Chapter 22: Elkain Antoine Capfrancis (2)

“Are you really a doctor?”

“Yes. He claims to be one himself.”

“How can you just trust his word and bring him straight here? The island is crawling with idiots trying any way they can to get noticed.”

As the man who brought Claire answered, another man in the back expressed his dissatisfaction. It was only after hearing those voices that Claire realized other people were in the room. The presence of the man on the bed was that overwhelming.

An argument about Claire began immediately. Yet, through it all, Claire’s eyes remained fixed solely on the man on the bed.

Platinum blonde hair that looked as if starlight had been poured onto it, and an aristocratic, delicate face that bore a haunting resemblance to Elpian.

His pale forehead and straight nose were noble, but there was an indefinable air of decadence in his deep eyes framed by long lashes and the curve of his red lips. It wasn’t just that his features were beautiful; a mysterious aura enveloped his entire being.

Marveling inwardly that the reputation of the beautiful King of the Sea was no exaggeration, Claire stared into his violet eyes, which were as transparent as glass.

If Elpian’s eyes were like the midnight sea—dark and unfathomable—this man’s eyes were as clear as the waters of a tropical resort. Claire was thinking it was a contradiction for a pirate king to have such clear eyes when the man spoke.

“Enough.”

He raised a slender white hand, silencing the men still bickering in the room. Once the room fell quiet, he looked at Claire and asked:

“You said you were a doctor?”

His vibrant violet eyes were filled with interest. He didn’t seem to be trying to intimidate Claire, but the sheer weight of his presence made Claire barely manage a nod.

“What is your name?”

“Claire Dane Grant. I am a surgeon from London.”

Tense, Claire blurted out his profession unprompted and flushed with embarrassment. The young man leaned back languidly against a cushion, smiling, and spoke in a voice as pleasant as his appearance.

“I am the master of this fleet, Elkain Capfrancis. Did Elpian send you?”

His gaze fell upon the bandana still tied to Claire’s arm. Though Elkain’s demeanor was gentle, Claire knew the relationship between the brothers was far from good. Fearing a misunderstanding, he shook his head hurriedly.

“No, I came of my own accord. To serve you.”

“To serve me?”

Elkain wore a peculiar expression at Claire’s words. The men behind him exchanged glances and scowled.

‘Did I say something wrong?’

The atmosphere grew heavy as everyone in the room touched their lips as if hiding something, making Claire panic. As he grew anxious, Elkain’s smooth voice continued.

“It matters not whether you are Elpian’s person or not. You will become mine eventually.”

“…”

“Just like everything else Elpian once possessed.”

A kingly dignity sat high upon his confident face. Just as the overwhelmed Claire was about to open his mouth—

“Bwahahahaha!!”

“Pfft—hahahahaha!”

Sudden laughter erupted. Startled, Claire looked back to see the men who had been making strange faces earlier now clutching their stomachs in fits of laughter.

While Claire stood there bewildered, the youngest-looking man with brown hair began to mimic Elkain.

“’It matters not whether you are Elpian’s person… you will become mine eventually.’ Teeheehee! Ack, my stomach hurts!”

“Pwahaha! It’s identical! Captain, acting cool really doesn’t suit you at all!”

An Irishman standing nearby slapped the man’s shoulder, laughing. Even more surprising was Elkain’s reaction.

“I did exactly what you told me to do, so why are you all laughing?! You bastards!”

His icy, noble composure had vanished; Elkain was now blushing furiously in embarrassment. He complained to the man who had brought Claire in.

“Giuseppe, I can’t do this. He’s a doctor anyway, so we’re putting him on the ship, right? He’ll find out the truth soon enough, so let’s just stop.”

“But Captain, if you keep acting like this, you’ll have no authority. We need to maintain discipline among those guys!”

“Ugh, I don’t need authority. And it’s too late for discipline anyway!”

“Maybe for the old crew, but for the new recruits, you have to show them a cold, dignified King of the Sea!”

Ignoring Giuseppe’s plea, Elkain grabbed a perfectly fluffed cushion and flopped down onto the bed.

“Whatever. More importantly, I’m dying of pain here. Hey, you. Did you say your name was Claire?”

“Ah, y-yes!”

Claire, who had been frozen in shock, answered quickly upon being called. Flicking an elegant hand, Elkain gestured for him to come closer.

“Treat me. I feel like my insides are going to spill out if I stand up.”

