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Chapter Text

“Lieutenant Piastri!” A young recruit salutes him as he joins Oscar on the deck at the bow. Oscar stops scanning their dark surroundings to look at him.

“Permission to speak,” the Lieutenant tells the young man.

“Yes sir! There’s a storm fast approaching. The Captain advises you to go beneath deck.”

Oscar sighs internally. He hates it when people think his higher rank means he can’t help the crew in moments like these. He is perfectly able to raise sails and prepare for the upcoming weather.

“I appreciate the heads-up. Dismissed,” Oscar tells the recruit.

The recruit salutes once more with a “yes, sir!” before leaving to the lower deck.

Oscar huffs, adjusting his hat as he goes to the stairs as well. He would like a word with the Captain…

His leather boots make thumping noise on the staircase as he makes his way down.

He crosses the lower deck, watches as the seaman are instructed by one of his colleagues. Ropes are being tied down. Barrels and tools are being collected and stowed below deck.

Everyone clears the way for the Lieutenant as he walks through the chaos.

He makes his way up to the helm. A high ranking sailor who guards the stairs salutes him as he goes up.

The Captain sees him coming, looking down his nose at him. His and Oscar’s ranks are the same on this mission, but the older man keeps trying to claim authority over Oscar.

“Lieutenant Piastri… I see my advice was not appreciated…” Captain Oakes says with a slight sneer to his voice.

“Captain Oakes, I believe I’m quite capable of helping the crew,” Oscar tells him. He schools his face into a neutral expression, not showing his annoyance.

The Captain makes a disapproving noise. “What are you going to do, fight the sea with that sword of yours?”

Over the Captain’s shoulder, Oscar can see navigation Officer Ricciardo flinch.

“Really? You’re going that low?” the Lieutenant says, annoyance bleeding through.

“Admiral Webber was quite clear when he sent us on this mission. You do the fighting when we encounter pirates, I command the ship,” Captain Oakes tells him like he is a child, no apology found.

“I could HELP with the sailor duties. Plus, the merchant ship-” Oscar gets cut off by the captain. “The merchant ship is going to be fine. There’s no-one crazy enough to attack a ship during a storm.”

Officer Ricciardo is looking between them nervously.

“That’s not what I was going to say. I do not appreciate you trying to take authority. That is not what we agreed upon.” Oscar will make sure Admiral Webber hears about this. He is halfway through a two-month long voyage with this man, and not once has he heard the Lieutenant out.

It’s probably his young age, or some sort of jealousy that Mark Webber is his mentor. Some people think the only reason Oscar has his rank is because Mark took him under his wing.

They tend to forget about Oscar being a ruthless master of the blade, having honed and mastered the skill during his teenage years.

The voyage has been a quiet one. No pirates, and the recruits are too scared of him to have a sparring match. So he hasn’t been able to prove his skills.

It's annoying.

Annoying that he has to accept the Captain’s blatant disregard. Annoying that he can’t let his sword do the talking.

Daniel Ricciardo lucky saves him from accidentally murdering the captain.

“Lieutenant Piastri? Could I request your advice on something?” the navigator says.

Oscar glares at the captain before making his way to Daniel. Captain Oakes goes back to the ship’s wheel with a grumble.

“Thanks,” Oscar whispers to his favorite crew member on the ship. He and Daniel go way back, with Mark always appointing them to the same missions. The older Southerner is a tremendously great navigator, and packs a nasty right hook.

Plus, he’s a peacekeeper and a negotiator, calming down fights in the blink of an eye. Something Oscar would love to learn from him.

“No problem, Lieutenant.” He points to the map. “If we are still on course after the storm, I am expecting pirates to be lurking here or here.”

It’s a small group of islands. Uninhabited, which makes it a perfect spot for those barbarians to lay low.

“If they notice the merchant ship, they will likely approach around here, in shallow waters,” Daniel adds.

Oscar nods. “Which means it might actually be good if I get some rest now…” He hates letting Captain Oakes win, but if they are entering pirate infested seas later…

“If you can even sleep with the weather we’re expecting…” Daniel says morose.

The Lieutenant sighs. “I will make do. I could sleep on the bowsprit if I had to.”

“Please don’t. You will scare the new recruits…” Ricciardo tells him with a grimace.

Oscar huffs a laugh at the idea. He then pats Daniel on the back. “Take care, mate.”

“I will,” the navigator replies with a kind smile.

And with that the Lieutenant leaves the quarter deck and heads inside. He tries to keep calm as he thinks of the conversation he had with Captain Oakes.

Oscar sometimes curses the naval missions he gets sent on. He is just here to be a guard dog. They have to escort the high profile merchant ship from the Southern colonies back to the mainland. Two ships are less approachable than one.

And if a ship does approach them, it’s Oscar’s task to make sure they never see the light of day again.

It’s simple.

It’s a mission he has done before. And he has to agree with Mark, it’s a nice break from all the pirate hunting he has been doing in the South.

The Captain he has been matched with is a total asshole though… It doesn’t help that he is getting restless as well.

He takes his hat off and hangs it on the hook by the door of his cabin. His blue coat follows after he has unstrapped his sword belt. He pulls his boots off and tugs his ruffled overshirt over his head.

He lies down on his cot still wearing his undershirt and pants. He keeps his sword by his side, wanting to be ready in case of an attack. If his life at sea has taught him anything, he can never be too careful.

He forces his restless body to hunker down for a nap. It’s one of his special abilities: being able to sleep anywhere at any time.

---

Oscar jerks awake when the ship lurches. The screams he hears coming from the main deck immediately have him on high alert.

He jumps up only to almost fall over as the ship hurtles sideways.

He scrambles to put on his boots, then straps his sword belt around his middle. He opens the door while he yanks his coat from the hook he left it on. He pulls the coat on as he rushes to the main deck.

The door to the outside is ripped out of his hand when he pushes it open, slamming against the wall. The wind slaps him in the face with a ferocity.

This isn’t a simple storm…

He runs over the main deck, keeping clear of the ropes snapping in the wind.

“FIRE! THERE IS FIRE!”

Recruits are yelling over each other. Buckets are being hauled over the soaking wet deck. Oscar joins the fray, taking buckets from others and giving them to the next person in line.

He gets a glimpse of what’s happening. There is a fire coming from under the quarter deck, where the Captain’s cabin is situated.

How the fire is still burning with the amount of seawater that is splashing over the sides of the ship, the Lieutenant doesn’t know.

What he does know is that the fire needs to be put out if they want to survive.

But it looks big, and Oscar is starting to doubt they can possibly douse the flames. The storm is throwing the ship from side to side as well, making it hard to stay standing, especially for the recruits on their first voyage.

“Shit.” Oscar says.

Oscar leaves the line to run up the quarter deck, dodging the flames. He needs to find Captain Oakes and coordinate a plan, but he is not among the people he finds on the deck.

Daniel is at helm, holding the ship’s wheel, which is definitely not his job. The recruit who came to inform him earlier is there as well.

“Where is the Captain!” Oscar yells over the wind. Daniel shoots at him with a fearful look.

Daniel point to the merchant ship about a hundred meters away. “He took the life raft! Said he was going to put the boats side by side so we can jump over!”

Oscar pulls his own hair in frustration.

That dumbass! He left on his own?! Taking the only life raft?!

Oh, if Oscar gets his hands on him, he is so dead.

Lightning flashes through the sky. Officer Ricciardo curses as the ship lurches again. Oscar has to hold onto the balustrade, grabbing hold of the recruit who threatens to fall overboard.

“Daniel! We’re drifting into the path of the merchant ship!” Oscar exclaims.

“I can’t steer! The rudder doesn’t do anything!” Daniel yells back.

The connection between the wheel and the rudder has probably been broken off, destroyed by the fire at the stern.

The waves are pushing the two large ships towards each other. Oscar’s heart is beating in his throat.

With the fire lighting the sea, the Lieutenant can see the merchant ship’s bow. At the next flash of lightning, Oscar can see a dark mountain looming behind the merchant ship.

The Lieutenant swallows. They are doomed. If that wave catches the merchant ship it will for sure propel it into the Navy ship.

The other two people with him on the quarter deck have seen it too. Daniel and Oscar look each other in the eye.

The young recruit drops to his knees. “We’re going to die…”

Oscar can barely hear him over the wind. He crouches down to the young man and pats his shoulder. “Not yet, mate.” He tells the guy. Daniel follows them down to sit on the floorboards sullenly.

“Jack Doohan, my name is Jack Doohan,” the recruit says with a trembling voice. Oscar frowns. “Might as well tell someone here my name before I die…” Jack says with a grimace.

Oscar refuses to give up. It’s not in his nature to lay down and die. He has fought tooth and nail with the strongest pirates and criminals. He won’t surrender.

He looks around the ship.

“Would opening a sail get us out of the way?” he asks Daniel loudly.

The Officer perks up, tracks the unruly wind, and nods. “If it doesn’t rip apart.”

“Then let’s go! We still have a chance!”

The Lieutenant pulls the trembling recruit with him. Daniel follows him as they run down the staircase.

Flames are starting to lick at the walls on the main deck.

Oscar tries not to think of what that means. How low their chances at survival are.

They run to the front of the ship, where the smaller sails are located. The big ones will for sure be torn to shreds if they open them.

The three of them untie the ropes, holding onto them for dear life as they lower the sail.

But as Oscar looks back, he sees that they are too late. The enormous wave has crashed into the merchant ship and it’s on its unstoppable way to the burning stern of the navy ship.

That’s when Oscar remembers what the merchant ship is hauling. Spices and other exotic products, but most of all: gunpower. Loads of it.

His blood freezes.

He looks around the deck, at the many men risking their life, unaware of the danger that is hurtling towards them.

Oscar runs to the balustrade overlooking the main deck and screams: “OVERBOARD!!! JUMP OVERBOARD!!! IT WILL EXPLODE!!!”

Those who hear him look around in fear and start running to the sides. Oscar turns around as brave seaman jump into the dark waters below.

Jack look like he is on the verge of tears. The Lieutenant grabs hold of the younger man’s arm as he pushes Daniel to the side of the ship fueled by sheer adrenaline.

“WE NEED TO JUMP,” Oscar yells.

“SIR I CAN’T SWIM,” Jack cries. Daniel is already standing on the balustrade. They share a look, a silent farewell, and then they both jump, dragging Jack down with them.

Dropping down into the water disorientates him. He tries to stay calm to figure out which way is up or down. But the flailing limbs of the recruit make it hard to feel.

He lets out a tiny bit of breath, feeling the bubbles float over his nose and forehead. His head is up, he kicks his legs, cursing his heavy leather boots and coat.

He is about to break the surface, arm out of the water, when a powerful surge rips the air out of his lungs. The water is alight. And so so hot. He yells involuntary with the little air he has left as the explosion scorches his left arm.

He can barely keep himself from breathing in below the surface. Debris plunges into the water around them as he pushes himself upwards, still holding the jacket of the recruit in a vice grip.

He breaks the surface and takes in a desperate gulp of air. Through blurry vision he can see the bright flames light the night. He grabs hold of a close piece of wood with a curse, pain shooting through his arm. But he uses the momentum to pull the recruit above the surface.

Jack coughs and sputters and flails, kicking his legs frantically. Oscar pushes the piece of wood he has found into the young man’s arms, who grabs hold of it in such a tight hold the Lieutenant fears it might break.

Oscar finds another piece of wood, holding onto it as he kicks his boots off and takes off his water lodged coat.

“Daniel!” he yells with a hoarse throat as the coat sinks to the bottom of the sea.

A large wave rolls by underneath them. Oscar prays none of those crash over them.

“Danny! Please tell me you’re not dead!” the Lieutenant yells over the water as screams fill the night.

“I’m here!” He sounds rough, but alive.

Oscar kicks his legs, going into the direction of the voice. The plank keeps him afloat pretty well. He pushes a trembling Jack in the same direction. He told the recruit he’s not going to die yet. Oscar is trying his best to stay true to his words.

He spots Daniel, lit up by the light of the flames. The older southerner has found a large part of the wreckage. A big wooden piece that could almost act like a raft.

“Thank goodness…” Daniel says when he spots Oscar.

The Lieutenant hauls himself onto the makeshift raft with the last bit of strength he has. He pants as he tries to pull Jack on there as well. He grunts in pain when the recruit grabs hold of his left hand.

