Chapter 7: The Capfrancis Fleet (3)

Leaving the mess hall, Claire was led out onto the deck by Mary Read.

Though Claire had crossed the English Channel several times before, he was struck dumb by the sheer scale of the deck unfolding before his eyes.

‘A pirate ship of this size… This is practically a man-of-war.’

It was no wonder they claimed the coastal waters—crawling with naval vessels—as their own territory. As Claire looked around with wide blue eyes, Mary Read wore a look of smug satisfaction.

“Haha. Everyone makes that face when they see the Crescent for the first time.”

“It’s massive. Just how many people are on this ship?”

“Around 600?”

“600? On one ship?”

Claire was stunned by the staggering number.

“Impressive, right? She can carry 400 tons, and she’s packed with 115 cannons. Not even the British Navy has a ship of this caliber. She’s the strongest warship in the world.”

Clearly proud, she chattered away with explanations about the vessel, showing Claire various parts of the ship.

“Over here are the stairs to the bow. There are four decks in total, though you probably won’t be going up much.”

“Those stairs… where do they lead?”

“To the second deck. They lead to the western hold.”

At the mention of the ‘western hold,’ Claire reflexively swallowed hard. To avoid showing any suspicion, he composed his expression and quickly asked another question.

“Elpian is a pirate—how on earth was he able to get a ship like this?”

“Captain Elkain gave this ship to the Admiral. He captured it after defeating a Spanish fleet in the Caribbean. After that battle, almost every pirate in the Caribbean bowed their heads to Captain Elkain.”

Mary Read referred to Elpian of the Second Fleet as ‘Admiral,’ while she called Elkain—who was likely the Grand Admiral—simply ‘Captain.’ It was curious, but before Claire could ask, her chatter continued.

“Our Admiral was just an ordinary university student when he went to the Caribbean to find Captain Elkain. He came back with just this one ship. The moment he reached the North Sea, he emerged as a dominant power.”

“He gave the world’s strongest warship to his younger brother?”

“Yeah. Even without it, the Captain is still the strongest pirate, after all.”

Claire thought they must be remarkably close brothers. No matter how many ships or how much power one possessed, a symbolic vessel like the ‘strongest warship’ wasn’t something easily handed over.

“It’s a good thing we have this ship. Without it, the Second Capfrancis Fleet wouldn’t exist. We have the protection of the Capfrancis name, but there were far more people looking to hunt us down. Even with the British Navy being friendly, the Admiral had to be quite extraordinary to carve out a place in the Mediterranean, where the strong are constantly at each other’s throats.”

As they roamed the deck, many eyes followed them. Pirates were everywhere—scrubbing the deck, repairing gear, or sitting on wooden barrels drinking alcohol in broad daylight.

Most were sun-baked and disheveled; unlike Elpian or Giltre, they looked like pirates at a glance. Mary Read was nonchalant as they passed through the crowd, but Claire was incredibly uncomfortable. Men were licking their lips or whistling as they watched the pair. Some even threw out lewd remarks.

“Hey, Mary Read. Aren’t you tired of that middle-aged geezer yet? Your crotch must be lonely with his lackluster night work.”

“He’s much more useful than that finger-sized thing you’ve got.”

“If you’re done with him, hand over the guy next to you. Stop coddling the rookie.”

“Shut it! Worry about acting like a man in battle before you go looking for someone to fondle your junk!”

No matter what was yelled, Mary Read responded with ease. It was clear where her rough speech originated. Watching her walk with such confidence, Claire thought that being a female pirate was no easy feat.

The massive ship had everything. There was a storeroom overflowing with food, and even a billiard table. Being a man himself, Claire found looking at the magnificent ship honestly interesting. He was so fascinated that his morning self-loathing had faded considerably.

By the time they finished a full rotation of the vast ship, the sun was high in the sky. Mary Read, who had been showing him how the small sails were moved by men hanging from ropes, patted the side of the ship.

“It’s almost time to eat. Let’s go to your room.”

“My room?”

Mary Read led the confused Claire back to the corridor of cabins. When she opened a door, the interior looked familiar. Claire soon realized it was the room where he had initially been held.

“This is the room the previous doctor used. He’s dead, so it’s empty now. Since you’re the ship’s doctor, this is your room from now on.”

He hadn’t been in a state to look closely before, but the state of the room was appalling.

There was only one tiny window, making it dim and cramped. Items were strewn about haphazardly. There was no bed or hammock—only a dilapidated chair, a small desk, several books that were little more than ash, and a filthy blanket on the floor. At the thought that the blanket likely belonged to the man who died recently, Claire reflexively grimaced.

“Don’t make that face. There are no other cabins left. If you’d rather go to a room where dozens of men roll around together, I can make that happen.”

“…I’ll pass.”

Even a ghost would be better than a pirate. Regardless, he felt relieved just to have a private cabin.

“Not that you’ll be spending much time here for a while anyway. You’ll be spending your nights in the Admiral’s comfortable quarters.”