Before he could process the shift in tone, Claire moved to Elkain’s side. Up close, the man’s features were even more sharply defined, like a sculpture. Finding it hard to look at him directly, Claire glanced away, but Elkain unceremoniously stripped off his shirt. A body that looked as if a master craftsman had labored over it was revealed. Well-trained muscles formed a magnificent physique, but a horrific, long sword wound slashed across the center. The fresh wound was so gruesome that even Claire, a surgeon, winced at the sight.

Yet, despite the severity, the people around Elkain didn’t seem serious at all.

“Tsk, tsk. This is why I told you not to charge out first when everyone is trying to catch you, Captain.”

“Exactly. Honestly, if there’s a fight, he jumps out of bed to draw his sword. Ten lives wouldn’t be enough at this rate.”

“Shut up! Everyone was getting cut down; how was I supposed to just stay still?”

Watching the three bicker, Giuseppe sighed deeply and asked Claire:

“Well? Can you fix it?”

“Ah, yes. It doesn’t look like the internal organs are damaged, so if I suture it and he rests, he should be fine.”

Everyone brightened at Claire’s clear answer. Even the young man who had been teasing him a moment ago looked relieved and began to fuss excitedly.

“Oh, he sounds reliable! I have a feeling he’ll treat you well.”

“I’m counting on you! It would be a problem if even a Captain like this died!”

“Good luck! We’re rooting for you!”

Suddenly, Claire found himself in an enthusiastic atmosphere resembling a polo match, tasked with performing surgery on the spot. Though the situation was far different from what he had imagined, he took his surgical tools from his bag and began suturing. Even then, the surrounding pirates showed no intention of leaving.

“Ow, that hurts!”

“Captain! Stop making such uncool noises! You’re losing your charisma!”

“Watch your expression! If you’re going to use that handsome face like that, give it to me!”

“It hurts! How am I supposed to manage my expression?”

“Everyone be quiet! You’re interfering!”

Claire finally shouted, unable to bear the constant movement. He froze for a second, fearing a violent reaction like Elpian’s, but instead of getting angry, they all simply apologized. “Sorry, sorry.”

The wound was large but the procedure wasn’t difficult, so Claire finished quickly. After applying a pain-relieving herb, securing it with bandages, and rubbing clove oil on other minor scratches, Elkain’s violet eyes sparkled with life.

“Wow, that hurts way less. You’re actually really good!”

When his cold-looking face broke into a wide smile, he looked as innocent as a child. Claire’s face flushed involuntarily at the sight, and the brown-haired man patted his shoulder.

“You’re amazing. You’re leagues ahead of old man Morrison, who just shoved opium and brandy down our throats for every wound. I’m Arthur. This country bumpkin here is Harrison.”

“Claire, me too. I’m hurt here. It smells a bit rotten… can you fix it?”

Likely because his reputation had soared after the surgery, the two introduced themselves while revealing their own wounds. Claire clicked his tongue at what he saw. Bullet wounds that had only had the lead removed were now festering and rotting. To be laughing and chatting in such a state—they weren’t just tough; they were dangerously oblivious.

“I can’t treat it like this. I have to cut all of this part out.”

“Ugh, then I’ll just live like this. I don’t want to lose my leg.”

“Eh? There’s no need to cut off the leg. I just need to remove the necrotic tissue.”

Harrison’s face lit up at the news.

“Is that so? Great, then treat me right now. And make sure the scar looks cool.”

“Haaa. Can’t you cut out some of that stupid brain of his too?”

Amidst Giuseppe’s lamentations, Claire treated the two of them as well. From what he heard, it seemed “medical treatment” on a pirate ship usually consisted of cutting off whatever was hurt—if you died, you died—and using opium to endure the pain.

Having experienced the cutting-edge medicine of London, the pirates’ initial disapproval vanished entirely, replaced by looks of awe. By the time the sun set and all treatments were finished, Claire’s status had improved beyond measure.

“Thank you, Claire.”

“It was nothing, really.”

Claire blushed and shook his head at Elkain’s sincere gratitude. After a moment of debating the title, he added:

“Admiral… sir?”

“’Admiral’? Forget that. Just call me Elkain.”

“Pardon? Is that really alright?”

To call the King of the Caribbean by his first name—Claire asked back in confusion.

“Yes. I told you to.”

“But… everyone else uses a title.”

“They only don’t use my name because they choose not to.”

As Elkain answered nonchalantly, Arthur and Harrison behind him immediately chimed in.