Daniel grasps the back of the recruits jacket and helps Oscar pull him on there.

With all three of them safely on the raft, Oscar can only lay down on his back and pant. He must lose consciousness for a second, because the next time he opens his eyes, the flames of the wreckage are further away than before.

When he catches his breath, he sits up gingerly, taking in their surroundings. They are surrounded by debris. Daniel leans over to a barrel floating nearly, tying it to the raft with the rope that is coiled around it.

Oscar doesn’t know where the older Southerner gets the energy.

A wave pushes them further away. The Lieutenant glances over the water, looking for a sign of life. But the blue uniforms floating close to the surface don’t show any movement.

Is everyone else dead?

How long will they survive?

Those two questions circle in his head as they silently watch the two ships sink lower and lower into the sea.

The sea becomes less tumultuous by the minute. When Oscar lays back down, the water pushes at his shoulders, but it doesn’t feel like he is about to be washed off the raft anymore.

Daniel keeps moving about on hands and knees. Oscar wishes he would stay put, but now that the adrenaline is leaving his body, he feels way too tired to complain about it.

His arm hurts. The pain throbs upwards from the back of his hand to his elbow. The seawater lapping at it doesn’t help.

He faints again. He fades in and out of consciousness until the sun starts peaking over the horizon.

He pulls himself up groggily, trying to mostly use his right arm. When he is sitting upright, he sees Jack and Daniel are out cold.

He takes a moment to look at his hurt arm. It’s burned, badly. The upper layer of skin is letting loose slightly. Blisters all over the top of his hand and arm. His usually fair skin is red and swollen, the hair scorched off.

It’s not bleeding. The blisters are still closed. Oscar hopes they will stay closed for as long as possible. Open wounds are a recipe for infection.

As the sun climbs higher into the sky, Oscar starts seeing small islands appear on the horizon. He hopes those weren’t the islands Daniel mentioned before everything went to shit, but with the way the Officer keeps looking at them as he cradles a badly bruised leg, Oscar fears the worst.

Around noon, Daniel finally opens the barrel. It’s smoked fish. Daniel has a little happy cry about their luck. Oscar laughs uncontrollably, which finally wakes Jack up.

The recruit isn’t hurt. But the lack of food and water and the intense adrenaline drop have made him woozy.

During the day, they float closer and closer to the islands. Oscar is starting to get thirsty. The Lieutenant is less worried about the pirates, and more worried about them reaching the islands and finding drinkable water before they dry out.

It's what makes them start paddling slowly. With a piece of wood at first. Then Oscar leans his lower body into the water and kicks his legs, making them go a bit faster.

It’s a lot of patience and hope, but they eventually wash ashore the closest island. It’s late in the afternoon. Oscar is happy that it’s summer in the North Atlantic ocean. It means the days are longer and the water warmer.

Jack and he push the raft further up the beach. Daniel limps around in the sand, trying to see if anything useful has floated to the shore with them.

Oscar is thinking about where to find drinking water when he hears voices.

A group of men round the corner, and Oscar knows immediately: pirates…

His hand goes to his sword, but his fingers wrap around nothing.

He looks down in surprise, only to see his sword belt is gone.

His sword probably lies at the bottom of the ocean…

Yells sound over the beach. Daniel scrambles towards the forest. Oscar bolts after him, only to stop in his tracks when the Officer’s hurt leg gives out under him. Oscar almost falls over his crewmate, barely able to keep himself standing.

Though, when he frantically looks back at the fast approaching pirates, he sees that Jack is still standing where he left him.

Oscar grabs Daniel by his shoulder and tries to pull him up as he screams at Jack to run.

But it’s all hopeless…

Jack is frozen in fear with his feet in the water. Daniel can’t get his leg under him and Oscar doesn’t have the strength anymore to pull him up.

They are surrounded within seconds.

“Finally! Some live ones!” one of the pirates says happily.

One of the men grabs Jack. Oscar has only known the recruit for hours, but they have been through life and death together.

“Don’t hurt him. He’s just a recruit,” the Lieutenant says as he raises his hands. Daniel does the same next to him, still on his knees in the sand.

A blond pirate points his sword at him. Oscar has to force himself to keep still. He knows how to disarm a man and steal a sword. But Jack is being tied up with a gun against his temple. Attacking the man in front of him would spell certain death for the poor recruit.

Not that Oscar would win the fight… There’s five of them. Four men, one woman. All of them armed to the teeth.

Daniel is pulled to his feet by two men. One of them ties the Officer’s arms as the blond pirate keeps his sword pointed at Oscar.

The Lieutenant hopes the pirate doesn’t recognize him.

“Arms behind your back,” a man with a French accent says behind him. Everything in Oscar says to fight and kill, to run away and lick his wounds. But running away seems pointless, and will result in his crewmates’ deaths.

He lowers his arms behind his back. When a coarse rope winds around the injuries on his left arm, he gags at the intense pain. He is so disoriented by it that he doesn’t fight his captors as they start walking.

He tries to breathe through the pain. It feels so much worse than all the cuts he has gathered over the years. He blames it on the exhaustion and the lack of water.

“What do you want from us?” Daniel asks while he is being carried over the beach.

The blond man, seemingly in charge of the rest, hums. “I like to let the Captain decide.”

The man with the French accent adds to what the blond has said. “He always has fun ideas. Very entertaining.”

It sends Jack into a panic. The poor recruit starts begging for mercy.

“Charles!” another man with a French accent reprimands the other.

Oscar doesn’t understand what the pirates are doing. They should have been killed already. It’s what pirates usually do.

When they round the corner, fear strikes him deeply. Because he recognizes the flag waving proudly above the pirate ship.

A partial solar eclipse. Bright orange.

Mark has drawn the emblem for him many times.

“Oscar, if you ever see a ship wearing this flag, leave the area as quickly as possible. Do not engage. Do not get close to it. Do not think you can win that fight.”

The ship before him is the McLaren.

And it’s the Captain that rules it that makes the vessel so incredibly dangerous.

Captain Lando Norris.

An ex-naval Officer gone rogue. He has killed his entire Naval crew in cold blood before taking over the ship. He’s a ruthless murderer who hunts people for sport.

And he succeeds in his hunts every single time.

“That man is a horrifyingly accurate sharpshooter. His aim is so true, he can shoot you in the eye before you even get close enough to board his ship,” Mark told him.

The Admiral has warned him so many times. “If you encounter him, pray you live to see the next day.”

Oscar’s shoulders sag.

He’s a dead man walking.

The Lieutenant now wishes he had stolen the blond guys sword. Jack would have been dead, yes, but at least he wouldn’t have been tortured for fun.

His legs feel like lead as he thinks of the horror stories he has heard as a pirate hunter. Even fellow pirates fear the man.

Oscar slowly gives up. The fight leaves his body. He doesn’t fear a lot of people, but Captain Lando Norris absolutely terrifies him.

He doesn’t resist his captors as they get corralled into a rowboat. It’s only a short row to the McLaren.

The guy who Oscar has identified now as Charles jumps off the rowboat and onto the rope ladder dangling from the ship.

He disappears for a moment, and then ropes are thrown over the side of the ship and wooden beams come into view.

The members still on the rowboat connect the ropes to the little ship and with a whistle the rowboat is moving upwards.

Once level with the main deck, the pirates drag their prisoners onto the ship.

A hand pushes on his shoulder to make him sit down. But the sword master in him rears his head and he refuses to go to his knees.

Someone grabs his bad arm and kicks the back of his knees. He lands on his knees with a grunt.

“You’re going to get hurt if you don’t listen.”

It’s the blond guy from before. He doesn’t let go of Oscar burnt arm. The pain is intense, but the Lieutenant bites through it.

He keeps his head pointed downwards, praying no one recognizes him. He hides behind his hair as it falls over forehead. He glances to his left and sees that both Jack and Daniel are in the same position.

Leather boots thump on the staircase closest to them.

“Captain,” Oscar’s captor greets his superior.

Oscar can barely keep a flinch at bay. He doesn’t dare to look up.

“What do we have here? I thought you guys were looking for loot.” He doesn’t sound like the Lieutenant expected at all. He almost sounds energetic.

“Yes, and there’s a lot. But we’ve found some survivors as well,” the blond guy says.

A hum.

Boots thump on the main deck, the sound hollow. It shouldn’t be a scary, he has heard the sound many times before, but in this case, it raises Oscar’s neck hair.

The sound comes to a stop in front of the recruit.

“What do you think?” the other guy with the French accent says.

The Captain taps his foot. “Southern navy for sure…”

Oscar doesn’t dare to look at him.

“Tell me, what were you guys doing in European waters?” the Captain asks. He sounds awfully composed.

Jack is frozen in fear. Oscar doesn’t hear him say anything, his tongue probably tied.

“Come on mate, tell me.”

Oscar doesn’t want to watch the recruit be killed in front of him. Jack says nothing, probably because he can’t.

The Lieutenant decides to take over.

“We were escorting a merchant ship. It didn’t go so well, as you can see…” Oscar says. He keeps his head down, but in the corner of his eye he can see Daniel looking at him with fear.

The pirate Captain huffs a laugh.

“And why couldn’t you tell me that?” he says to Jack.

Daniel is the one to speak up now. “He’s a new recruit, sir. He doesn’t know much.”

A pause. “What’s your name, recruit?”

Oscar doesn’t understand why the Captain wants to know.

“Jack. Jack Doohan, sir,” the recruit is able to croak out with a trembling voice.

“Alright, Recruit Doohan. And what about you?” the boots thump closer and come to a stop in front of Daniel.

The navigator hesitates for a moment, before telling the truth. “Daniel Ricciardo… sir…”

“Huh, Daniel Ricciardo, that’s a pretty big name. You read maps and stuff, right? You’re pretty good at it from what I’ve heard,” the Captain says with a casual tone.

Oscar thinks the man might be slightly unhinged. He doesn’t understand why the man wants to know their names. Does it make the killing more fun?

He doesn’t get much time to think it over as leather boots come into his view.

They look freshly polished. Unconsciously, Oscar was expecting them to be caked with blood and mud. The clear difference throws him for a loop.

“And who are you?”

It doesn’t matter though, because the owner of the pristine boots is going to shoot him through the head when he finds out who he is.

He doesn’t know what to do. He feels completely out of his element. Like he is back to the moment he jumped off the ship hours prior.

“Hey. I’m talking to you.”

He is frozen in place. His heart beats so loud he thinks he can hear it.

“Come on mate.”

Oscar flinches when a large hand grabs his chin. Strong fingers tilt his face upwards.

The Lieutenant finds himself staring at Captain Lando Norris for the first, and probably last time, of his life.

The Captain’s eyes are the type of green the sea can be when the ship is about to hit a reef. Wild dark brown curls peek out from under his hat, while the hair on the sides of his head is cut short.

He looks way younger than Oscar imagined him to be. He has to be in his twenties. They might even be around the same age.

He watches as the Captain’s eyes roam his face. He can see the moment the recognition hits.

An amazed smile forms on the young Captain’s face.

“No. Fucking. Way.”

He’s dead.

Cold sweat breaks out over Oscar’s back as the Captain moves his head from side to side.

“I’ve seen your face on so many posters…” Captain Norris mumbles.

He tilts his head in interest. “Oscar Piastri. Devil of the South. Ruthless pirate hunter who kills with a stone-cold face.”

The hand on Oscar’s arm squeezes even harder. “I fucking knew it…” the blond guy says, but the Lieutenant barely hears it, too focused on the mad smile in front of him.

“They say he will have his sword stabbed through your chest before you even realize it’s him.”

The Captain lets go off his face, crouching down in front of him.

“I’m surprised you’re alive, Max,” the man says as he rakes his eyes over the sword master’s body.

Oscar feels like an exotic frog, with that way the Captain examines him. Like he is a specimen that hasn’t been discovered yet.

The Lieutenant is confused by the Captain’s behavior.

“He hesitated when we caught the recruit,” the blond guy, Max, tells his superior.

The Captain hums in thought. And then shoves his fingers in Oscar’s face.

The Southerner flinches, pulling his head back. But the blond guy grabs his hair in a tight fist. “Don’t move,” he sneers.

