Chapter 6: The Capfrancis Fleet (2)

“Elkain Capfrancis…”

Claire repeated the name Giltre had spoken softly under his breath. Even if he was a villain, he was a massive celebrity. If he were to appear in London, he would likely be the most invited individual in every manor. Despite his dire situation, a flicker of curiosity stirred within him at the mention of such a legendary figure.

“I heard he never leaves the Caribbean. Why would he come all the way here?”

“Every two years, the main Capfrancis fleet leaves the Caribbean and crosses the Atlantic to offer tribute to the Queen.”

Claire prided himself on having lived in London for a long time and frequenting social circles, but this was news to him. He asked back, his eyes widening.

“Has this… been going on for long?”

“Ever since they became the Queen’s fleet, they’ve done it consistently.”

“If the Capfrancis fleet had arrived, all of London would have been in an uproar. I’ve never heard a word of it.”

“Captain Elkain doesn’t seek audience with the Queen himself. Our Admiral is the one who goes in,” Mary Read cut in this time. She added in a boastful tone, “The Mediterranean and the North Sea are territories entrusted to our Second Fleet. we meet in North Africa to take over the tribute.”

Claire knew nothing of the Capfrancis fleet floating in the waters near London. The strangest part was why Elpian’s name wasn’t known at all.

A pirate who sought audience with the Queen—an outlier. A man with wealth, power, and, though Claire loathed to admit it, an eye-catching, beautiful appearance. It was baffling that such a person wasn’t famous.

“I’ve never even heard that there was a Second Fleet in the Capfrancis name. Who exactly is this man, Elpian?”

“Well. Who do you think he is?” Mary Read asked playfully.

Claire tilted his head slightly, guessing. “Since they share a surname, is he Elkain Capfrancis’s… perhaps, son?”

At that, both of them burst into laughter.

“A son? My, my. Hey, do you actually know anything about Elkain Capfrancis?”

“I know as much as the common person hears.”

“Do you know how long he has reigned as the King of the Caribbean?”

“Well… only that it’s been a very long time…”

As Claire trailed off, Giltre let out a laugh.

“A very long time? Does London call five years ago ‘a very long time’?”

“Five years ago?”

“Yes.”

“But I’ve heard stories of him since I was a child.”

That was why Claire had been so shocked by how young Elpian looked when he mistook him for Elkain. Giltre shook his head at Claire’s remark.

“That’s how it is with great pirates. Once a reputation takes hold, they absorb the deeds of others. Even things that happened when you were a child get attributed to his name, making it feel like he’s been around forever.”

“Even so… only five years? It’s hard to believe.”

“It has to be. Captain Elkain isn’t even thirty yet.”

“Not even thirty?”

The King of the Caribbean, who made all of Europe tremble, was not yet thirty. Claire’s face went blank with shock.

‘Then is Elpian his older brother?’ Claire was about to ask when Mary Read chimed in.

“Our Admiral is the Captain’s younger brother.”

“Wha—?!”

Claire let out an undignified squawk of surprise.

“If he’s the younger brother, then exactly how old is he?”

“I think he’s twenty-five this year?”

“Only twenty-five?”

Claire thought he had been too shocked to be surprised any further, but he froze once more with his mouth agape. Mary Read laughed at his reaction before tilting her head.

“Huh. You’re really shocked. The Admiral doesn’t look particularly old, does he?”

“Isn’t that just because he’s surrounded by this lot of pirates?”

“True, there aren’t many human-looking faces here. Including this old man.”

“What was that? You woman with less charm than a washboard!”

The sounds of the two bickering didn’t reach Claire’s ears. He was reeling from the impact. As he bit his lip and his fists trembled, Mary Read asked him:

“What’s the matter, rookie? Come to think of it, how old are you?”

“Twenty… six.”

“Ack!”

As he mumbled his answer, the two pirates let out strange sounds simultaneously.

“No way! With a face like that, you’re older than me? I was certain you were younger.”

