48 Hours a Day

While everyone was attracted to the drama on the beach, none of them noticed that the Jackdaw and the Quidah were back in Nassau. Standing on the deck, Zhang Heng saw the lights and the large crowd that had gathered. At first, he didn’t pay too much attention, but after he moored his Jackdaw, he rowed to the port with Anne, Billy, and the other two pirates. He quickly noticed the Gentle Breeze’s odd position and the two unfamiliar barques docked there.

 Zhang Heng started to realize that something must have gone very wrong. Even before the small boat reached the port, he saw the captured sailors from the Gentle Breeze and the dead Booker. He frowned as he whispered something to Billy, who then nodded and returned to the Jackdaw with the other two pirates after dropping off Zhang Heng and Anne at the port.

 Stepping on the soft sand, Zhang Heng stepped up toward Carina as the crowd parted automatically, opening a way for him.

 “I’m sorry but who the hell are you?” asked Wilton.

 “I’m Zhang Heng, captain of the Jackdaw.”

 “So? Does this have anything to do with you?”

 “Miss Carina is my trading partner on this island, and she is my friend as well.”

 “Oh. I understand now. I’m afraid that you will have to look for a new trading partner. That’s because she doesn’t own a ship now and she has lost her people. Plus! She owes me a huge amount of money! I’m asking her to be our guide on this island. I might consider sparing the life of her men if she can… well… please me.”

 Carina could no longer hold back her rage, landing a hard slap on Wilton’s face. Wilton touched his face and stared at Carina. As she glanced at his lewd gawks, she unconsciously took two steps back. Wilton was also smiling. Instead of calming her down, she grew even more apprehensive of him.

 “It seems like Miss Carina is still living in a dream. It’s time to wake her up,” said Wilton to his pirates.

 Immediately, his pirates took down Booker’s bloody corpse from the wooden pole and strapped the second sailor to it. Carina’s started breathing rapidly. She gave Zhang Heng a quick glance hoping that he could somehow figure out a way to help her. However, she had no idea how he would do that considering Anne and him were the only two that came down from the Jackdaw. Wilton, on the other hand, had more than half of his people on the beach.

 Zhang Heng was clearly outnumbered. Any sane person would know that nothing else could be done to salvage the situation. Wilton grabbed his dagger and walked towards his second target, looking at Zhang Heng in disdain at the same time. As expected, Wilton could only remain silent in this situation. This time, he wanted to plant his dagger straight into the sailor’s chest, using its sharp tip to run through the sailor’s body, taunting him and enjoying the look of fear on his face. Just when he was about to kill his target, he heard the sound of two cannons firing.

 “Who the f*ck fired the cannons again? We are here to do business! We don’t want any trouble, eh? There are still some powerful pirates over here. We cannot afford to mess with Honegg, Black Prince, and Blackbeard. Let’s play nice in the land of others,” said Wilton.

 “Captain, our ship didn’t fire the cannons. It… it seems as if our ship is under attack!” said one of the pirates who was starting to panic.

 Wilton’s face changed immediately. When he turned to the port, he saw that his ship, the Skeleton, was under attack! Though he left quite a few of his men on board, he never expected anyone to be brazen enough to attack it. The ambush caused the Skeleton’s crew to run around like headless chickens. They didn’t even get the opportunity to open their cannon’s hatches after the first round of attacks.

 “Return the Gentle Breeze and the goods into Carina. I want you to release all her sailors as well. Do that, and I will stop the attack,” said Zhang Heng.

 “What if I say no?”

 “I will sink your ship then.”

 “No one had ever threatened me before since I became a pirate!”

 “Congratulations! You have one now. You can continue taking your time to think about it, but I cannot guarantee that your ship still floats in about… five minutes.”

 “Aren’t you afraid of the consequences of breaking the laws of this island? Attacking any ships that are docked at the harbor is forbidden!”

 “You are not a pirate of this island. I don’t see any problem attacking an alien ship.”

 Wilton tapped the handle of his dagger faster and faster. It appeared he was deep in thought.

 “By the way, if you are thinking of stalling me and asking your second ship to attack us, I suggest you give up on the idea. That’s because I can guarantee that your second ship will be paralyzed as well.”

 At first, Wilton did not believe Zhang Heng. However, when he saw that the Quidah had their cannons pointed directly at his second ship. It was then that he realized Zhang Heng wasn’t in a mood for empty threats.

 “Are you sure you want to make an enemy out of me?” asked Wilton as he glared at Zhang Heng with an icy stare.

 “What about you?”

 Zhang Heng looked into Wilton’s eyes without the slightest bit of fear. Eventually, Wilton caved in and decided to do what Zhang Heng asked him to do.

 “Release them!”

 Wilton’s pirates cut the ropes that tied the sailors of the Gentle Breeze. The two ran to Carina and embraced her the moment they regained their freedom. Another middle-aged sailor staggered towards the lifeless Booker and started to weep uncontrollably as he held his body in his arms. He was Booker’s uncle and was the one that asked him to work for the Gentle Breeze. Never would have expected that this job would cause him to lose his nephew just like that.

 Wilton then glared at Zhang Heng, but received no response.

 “Inform our brothers on the ship to let the rest of the captured sailors go. Return their goods to them as well! Are you happy now?” growled Wilton with gritted teeth.

 This time, Zhang Heng finally responded. He signaled the Jackdaw’s watcher, who quickly updated Billy about their captain’s decision. Half a minute later, the Jackdaw finally stopped firing. Unfortunately, the Skeleton was already severely damaged by then. Though it was still afloat, it had lost all ability to retaliate.

 The Jackdaw was more potent than most of the ordinary pirate ships. After all, it was a corvette, and they did not miss a single shot since the Skeleton was parked so close to them. Once Wilton’s knew about the extent of his ship’s damage, he led his men back to Skeleton without uttering a single word to Zhang Heng. All he did was glare at him.

 “Are we really going to let them go? I don’t think they will let us off the hook,” said Anne.

 “They have a lot more people than us. I’m afraid he will kill us all if we pressure him too much. But you are right. He will begin attacking us once he fixes his ship. We will have to deal with this problem tonight. Inform our men to prepare for the next battle!”

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