Signs of Our Strange Pirate Crew
There had actually been precursors to our weird pirate crew.
For example, this.
'The Great Treasure?'
'Yeah, the Great Treasure.'
'Never heard of it in my life, schoo.'
When I asked my crewmates about the Great Treasure from the manga, they all tilted their heads like I was spouting nonsense.
At the time, I just let it slide. They'd been captured by slave traders since they were kids, so it made sense they wouldn't know.
But the real problem came next.
One day, Elise said this.
'Captain, how long are you gonna keep playing around like that?'
'What's that supposed to mean, you little shit?'
'No, but come on. Talking about magic and innate abilities and all that random crap. The crew's starting to not know how to react anymore.'
Turns out later, the others saw me as some ultimate concept nutjob too.
Sorry, but I've never once not been dead serious.
How the hell was I supposed to know this wasn't the Great Pirate Era but the Age of Sail?
"Hic... sob..."
That's when a piercing wail hit my eardrums, snapping me back to reality.
I came to my senses and saw our rofan heroine crying her eyes out.
Everyone else was the same. All of them looked terrified.
In their eyes, we probably didn't look much different from the kidnappers.
We were pirates, after all. Not the romantic ones from manga, but the kind who made tormenting the weak a daily routine.
But here's the thing.
No matter how much this world was some rofan story, I wasn't quitting being a pirate.
Of course not—who gives a fuck how they look at me?
I do what I want, no matter what anyone says.
That's the pirate I knew.
I stepped forward in front of them.
Just as I opened my mouth—
The heroine, who'd been crying seconds ago, jumped between me and the others.
She squeezed her eyes shut and spread her arms wide.
It just looked like cute antics, but she was trying to protect them in her own way.
Arhen, was it? Pretty gutsy girl.
I'd only heard the rofan plot secondhand from my sister, so I didn't know the details beyond the big events, but yeah—she felt like the protagonist.
Thud.
One step forward.
Her shoulders twitched.
"...I-I am Arhen. Princess of the Kingdom of Isthan... Arhen Isthan."
Whoa, bit her tongue there.
Her face turned beet red, so I pretended not to notice.
"P-Please... wouldn't you be satisfied with just me?"
Oh ho, heart-pounding development.
I nodded, urging her to keep going.
For some reason, Arhen misunderstood and tears welled up in her eyes.
"...I may not look it, but I'm a princess of a nation. If you return me safely to the Kingdom of Isthan, you'll get a massive reward. Isn't that a tempting offer...?"
I took another step forward.
Arhen spread her arms even wider.
"B-But! If you harm innocent people, I'll kill myself! I-I'm serious!"
With that, she pulled a dagger from her bosom and held it to her pale white neck.
Elise tilted her head beside me.
"What the hell's that girl saying? Treating you like some psycho."
"Let her be. It's fun, right?"
"Yeah, true."
"...?"
Arhen tilted her head, her face screaming she had no clue what was going on.
I could only shrug.
"I get you're trying to slit your throat, but if you're gonna do it, at least go somewhere the kids can't see."
At my words, the crew burst into roaring laughter.
"Hahaha! Captain, that's too much!"
"Let's just eat already! Stomachs are shrinking here, schoo!"
"Right you are, Captain. Shall I prep the meal?"
Elise, today's cook, rolled up her sleeves and asked.
I smirked and replied.
"Yeah, let's eat. I'm starving to death."
The crew cheered excitedly, bouncing in place.
"Light the lanterns! Sing some songs!"
"Feast time! Feast!"
"You there, stop gawking and get over here! Gotta eat to live, right?"
"Those bastards scarfed down a ton. Tonight's grub's gonna be luxurious! Everyone, move it!"
The crew sprang into organized action.
Arhen watched, staring blankly at me.
And then—
—Grrrrrrumble!
A massive growl echoed from Arhen's stomach.
She jumped in shock, clutching her belly and crouching down.
"Why don't you eat too?"