Captain Norris huffs, annoyed. “Let go, Max…”

The man grumbles, but does as he is told. “Lando, if he bites your fingers off…”

As if the use of first name didn’t already baffle Oscar, the resulting pout on the Captain’s face scrambles the Lieutenants brain completely.

“I just want to check something,” the Captain says, sounding slightly disappointed.

Max sighs. Which makes the Captain resume what he was trying to do.

Oscar does not comprehend what’s going on, when a finger pushes at his upper lip. Stunned, he lets it happen.

The Captain leans in closer, inspecting the Southerner’s teeth.

For whatever reason…

“Huh, bunny teeth,” the Captain mumbles in thought softly.

The fingers leave Oscar’s face and his mind blanks as the Captain runs them through his hair instead, fixing the damage the blond guy has done.

Crazy. Insane. Terrifying. Like he is playing with his food. Oscar’s head goes in circles, never getting anywhere. The Captain does not stop patting his hair.

“You know, there’s a story going around that your teeth are as sharp as your sword. Like a shark,” Captain Norris tells him with a grin. “But that doesn’t seem to be true!”

The man stands back up, keeping his hand on Oscar’s head. The Lieutenant feels out of breath. He is confused, and tired, and probably trembling.

The hand on his hair runs through his hair from front to back before coming to rest on his neck. The Captain grips tightly, squeezing the muscles there. It makes a sharp and prickling feeling rush over Oscar’s spine.

Murmurs can be heard from the crowd that has formed on the deck.

“I like him. We’re keeping him,” the Captain says way too happily as he pats Oscar’s shoulder.

The Lieutenant barely feels it.

What on earth is going on.

He doesn’t understand.

His head hurts.

Nothing makes sense.

“Lando! Absolute not! He’s a killer!” Max says exasperated.

“So am I.”

“There are children on board.”

“I’m pretty sure he already knows that if he tries something, I will keelhaul the recruit and make him watch…”

Max huffs. He lets go of Oscar’s arms. “Fine! But if Ollie or Kimi get hurt…”

“I know…” the Captain says as he steps behind Oscar.

The sound of a knife being drawn sounds way too close for the Lieutenant’s comfort. He’s about to look over his shoulder when the pressure of the rope around his bad arm eases.

“Ugh… Burns are the worst…” Captain Norris mumbles.

Oscar tries not to shiver as the man carefully pries the rope away from the wound.

“Pierre!”

“Yes, sir?” it’s the other French guy.

“Take them to the infirmary, will you?” the Captain says to Pierre.

“Behave,” he tells Oscar, and then he leaves his side.

The Southerner takes his hands from his back, shaking them slightly to get the blood flowing again.

He gets up to his feet feeling delirious. Adrenaline rush, adrenaline crash. He is familiar with the cycle. And now that he is not dead, he gets to experience the latter as well.

Pierre is watching him like a hawk, hand on the gun on his hip.

“No funny moves,” the Frenchman says.

Oscar puts his hands up, showing him he surrenders. “Understood.” He doesn’t think his voice has ever sounded this unsteady before.

Pierre leads them into the belly of the ship. Oscar’s brain is numb. He doesn’t look around as much as he should, too lost in his mind.

He can’t wrap his head around what just happened. If Oscar was Captain Norris, he would have killed the sword master the moment he recognized him.

But instead the Captain pat his head and cut him loose?

It doesn’t make sense.

What the hell does the man want from him?

They reach the infirmary, and Pierre tells them to take a seat on a bench. One of the guys who helped carry Daniel is apparently one of the surgeons on the ship.

A new person joins their company. “What’s going on?”

The first surgeon speaks up. He points at Daniel. “This guy has a twisted leg, maybe broken.” He points to the Lieutenant next. “That one has a nasty burn on his arm.” He points at Jack. “And the last one is about to vomit… I think…”

A bucket is thrusted in Jack’s direction, who frantically takes it and hacks into it. Nothing comes out, but Oscar still cringes at the sound.

“Jon… Can I have some context?” the new person says with a frown.

“They are from the navy. Probably the only survivors from the wreckage we saw last night,” Jon says.

He then points at the Lieutenant. “That’s apparently pirate hunter Oscar Piastri.”’

The Lieutenant grimaces.

“You’re kidding…”

“I wish I was, Kim… And Lando has claimed him, so we’re not allowed to let him die.”

Kim throws his hands in the air. “Of course he did! That fucking maniac!”

Oscar is taken aback. In the navy, the use of the first name of a superior will result in a whipping. Calling the Captain a maniac will result in being keelhauled if they find out.

And yet these men show no fear as they banter about how annoying their Captain’s weird behavior can be sometimes.

Oscar just watches and listens. He shares a look with Daniel, who looks as confused as he feels.

Then the surgeons get to work. Jack is given some sort of drink, and gets told to lie down on one of the beds. Oscar doubts the recruits survival instinct when the man downs the stuff without even asking what’s in it.

Jon helps Daniel with his foot, while Kim directs Oscar to the other side of the infirmary. The Lieutenant follows him and does what he is told quietly. He thinks that might be the right course of action for now.

“Not a man of words, are you? Prefer to let your sword do the talking?” Kim says as he sits down on a stool in front of him.

Oscar stays quiet for a moment, wondering if the man is really looking for a reply. The stare he is getting tells him he should. “I don’t know what to say. I was expecting to be dead by now,” the Lieutenant tells him.

Kim grabs hold of his burnt arm. “Well aren’t you lucky,” he says as he inspects the wounds.

Oscar doesn’t pull away, even though he wants to. “Not sure if it’s luck yet…” he mumbles deadpan.

Kim chuckles. “The Captain scares you, doesn’t he?”

The Lieutenant huffs.

There’s a grin on the surgeons face. “That’s good. Healthy even. Lando can and will kill you if you even try to hurt someone.”

Oscar is getting slightly annoyed… “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just want to leave. Preferably with my crewmates,” he says.

“And where were you planning on going? The mainland is days away,” Kim says as he leaves Oscar’s space.

He comes back with a bucket of water and a cube that seems to be soap.

The surgeon wets the cloth and rubs the soap cube over it. He looks Oscar in the eye. “This might hurt. Please don’t punch me.”

The Lieutenant blinks, wondering why the surgeon doesn’t just tie him up or knock him out. That would be a better way to protect himself, instead of asking politely.

Kim goes to rub at the burns and Oscar flinches. It hurts. A lot. He tries to keep still, but when the surgeon reaches the now open blisters with his cloth Oscar curses and pulls his arm out of Kim’s hand.

Holding his arm against his chest, he tries to catch his breath. Fuck, that was horrible. And he has had his fair share of injuries.

Kim is holding his arms in front of his head, hiding behind them in case Oscar decides to swing.

“Sorry,” the Lieutenant croaks out, feeling guilty for scaring him. He carefully holds his arm back out to the surgeon. His leg starts bouncing as he mentally prepares for the returning pain.

Kim lowers his arms. The surgeon looks at him. He gingerly takes hold of the Lieutenants arm again. “It’s alright.” He points to the part with the open blisters. “This part will be the worst, but it needs to be cleaned to avoid infection.”

Oscar nods, which encourages the surgeon to keep going. He curls in on himself when the pain returns. He bites at the knuckles of his free hand as he tries not pull his arm away again.

“I’ve had people faint for less…” Kim says offhandedly as he wipes the cloth over the burn again. “Need something to bite on?”

Oscar shakes his head. He can sit through this. He presses his eyes shut and hopes it’s over soon.

Kim makes quick work of it. When he is done, Oscar feels completely drained. The surgeon stands up and walks to the other side of the room.

“Pierre, can you ask Yuki to bring them some food?” Kim asks the guy guarding the door.

“And leave you alone with the pirate killer? I think not…” the guard grumbles.

Kim sighs. “He’s not going anywhere… Plus Franco is here too.”

The other guard holds a thumbs up.

Pierre huffs, but does as he is told and leaves the room.

Kim comes back to Oscar with bandages and some green strips. “It’s aloe vera,” the surgeon says. “Has cooling and healing properties.”

The Southerner is taken aback that the man is explaining it to him. He’s a prisoner.

But Kim doesn’t seem to care. He tells Oscar more about the green plant he is scraping some sort of goo out of. The Lieutenant automatically nods to show he is listening when the surgeon looks at him.

The goo gets spread over Oscar’s arm and he almost sighs at the cooling feeling.

After the aloe vera, Kim winds the fresh bandages around his arm. “Alright. Try not to scratch and touch the area. And do NOT get the bandages wet. If they get wet, come back to me so I can put on clean ones immediately,” the surgeon tells him.

Oscar nods. Kim nods back, apparently happy enough with the Lieutenant’s silent reply.

“And I want to check on the wound every day. So you better come back tomorrow evening…” Kim says as he squints his eyes at the Lieutenant. He then stands up to go chat with Jon about something.

Oscar frowns. Come back? How is he supposed to do that when he’s stuck in the brig?

Pierre takes that moment to come back balancing three bowls on a plank. “Everyone still alive?” he says as he looks around the room.

“I held them all back,” Franco says from his spot on the floor.

Daniel laughs. The other surgeon seems to be done treating his foot.

Pierre rolls his eyes and then walks further into the room to give the three castaways their food. “You are lucky. Yuki had some left over from dinner.”

The Frenchman gives Daniel and Jack their portions, but when it comes to Oscar, he seems to hesitate for a second before holding out the bowl to him. The Lieutenant takes it carefully, trying not to slosh the broth over his fresh bandages.

He makes sure to thank the man. His earlier statement is true. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone; he just wants to leave.

But as he is eating the delicious broth, he can feel the anchor is being raised. He’s stuck for real now…

---

The three navy guys get to wash up after they finish their food. It’s so confusing to Oscar. Everything has been confusing and different than expected ever since they were brought onto the McLaren.

It becomes even more confusing, because they don’t get thrown in the brig. Jack is rooming with Franco, the guard with the curly hair from earlier, while Oscar and Daniel get to room together.

It does not make sense…

Or these pirates survival instincts are shit, or Oscar is missing out on some sort of greater plan.

Pierre leads them to their cabin. “We will wake you up for breakfast. The latrine is down the hallway. Don’t do anything stupid,” he sums up before leaving the room.

When the door closes behind the guard, Oscar and Daniel look at each other. The navigation Officer seems to be just as confused as him.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t believe you’re not dead,” the older man says.

Oscar huffs out a laugh, feeling insane. He sits down on one of the two beds. He is wearing clean clothes, which feels amazing after wearing seawater logged ones all day.

“I can’t believe it myself, mate… I’m have no idea what they want from us,” Oscar says as he rubs his uninjured hand over his face. He is so tired…

“I thought we were going to be thrown in the brig…”

“Me too…”

“I don’t understand…”

Oscar sighs. “Yeah… That’s what I’ve been repeating in my mind as well.”

“He didn’t even lock the door,” Daniel says in disbelieve as he sits down on the other bed. He looks at the Lieutenant on the other side of the small room. “Any ideas? Plans?”

“I wanted to escape, but I’m pretty sure that is impossible,” Oscar says. Daniel hums. “I don’t have my sword, we’re both injured, we’re in the middle of the ocean, and trying to take over the ship will result in our certain death,” the younger man keeps going.

“Ah, yeah… Captain Lando Norris is rumored to be a sharpshooter of legendary level,” Daniel says.

They also don’t know the skill level of the other crewmates. If they can use the Captain’s first name without being punished, it probably means the Captain respects them and treats them as equals.

The Captain himself is a big question mark in general…

Oscar looks at his neatly bandaged arm, lost in thought. The hand in his hair was soft, but the way the Captain squeezed his neck reminds Oscar of the way you assert dominance over an unruly guard dog.

He shivers as he remembers the moment.

Captain Lando Norris and his unpredictability scares him.

A lot.

And he is stuck on a boat with the man.

“I think we need to lay low and observe for a while. We have no idea what the Captain wants from us, and the crew has been treating us kindly. I think blending in and adapting to them will work in our favor right now,” Oscar says.

“Agreed,” the older man replies, pulling off the second-hand boots the pirates have given him. The Lieutenant smiles when the older man gingerly crawls under his blanket.

Sleep doesn’t sound bad at all right now. Oscar follows his example.

The moment his head hits the pillow he is out like a light.

