"I want you."
Duke leaned in slightly, his gaze sharp and invasive, a sly, unreadable smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Sarah's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly grabbed her teacup to hide the panic in her chest, but ended up burning her tongue on the hot tea and had to put the cup down.
"Relax. I'm not interested in you personally. No matter how depraved I might be, I wouldn't lay a hand on an older woman."
"Older. Woman?!"
Sarah's expression stiffened instantly. Forget the burn, she stared at Duke and spoke each word with deliberate weight.
"Kid. You'd better choose your words very carefully."
As one of Bilgewater's most successful women, Sarah took pride in her appearance, her beauty was one of her most powerful weapons. In her eyes, she might be second to none... and certainly, no one dared claim to be first.
And now, this brat dared call her an "old woman"?
"You're at least ten years older than me," Duke said frankly. "And it's not like I don't have age-appropriate options back in Piltover. Why would I bother with you?"
"Then what the hell did you mean?"
Sarah crossed her arms, studying him coldly.
"I want you to become the new ruler of Bilgewater. Its Pirate Queen."
Duke's voice was low, but full of commanding presence, as though no outcome could defy his will.
Sarah's heart thudded once more, but then she scoffed at the absurdity.
"You?"
"Hahahahaha, !"
Sarah doubled over with laughter, wiping tears from her eyes. Once she calmed herself, she said:
"Stop joking. Let's talk about something real. Like... how much can you offer me annually?"
As she spoke, her voice trailed off. Duke's expression hadn't changed.
That made her heart jolt.
She slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
"You're serious?!"
"You really don't want that position?" Duke asked calmly.
Sarah took a deep breath.
"I know what I'm capable of."
"But can you keep suppressing your hatred?"
"What do you mean?"
Her eyes narrowed into sharp slits.
"Nothing," Duke said innocently, spreading his hands. "Just that if you do consider it, I can offer you all the funding and weapons you'll ever need. Even warships better than Noxian ones, I can build them myself."
"But there's no such thing as a free lunch. Never has been."
"Of course not. I'm not doing this out of charity. Once you become Pirate Queen, all I ask is a bit of convenience here and there."
"When you're in power, even the scraps you toss out will be enough to make others choke from overeating."
"I don't trust you."
Sarah was blunt.
"No one in their right mind would trust a stranger they just met, especially not one offering this kind of deal."
"I get it," Duke said, taking a slow sip of tea.
If someone had offered him a fortune out of nowhere, promising a cut of future success, he'd assume they were trying to scam a child.
"But we have a shared goal, don't we?"
"Gangplank stands in my way. He blocks my family's path. That's why I've come all the way to Bilgewater, to remove him."
"As for you…" Duke popped another malt candy into his mouth. "I won't rehash your history with him. It's not my place, and I doubt you want the pain relived."
"You want Gangplank dead. I want him out of my way. Our interests align. Perfect conditions for cooperation."
"How much do you really know?" Sarah demanded. "Your words are full of traps. What if, once Gangplank's gone, you stab me in the back?"
"That's for you to decide."
Duke stared into his teacup, voice half-joking, half-serious.
"Some people are born knowing everything. Others die having never seen the truth."
"I know a bit about you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have kept you around when you came knocking."
"You think I kept you because of your looks?"
"Please."
"If I don't understand your true intent," Sarah said coldly, "then I can't give you a real answer."
She stood, adjusting her coat and picking up her signature wide-brimmed hat.
Duke gestured politely.
"Then rest for now. We'll reach Bilgewater soon. I'll be staying a while, you'll have plenty of time to consider."
"There's a guest cabin prepared for you. Feel free to use it."
"Then I'll graciously accept."
Sarah gave him a charming smile, but her hurried footsteps betrayed her inner unrest.
Just as she reached the door, Duke called out.
"Wait."
"What now?"
"You forgot something."
He nodded toward the box on the table, the one containing the exosuit he'd gifted her.
Duke stood and walked to the window.
