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“Do we need all this stuff?” Ross’s voice complained for the fifth time that hour. His feet were killing him.
Captain Barney sighed and turned to Ross “Again, for the fifth times. Unless yous want to stave whiles at sea, yes we do. Sos stop complaining.” He ordered, adjusting his grip on the barrel of wine he was carrying.
Sky smiled “We did tell you we were gonna be walking around a lot, and you only just got your legs back.”
“I didn’t wanna be left out!” Ross whined, making Sky and Barney laugh and Jin give a small smile
After finding the Eye of Claritas and a few nights of celebrating, the ship had docked at the small town of Roxton to resupply. While British soldiers were near, they blended in rather easily, so Barney was confident they’d been fine despite Jin’s concerns.
They’d dropped some supplies back at the ship and were now looking for more goods for the crew. A happy crew was a non-mutinous crew as Barney phrased it.
Things were going smoothly.
Well, they were until they noticed the British soldiers following them.
“They’ve been trailing behind up for at least ten minutes now. We need to leave.” Sky whispered to the other three worriedly.
“Nonsense. I’m still in my uniform. They’re probably just on patrol. They wouldn’t be suspicious of a fellow officer.” Jin spoke confidently
“Uh, Guys?” Ross asks
“You sure about that Jin?” Sky asked, “I mean, You maybe but they might be after Barney or something.”
“Guys?”
“I can tell them they’re helping me work for the nation; it’s not a huge deal. Besides, we’re gonna pay the government back for what happened to go home.” Jin assured
“GUYS!”
“What Ross?!” The three turned to Ross only to freeze seeing the several red coats standing before them.
Jin went to work quickly “Afternoon gentlemen. Captain Jin Huang of the Jewel of Britain, what seems to be the problem here?”
“Simple, you four.” One of the men glared.
This took them off guard as they started to see the guards trying to surround them.
“Uhs, this is our cues to leave! Thanks for the times!” Barney yelled, dropping the barrel he’d been carrying and kicking it hard in front of him.
The barrel flew forward and knocked down several guards in front of them “Come on!” He yelled to the others, grabbing Ross’s arm and running. Sky had to grab Jin’s arm as well. The other was still taken aback in shock from this, but the privateer did snap out of his stupor to start running as well.
They ditched the supplies they were holding at this point and tried to lose them by running down through certain alleyways. Before they hit a dead end. A stone wall in front of them and tall old wooden fences on either side with a stack of large barrels filled with what Sky could smell, oil.
The guards cornered them in the alleyway, and Jin snapped “What is the meaning of this? I am a captain and should not be hunted down like a criminal!”
“Jin Huang, you and your pirate crewmates are under arrest.”
Jin’s eyes widened he felt as if the ground under him was crumbling. “Under arrest? Under what grounds?!” He demanded, still trying to sound authoritative, but his voice was wavering now. Sky could hear it. They needed to get out of here now!
“Treason against the crown, theft of a shipload of spices and goods, engaging in the act of Piracy and consulting with traitorous pirates like this one.” The guard gestured to Barney in disgust.
“That’s Captain Barney to yous dirtbags!” Barney snarled
As the guards continued to list charges off for the rest of them, Sky looked around for an escape route. The wooden fence on the left looked like it would break under enough force, but they needed a distraction.
An idea struck Sky like lightning as the guards finally stared “You can either come quietly or be forced to.”
Jin was still in shock and said nothing, not moving while Barney growled and was reaching for his sword. Ross just fearfully pulled him back from the guards.
Sky turned and leapt up onto the barrels “Like hell We’re going quietly!” He yelled as he drew his sword and sliced a barrel open, spilling oil all over the other wooden barrels and onto the ground between the guards and his friends. Without missing a beat, he grabbed his sword and flit and slashed them together to create a spark.
The oil lit up in flames immediately, and the guards cried out to retreat away from the fire and the ticking time bomb that was the rest of the oil barrels.
“Adam! Are yous crazy?!” Barney yelled with a mix of awe and horror, Their path blocked by flames now.
“Probably! Now help me!” Adam yelled as he leotard back down and started to throw his body weight against the older wooden fence, which groaned and cracked under his pressure.
“You crazy dirtbag!” Barney laughed and with Ross and his help the three forced the fender to break open.
They had seconds to run, but Ross did go back to grab a still paralyzed Jin and force him to run away from the impending explosion.
They were thrown forward a good few meters away from the blast, but all landed with only minor bruising.
Barney laughed again “That was the craziest thing I’s ever seen! Yous definitely a pirate Sky!”
Sky laughed softly at that and lay back “I can’t believe that even worked!”