“Tell me about it. No matter how you look at it, Mary Read looks like his aunt.”

“What?! And you look like his grandfather!”

After snarling at Giltre, Mary Read saw Claire’s dejected state and patted his back.

“What’s wrong? Is it because you were thoroughly handled by a younger guy? It’s miserable, but cheer up.”

“…”

“Mary Read. You need to learn how to comfort people properly,” Giltre chided.

“Don’t be too discouraged. Life is full of filthy events; just think of it as being bitten by a dog. So, uh, what was your name again?”

Claire hesitated to give his real name to pirates, but seeing Giltre’s kind eyes, he mumbled an answer.

“Claire Dane Grant.”

“A fine name. All right, Claire. Just grit your teeth and hang in there for a few weeks. Think of it as a life experience.”

Claire thought he didn’t need this kind of ‘experience’ in his life, but since he had decided to live, there was no point in wallowing. When Claire gave a small, submissive nod, Mary Read smiled broadly.

“Good choice. If you hang in there, you might even start to enjoy it. Miguel was a mess of tears and tantrums at first too.”

“Don’t say such things, even as a joke,” Claire snapped at her before turning to Giltre with a grievance. “What will happen to me now? Will I be locked in this ship, treated like a s*ave and a doctor while being used by him?”

“Not necessarily. If you sign the Articles of the Sea and officially become a pirate, you could end up like Miguel or me. You can move freely, go ashore… You’re a doctor, so you’ll likely be treated very well.”

Signing the Articles of the Sea was no different from choosing to become a pirate of one’s own will. It meant that even if he were ‘rescued’ by the Navy, he wouldn’t be going home; he’d be hanging from a gallows by the Thames.

Claire had absolutely no intention of becoming a pirate.

“And if I don’t sign?”

“Then, well… you can move around the ship more or less while we’re sailing, but you won’t be allowed to disembark even when we dock. No matter how much of a doctor you are, you’d officially be a prisoner.”

Answering, Giltre glanced at the shortened shadow on the table.

“Ah, the sun is high. John should be waking up soon.”

“Oh, right!” Mary Read agreed and hurriedly began tearing at the remaining fish. Claire handed the teacup back to Giltre and asked:

“John? Who is that?”

“The ship’s cook. He usually sleeps in the mess hall, but I let him sleep in my hammock so I can have a quiet cup of tea in the morning. He’ll be waking up to cook soon. We should clear out before then.”

“Claire, you should eat something too. In a bit, this place will be swarming with hungry pirates.”

He didn’t have much of an appetite, but thinking of the days ahead, he nibbled on the fish Mary Read offered. Perhaps Giltre was a skilled cook, because it tasted better than expected.

“My, my, look at the time.”

Giltre pulled a gold watch from his tunic to check the time. Mary Read’s eyes sparkled at the sight.

“Whoa, a gold watch? Where’d you get that?”

“Took it from a prisoner.”

Claire’s ears perked up at the word ‘prisoner.’ Giltre continued proudly.

“We had an idiot from the Medici family caught this time. He had quite a few nice things on him.”

“Ugh! A Medici? I should have been there. Are they still held captive?”

“Yeah. Looks like they’ve herded all the prisoners into the western hold. Since we’re stopping at Plymouth to unload, go have a look through their things before we arrive.”

‘The western hold…’

There was a high possibility that Henry was there as a prisoner. As he slowly chewed his fish, Mary Read hurried him.

“Goodness, you’re taking all day to eat that! Get up, quickly! The guys who are about to swarm in aren’t like Giltre. They’re a bunch of morons who’ll lunge at even me. If you just sit there blankly, you’ll be done for.”

The memory of the pirate he had encountered yesterday morning sent a shiver down Claire’s spine. He swallowed the fish and stood up.

As he was following them out, his eyes caught the corner of the kitchen. Empty leather waterskins, likely used for water, were piled up haphazardly. Claire stared at them for a moment before exiting the mess hall.