After binding the lanky pirate, Hatcheson scanned the room. He yanked down the curtains and draped them over the young girl, then pulled out his dagger to cut the ropes that bound her.
The girl, now free, showed no sign of gratitude. Instead, she clutched the curtain tightly and backed away from Hatcheson, her face filled with wariness and fear. Her eyes stayed locked on him, watching his every move. But soon, as if remembering something, she quickly got off the bed and began searching the room.
It didn't take long for her to find the corpse of the man on the floor. Trembling, she collapsed to her knees. Ignoring the bloodstains, she cradled the cold, lifeless body of her father in her arms and began to sob uncontrollably.
"We should leave," Aramis said as he re-entered the room, catching sight of the heartbreaking scene. Feeling uncomfortable, he nudged the bound lanky pirate with his foot and said to Hatcheson, "Take this guy to the captain for judgment."
Meanwhile, William and his ship had easily dealt with Guy and his pirates. The vessel had already docked at the pier. Selkirk, after disembarking, led a group of men deeper into the town to provide reinforcements. As they reached a street corner, they saw Hatcheson and Aramis escorting the bound lanky pirate out of the alley.
Selkirk's expression darkened at the sight. The lanky pirate, however, looked relieved and called out, "Captain..."
"Shut up!" Selkirk barked, cutting him off with a scowl. "How many times do I have to tell you? There's only one captain on this ship. Call me the first mate!"
Turning to Aramis and Hatcheson, Selkirk asked, "What did he do?"
Aramis squinted at Selkirk without saying a word. It was Hatcheson who replied, "He disobeyed the captain's orders."
Selkirk spat on the ground in frustration. "And Sant? He was with you, wasn't he? Where is he?"
Sant, the stocky pirate, was the one Selkirk referred to. Aramis responded bluntly, "That guy insulted the captain. I shot him."
Selkirk whipped around to stare at Aramis, who met his gaze without flinching.
After a long pause, Selkirk gritted his teeth and said, "Good. If he had insulted the captain in front of me, I'd have shot him too."
With that, Selkirk turned and walked away, his expression grim. The lanky pirate called out to him twice, but Selkirk didn't respond.
After clearing the remaining enemies onshore, the Morgan Pirates regrouped at the docks to count their injured and assess their losses.
Despite the short time spent in the town, several violations of William's ironclad rules had already occurred. William was certain that if the pirates were allowed to stay in the town any longer, the number of transgressions would only increase.
The rescued townsfolk were left bewildered by what they had witnessed. It was clear at a glance that the Morgan Pirates were indeed pirates. But after defeating their enemies, they had left in an orderly manner, without looting or oppressing the townspeople. This was the first time the residents had encountered pirates who behaved this way.
The mayor of Black Reef Town, Darwil, was particularly uneasy. While the other townsfolk could bury their heads in the sand, pretending the pirates had never been there, Darwil, as the mayor, couldn't afford to take that approach.
Darwil gathered the townsfolk once more, preparing to lead them to hide outside the town. But he knew deep down that this was a futile effort. The Morgan Pirates had captured many of their enemies, and it wouldn't take long for them to discover the hiding spots outside the town.
So, despite his fear, Darwil mustered his courage and decided to go to the docks. His plan was to speak with this unusual pirate crew's captain—to humble himself and beg for the safety of the town's residents.
Some of the braver townsfolk offered to accompany Darwil, the elderly man with graying hair, but he refused. After all, the people he was about to face were ruthless pirates. The outcome of this meeting was uncertain, and he didn't want anyone else risking their lives alongside him.
When Darwil arrived at the docks, he was greeted by the sight of William administering justice to his disobedient crew.
Four pirates, including the lanky one, knelt on the open ground of the dock, their hands bound behind their backs with rope. William stood before the lanky pirate, while Kuro followed closely behind him, carrying a stack of drinking bowls and a jug of strong liquor.
William crouched down and knelt in front of the lanky pirate. Taking the jug and a bowl from Kuro, he filled the bowl with liquor and carefully brought it to the pirate's lips, offering him a drink.
The lanky pirate drank too quickly, choking and coughing. His eyes reddened as he said, "Captain, I admit my guilt for disobeying your orders. But I don't understand—why should we, as pirates, restrain ourselves like this? I don't accept it!"
William poured himself a drink from the jug and spoke softly, "Have you ever thought about how you'd feel if one day, your brothers, sisters, or family suffered the same fate?"
"I'm an orphan. I have no family," the lanky pirate replied bluntly.
"Then have you ever wondered why you became an orphan?"
William filled the bowl with liquor again. He raised it in a toast to the lanky pirate, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one go.
Crash! The empty bowl shattered as William smashed it against the ground.
The crisp sound seemed to break the lanky pirate's emotional defenses. Tears streamed down his face as he began to sob uncontrollably. Perhaps it was guilt surfacing in his final moments, or more likely, it was sheer terror. But William chose to believe it was the former.
Placing a hand on the pirate's shoulder, William stood up, drew the katana at his waist, and raised the blade high. "Brother, may you rest in peace!" he declared.
The moment his words ended, the blade flashed. The lanky pirate's head was severed cleanly, rolling a few times on the ground before coming to a stop.
William handed the blood-stained katana to Kuro, then picked up the jug and bowl, moving on to the next kneeling pirate.
The dock fell silent. The Morgan Pirates stood quietly, watching as William carried out the executions. His method of justice was deeply rooted in the traditions of clans and outlaws—a mix of harsh discipline and human sentiment.
William had put considerable thought into this process, though it was a decision born of necessity. After all, his crew was made up of pirates. Even with only ten rules, which William, as a modern-day traveler, considered lenient, they were seen as harsh and inhumane by the standards of this world's pirates.
The tension on the ship was palpable. William knew he needed to balance discipline with morale. If he executed his crew without ceremony, it would only breed resentment, driving them to disloyalty—just like what had happened to Barbarossa, whose crew's divided loyalties ultimately led to his downfall.
Selkirk stood among the crowd, his jaw clenched tightly. He didn't move, silently watching the proceedings.
In the distance, Darwil, the mayor of Black Reef Town, also watched. He saw William offer each kneeling pirate a drink, exchange a few words, and then execute them one by one.
Darwil's emotions were simpler than Selkirk's. He felt nothing but fear. He wanted to flee, but two pirates were watching him closely. Besides, his legs had gone weak from the day's events and the horrifying scene before him. He couldn't run even if he wanted to.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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