Chapter 107 Captain Mad John

"What do we do?" Seadog exclaimed.

"Quiet down, will you?" Mad John responded, "I am only asking you to head over to the cannons in case they are here to cause problems. But if they aren't and are only here to take her back, then we will simply release her".

Seadog nodded his head in accord, before he exhaled, and then paused after a sudden thought passed through his head.

"But why do they want her back?" He inquired "The last time Captain Crimson eye took Captain Clara was to protect her from Prince Wy…."

"Captain Prince Wyatt" Mad John chastised and corrected his words "That is the way you will be addressing him from now on"

He continued "Do I make myself clear?"

Seadog nodded furiously. There was no longer any trace of amusement or irritation that danced on his lips whenever he listens to the words of the current Mad John. He didn't even feel vexed by the way he spoke or addressed him.

Because it has already become clear to him, that apart from Prince Wyatt, his life can also be threatened by him.

Him! Mad John, a sea slave bought from the same market as him, now has more authority over his life than he does.

"Continue" Mad John added.

As ordered, he continued "If they are here for Captain Clara's safety, would they still choose to take her even if she is unharmed, and would they still choose to do so even if Captain Prince Wyatt was around it".

Mad John frowned.

"What I mean is that the according to the Pirate code, Captain Clara is more like a prisoner on his ship, however, if we take in her immense background, then she is just a passenger or a visitor until she is dropped off somewhere safe. But for him to send not one but two ships to retrieve her means that...

"..They are not here for long talks, especially since they sent two ships to a broken ship to retrieve one woman when we have no grievance with each other, which means that they are trying to pass a message. And since the Captain is more than capable of breaking both ships to cinders, then their purpose here is either the destruction of our ship or both" Mad said.

'I don't see anything profitable that Captain Crimson eye will gain from antagonizing the Captain' Mad John thought. His mind scoured for answers, and at the same time, he thought of how his Captain would respond to this problem in a much more reasonable and less dramatic manner.

His eyes shifted from the ship and Clara, before glancing at the two incoming ships. He closed his eyes, breathed in and out, and then snapped them back open with the ferocity of an eagle ready to take flight.

He then turned his gaze to Seadog and said "Go prepare the cannons, and fire when I give you the signal".

Seadog straightened up his back "Right on it". Before racing down the platform and heading down the lower decks.

Flicking his left earing without reason, Mad John stood tall on the platform as he stared at the incoming ship, wanting to make his presence known easily, as they would surely pick his figure up on their telescope.

"Pirate Code Rule 5, Dash 4, With the absence or death of the Captain, the Second in command of the ship, is temporarily promoted to a Captain until he chooses to give it up or permanently becomes one" Mad John uttered. The rules and regulations of the Pirate Code rolled off his tongue as though they were like honey.

He continued "Until you return, Captain Mad John will be taking control of the ship".

…........

"The ships are supposed to reach the frozen port bridge this morning, correct?"

"Yes, Captain. I made sure to lay your orders to them and see to it that they left the same day".

"Them?" He took a glance at Jerry who was beside him and questioned.

"Yes, I sent the 28th and the 29th fleet" Jerry replied.

"I see" He dipped his pen into the bowl of ink, and continued filling in the forms of the weekly allocations for his ship and the rest of the ships under his command.

"And my orders?" He continued.

"I did as you ordered Captain. The two ships were ordered to inform Prince Wyatt about the disappearance of Captain Clara and then request to search his ship" Jerry paused "However if he is to refuse then they are allowed to search the ship by force. And should Prince Wyatt in any way lay a hand on them, then they are advised to retreat".

"Yes. In order not to lose my men, then they have no other choice than to retreat and are allowed to return without Captain Clara if they have no way of bringing her back with them" He stopped writing and gazed at the closed door before he continued "However, if they are successful, then they will get a promotion from me".

"Captian -" Jerry's words slightly fumbled.

"Hmm, what is it?" Captain Crimson eye replied half-heartedly.

"What if they don't return? Or only one of them returns?" Jerry respond and then thought 'Because only one of them will, and will do so empty handed'.

"If that happens, instead of intercepting him when he returns, we will have a justifiable right to kill him since he had attacked our men first while I only had good intentions of rescuing the daughter of my superior after he had tried to kill her" He held his breath and then exhaled tirelessly "Besides, he already knows my plans and secrets, and the also the more time he spends in their the more chances of him uncovering more of them. And from his personality, I am sure that he isn't someone who can keep a secret if he sees how profitable it could be for him to release it"

"In short, no matter what, as long as he chooses not to become my ally, then he is not leaving this sea alive. Besides, as long we get back lady Clara, my plans will still go forward unhindered"

Suddenly, Jerry exhaled 'I am sorry Capain' He thought.

Captain Crimson eye rose a brow at his dramatic expression and responded "You look tense".

"No, it's nothing" He shook his head "I am just making sure I remember if any of the tasks I have taken care of were done without error".

Captain Crimson nodded his head in understanding before he waved dismissively at Jerry "You can leave now I won't be needing your help for the next files".

Jerry nodded, and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Walking down the corridor, a subtle sound escaped his lips.

"Your days are numbered, Prince Wyatt".

…....….

"So the Captain isn't around?" A tall sturdy brown-skinned man replied. He took a glance at his partner who was beside him with a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Yes, and until the returns, I am currently in charge" Mad John said. He stared at the four men in front of him with Clara standing beside him.

Although they tried to hide it, he could see it. Their attentions weren't even on him but were instead directed at Clara from the moment they stepped foot on their ship. They only shifted their gazes towards him when he let out a statement or two.

Though the woman in question was, was put off by their gazes and returned a scornful glare.

'Good to see that she is still herself' Mad John thought.

"Alright. To make it short, we are here for her" Another said, and pointed towards Clara.

"For her safety, Captain Crimson eye has or - -"

"Sure, you can take her with you" Pin-drop silence encased the surroundings the moment Mad John's words, left his lips.

The dumbfounded expression on their faces fled and was quickly replaced with a sceptical look.

"HUH!!" Clara blinked. She cleaned up her ears with a thumb as though doubting if she heard Mad John's words correctly.

"You heard me right" He responded, shifting his attention towards her.

"..-YOU" Clara stuttered and pointed her fingers at Mad John in defiance.

"I will inform the Captain of your arrival and make sure he branches at Captain Crimson eye's ship to listen to whatever you have to say" He added, and waited for a response.

However, currently, Clara's mind was in shambles. And so, the only thing she could utter out of her mouth was….

"YOU!" Somehow, she felt betrayed.

Not paying her any more thought, Mad John turned to the Pirates in front of him and said "What are you still waiting for? You can take her and get off my ship, as you can see we are currently undergoing repairs and are unable to accept visitors".

All four men looked at each other, amid their surprised faces, and nodded in tactical understanding.

The tall sturdy man walked forward and grabbed the arm of Clara, holding her like a stubborn child who was ready to run away at any moment.

"Thanks for your cooperation" His comrade replied with a grateful smile on his lips "We will be taking our leave now".

"Please do" Mad John responded impatiently.

"Aren't you guys forgetting something?" Marcus questioned, watching as his two other associates turned back with thoughtful looks on their faces.

"Fine, I will do it" He shook his head in defeat, before turning back to Mad John "We will also be staying around to accompany Prince Wyatt and his ship back across the Cryptic Sea".

Mad John's lips curved downwards. However, one thought passed through his head before he could think "I don't understand. If you are going to be staying here for a while, then why didn't you wait until my Captain returned before you entered his ship and began making demands".