---

Oscar is pulled from his deep slumber by someone yelling in the hallway. “Breakfast!”

The person walks through the hallway knocking on every door yelling the same thing.

The Lieutenant rubs his eyes and watches as Daniel jolts awake when the person reaches their door.

“Morning,” Oscar says. He gets a murmur back from the other side of the cabin.

He gets out of bed and gets dressed. His burnt arm feels weird. Stiff. It hurts less than yesterday, but he doesn’t have his full range of motion. When he turns his wrist to get his boot pulled on, a sharp stabbing pain shoots through it though…

When he and Daniel leave their cabin in search of the galley, where breakfast should be held, Pierre is waiting for them.

“Good morning. You two seem well rested,” the French pirate says.

“I was asleep the moment I lied down,” Daniel tells him.

Pierre nods and then looks at Oscar.

The Lieutenant had a great night sleep. He can’t remember the last time he got to sleep this well. “Same here.”

The Frenchman seems happy with their replies. He gestures to them to follow him and leads them to the common room. They walk slowly so Daniel can match their pace with his hurt leg.

When they enter the space, it’s pretty busy and the two castaways are noticed immediately. The room quiets down slightly, and heads turn towards them.

Being in the spotlight around so many pirates feels threatening and Oscar misses the comforting weight of his sword…

Kim, the surgeon that helped Oscar yesterday, waves them over. Jack is already sitting at his table, together with his new roommate.

Oscar tries to not look back at the stares he is getting from the rest of the pirates as he walks over to the table with Daniel in tow.

Pierre lets them walk off, going towards the kitchen himself.

“How’s the arm?” Kim asks Oscar the moment he sits down. The Lieutenant is surprised by Kim’s continuing friendliness.

“It’s feeling better than yesterday. Thank you for your help,” Oscar tells the man genuinely.

Kim is about to say something else, but the other surgeon joins them, distracting him.

Oscar takes the moment to give Jack a once over. He looks way calmer than yesterday and is even quietly chatting with the guard he has had to room with.

The Lieutenant catches his attention. “How did you sleep, Jack?”

“I slept very well. What about you, sir?” the recruit replies.

“Please, the sir is not needed anymore,” Oscar says before replying. “I slept like a baby… Definitely needed it…”

Daniel chuckles and puts a hand up. “Yeah, same here.”

“Sleep is the best medicine,” the surgeon who joined them says, butting in. If Oscar remembers correctly, his name is Jon. “So make sure to get as much rest as you can the next couple of days.”

Oscar hates lazing around, but there is no mission. He has nothing to do but wait and rest. He wonders how much time he will get to think in circles before he goes insane.

A man from East Asian descent exits the kitchen with Pierre and a blond lady in tow. They are holding planks, makeshift trays, with bowls. They start dishing them out to everyone.

It’s oatmeal, with raisins and some orange-yellow looking fruit. Oscar is starting to wonder how much food they have stocked up on the ship.

“Aw, mango, nice!” Franco, Jack’s new roommate, says happily.

“Yeah, Alonso said they were among the things we’ve found on the island yesterday,” Jon says.

“Yuki probably thought we should eat them sooner than later,” Kim adds.

Franco hums, contently shoveling the food in his mouth. Pierre joins them with his own bowl of food. “I’m back. Yuki, wouldn’t shut up about the mango.”

“I wouldn’t shut up about it either if I was him,” Franco says.

“Who is Yuki?” Jack asks kindly.

“Oh, right. Yuki is the cook,” Franco explains.

Pierre speaks up after finishing his bite of oatmeal. “He looks small and friendly, but I promise you he will bite your ankles if you even look at him funny.”

“Hah, Pierre is speaking from experience,” Kim says with a laugh.

The Frenchman sighs.

“Anyone else we should stay away from if we want to keep our limbs intact?” Daniel asks the group.

It's smart, Oscar thinks. Having information about the crew members will definitely help them.

It starts a conversation with lots of pointing and rambling.

“Alonso, that man with the beard over there, is the one who keeps stock of everything on the ship. We have to show him what we bring on board and what we sell or use. He’s the oldest one on the ship. He will haunt you if you try to grab anything from the hull without his permission,” Pierre explains.

“Stephanie and Charlotte come in a pair,” Jon says as he points to the only two women on the ship. “Stephanie, the brunette, is one of our fiercest fighters. She helps with sails and the rigging when we’re sailing, together with Charles who is above deck now. Her wife Charlotte, the blond one, is our craftswoman. She dishes out the chores, and repairs and crafts all sort of things.”

“Tom, Micheal, and Will are our carpenters, but they help with sailing tasks as well,” Kim adds to the conversation. How the conversation changed from warning them of certain crewmates to introducing them, Oscar doesn’t know. But he doesn’t mind. Any knowledge is good, and he has something to listen to as he eats his food.

“Ollie, the taller of the two teens, is Charles’ adopted son. We’re not sure how that happened… Kimi, the younger one, just appeared on our ship one day and won’t leave,” Franco tells them dryly.

As if summoned by them mentioning his name, the shorter teen walks to their table with the taller one in tow. “Kimi, what are you up to?” Jon asks with suspicion in his voice.

“He’s just curious,” Ollie says. Oscar thinks the taller teen is just as curious as his friend.

“What’s it like in the navy?” Kimi asks, sitting down on the only free chair. Pierre stands up to give Ollie his seat. The Frenchman throws one more look in Oscar’s direction, before leaving the table to join a different one.

Daniel doesn’t mind telling the kids about all sort of navy stuff. The voyages he has been on.

But Kimi seems more interested in Oscar and drags the Lieutenant into it.

“What about you, sir? You are a pirate hunter, right?” the young man asks him. “Kimi, please don’t bother him… Max said we should stay away from him…” Ollie tells his friend quietly.

Kimi looks confused. “I know, but he doesn’t look mean…” Ollie looks at Oscar and back to his friend.

Oscar can’t help but smile slightly at the goofy interaction. Kimi gives him a hopeful look. It’s sweet.

The Lieutenant decides to indulge him.

“Yes, I’m a pirate hunter. I get sent on missions to hunt down particular pirates. Usually ones that have a bounty on their head,” Oscar says.

“How do you hunt them? Won’t they see you coming?” Kimi asks, seeming happy that Oscar is talking.

The sword master hums. “Sometimes, I like to use merchant ships as bait. I travel with a ship that I know will cross paths with the pirate ship. The pirates attack the ship, I take out the Captain or pirate the navy asked me to.”

It's quite well-known information. It’s why pirates in the South are a bit more hesitant to board merchant ships.

He won’t tell any secrets, but he also wants to make them less fearful of him. It will be easier to plan an escape.

The rest of the group seems interested as well now. “How do you get back home after you’re done?” Franco asks.

“The merchant ship brings me to the first port we pass by. I get on the first Navy ship I find, and I travel back. Or to my next mission,” Oscar replies.

“Sometimes we actually hunt down a pirate with a Navy ship. But that’s reserved for the really bad guys,” Daniel pipes up, adding to the Lieutenant’s story.

“What sort of ‘bad guys’ are we talking about?” Jon asks.

“Pirates who plunder villages are pretty high on the list. Pirates who regularly attack Naval vessels as well,” Oscar says. “And other crimes I don’t think I should say out loud with two teens here…”

Ollie pouts. “I’m an adult…”

Yeah… He’s not telling them about the Captain who slaughtered all members of a Navy ship, and then his own mates because they let the Navy board the ship.

Or the pirate who forced an entire town to be his crew or die, and killed seventeen children in the process.

Or the pirate crew that kept downing merchant ships with canons from afar without ever taking anything. They would ‘rescue’ the still alive sailors and then torture them to death to send a message to the company they worked for.

Oscar felt no remorse killing each and every one of those pirates…

“So you don’t kill every pirate you come across?” Ollie asks politely. It pulls the Lieutenant from his dark memories.

“No, I do not,” Oscar says truthfully. “The ones I kill are usually on the list. But I do fight the pirates that bother me.”

Ollie looks relieved hearing that.

“Is Captain Lando on the list?” Kimi asks.

“Kimi…” Jon warns.

Daniel looks at Oscar as he says: “Captain Norris is on a way different list.”

Oscar grimaces. “Yes, he’s on the list of people to avoid at all cost. The navy deems him so dangerous we are strongly advised to leave the area the moment we spot the McLaren.”

“Woah,” Kimi says. Ollie looks confused.

“That explains a lot,” Jon mumbles. He looks at his fellow surgeon who nods, agreeing with his crewmate.

It actually does not explain anything, Oscar thinks. Not at all. It’s what makes this all so confusing.

“Oh, that reminds me, the Captain does not eat breakfast with you guys?” Daniel asks the pirates at the table.

“He usually doesn’t. He likes to steer the ship at night, says it’s calming or something… He’s probably sleeping right now,” Franco tells him.

“You will see him at dinner though,” Jon adds.

The door to the common room opens at that moment. It’s the blond guy, Captain Norris’ seemingly second in command. He is followed by one of the French sounding pirates from yesterday.

“There’s no wind mates. We’re not going anywhere today…” Max, if Oscar remembers correctly, says.

A groan sounds through the room.

“You know what that means!” the woman with the blond hair says loudly.

“Aw… no…” Ollie says, sounding sad.

“It’s laundry day!” the woman finishes. More groans and mumbles.

Tasks are given. The carpenters escape the chores by telling the lady they need to have a look at the boat’s exterior after the storm. They are not the only ones being able to avoid laundry day apparently.

Oscar is patiently waiting to hear what he is supposed to do when Max spots the two teenagers at their table.

“Damnit Kimi, Ollie, I told you two to stay away from him,” the man grouches as he walks over.

“Sorry,” Kimi says quietly when the man reaches the table. “We were just curious…” Ollie says softly.

Max sighs and glares at Oscar.

The Lieutenant puts his hands up. The blond man’s eyes flicker over to the bandages around his arm.

Oscar does not want to get even more on this man’s bad side. “They had some questions. I answered them. That’s all,” he says.

Max runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “You guys seem to forget he is a literal pirate killer. A sword master, like me. If he gets his hands on a weapon he can and will kill you if you stand in his way-”

The blond man is cut off by the French guy who followed him. “They are fine Max. Everyone is watching out for them.” He squeezes the back of the blond guy’s neck. It seems to calm him down slightly.

It does not stop him from complaining though. “Charles please, I feel like I’m the only one being reasonable here… First, Lando doesn’t give a shit that the Devil of the South is on board, and now Kim and Jon are eating breakfast with him like he is a friend,” Max rants. He keeps looking at Charles.

“And I agree with you. But you know Lando has a plan. You know you can trust the Captain,” Charles says. Oscar watches him run a hand over the Max’ back.

The man grumbles, but stops complaining.

“Ollie, Kimi, we warn you for a reason. Please remember that,” Charles tells the two teens. They both nod, wisely staying quiet.

Oscar feels a bit bad for them. When he looks back at Max, he sees the guy is staring at him.

The Lieutenant tries to keep any emotion off his face. The blond man huffs. “I’ve got my eye on you. If you hurt them, I will cut you down. Lando’s command be damned.”

“Understood,” Oscar replies respectfully.

Max leaves the table, going into the kitchen. Charles watches him leave and motions to the teens to follow him. Kimi and Ollie do so immediately, not wanting to anger their guardian.

With Max gone, Oscar feels like he can breathe again.

---

Charlotte ropes the three castaways into doing the laundry with her. Franco also can’t hide from her. They all move to the main deck, filling tubs with seawater.

“Hands away from the water, mister!” Charlotte tells Oscar when he tries to help. “Kim will be mad at me if you ruin those bandages before noon…”

Oscar stops in his tracks, taken aback by how bold she is being. “Is there anything else I can help with instead?” He wants to do something. Make himself useful.

She looks at him. “Do you know how to sew?”

It’s been a while… If he doesn’t count the wounds he has sewed shut. “Yes.”

“Alright, well there’s lots of clothing with holes in it. You could help me patch them,” she says as she pats the stool besides her.

Oscar sits down and watches her sew the first hole shut. After she snips the loose ends of the thread with a pair of scissors, she looks at him again. “Think you can do that?”

“Yeah, I think so,” the Lieutenant says as he takes a needle from her pincushion. She pushes a pile of clothes his way, and he goes to work.