“We’ve bought ourselves some time now. They’ll assume we’re dead and start clearing the fire once it dies down a bit, so we have till nightfall at the latest until they realize.” Ross mused
“Goods. That gives us times to retrieve what we lost and gets back to the ship.” Barney grinned
Sky nodded happily and turned to smile at Jin but paused.
Jin has gotten up and walked off to a wall plastered with wanted posters. The privateer was staring silently at a poster on that wall with his face on it. A wanted poster. There was a reward of 50,000 gold for his arrest.
The other two finally noticed as well where Jin was and grew quiet, the three getting up with winced and groans to check on him. Jin’s face was unreadable. Staring at the poster silently, his hands shaking ever so slightly being the only indication of movement.
“Ohs, your first wanted poster.” Barney placed a hand on Jin’s shouldered comfort him “Its oks Jin. They gots your goods side in the posters, and people hardly looks at wanted posters. It’s like a rights of passage for any pirates. This is an occas-“
Barney felt Jin’s fist connect with his face before he saw the other swing at him.
The captain found himself on the ground holding his face in pain and looking at Jin in shock. Ross and Sky were silent, eyes wide in disbelief. Did Jin seriously just punch their captain in the face?! If they were on the ship and the rest of the crew saw that that would be enough to throw him off!
Jin was shaking softly and glared at Barney “Don’t fucking touch me.” His voice was low, a scary calm barely holding back his rage. Sky and Ross had heard Jin sound mad before. They’d heard him yell at disobedient crew, but this was a different kind of anger. Jin looked downright terrifying. It was almost a relief when the other stormed away, ripping the wanted posted off the wall as he went in one go.
When the privateer was gone, Sky and Ross seemed to finally snap out of the shock and check over Barney “Jesus Barney, are you alright?” Sky asked, checking over his face and seeing a dark bruise starting to form where he’d been punched.
“I’s fine.” Barney winced, holding his face “Wasn’t expecting thats.”
Sky bit his lip “I’ve never seen him that angry before...”
“Neither have I.” Ross agreed “Should we go after him?”
“I will.” Sky insisted “Ross, get Barney back to the ship, just say the guards attacked us and we got separated. Ok?”
Ross nodded and helped Barney to his feet “Be careful Sky.”
Sky nodded and sighed. He undid his bandanna and let his hair fall out so his appearance looked different enough at first glance so he could hopefully avoid the guards easier.
~~
It was a lot harder than Sky thought to find Jin. The other practically up and vanished from the town. But that couldn’t be, Jin was angry sure, but he wouldn’t leave them, right?
No, don’t think about that. Sky chided himself. He couldn’t afford to spiral like that. Jin was here, he was just somewhere Sky hadn’t looked.
It took hours, and the sun was starting to set, but Sky finally saw a familiar red coat standing on the walkway of the stained wall around Roxton. He was looking out at the ocean silently with the torn wanted poster in his hands.
Sky didn’t see his face, but Jin knew he was there.
“Go away, Sky.”
Sky frowned “Jin, we’re worried sick about you. I mean, you just punched Barney and left without a word.”
“Yeah well, when your world gets pummeled to the ground, and someone tried to tell you it’s a good thing, you try not punching them.” He muttered with a soft growl in his voice.
Sky could see the wanted poster was wet but they were near the ocean, so he didn’t think twice about it “Come on Jin. I know you’re upset about this. I understand what you’re going through isn’t easy.”
Jin turned and looked at Sky in anger and Sky felt himself freeze. Jin’s face was wet with tears, and his eyes were red and puffy. Jin Huang, former captain of the Jewel of Britain, a man who hardly ever showed his emotions to others, was crying.
“Isn’t easy?” Jin repeated bitterly “Isn’t easy?! No shit it ‘isn’t easy’! I have worked my entire life to get where I am! I’ve sailed on ships for my country my whole life! My father was a brilliant commander that demanded respect from all who met him! I have worked my entire life to achieve his reputation! To fulfil his expectation of me!”
He grabbed Sky’s shirt with his hand and pushed him up against the stone wall edge.
“And now all of that is gone! I’m a fucking criminal Sky! A wanted criminal! If I go back to Britain, I’ll be locked up for life if I’m lucky or hanged for my crimes! If my father were alive, he’d disown me as his son! You don’t have a fucking clue what that’s like!”
He let go and stumbled back slightly, his face full of tears now, and he was breathing shakily “E-Everything I had of worth is gone now. My name will be struck from history books, and I’ll be remembered as nothing but a low life pirate...”
Jin’s voice cracked at that. He took a shaky breath and hugged his arms tight to himself as though they were his only protection against the world “That’s my legacy now...” He spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
Sky stared at Jin with wide eyes. Holy shit this had destroyed Jin. He looked nothing like how he knew the other. Jin had tied himself so strongly to Britain that he didn’t know who he was without it.