"I never take back what I've given."
Sarah turned, gave him a long look, then walked over, grabbed the box, and left without a word.
The door slammed shut behind her.
Duke chuckled.
"You took my gift. Let's see if you can resist the bait."
"Now we wait... for her decision."
"Once I control Bilgewater, a few giveaways mean nothing. A key hub like this, there are a thousand ways to turn that investment into a hundredfold return."
Staring at the clouds on the horizon, Duke sat down at his desk.
"Time to redesign the new Original Sin unit."
The next morning.
When Bilgewater's jagged silhouette finally appeared on the horizon, cries of excitement echoed across the deck. The number of nearby ships had increased dramatically.
Cargo ships, fishing boats, whalers, pirate vessels, they filled the sea like a swarm.
Knock knock knock...
Someone at the door.
Hair a mess, Duke blinked up from a mountain of blueprints, confused by the sunlight pouring through the window.
"What time is it?"
"Duke, we've arrived at Bilgewater!"
Jayce pushed the door open after getting no response. When he saw the chaotic sea of papers on the desk, and even scattered across the floor, he bent down to pick one up.
But what he saw made his heart pound.
"Don't look at that."
Duke snatched the blueprint from his hand and crouched to collect the rest.
Jayce couldn't shake what he'd seen, a design for forcibly fusing mechanical constructs with the human body.
It went against everything he believed as a scientist.
"What are you working on?" Jayce asked quietly.
Duke didn't answer immediately. He tapped the stack of papers on the desk to straighten them, his back still turned.
"You'd be better off not asking."
"You're still making weapons?"
"That's none of your business."
Jayce inhaled sharply.
"Duke, I hope you know what you're doing. You're brilliant, don't lose yourself."
"There's only one path for me," Duke said, slipping into his coat.
As the hem flared behind him, he brushed past Jayce.
"The path to ultimate truth."
At the doorway stood Sarah, arms crossed, flashing a half-smile.
"Gentlemen, sorry to interrupt."
Her presence cut through the tension. In Piltover's eyes, Duke's research, mechanizing the human body, was nothing short of heresy.
Science was supposed to advance humanity, not dismantle it.
Prosthetics were one thing. Full integration? Unthinkable.
All the sketches on Duke's desk were just his raw thoughts and doodles... but to Jayce, they were blasphemy.
"Don't forget why you started all this."
As Duke buttoned his coat and left the cabin, Jayce looked at the mess and covered his face with both hands.
"I need to work harder. I invented the Hex Crystal, but Duke came up with the Hex Gate and Hex Communicator. I'm falling behind. I can't let this continue..."
"I need to create something stronger. Better!"
Out on deck, Duke ignored Jayce's inner turmoil. His focus was on Captain Lister at the bow, once again, he felt that strange sensation.
It wasn't just sensing Lister's emotions. It was the ability to influence... maybe even control them.
"Is it because of the mana I infused him with earlier?"
Duke quietly tried to read Lister's thoughts.
"Mr. Duke is on deck. I need to make a good impression... Maybe I should invite him for a drink after we dock?"
The captain smiled as he spotted Duke.
Duke, however, frowned slightly. Sarah, noticing, asked:
"What's wrong? Not used to the smell around here?"
"What?"
Snapped out of his thoughts, Duke realized the Swordfish was already sailing into port.
As they drew closer to Bilgewater, the island's shape emerged through the mist. The terrain became clearer, rugged cliffs, narrow straits, and dangerous inlets.
Jayce had joined them on deck too, though he kept quiet, standing amid the crew as the port loomed ever closer.
The harbor was surrounded by treacherous cliffs, so much so that even seasoned locals had to tread carefully.
Bilgewater Island resembled the body of a flintlock pistol. The port itself sat at the "trigger," enclosed by jagged sea channels.
As the Swordfish finally slid into dock, Sarah turned to Duke and said with a smile:
"Gentlemen, welcome to Bilgewater."
End of chapter...
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