There are a lot of holes and tears that need to be mended. He works his way through the first pile. Some clothes even need an extra piece of fabric to be repaired. Charlotte helps him with some of the finicky stuff when his hand starts to cramp up.

It’s nice though. Oscar is actually enjoying himself. He has nowhere to go, nowhere to be, than to sit in the sunshine with needle and thread.

Jack, Daniel, and Franco are scrubbing the dirty clothes in the tubs in front of him. There’s a lot of laundry to do. Luckily Ollie and Kimi join them. They help wring the clothes and hang them out to dry now that there is only a subtle breeze.

Pierre comes upstairs later as well. He takes it upon himself to mop the entire deck, going in a circle around them.

Slowly but surely the deck becomes lively with everyone doing their chores. Oscar hasn’t experienced it like this before. The navy is very strict about who does what and how. Too much chatter is deemed slacking off. But here people are keeping up light banter.

The simple conversations are sweet. It prevents Oscar’s brain from spiraling.

Well, that is until the Captain decides to join…

“Anything I can help with, Charlotte?”

Oscar can barely hold back a flinch at the smooth voice. He was so focused on the shirt he was fixing that he didn’t see the man coming.

He looks up carefully. The Captain stands in front of him with his hands on his hips, his attention on the blond woman.

He's not wearing his hat, showing off his unruly curls instead. His goatee and mustache look freshly trimmed. Oscar can’t wrap his head around how well kept he looks. Before their first meeting, he expected Captain Norris to look rough and scruffy, but that is not the case at all.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping some more? I’m pretty sure you’ve been up all night,” Charlotte tells her Captain.

Captain Norris shrugs. “Five hours is enough. I’m not tired.”

The lady hums. She doesn’t give him a task.

The Captain sighs and suddenly moves his attention to the Lieutenant. “Good morning, Oscar.”

Oscar tries not to look away when their gazes lock. “Uhm, good morning…” God, that was awful… What is he? A new recruit?

But to be fair, the Captain scares the shit out of him. Especially with the golden glint he can see on his right hip under the leather coat.

Captain Norris smiles at him. Actually smiles. Oscar blinks.

And then his hair is ruffled by a big hand. “Glad to see you didn’t kill anyone yet.”

He leaves Oscar frozen.

One moment the Captain is in front of him with his hand in the sword master hair, and the next moment he is in the middle of the main deck hollering: “I’m cleaning boots! Anyone wanting their boots cleaned, leave them on the deck!”

Charlotte sighs loudly next to Oscar as they watch the Captain disappear below deck, probably to grab tools.

The man who keeps track of the ship’s stock, Alonso, is the first to drop off his boots. Others follow.

Oscar watches as everyone puts their pairs down neatly, making sure to keep all the pairs apart.

Captain Norris comes back with an iron case and a rag. He grabs the first pair of boots and then sits down, right next to the Lieutenant.

Oscar looks down at him, bewildered. The Captain goes to work immediately, cleaning the grime off the first shoe.

The sword master has never seen a Captain sit down on the floor and clean boots before. It’s apparently a common view on the McLaren, because no-one bats an eye.

“Captain Norris?” he says carefully. The man looks up at him. “You can have my stool, if you want.” Oscar doesn’t understand the Captain’s behavior.

“Huh? Oh, no it’s fine. I like sitting on the floor,” the man replies without stopping his work.

Oscar does not understand Captain Norris. Nothing he does is normal Captain behavior. Nothing he says makes sense to him. He’s supposed to be an evil, senseless killer, with a dark history.

But here he sits on the floor next to Oscar’s leg, cleaning the boots of his crewmates like it’s habitual.

Oscar looks at Charlotte. The confusion must show on his face. She shrugs. “He’s always like this. Just let him be.”

So the Lieutenant does, going back to his own work. He patches some more holes in the shirt he was working on before the Captain distracted him. He keeps glancing over to the Captain though.

Especially when the man starts humming a sea shanty.

The contrast between the mental image Oscar has of Captain Lando Norris and how the man actually acts is insane. For a moment the thought comes up that the man next to him might not be the real Lando Norris.

But the flag high in the mast of the McLaren is definitely real, and the ship he is on is for sure an ex-navy ship. It’s a type of ship he has been on many times before. Yes, the crew’s quarters have been changed from one big room with hammocks to little semi-private cabins, and the ship has been repainted and refurbished.

But it is certainly an ex-navy ship. The one Captain Lando Norris stole from the navy during a mission years ago.

The description of the Captain is true too. Dark brown curls, pointy ears, and bright green eyes that scream danger.

It's the way he behaves that is far from what Oscar has heard. He doesn’t dare to ask, but if the stories are true the Lieutenant should be dead by now. Or tortured, and then dead.

Instead, the Captain keeps ruffling his hair?

All of his touches have been… kind.

Oscar doesn’t know whether it’s part of some sort of plan. Like he is trying to get into Oscar’s head. The swordman is waiting for the shoe to drop and suddenly be face to face with the barrel of the man’s golden gun.

Said man is still humming happily, having meticulously cleaned three pairs of shoes already.

Oscar is cutting a piece of scrap fabric with Charlotte’s scissors when Max comes up to them.

“Lando, I think we should be able to sail again later this aftern-” he cuts himself off to stare at the Lieutenant. Oscar looks back at him, wondering what he did wrong this time.

“You guys gave him scissors?! For the love of fuck!” Max says angrily. He’s about to grab them from Oscar’s hand when the Captain intercepts him, grabbing onto the blond man’s wrist.

“He can have them,” the Captain says firmly.

“I don’t think we should give the killer swordman anything sharp, Lando!” Max says exasperated.

“You’re overreacting. He is only helping Charlotte.”

“He could stab you in the eye with that!”

“He stabs me in the eye, he gets a bullet through his head Max. I’m pretty sure he knows that.”

“Not if he kills you first, or kills someone else. What then, huh?”

Oscar actually doesn’t want the scissors anymore…

The Captain breathes in sharply. “It’s a pair of scissors, Max… He could have stolen your sword and killed everyone already, but he hasn’t. Let him cut some fucking fabric in peace!”

Oscar doesn’t want to be here. This is something he shouldn’t be around for. But he has the feeling Max might kill him if he even moves slightly, so leaving isn’t an option.

Charlotte breaks the fight skillfully. “Can I have the scissors, Oscar?”

Thank god…

The Lieutenant hands them to her. It’s like dousing two fighting cats with water. The Captain and his second in command lean away from each other.

Max pinches the bridge of his nose. “Can I have a word with you, Norris…”

“No, I’m cleaning boots,” the Captain says.

“Please stop being childish,” Max demands.

The Captain gets up angrily, throwing his cleaning rag on the floor. “If this is about the same thing as yesterday, I will be mad.”

He stomps off to the quarterdeck. Max follows him, but not before giving Oscar a glaring once over.

Oscar watches them leave. His heart is beating fast in his chest.

Chalotte suddenly speaks up. “I don’t think you’re going to kill anyone here.” The sword master flinches and looks at her.

“I could,” he says.

“But you won’t,” she says resolutely.

Oscar takes a deep breath. “No, I won’t.” Unlike what people say about him, he doesn’t kill every pirate he comes across. “I just want to leave. Go back to the South.”

He looks at Daniel and Jack, who are washing sheets together in silence. “I have a better chance at that when everyone on this ship is alive and well.”

Charlotte hums. “Good to know.”

Oscar almost cringes at his own monologue. But it’s true, and Charlotte seems to understand.

He works on fixing more clothes and moves on to cleaning the boots still left on the deck when he figures the Captain won’t come back.

---

He spends the rest of the day helping the crew with simple tasks. While doing so he gets to meet more and more of the members.

He helps clean up the hull and has a simple chat with Alonso in the meantime.

Later in the afternoon the wind picks up, so he helps Will and Tom with the sails. That is until his arm starts hurting for real and Tom notices, sending him away to do something else.

It’s how he ends up in the kitchen with Yuki; the cook, and Stephanie; Charlotte’s wife.

Yuki hands him a knife.

Oscar doesn’t take it. “Max will kill me if he sees me with that,” he says with a nod towards the knife.

“I need someone to peel the potatoes for me. Max can suck a dick,” Yuki says.

Oscar chokes on his own spit at the obscene language.

“He does. Almost every single day,” Stephanie says disgruntled.

The Lieutenant starts coughing for real.

“Ah yes… the drawback of having a cabin under the quarterdeck…” Yuki acknowledges.

Oscar takes the small knife from the cook’s hand when he is able to breathe again. “Excuse me?”

Turns out, the kitchen is the best place to find gossip and information.

“Max and Charles are a pair. Me and Charlotte live next doors…” Stephanie tells him as Oscar grabs the first potato from the barrel.

“Oh god…”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

Stephanie and Yuki keep up the conversation as they work on making dinner together.

Oscar thinks of sliding the knife into his boot after he is done peeling the potatoes. But only so that he has something to defend himself with in case Max snaps and attacks him.

He doesn’t though, because now he understands that the blond man is just trying to protect his family.

---

Dinner is peaceful. He chats with Daniel and Jack about their day. They all come to the conclusion that they all didn’t mind helping the crew today. Jack mentions it feels as if this is a normal voyage, that they are passengers going along for a trip.

Daniel tells them he was actually pulled into the ship’s map room. Captain Norris apparently told him they are missing maps, asking Daniel if he could draw some from memory. “No worries if not,” Daniel says, quoting the Captain.

The man is insane, Oscar concludes. The swordman would never ever let the enemy into his ship’s map room. And it’s what Lando should have done, because now Daniel knows where they are headed.

Estepona.

A pirate settlement in the West of the Mediterranean Sea, part of the republic of pirates. It’s not a city they will find a navy ship in, but the big, governed harbor of Gibraltar is close by. It’s probably a three day walk from Estepona.

They could catch a merchant ship from Gibraltar to the Union, and travel back to the Southern colonies from there.

It seems too good to be true. And again Oscar doesn’t understand what the Captain is trying to do. What’s his goal in all this?

Why treat them like guests instead of prisoners? Why give them information?

Insane, or too smart for Oscar to comprehend. The sword master can’t decide.

Speaking of the Captain, it’s during dinner when he sees the man again. Captain Norris squeezes his neck when he walks past. Oscar shivers at the sudden touch, but when he looks over his shoulder the Captain has already left. The Lieutenant watches him join Alonso’s table.

Oscar groans, burying his head in his hands. It’s all so confusing, his head hurts.

---

After dinner, the Lieutenant visits Kim. The surgeon cleans the wounds on his arm again, which hurts just as much as it did yesterday.

The surgeon is happy to see the wound is still clean. The blisters are opening up, yes, but the layer of skin underneath it is showing signs of healing. Scabs are forming already, which is probably why the skin feels so tight.

Every touch hurts though. Oscar noticed it all day. In all honesty, all Max would have to do to immobilize him is to hit his hurt arm. Oscar would freeze from the pain.

When he tells Kim about how sensitive the healing wound is, the surgeon puts extra care to layer the bandages with something cushiony in between.

With a new layer of aloe vera and fresh bandages, Oscar is allowed to leave again. But not before promising to come back tomorrow again.

---

The next couple of days are the same.

The three castaways help the crew and wait. The voyage is quiet. No storms, no enemies. It’s just chores and playing cards.

One thing Oscar learns is that the crew acts like family towards each other. Yes, there are some who take on more of a leader role. Captain Norris for sure, but Max, Alonso, and Charlotte as well.

Never in an overwhelming way. They respect those they are leading. They don’t act high and mighty, or feel offended that there is someone else with authority. Oscar thinks of Captain Oakes, who is probably sleeping with the fishes, and his annoying behavior of wanting to be above everyone else.

It doesn’t happen on the McLaren.

Max and the Captain butt heads sometimes, but it does not ruin their respect for each other. It’s a breath of fresh air for the Lieutenant, and he actually finds himself liking the dynamic on the ship.

The role of the Captain itself seems different. He is more of an overseer. Someone who keeps track of everything happening on the ship. He listens to his crewmates and their advice, but he is the one to make the last choice. He keeps it all together by involving himself.

The Captain does still scare Oscar. The swordman feels like he cannot let his guard down around the man. He behaves as best as he can; never provoking anyone, making sure he does not take the lead in a conversation, blend in with the rest of the crew.

