Devil's Luck Pirates

-Well then, with this matter resolved, it's time for us to say our goodbyes. – William says as he turns at Pearl – We agreed that you'll help us procure a ship. And now we have a ship. Now, you can go back to your little island and we will not bother you anymore.

Pearl seems visibly sad about this reality. But William is right. It was only to help them get a new ship. She just wants to be left alone on her island and this band of idiots is nothing more than a nuisance to her, right?

-W-well, now that you've mentioned it… – Pearl starts fidgeting with her hood – I can see that you guys can take care of yourselves… Bu-but I still feel like you might need my help to find t-this treasure. And I will just feel incredibly guilty i-if you guys got killed. But don't get me wrong! It's not like I want to join your crew of s-stupid, filthy pirates or something like that!

She crosses her arms as the others can see her pouting face from under her hood.

William takes a deep breath and sighs as he goes through this crap all over again.

-Alright, we'll go down a checklist really quick here, are you good with medical tools? – William asks her.

-Hmm… No. – She answers.

-Are you good with singing?

-Hmm… Not particularly.

-Are you good with cooking? – William starts to get a little antsy.

-I'm not very good at cooking. But, – Pearl grabs a piece of meat from her pocket – I can heat things!

She turns around and they hear a blowing sound. She turns back with a cooked piece of meat in her hands and a childish smile.

William looks at her very unimpressed.

-Captain, she may not be very useful, and that's ok. Because she can just be another comrade! And that's enough for me. – Duros exclaims full of conviction. He seems very eager for Pearl to come along with them.

-Sigh…. Alright. Tell you what, you can come with us until we find this treasure. And then, you're out.

-Ok! I'm fine with that! – Pearl says happily. She isn't very good at hiding her emotions.

-Alright, let's get going then. I don't want to spend more time on the island of hanged people longer than necessary.

-Oh, you guys are leaving already? – Mr. Frigeworth asks as he comes back to his workshop with a newspaper in his hand – Won't you stay to see the hanging? The news is that some kid managed to get a spoon. And since they are prohibited on this island, we'll be hanging him tomorrow.

As the crew hears that, they freeze. They know who's the kid that got his hands on that spoon. And they know very well that it's their fault (specifically William's fault) that he got his hands on a spoon.

-O-oh! And may I ask the name of said… Criminal, that got his hands on a spoon?

William already knows the answer. But hey, luckily another kid got his hands on a spoon. You never know…

-It says here that his name is Little Timmy. Hey, Samillion, isn't he a friend of yours?

Frigeworth calls his son who comes into the workshop and takes a look at the paper.

-Ah yes. Huh… That's odd, how did he manage to get that? We were drinking last night and he had nothing of the like.

Samillion looks at the group, specifically William. Strangely, he isn't concerned nor sad about his friend's imminent execution.

-You guys didn't have anything to do with this, have you?

A drop of sweat drops from their forehead. They remember very well how William gave Little Timmy that spoon in such a cool manner.

-N-no! Of course not! We would never do such a criminal act... – William tries to deceive them. Something that he's not very good at.

-Hey William, wasn't that the kid you gave your spoon? - Ragnar asks innocently.

-AHEM, Ragnar, could you please help me board the ship with our provisions?! – Verona quickly asks as he grabs Ragnar's arm and drags him to start boarding the ship.

-What did he just say? – The shipwright asks intrigued.

-Oh, don't worry about him. He must be hallucinating after taking too many kicks to the head on our fight last night hehe... – William says hoping that his deception works this time.

-Oh, hallucinations? Well, you guys better get out of here. This is no place hallucinating people. And here. – He taps one of the barrels beside him – Take this barrel of orange juice with you guys. It will help with your hallucinations and some other things.

Looks like William's luck on deception is turning now.

They board the ship with the little provisions they have and quickly set sail. Leaving Gallows Island behind as the Frigeworths wave them goodbye.

-I still don't understand why we should leave Little Timmy behind. He's just an innocent boy. And it was our fault that he got sentenced to death!

-Just think about it carefully Duros. – Verona says behind the steering wheel – We go to save him and then what? The whole island will be after us then.

-But… – Duros tries to protest.

-Also, considering how the people on the island are, he might enjoy it. – Pearl adds while tying some rope.

-But Captain, are you really okay with this situation? – Duros asks looking at William.

William is on the front of the ship, looking at the sea in front of him. It's good to be back in the open ocean. But at what cost?

-Any man worth his metal should be able to fight his way out of execution. – Ragnar chimes in as he lays down on the side walls ready to take a nap.

Little Timmy wasn't much of a man. More like a little kid who clearly knew the risks of his actions.

William takes a deep breath and turns around to his crew.

-Duros, if we'll get emotional every time an innocent person is put at risk, we won't get very far in this adventure.

William never tries too hard when it comes to being a serious captain. But now, he feels that he must do it. He needs to be the one to make the hard decisions.

-Also, – He continues – Pearl and Verona are right. Well just put the entire island against us. – His tone starts to become more relaxed and friendly – Also, also, he might enjoy it. Maybe the people on Gallows Island are raised so that when their time comes, they'll jump headlong into the gallows!

-Well, if he really enjoys it, then it might not be as bad as I thought… – Duros says as he lowers his eyes – I still have my doubts but I will trust your judgment, Captain.

William puts his arm around Duros' shoulders.

-And hey, he might be able to survive. Who knows? He has my lucky spoon after all.

He lets go of Duros and walks back towards the front of the ship. Using his bicorn hat to hide his now teary look. He then quickly looks back to his crew and raises his sword to the air.

-But! If his inevitable doom comes to fruition, we will never forget his name!

The rest of the crew raises their weapons and Pearl raises her fist screaming "AYE"

-I'll name my gun after him… – Verona says looking at his rifle.

-Little Timmy, I'm sorry for not being able to save you. But your memory will always live on with me! – Duros proclaims to the skies clenching his fist with a tear on his eye.

Pearl simply looks at the horizon with a smile and Ragnar is already sleeping.

-Now, men! Let's head to that treasure! – William exclaims as he looks ahead with determination.