At my words, Arhen gave me a puzzled look.
What're you staring at like that?
Like the guys said, you've gotta eat to live.
I ignored Arhen's gaze fixed on me and turned away.
They say a pirate's two greatest loves are music and rum.
When lively tunes echo across the sea, golden rum sloshes like waves.
Glasses clinked everywhere, and soon some crewmates paired off to dance.
The prisoners, who at first didn't know what to do, were now adapting—shaking their shoulders awkwardly.
Laughter never stopped aboard the pirate ship.
How could anyone not love this scene? That's when a vibrant voice called from behind.
"Food's ready!"
Elise arrived with steaming pots, looking extra cheerful today.
No wonder—with the fresh scent of land meat wafting around for once.
Usually, it was rotten meat or rock-hard biscuits.
But today's ingredients? Fresh meat.
Man, this was the real deal. Not something you see every day.
Once Elise finished serving, she wiped sweat from her tiny hands.
"Phew, done! So, Captain, shall we start?"
Elise raised her glass. The crew followed suit, thrusting theirs skyward.
The prisoners gawked around in confusion.
"What're you all doing? Grab yours quick!"
Elise puffed her cheeks and yelled.
Only then did they start reaching out one by one.
Good, now as captain, time for my line...
"Feaaaaast!!!"
"Wooooooah!!!"
"Elise! Elise!"
Elise beat me to it.
I stood there awkwardly smacking my lips, and she poked my shoulder with a mischievous grin.
"Hehehe, I always wanted to try that."
Tch, can't be helped.
I drowned my sorrows in rum.
As the feast went on, the prisoners' awkward moves turned as rowdy as ours.
All but one.
Someone still hadn't blended into the vibe: Arhen, clutching the bow and puking her guts out.
Makes sense she couldn't adapt.
My sister said Arhen was a princess raised like a flower in a greenhouse—the classic head-in-the-clouds heroine type. No wonder.
Our eyes met.
Arhen's pupils trembled, but she didn't hiccup like before.
After a long staring contest, she fidgeted with her fingers and shook her head.
What the hell's she doing by herself?
"Captain Edward."
Whoa, startled me! That mug of his.
Jack, who somehow suited the captain role better than me, sat beside me.
"That girl's really okay, schoo?"
So that's what he wanted to say.
"Well, I know your style plenty by now. That's why I signed on this ship. But Captain, she's a bomb."
The Kingdom of Isthan was on another level from random islands.
It was a great power, one of the major kingdoms.
And its princess was in our hands.
Sure, technically we rescued her.
But would the higher-ups buy a pirate's word?
Probably spark a full-blown war.
Our crew would take massive losses—lives on the line.
So Jack was saying:
"Can we really just leave her be, schoo?"
Yeah, that was it.
I wondered why he looked so serious.
I took a sip from my glass.
"If I wasn't gonna leave her be, what then?"
"...Well."
"Jack, why did we start this pirate crew?"
"...For freedom, schoo."
Right—freedom.
To be the freest bastards on this sea. That's why we raised the pirate flag.
So don't say that, Jack. Killing innocents over something like that means we're not fit to chase freedom.
You know better than anyone how brutal it is to lose your freedom just 'cause you're weak.
No long speeches needed.
One line was enough for Jack.
"I want to let all of them live."
Jack fell silent for a moment.
I shrugged.
"Got a problem?"
"...Sigh, you win, schoo. Suits you perfect. I shouldn't have said nothin'."
What unnecessary words?
It was something to puff my chest out about.
He used to be such a punk, but now he was a man who thought of his crewmates.
I offered him my glass.
"Don't make that face. Your ugly mug's bad enough."
"Fuck off, that all, schoo?"
—Clink!
Our glasses met, and I felt like our minds synced.
Of course, it wasn't like I had no plan. I just hadn't told Jack 'cause he wouldn't get it.
'Just hand Arhen over to the male lead at some point.'
I told him inwardly. Seemed like the perfect solution no matter how I thought about it.