Winking at the disgusted Claire, Mary Read headed out to fetch food.

While Claire had a meager lunch of dried meat and hard biscuits, Mary Read gulped down rum. After finishing her meal, she stood up and let out an unashamed belch.

“Well, I’m off for a nap. Keep your door locked. Some hot-headed idiots might try to break in.”

Claire nodded and offered a small word of thanks.

“Thanks for looking out for me.”

“Knock it off, you’re giving me goosebumps. You’d better stop using soft words like ‘thanks’ or ‘sorry’ from now on.”

As she left, scratching her arm, Claire asked one last thing.

“Wait, Mary Read. When do we reach Plymouth?”

“Probably tomorrow night. See you this evening.”

With that, Mary Read left the room.

Left alone, unpleasant thoughts rushed back. The gloom of the room seemed to project his current situation, making him increasingly depressed.

Hating the feeling, Claire rolled up his sleeves. He decided to improve the environment of the room, which felt like it could cause illness just by staying in it.

He picked up a dirty shirt in the corner to wipe the dust off the desk and floor and began organizing the scattered items. He opened a leather chest in the corner but slammed it shut in horror—it was swarming with bugs attracted to rotten food.

Except for a large lamp that had run out of oil and the books, he moved everything out into the hallway and shook the dust out of the blanket. He wanted to wash it, but he didn’t have the courage to return to the deck without Mary Read.

By the time the room’s hygiene had been upgraded from a trash can to a barn, the sun was setting. Just as the room began to fill with darkness, Mary Read knocked.

“Let’s go, Claire. The Admiral is calling.”

He had expected it, but the actual summons felt bleak. As he rose like a corpse and approached the door, Mary Read frowned.

“Ugh, you’re covered in dust.”

She led him down the stairs toward the lower deck. In a spacious storage area, there was a massive water barrel.

“Wash up. We’re in coastal waters, so we have plenty of water.”

He hated the idea of washing his body for him, but he felt even more uncomfortable staying dirty. While Mary Read stepped away, Claire used a large ladle to wash himself thoroughly.

“Here, dry off with this.”

Mary Read returned a moment later with a thick linen cloth. Seeing Claire dried off, she smirked.

“You’re really going to be favored today.”

“Stop saying such disgusting things.”

Holding the linen cloth, Claire followed Mary Read to Elpian’s quarters.

“Admiral. I’ve brought him.”

After a knock, the iron door opened to reveal Elpian sitting in an armchair. He was dressed casually, reading a book with his long legs crossed. Without taking his eyes off the page, Elpian signaled with his chin for her to leave. Mary Read gave Claire a wink and exited. Claire stood by the door, and as he looked at Elpian, he was surprised to see the title of the book.

It was A Record of the Stars by Sir William—a highly difficult book on astronomy. Even for a sailor interested in the stars, it was an excessively academic choice. Absorbed in it, Elpian didn’t even glance at Claire.

The attitude of calling him there only to ignore him for a book was offensive. Not wanting to stand there like a servant, Claire went to the bed and sat on the edge. Elpian looked up at the sound of movement and let out a short laugh.

“You adapt quickly.”

His tone seemed to mock the fact that Claire had sat on the bed of his own accord. He set the book down and stood up. Though Claire tensed, Elpian walked toward the desk instead of the bed. He opened a drawer, took something out, and tossed it to Claire.

It was a rolled-up bundle of paper.

“Write down the things you need.”

Claire was dazed for a moment before remembering Elpian’s promise to get him supplies in Plymouth. Since he planned to escape in Plymouth anyway, he didn’t care about supplies, but to act as if he had resigned himself to the situation, he decided to write something down.

As Claire spent a long time listing medicines and valuable daily necessities, Elpian asked, “Are you going to write a letter?”

“I won’t, since you’ll just read it first.”

He didn’t want to accidentally reveal his address to the man since he was planning an escape. Glancing at Elpian, he saw the man sitting at the desk writing what looked like a logbook.

His profile, illuminated by the lamp, was elegant. Combined with the stories he heard from Mary Read, he didn’t feel quite as terrified as yesterday. If he acted submissive and made the man let his guard down, he might be able to avoid inhumane treatment.

“I heard about this fleet.”

At Claire’s soft voice, Elpian turned toward him.

“If I sign the Articles of the Sea, will you treat me properly?”

“Are you saying you’ll become a pirate?”

“Since things ended up like this, it’s better to get my share.”

It was a calculated probe, but Elpian showed no sign of pleasure.

“If you treat me like the others, I’ll be cooperative…”

“You cannot sign.”

Elpian cut him off sharply.

“You are not the kind of person who can become a pirate.”

“Being a pirate is better than playing the role of a harlot.”

At Claire’s flared response, the corners of Elpian’s mouth curled up. He walked over to the bed, leaned back against the wall, and reached out to Claire.

“Come here.”

A strong sense of intimidation emanated from his beautiful face. When Claire didn’t move, Elpian reached out and pulled him in. Dragged by the sheer force, Claire was pulled onto Elpian’s lap.