By now, he doubts the Captain will kill him for no reason, so he tries not to give him any reason to. He just has to wait until they reach Estepona, and then he will find a way off the ship. Leave the McLaren and its odd story behind.

He gets to know more about the crew. Especially in the evenings over a tankard of grog. He learns that half the crew is actually from the Naval mission when Captain Norris went rogue.

He is surprised to hear that the Captain didn’t actually kill the entire crew that day. He can’t get the full story out of them, but apparently, they all turned against the original Captain of the McLaren. Norris was the one to take the lead and confront the man.

It’s bits and snippets. But it throws everything Oscar has learnt out of the window.

He inconspicuously tries to get more of the story the following evenings. It does not work. The subject keeps being diverted and Oscar does not want to pull attention to himself any more than he already does.

He will have to be patient.

---

On day four Charles gets down from the crow’s nest with the message that there is a merchant ship on the horizon.

Oscar is helping clean the foredeck when the crew starts scrambling. “Finally! Something fun to do!” Franco says as he picks up the buckets.

The Lieutenant looks up from where he is mopping the floor. “We’re attacking them?”

“If they resist, yes,” Stephanie says. She motions for him to follow them down to the main deck.

Within minutes, the entire crew is gathered there.

It's here where he finally sees Captain Lando Norris in action.

“Alright! Merchant ship at two o’clock. We’re going to approach in Navy style and kindly ask for booty. Do not attack them unless they attack us. I would rather negotiate than fight,” the Captain tells his men. They all nod.

“Raise the Union flag and throw the tarps over the side. I need the cannons loaded, just in case,” he looks at Max, who is standing behind him.

“And arm yourself, but do not pull your weapon unless threatened. They have to think we are friendly,” Max adds. He throws a look at Oscar. “Also, no weapons for the Devil of the South.”

Oscar almost rolls his eyes at the man. He holds his hands up. “I’m just going to observe.” And hopefully talk to Daniel so they can decide on what to do.

Do they side with the pirates if a fight breaks out? Is this an opportunity to escape or are they going to wait till they reach Estepona?

Everyone walks off to go do their tasks and Oscar is about to find Daniel, when he gets called.

“Oscar!”

The Captain is waving him over.
“You’re with me. Come on.”

Damnit.

It's how he ends up on the quarterdeck, right by the helm. It’s a perfect place to watch the crew transform the ship.

Painted tarps are thrown over the sides of the ship, hiding the orange details and cannons. The McLaren flag is replaced by the Union flag.

Oscar doesn’t know how to feel about the Navy camouflage. But at the same time, he has used many merchant ships to fool pirates themselves.

“The nice thing about having an ex-navy ship, is that with the right tools you are able to sneak up,” Captain Norris says next to him as he watches the crew run around.

Oscar looks at him. “Hm, and then you enter their ship when you get close?” he asks.

The Captain is starting to become less terrifying now that he has been in close proximity to him for a while. The crew talks about him with praise. Nobody calls him cruel the way the navy does. And from what Oscar has seen, the man isn’t a malicious Captain at all.

He cares for his crewmembers. He respects them and even helps them with their work. The crew admires him instead of fearing him. And Oscar has to admit he has been letting his guard down slightly.

“I would prefer if we don’t have to enter their ship. I doubt we will have to though. The scare tactic is usually more than enough,” he says as he stares at the Union flag.

“You get close and change the flag back…” Oscar fills in the gaps.

“Uh huh. Being feared by others has its benefits. When we raise the McLaren flag, the ship we’re approaching usually doesn’t resist. We ask for booty. We get some booty. We leave,” the Captain explains.

“Because they think fighting will leave them dead,” Oscar says.

“Exactly.”

It's smart, and in a way it’s a peaceful tactic.

They get closer and closer to the merchant ship. Oscar watches from the quarterdeck, right by the Captain’s side. Captain Norris is keeping him in the corner of his eye, the Lieutenant notices.

Max has joined them on the quarterdeck too. He’s at the helm, a couple of paces away, keeping the ship pointed in the right direction.

Oscar leans on the balustrade. His eyes going from the crew on the main deck below to the merchant ship right ahead of them.

“Does it bother you?” the Captain suddenly asks him. Oscar looks at him to see him staring right back. The swordman doesn’t know how someone can look both dangerous and calm at the same time.

He checks in with how he feels, only to bump into a wall of mixed feelings again. “I’m not sure, Captain. I feel conflicted…”

The Captain hums. “Understandable.”

“And I’m mostly uncomfortable that I’m unarmed when a fight might break out…” Oscar can’t help but admit now that he is looking into those sea green eyes.

The Captain chuckles, smiling up at him. “I can imagine. Give it some more time. We might give you a sword if we think we can trust you with it.”

Some more time? For how much longer is the Captain planning on keeping him hostage?

“You look confused.”

Oscar blinks.

The Captain keeps staring at him. Oscar has to look away. He drags his fingers over the smooth wood of the balustrade. “I am.”

Captain Norris hums.

Oscar wants to know the answer to the question that’s been circling in his mind ever since he met the Captain. He debates whether he should ask it.

He decides that now might be the right time. “I’ve been wondering… Why didn’t you kill me when you first recognized me?”

“Is that what you would have done?” the Captain asks.

“Probably yes,” Oscar says. He imagines himself in Norris’ shoes.

The Captain huffs. “Max says you hesitated when they captured Jack. A mindless killer doesn’t hesitate because of a lowly recruit. It was only his first voyage as well, if what I heard from Franco is correct.”

Oscar nods stiffly.

“See? It is not like you were friends. You still decided his life was more important than your freedom.”

The Lieutenant swallows. The decision was unconscious. But yes, he did not want to watch the recruit die. Not after what they had been through.

“If you were the vicious murderer people make you out to be, Max would be dead, and we probably wouldn’t have met at all,” Captain Norris adds.

Even if that is true, the man is insane for trusting that gut-feeling and letting a pirate killer walk around the ship freely.

“It’s still a crazy choice,” he mumbles.

“Maybe,” the Captain says with a grin. “But I think we are quite alike, Osc.” He pats the swordman’s shoulder and then leaves his side to talk with Max for a bit.

Oscar’s mind is reeling. They are alike?

He doesn’t feel any less confused…

---

He pushes the weird mixed feelings to the back of his mind when they get in range of the merchant ship. Moving side by side with the other ship, the Union flag is replaced by the McLaren flag.

Oscar watches in awe as the merchant ship raises a white flag within minutes.

The Captain takes Max’ spot at the helm so the second in command can join the rowboat they are sending out. They are close enough to be able to hear the crew from the merchant ship yell.

“What do you want from us?!” their Captain screams over the waves. There isn’t a lot of wind, so Oscar can hear him quite well.

“Give us some loot and we will be on our way!” Captain Norris yells back.

The rowboat has reached the ship. Oscar doesn’t like how vulnerable they are, but the enemy other crew doesn’t have their weapons drawn. A crew member leans over the side of the merchant ship to talk with the pirates. Max is telling him something, looking at Pierre and Charles. They nod and agree with whatever the blond is saying.

Captain Norris pulls Oscar out of his focus. “Can you take over? I don’t trust this…” and then he leaves the wheel without waiting for an answer. Oscar scrambles over and grabs it, making sure the ship stays on course.

He watches the Captain go to the side of the deck. Oscar scans the merchant ship, hoping to see what Norris is seeing.

And that’s when he spots the glistening in the merchant Captain’s hand. Oscar’s breath hitches.

Suddenly a lot of things happen at the same time…

The enemy Captain raises his gun as Charles climbs up the side of the ship. Captain Norris pulls his own golden gun.

A shot fires.

Oscar rakes his eyes over the other ship holding his breath. Charles is fine, but frozen in place.

The Lieutenant immediately looks at the enemy Captain, expecting a splatter of blood.

But instead, the man is holding his hand close to his chest, gun nowhere to be seen.

“If you hurt my crew, I will personally kill everyone on your ship!” Captain Norris roars over the water.

Oscar shivers. Captain Lando Norris is as much of a sharpshooter as the rumors say, and he sounds absolutely furious.

Everyone has gone quiet. On both boats.

Oscar watches the suddenly terrifying man take a deep breath. His shoulders go up and down under the dark leather coat. The hairs on the Lieutenant’s neck are standing upright.

Charles unfreezes and climbs the rest of the way. The enemy crew scrambles to get the things the McLaren demands. Barrels are rolled over the deck and loaded into the rowboat.

They make three trips back and forth between the ships, while Captain Norris watches the other crew like a hawk.

When they have enough, the Captain signs for the crew to get back on board. “Get us out of here,” he tells Oscar with a look over his shoulder.

The Lieutenant does as he’s told immediately and steers the boat away from the other. He watches as the crew below lowers the sails.

The wind catches and propels them forward. When they are out of canon reach, Norris flips off the other ship and then runs downstairs to his crew.

Oscar watches him reconcile with his friends. Max has his arm wrapped around Charles’ waist when the Captain reaches them. Norris gets a pat on the shoulder from the blond man.

The Captain talks, but Oscar can’t hear him. He is agitated though, using his hands to talk. The other crew members move around them to gather the loot and bring it downstairs.

From his place at the helm Oscar is able to see Pierre give Yuki a hug.

The McLaren crew is a strange, but charming one.

The Lieutenant quietly watches them as it settles in that he is steering one of the most notorious pirate ships in the world.

Does that make him the worst or the best pirate hunter in the seven seas…?

---

He is getting attached.

Three days after stealing from the merchant ship he is on the deck watching the surroundings as they approach the strait of Gibraltar.

Charles is playing on his concertina up in the crow’s nest. The music can be heard below.

Ollie and Kimi are dueling with wooden swords on the upper deck. Oscar can’t help but give them some pointers here and there. The two teens seem happy to get some actual advice.

When he thinks he has stood around doing nothing for long enough, he goes downstairs to help Alonso for a bit.

The older man is writing a list of what they might need for their next voyage and what they can sell or give away in Estepona.

“Give away?” Oscar asks from where he sits on a barrel, helping count the candles they still have in stock.

“Yes. Estepona is part of the republic of pirates. They give us a safe place to dock, and we protect and feed them. It’s how pirate havens work,” Alonso explains.

“I thought pirates rule those villages by force?” Oscar asks genuinely.

Alonso grins at him. “That’s what I first thought as well, but ever since I’ve become a pirate myself it’s become clear that those villages are well cared for. Yes, the pirate crews docked there might fight with each other, but the villagers are used to that.”

“So it’s mutually beneficial…” the swordman mumbles.

“Of course there are some pirates who cross the line and try to take over a village. But a lot of crews disagree with that method,” the Spanish man says as he writes something down.

It's interesting to learn about the inner workings of pirate society.

Oscar has never visited a pirate haven. Showing his face in a pirate infested place has never been a wise choice before. He is better off hunting a pirate at sea.

He is curious though. Especially after what Alonso has told him. And from his short time on the McLaren he has learnt that not everything is as it seems. That the tales that people tell might not be true.

What he has learned as a recruit in the navy might be false or over-exaggerated.

He is noticing that he is becoming curious about pirate life. Which is quite a dangerous thought to have.

He is not alone in his change of mind though. Because when he visits the map room later, Daniel echoes his thoughts.

“Is it bad that I sort of don’t want to leave? Not yet at least…” the navigator says with a grimace on his face.

He points at the map he is drawing. “Do you know how many compliments I got for this already? I’ve lost count. And they ask me for advice. Max and the Captain both… They take it seriously when I say something, treat me as an equal. That almost never happens in the navy… It's always demands in the navy. ‘Officer Ricciardo, do this. Officer Ricciardo, do that.’”

He paces through the room. Oscar watches him and listens to him ramble.

“The Captain has asked me to draw the missing maps,” he turns to the Lieutenant. “I think I will stay with them until those are finished.”

He rubs his hands through his hair. Oscar doesn’t say anything.

“God! I feel like a traitor!” Daniel groans. “I’m sorry, Oscar…”

Oscar sighs. “Honestly? I get it…”

The navigator looks at him in surprise.

“The crew is kind, and so unlike what I expected of them. I’m curious to learn more… But I can’t stay,” the Lieutenant says. “I need to get back. Report to Mark. Keep the ocean safe. Hunt down the next criminal.”