He got to his knees and pulled Jin into a tight hug. Jin froze at that for a moment before he broke down sobbing in Sky’s shoulder. He was so lost now. Who even was he if he wasn’t part of Britain.
“They’re all idiots anyway.”
Jin blinked and looked at Sky when he pulled away “W-Wh-What?” He asked
“I said they’re all idiots. They don’t deserve someone like you Jin. You gave them everything, and this is how they treat you in return? You’re better than them by a long shot.” Sky told Jin with a frown
“B-But-“
“So what if they rule half the land, that’s why we take to the ocean.” He pointed to the ocean. “They can claim they own it but out there is no man’s land. Out there, we can be whatever we want to be. You can still be Captain Jin of the jewel of Britain if that’s what you want, we can still find enough treasure to give to them for you to go him if that’s what you really want. But out there you can be anything you want. Pirate or not. If Britain is gonna strike, your legacy from the history books then make a new legacy for yourself out there.”
Jin looked at Sky quietly at that. The first mate spoke with so much passion. That same passion he saw when he first let the other on his ship that hadn’t wavered since they first sailed. Sky had chosen his life and knew this was what he wanted.
But was that what Jin wanted?
“I just don’t know anymore.” Non said softly.
Sky smiled sadly and sighed, sitting next to him “Tell you what? We’re gonna need to leave Roxton soon enough-“he pulled out a sack of coins from his pocket. Gold Barney had given him to purchase good at the start of the day. “That’s enough gold for you to buy safe passage on any ship and start a new life if you really want that.”
Sky shrugged “Or, you could get back on the ship with us and keep being Jin Huang, starting a new legacy they want. Whether it’s to return to Britain or not.”
Jin blinked in shock “You’re not gonna force back on the ship?” He asked in shock.
Adam smiled sadly “What kind of friend would I be if I forced you to do anything you were against. I know it’s nothing personal if not coming is what you want Jin. But I hope you know your family will miss you a lot. Your real family.” He stood up and looked at Jin “I’m heading back to the ship. I’ll tell Barney that we won’t leave till the moons above the clock tower. Will that be enough time for you to decide?”
Jin thought quietly for a moment before he smiled softly and nodded “I think so. Thank you, Sky.”
Sky smiled back and nodded “What’re friends for?” Then the pirate started the walk back to the ship.
Of course, Jin didn’t need that time. His mind had been made the second Adam stood up. But he needed to get ready first.
~~
The moon was almost over the clock tower at this point, and Jin still wasn’t here.
Barney was pacing in annoyance and Ross was sadly helping the crew get ready to leave. Adam meanwhile still sat at the ship entrance waiting. He knew he gave Jin a choice, he wanted to be a good friend, but he didn’t want to leave him!
Barney sighed “Sky, we’ve waited long enough. I hate it, but we need to go now. I’m not risking the rest of us getting caught.”
Skys’ shoulder’s sagged “Yeah... I guess you’re right.” He muttered softly turning away sadly as he and Ross brought up the board used to climb onto the ship.
“You know it’s not above the clock tower yet. You guys really that eager to leave me?” A familiar voice asked.
Sky, Ross and Barney froze and turned in shock to see Jin standing on the wooden railing, holding the ropes for balance. Only he definitely looked different.
Jin still wore his red coat, but the coat was now lined in black and had gold buttons along the side. He was wearing a white blouse with a red broach showing a small H symbol inside it. A gold pocket watch was visible in his front pocket and his pants and bother were both a sleek black colour. His black hair had two small braids in it on the left side, and his captain hat had been swapped out for a black hat with a white feather in it. Around his shirt and pants were several brown belts with a gun holder of each side holding a new pistol and one hand holding his cut glass.
He looked like a red coat with a major fashion upgrade.
“Jin, you look... Wow.” Sky muttered in awe.
“How did you even afford all that?” Ross stared
“Has some help,” Jin said simple and jumped down.
“So... you’re coming with us?” Sky asked hopefully
“I thought about what you said Sky...” Jin sighed, his hand fiddling with his pocket watch “I still don’t know what I want in life. Whether or. If I want to go back to Britain it not. But I can’t right now with nothing to show for it. And you guys are my family.” He smiled softly “So I figured I can cross that bridge when I get to it.” He told them.
Barney and Ross cheered at that and hugged Jin tightly enough for the three to fall over with a laugh.
Sky watched that with a smile “I knew you’d make the right choice.” He said so softly, no one else heard him over the celebrations that their comrade had returned to them.