“Yeah. We don’t want to call him by his name. ‘Elkain Capfrancis’ sounds like he’s trying too hard to be cool. It gives me goosebumps.”

“Right. It sounds like some noble brat who writes poems for ladies in a salon. Elkain, Elpian? Their mother must have read too many romance novels!”

“It’s too much for the Captain.”

“What do you mean, too much?!”

“For a Captain, a name like John or Jack would be plenty!”

Claire flinched at their unreserved banter, but though Elkain fired back, he didn’t seem genuinely angry.

Unlike Elpian, he seemed truly close with his crew. There was none of the image of a pirate king notorious enough to scare children.

“Hey, that’s enough. You’re scaring the rookie; he’s frozen solid.”

Giuseppe tried to break up the endless bickering. He succeeded in that, but Arthur and Harrison’s attention turned back to Claire, making him even more flustered.

“Claire, when we get on the ship, come to the room next to mine. It’s on the 4th deck, so the view is killer.”

“Stop hitting on him… wait, now that I look at you, your face is really pretty, isn’t it? Your skin is as soft as a bride’s on her wedding day.”

The two continued to chatter, even playfully pulling at his cheeks. Claire felt the familiar vibe of Mary Read and Giltre from them, and the common sense he had held about pirates all his life began to crumble into confusion.

Fortunately, Giuseppe stepped in, pulling the two away from Claire and shoving them toward the door.

“You’re too loud! If you’re feeling better, get back to work! How long do you plan to leave the flagship in Madeira? You two, get over there and bring it to Las Palmas. We can’t stay cooped up here forever!”

“What? The Captain is resting too.”

“Are you lot the same as the Captain?”

“The Captain is just the figurehead, isn’t he? He’s strong in battle but pretty useless overall.”

“Right. He can’t cook, and he can’t even wash his own underwear. Useless.”

“Stop talking and get out now!”

Only after the roar did the two grumble and leave. Once it was finally quiet, Giuseppe wiped his brow and sighed. Though he had looked imposing and strong from the outside, he now looked somewhat exhausted.

“Pardon the late introduction. I am Giuseppe Coppola, first mate to Captain Elkain. Our ship’s surgeon sank with another vessel in the last battle, but looking at it now, it seems that was a stroke of luck.”

Casually insulting the deceased, he offered Claire a large hand.

“You said you came to serve the Captain, so it’s worked out well. I’ve seen your skills, so I look forward to working with you.”

“Is Claire staying on the flagship too?”

As Giuseppe nodded his approval, a bright smile bloomed on Elkain’s beautiful face. It felt as though the decision-making power between the Captain and the First Mate was somewhat reversed. Regardless, Claire greeted him and shook Giuseppe’s hand.

“I look forward to working with you as well.”

As Claire let go, a white hand reached out toward him.

“Claire. I’m looking forward to it too.”

The large hand looked delicate at a glance, but it was covered in scars and calluses. Though they were somewhat scattered, hyperactive, and playful, the wounds Claire had treated on the three men were no joke. These men lived on the edge of death.

Feeling the reality of the world he had entered through that touch, Claire released his hand. Elkain met his gaze with a peaceful look, unlike his hands. His eyes were still full of interest, and he looked as if he wanted to talk more, but Giuseppe separated them.

“Now, let’s leave so the Captain can rest. I’ll give you a brief overview of the fleet.”

Claire followed Giuseppe out of the room. He watched Elkain lie down and close his eyes through the closing door as if entranced, only realizing Giuseppe was watching him after the door shut. When Claire looked embarrassed, Giuseppe patted his shoulder.

“Everyone stares like that. He’s a beautiful man, isn’t he?”

“He is.”

“Haaa. But his face and his personality are worlds apart. If he were even half as haughty as he looks…”

At Giuseppe’s words, Claire remembered what Mary Read had said about Elkain.

‘A beautiful man, but his inner self is different? I didn’t expect it to be different in this way.’

He thought of Elpian, who was the polar opposite of Elkain’s varied expressions and smiles.

To think that the rigid, selfish, and violent Elpian had a brother like this. They shared a similar striking appearance, but their inner landscapes were worlds apart.

He wondered if Elpian’s cold face would look like that if it held a gentle expression, but he quickly shook his head. By now, Elpian was likely awake and making everyone miserable with his ferocious temper. There was no way that man would ever wear such a soft expression. Claire scowled and followed after Giuseppe.