Daniel hums. “So we split ways in Estepona.”

Oscar nods.

“Jack wants to stay as well,” the navigator says softly.

“Ah. Understandable.” The recruit is probably treated better on the McLaren than he was in the navy. Oscar doesn’t blame him for wanting to stay.

Sounds like he will be traveling on his own again.

---

They get through the Strait of Gibraltar unscathed. They used the same tactic as with the merchant ship, raising the Union flag and hiding the bright colors on the sides of the ship with tarp.

It’s late in the evening, almost night when they reach Estepona. Oscar helps throw the ropes overboard so Charles and Pierre can tie them.

Once the ship is secured to the dock, the crew gathers on the main deck. The Captain doesn’t have to catch their attention, they all await his orders.

“Alright! You are all free to go and do whatever this evening. Remember that the ship needs to be guarded. Pirate will behave like pirates, even here. Alonso is staying here to finish the last of the preparations. We are unloading our cargo tomorrow, starting at sunrise, so don’t go too wild tonight. We will flip your bed if you don’t show up on time,” the Captain sums up.

“If you’re not up for the Estepona nightlife tonight, think about giving Alonso a hand. It will make our lives easier tomorrow morning. I will be visiting our usual suspects with a couple of others. I’m counting on you all to behave yourselves,” he adds with a frown towards Franco who smiles sheepishly.

Chuckles sound from the group.

“That’s it! Dismissed!” Captain Norris says, as he claps his hands.

Chatter immediately starts. Little groups form.

This is it then. The perfect moment to sneak away. He will need a backpack and food and water. He can probably steal a sword in the city if he keeps his head down. Maybe he can-

“Osco!”

The swordman almost groans. Why does the Captain keep doing this? He turns to see a grinning Lando Norris walk towards him. The yellow and black feathers on his hat flutter with his movements.

“Me and Max are going to meet a contact at my favorite questionable pub. I could use another bodyguard,” the Captain explains with a smile.

What?

“You’re asking me to come with?” the swordman says carefully.

“Yeah!”

Oscar stares at him blankly for a second.

Captain Norris claps him on the shoulder. “It won’t be long. I promise. I will even lend you a sword.”

Wait… What?!

Lando walks off before Oscar can reply. The Lieutenant stands frozen on the deck.

Max, who is standing a couple of paces away, sighs loudly. Oscar looks at him. The blond man looks back at him.

Oscar can’t help but ask. “And you’re fine with that?”

Max scoffs. “No, but there isn’t much I can do about it, right?”

Yes there is? Tell the Captain no. Threaten to cut Oscar down. Something along those lines. But Max seems sort of interested to see how it plays out.

The Captain comes back with a sword and belt to go with it. He holds it out to Oscar.

The Lieutenant doesn’t take it yet, looking into the man’s green eyes instead. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. If you behave, I will even let you keep it,” Captain Norris says with a grin.

Oscar carefully takes it from his hands. He is waiting for this to be a trap. But nothing happens. Lando and Max just watch him as he looks the scabbard over.

“Can I…” Oscar mumbles, wanting to feel the weight of the sword.

“Go ahead,” the Captain says as he takes a step back, going to stand by Max’ side.

Oscar feels like he is going crazy as he wraps the belt around his middle and grabs the hilt, pulling the sword from its sheath.

He is immediately drawn in by the familiar weight in his hands. He inspects the sword, tilting it side to side. It’s a European Hangar, a short sword with a slight curve. Perfect for quick cuts, and stabbing as well.

The guard is simple, but more than enough to protect his fingers. The weight is more at the front of the blade, right where the bend starts.

It’s perfect.

He automatically falls into his stance and does a practice slash and stab. He almost sighs happily at the feeling. He has missed this. It’s like a weight falls from his shoulders. He feels whole again.

He takes a deep breath and sheathes the sword.

Oscar shakes himself from his daze and looks at the two men leaning against the railing. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Captain Norris laughs, throwing his head back. Max shakes his head with a disbelieving look.

An embarrassed blush crawls onto the Southerner’s face. He hopes they don’t see it in the low light.

As he follows the Captain and his second in command off the ship, Oscar wonders if they know they have just given him the key to his escape.

At least, when he is less distracted by what is happening around him. There are a lot of large pirate ships docked at the harbor. He can count at least ten bigger ships, and many small ships in between. Local fishing boats fill some of the empty spots, but there is even more space.

Oscar is surprised by the vastness of the harbor.

As they leave the docks, the swordman finds out that Estepona itself is a lot bigger than he expected. And it’s bustling! There are people everywhere, even at this time of day. Civilians and pirates mix. Nobody seems bothered by it.

Lots of shops are still open. The lights are still on in the city.

As they walk further into Estepona they cross a market that is still very much awake. There is lots of food Oscar hasn’t even seen before.

He tries not to linger. But Captain Norris notices his interest anyway.

“First time in a pirate haven?” he asks curiously.

“Yes, actually. It’s not what I imagined,” Oscar says, watching a woman bargain. There’s fresh fruit and vegetables. Something he usually only sees in the Union. And usually only during the day… “Why is the city so active right now?”

“You mean this late?” Max asks. Oscar nods.

“It’s a mix of Spanish customs and pirate convenience. A lot of smaller ships stop by to restock and rest for a night. The Spanish like to stay up late and wake up late,” Lando explains.

“A lot of shops here stay open till after midnight,” Max adds.

Oscar hums with interest.

He is about to ask more, when the Captain turns a corner and enters a dark street. The Lieutenant’s hand automatically goes to the hilt of his sword.

Only one building has its lights on, and it’s the one Captain Norris enters with Max in tow. Oscar can’t do anything else but follow. Too curious for his own good.

It’s a busy pub, Oscar realizes when the door closes behind him.

One filled with to the brim with pirates.

Eyes turn to the three new guests. Several groups seem to recognize Captain Norris. Oscar immediately feels on edge from the way they look at the Captain.

Lando doesn’t seem to notice or care, making his way through the pub to the counter in the middle. The swordman follows, looking at the pirates in the room.

“Hi Sue, is Andrea in?” the Captain asks the lady behind the counter. She looks up from where she is cleaning the tabletop with a rag.

“Fancy seeing you here, Captain Norris. Yes, he is. Same place as always,” she says. Lando nods and turns away.

A chair scrapes. “Yes… Fancy seeing you here indeed, Captain Lando Norris…” a burly man says, getting up from his chair.

“Larry! Haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?” the McLaren Captain says cheerfully.

Oscar doesn’t like this. At all.

‘Larry’ seems like the kind of pirate who is on the ‘to hunt’ list in Mark Webber’s office. His left hand goes to the sheath of his sword unconsciously, thumb pushing against the guard.

“Horrible, actually! Because someone looted the merchant ship I was eyeing the whole time…” the pirate says as he stomps towards Captain Norris.

“When?” Lando asks innocently.

Oscar wishes the Captain would stop provoking the man that towers over him.

“Last month! You dumbass. Too stupid to remember? You even waved at me when you passed my ship!” Larry growls out.

“Last month? Mate, that’s old news already…” Captain Norris places his hands on his hips.

“Old news?!” The man before them is fuming.

Another pirate stands up. “Is it old news that you entered our ship and stole from us as well?!”

Lando rolls his eyes. “Like you didn’t steal that from another ship beforehand…”

The burly pirate before them snaps and pulls his gun with a roar, pointing it between Captain Norris’ eyes.

Oscar doesn’t know what comes over him. Within a flash he pulls his sword and points it right at the assailant’s jugular.

“BACK OFF.”

The words come out of his mouth before he even registers it. He doesn’t like men like Larry. If Oscar wasn’t in a pirate infested city, he would have slashed the man’s throat at the first threat.

Larry’s eyes go wide as he looks at the swordman.

“I would listen to him if I were you. He bites and doesn’t let go until you’re dead,” Lando says way too happily for a man that was just threatened with a gun.

Oscar keeps his sword against the assailant’s neck. Enough pressure to remind the man that his life is in Oscar’s hands, but not enough to truly cut.

Larry raises his hands, taking the gun away from the Captain’s face. The recognition in his eyes is clear.

He shuffles backwards fearfully as whispers sound through the room.

Captain Norris hums gleefully behind the swordman. When did the Captain get behind him? Did Oscar step in front of him?

A strong warm hand comes to rest on the back of Oscar’s neck. “Come on Osc, I think you’ve made them soil their pants already.”

Oscar almost shivers at how close the Captain is standing to him. He puts his sword away, glaring at the man in front of him who is slowly backing off. He turns his head slightly to look at Captain Norris, not turning his back to the assailant.

The Captain is looking at him with a grin. Max stands by his side, sword also drawn but pointed towards the floor.

Lando squeezes his neck before letting go and pointing into the direction of a door. “Let’s go bother Andrea. These barbarians aren’t worth our time.”

The Captain unceremoniously walks off. Oscar and Max follow him, though the southerner throws a look over his shoulder. Several people are gaping at him.

When he looks back in front of him, he finds out why.

There’s a gigantic poster on the wall with his face on it. “BEWARE OF PIRATE HUNTER OSCAR PIASTRI. Sword Master, will kill you on sight, avoid confrontation at all cost.”

Ah…

Captain Norris giggles when he spots the poster.

Giggles…

Oscar shakes his head. The man is unhinged.

“He doesn’t even have a bounty… You know what that means right?” Max whispers to the Captain, shooting a look back at Oscar. The Lieutenant probably wasn’t supposed to hear that.

Captain Norris shrugs. “Too dangerous to engage. Putting a bounty on his head would kill many pirates,” he says nonchalantly. “Nice to have on our side, right?”

The Captain glances back at Oscar at the last part.

Oscar takes a deep breath, staring right back. It’s because he’s hurt. And tired. His interest in Lando’s character is of no influence. Definitely not.

Max pulls a face, probably questioning his own loyalty.

The wood creaks when the Captain pushes the door open. A dark corridor greets them. What is it with this place? Why is it so important to go here when the pirate Captain already knew it would be a bother?

There’s a window at the end of the corridor, letting streetlight through. Captain Norris stops at a door to his right and knocks.

“Who is it?” is said, muffled by the wall.

“It’s Lando.”

“Come in.”

The Captain opens the door and walks through. Max follows. Oscar doesn’t know if he should too or wait outside, but Max looks over his shoulder and holds the door open.

He is joining them apparently.

The room they enter is dark. Curtains closed. Candles light the room. A man with salt-and-pepper hair sits behind the desk in the middle of the room. Stacks of paper and books surround him.

“Lando! Just the man I needed!” the man says with an accent Oscar can’t place.

“Heard any news I should know about?” Captain Norris says. He has his arms crossed over his chest. The Lieutenant watches the interactions a couple of paces away from them.

“Tired of roaming around doing nothing?” the middle-aged man chuckles.

Lando huffs. “I’ve been quite busy, Andrea, thank you very much.”

“I see.” Andrea’s eyes slide to Oscar. “Is that why the Devil of the South is with you?”

“No.” The Captain steps in front of the swordman, trying to hide Oscar from view, which doesn’t work that well since the swordman is taller than he is.

“Are you going to elaborate?”

“No, I don’t think I will,” Lando says sassily.

Is Andrea untrustworthy? Why is Captain Norris being secretive? Oscar is annoyed the man isn’t telling his contact anything. This would have been the perfect moment to learn what the Captain wants from him.

But Oscar is left with more questions. Again.

Andrea sighs loudly. “You know the Navy thinks he’s dead, right? The ship he was on reportedly exploded, killing everyone on it. Yet here he is…”

“Good to know,” Lando says. “I think we just ruined that information by showing everyone in the pub he is still very much alive.”

“What did you do…” Andrea rubs his forehead.

“Ask Larry. Now. Back to the point. Anything I should know about?” the Captain directs the man back to the subject.

Andrea huffs and starts rummaging through his piles of paper. He grabs a roll and holds it out to Lando. The Captain unties the blue ribbon keeping the roll closed.

“Several orphanages have been emptied out in both the Union and the Netherlands. Coincidentally, a large number of children have been spotted in Portsmouth. Sultan Ben Sulayem has been negotiating with the Union,” Andrea explains.

Captain Norris connects the dots quickly. “He’s buying children?!”

