corpses of crewmembers were starting to litter the main deck. They were doing the best they could - for every one member of the Jewel that fell, they took two pirates down with them. It isn’t enough. The captain rushed down to the main deck, screaming curses at the pirates as he joined the fray.

Law could see that there were many more pirates crowded and ready to come across the gangplank with their weapons out. Several of them had flintlock pistols or muskets that they were firing across the way. The sounds of screams filled the air. Law’s dad pulled his cutlass free from his belt and surveyed the main deck as they began to move along the railing towards the captain's cabin. Law stayed close behind.

A pirate jumped out of the smoke to land in front of the two of them. Law shrank back further behind his dad. We’re through. No way Dad can do anything. His dad didn’t hesitate at all. He surged forward with that massive cutlass of his held overhead. A scream of rage thundered out of the man as he brought the weapon down in a mighty chop. The pirate, a look of shock on his face, lifted his hatchet to try and block the strike.

To Law’s complete surprise his father cleaved the man’s hatchet in twain and his cutlass didn’t stop there. Law’s father cleaved through his torso like a hunk of meat, nearly cutting him in half. An odd sound escaped the pirate’s lips as the cutlass traveled through his body. A spray of blood burst from the man’s wound, gore and viscera visible in the laceration. Law turned to lean over the toe-rail and heaved, his stomach emptying itself over the side. He felt a hand on his back. Large, familiar. Comforting. “How did you d-?” The hand grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged him away from the side, cutting off his words.

“Law, we don’t have time for this. Come on.” His dad moved along the railing towards the captain’s cabin. No other pirates got in their way. When they reached the cabin, they did exactly as the captain had said. Pressing against the loose plank near the bed revealed the button. The button popped open the hatch. His Dad was just helping him get into the hidden compartment when the door was kicked open. A massive brute of a man filled the doorway. His muscles have muscles… The man was wielding two large hatchets. He banged the two weapons together and stepped forward, his steps loud and heavy in the small space. His presence filled the cabin. He seems strong. Law shrank down into the hatch. Looks like there’s enough room for two in here.

“Dad! Come get in here! No need to fight!” His dad shook his head and flicked his cutlass towards the wall. Law could see droplets of the previous pirate’s blood splash against the dark brown wood of the cabin.

“I never told you this but I was a soldier long before I was a merchant. I can’t run from this. He’ll just let Captain Grimm know you’re here.” He rushed forward and swung his cutlass at the monstrous man. The giant caught the strike on his hatchets and pressed forward, knocking his dad’s defenses off to the side. Law’s dad surged forward and buried his shoulder in the man’s stomach. He could be heard struggling to breathe as his breath was stolen away. The man crashed against the wall and slumped down, stunned. His dad stepped forward with his cutlass ready. He brought it across the man’s neck swiftly, separating his head from his neck in one quick motion.

The sight made Law feel sick again but he fought down the compulsion to start heaving. His dad turned to face him and gave him a thumbs up. “Don’t worry Son. Your dad is tougher than you think. I won’t let these guys take me out so easily. Now I want you to get in there. Everything is going to be alright.” He came over and kissed the top of Law’s head, then pressed down on him until his head was in the compartment. His dad locked eyes with him for a long moment. “I love you, son.”

“I love you Dad!” He answered back. His dad closed the hatch and darkness enveloped him.