“Probably yes. A large merchant ship has left Portsmouth and a lot of the children with it.”

Oscar feels nauseous.

“What does Sulayem need them for?” Max grouches out.

“The metal mines in the Middle East…” the Captain mumbles.

Oscar’s breath hitches. “Why?” He says quietly. He can’t help but join the conversation.

“Probably because he is running out of workers. Especially the ones small enough to fit in the mineshafts,” Lando says angrily.

“They left port a week ago. It’s still possible to catch up with them,” Andrea says. “There is confirmation that the Navy has being hired to guard the ship.”

Oscar flinches. Who in their right mind would take on that mission? An honorable Navy member would never.

“We suspect more than fifteen Naval guards on board,” the middle-aged man says. Anger flares in Oscar’s chest.

“Piece of cake…” the Captain says, the tone of his voice indicates he is furious. It’s the same tone he used when Charles was almost shot.

Andrea smiles. “I was hoping you would be willing to take on the mission. All the information is in the scroll I gave you.”

Lando nods, stuffing the roll of paper in the inside pocket of his leather coat. The Captain turns around and motions for Max and Oscar to follow him.

“Until next time, Andrea…” the Captain says without looking back.

The man doesn’t answer, going back to writing. Oscar throws one more look over his shoulder as he walks out the door. The man notices and sends him a look the Lieutenant can only place as ‘intrigued’.

Oscar closes the door and follows after Max and Lando. The Captain basically storms through the pub, making a beeline to the exit without even a look at the other pirates in the room.

Oscar almost has to jog to keep up…

Once outside in the dark alley, Captain Norris throws his hands up in the air. “Orphans?! He’s enslaving kids from other countries as well now?! I hope the man chokes on his fish soup and drowns in his own spit. God, if I ever get him in my sights…”

The Southerner watches the Captain stomp around quietly. He is quite angry himself, but the crackling fire he can almost see coming off of the pirate Captain captivates him.

Max stands by Oscar’s side with folded arms, watching the Captain as well.

“All we can do right now is unload our cargo and restock for the voyage. We have a Navigator now. We CAN catch up this time,” the blond man says.

Oscar watches the Captain gather himself in the low light. “I hate upper-class people with a fucking passion… Money ruins everything…” he growls out.

Max scoffs. “Orphans are just an eyesore to them.”

Oscar shivers. He knows that firsthand.

He doesn’t know where he would be if Mark didn’t decide to take him on as a disciple after watching him protect his sisters with a dull sword.

His parents died in the crossfire of a civil fight. He and his sisters had been keeping themselves afloat by making and mending clothing the way his mother had taught them before she passed. Oscar kept them safe with their dad’s sword, practicing every day in the small garden of their family home.

Four kids living alone are a target. Oscar has experienced that.

Vulnerable children, like he and his sisters used to be, are now pulled from their only safe haven and forced to work in metal mines. Against their will. Probably resulting in their early death.

Oscar doesn’t want that. He thinks of his sisters at home, who have built up their own sewing service in his absence, under Admiral Webber’s protection.

He needs that ship to be intercepted. Looking at the fuming Captain in front of him, he knows that will happen.

He doesn’t understand yet why Lando takes on missions like these. But the man in front of him seems to be a righteous man, ready to stop Sultan Sulayem’s evil plan.

The Captain takes off his hat and runs a hand through his hair before putting the hat back on. The brim casts a shadow over his eyes. “I need to clear my head.”

“And I need a drink…” Max says softly.

“Feel free to join the rest of the crew at the Prancing Horse. I’m going for a walk first…” the Captain says gruffly.

Max nods. He throws a look at Oscar. “Want to join, Piastri?”

Oscar frowns. He shakes his head. The blond claps him on the shoulder, glancing at Lando one more time before walking away. Leaving the two of them alone.

Captain Norris walks away into the opposite direction. Oscar’s feet follow him. The Captain doesn’t say anything and doesn’t look back. The Lieutenant walks after him quietly, observing him.

They enter the busy area of the city. Lando climbs the stone stairs to the next layer of shops and houses.

He abruptly turns towards Oscar. The swordman blinks at the sudden attention. “What happened to your ship, Osc, how did you survive?” the Captain asks him softly.

Oscar takes a deep breath and tells him the truth. “We were escorting a merchant ship with a Naval vessel. The Navy ship caught fire at the stern right when we were battling a storm. My dumbass of a Captain decided to leave and get onto the merchant ship instead, leaving Daniel at the helm.”

The Captain gasps. Oscar feels as if his green eyes are staring into his soul. He looks away. “Our ship’s rudder burned through, and the ships collided. Fire and gunpower don’t mix well… Daniel, Jack, and I jumped the ship right before everything exploded.” The pirate’s eyes widen.

“Franco told me that Jack is saying you saved him,” the Captain says.

Oscar grimaces. “I pushed him into the water.”

“He said he can’t swim.”

“He couldn’t…”

“But you held onto him and got singed by the fire as a thank you…” Lando says as he looks at Oscar’s bandaged arm.

The swordman keeps quiet. He thinks he would have gotten burnt anyway.

The Captain hums and nods, turning away from Oscar. They keep walking for a while. That is until a store catches the Captain’s eyes.

There is exotic fruit and vegetables laid out in front. Nobody is guarding them. Well, accept for the two old ladies inside, who are happily chatting in Spanish with each other.

Oscar wonders how much food gets stolen in pirate cities when everything is laid out for the grab like this.

The Captain walks into the store, but stops when he notices the swordman is following him. He turns around and spontaneously ruffles the Southerner’s hair. He is towering over the man while standing on the upper step of the stairs.

“You don’t have to follow me. I’m just buying some simple things,” Lando says with a kind smile that leaves Oscar frozen. The Captain waves him off kindly. Oscar takes a step back, leaving the Captain’s personal space.

He watches the pirate turn his back to him and walk deeper into the store. Oscar goes back to the street.

He paces for a couple of seconds, and then realizes he is alone.

With a sword.

And piles of fruit for the grab.

There is even a linen bag conveniently stuffed in between two crates.

He can leave. He should leave. This is THE PERFECT moment and place to walk away and never come back. It’s almost as if it’s orchestrated. Like the universe is telling him he should go now.

Emotions roll through him.

He should leave.

He should leave and go back to his own world. Leave the McLaren and Captain Norris behind. Let it become a memory.

He told Daniel he would leave.

He has a duty to fulfill.

Mark probably thinks he’s dead.

He was on a pirate ship for almost two weeks, enjoying himself.

He, a pirate hunter, is debating staying with the infamous pirate Captain Lando Norris.

He pulls at his hair in frustration. He turns to the fruit stand, and looks if he can see the Captain through the window. Lando is nowhere to be seen.

He should leave.

Now.

But he can’t get his legs to move. He can’t make his arms reach out to the bag stuffed between the crates.

Why?

WHY?

The vision of an angry Captain Norris shows in his mind’s eye. The anger for his crewmates he cares for as equals and family members. For the innocent children that are being kidnapped by Sultan Ben Sulayem.

He thinks of the Naval members who have decided that kidnapping orphans is ethical.

He thinks of the reasons why pirates are on the list in Mark’s office.

He thinks of right and wrong.

He thinks of what he has been taught and what he has experienced.

He is so incredibly confused.

But he wants to-

He should leave. But everything in him is curious, and interested to see how it plays out.

He wants to know more about Captain Norris and his ragtag crew.

He doesn’t want to leave. Not yet at least.

Does that make him a traitor?

Is he betraying the Navy?

After everything Mark has done for him?

He sighs deeply. He crosses his arms over his chest and stands in place. He taps his foot as he thinks.

He will get another chance to leave, right? Maybe he should join them for this mission, gather information about the inner workings of pirates and their crews.

Gather information about Lando.

Norris.

Lando Norris.

Captain Lando Norris.

He shouldn’t use his first name like Max and the rest of the crew does. Not even mentally. They aren’t friends. He shouldn’t be slipping up like this.

He looks at the store once again.

Captain Norris is taking his damn time.

Oscar waits for quite a while.

He is starting to wonder if the man has gotten into trouble and is making up his mind to go in, when the man appears at the door.

His eyes widen when he sees Oscar.

The swordman’s breath hitches. La-. Norris was giving him an out on purpose. He didn’t expect to see Oscar when he returned.

The pirate grins as he hops down the stairs. He is holding something green under his arm. Fresh Aloe Vera stalks.

“Have you ever had papaya, Osc?” the Captain asks happily as he holds out a leaf with orange looking pieces of fruit.

Oscar shakes his head. He can’t talk. His mind is still stuck on the idea that Lando exp- Norris expected him to leave, but still brought fresh aloe vera for his burns in case he didn’t.

The Captain holds the leaf with fruit in front of him until the swordman takes a piece and eats it.

“It’s sweet,” Oscar says as his eyes roam Lando’s face.

The man smiles. “It is!” He has a little gap between his front teeth, Oscar notices.

The Captain takes some pieces himself and then holds the leaf back out to the swordman. Oscar takes a couple more pieces and follows Captain Norris over the cobblestone street when he starts walking again.

They share the fruit until it’s gone. Oscar thanks him quietly.

“Of course! Want to have a drink with the crew before we go back?” the Captain asks him.

“Yeah, sure.” He has made his decision. He should accept his defeat and follow through now.

Time to get even more attached to the McLaren crewmembers…

---

The Captain leads them through the city until they reach a bar with a bright yellow board hanging above the door. It shows an image of a rearing horse.

Captain Norris enters and holds the door open for Oscar.

Compared to the other pub they entered today; this one looks cozy. There’s a group playing some music in the background, a fireplace crackles in the background as happy chatter fills the room.

He spots the McLaren members at two tables in the back.

A hand lightly pushes him in the direction.

When he turns to look at Lando, the man is making his way to the counter. “Hey Carlos, everything good?” he hears the Captain say.

Oscar lets him be. Walking to the crew instead.

“New guard dog?” he hears Carlos say. The swordman scoffs.

“Don’t call him-”

Oscar doesn’t hear the rest of the conversation as Charles notices him and calls to him loudly. “OSCAR! Come sit with us!”

The swordman joins them with a smile. Charles seems to be quite tipsy, hanging onto Max like a clingy cat. The blond man doesn’t seem to mind at all.

Charles pulls him into a conversation about dual wielding swords as the rest of the crew listens in.

Franco, Pierre, Yuki, Stephanie, Jon and Will are all there as well. Will hands him a jug of beer. Oscar drinks slowly as he listens to everyone converse.

He smiles when Pierre jokes about French wine being better than beer. Charles tells him to not say it too loudly or Carlos might lynch them. Or worse, ban them from the establishment.

It's nice. Comfortable even.

Lando joins them later on. Oscar glances at him every once in a while. He really treats his group like they are his friends. There are no barriers.

Max tells the group about Oscar’s ‘bravery’ against Captain Larry. The blond man grins at him as he tells the story. Oscar feels like he has reached a new level of connection with the second in command.

The next time he looks at Captain Norris, he sees the man look away from him quickly. There’s a soft smile on his face.

---

After a couple of hours of drinking and chatting, the group stumbles home. Oscar takes it upon himself to make sure Stephanie doesn’t faceplant on the cobblestone stairs.

He is able to drag her back to the ship, surrounded by giggling pirates. Charles is so gone; Max is giving him a piggyback ride. “I’m going to laugh if he vomits on your neck,” Captain Lando says. He is slightly slurring, but he can walk in a straight line just fine.

Unlike Franco, who they have to push into the right direction every couple of steps.

Oscar laughs loudly at the disgusted face Max pulls. Lando turns around to grin at the Southerner, way too proud of himself.

The swordman rolls his eyes. Maybe a bit too fondly. He blames it on the alcohol in his system.

They make it to the ship in one piece. They say their goodnights on the main deck and disperse.

Charlotte is there to take Stephanie from Oscar’s hands with a disappointed sigh. Oscar huffs a laugh.

With his newly found freedom he makes his way back to the cabin he shares with Daniel.

When he opens the door, a groggy looking Daniel stares back at him.

“Thought you were leaving,” the half asleep man mumbles.

“I changed my mind.”

“Alright.”

And then he’s asleep again. Oscar huffs at the insanity of everything as he closes the door behind him.

The moment his head hits the pillow he is out like a light.