His boots echoed softly.
“Did she now?”
Tom pointed at Eva.
“She attacked me!”
Jack looked at Eva.
“Why?”
The entire crew held their breath.
Eva wiped the blood from her blade.
“He tried to throw me overboard.”
A few pirates shifted uncomfortably.
Tom snarled.
“She’s lying!”
Jack crouched beside Tom, examining the wound.
“Hmm.”
Tom looked hopeful.
“You’ll hang her, right?”
Jack stood slowly.
Then he laughed.
“Why would I hang someone who just proved she can fight?”
The crew blinked in confusion.
Tom’s jaw dropped.
“What?”
Jack turned to Eva.
“You stabbed him clean.”
He gestured toward Tom.
“My first mate here couldn’t even see it coming.”
Tom sputtered.
“I’m not your—”
Jack kicked him lightly.
“Quiet.”
Then he looked back at Eva.
“What’s your name again?”
“Eva.”
Jack nodded thoughtfully.
“Congratulations, Eva.”
The entire deck leaned forward.
“You’re Tom’s new deputy.”
The pirates erupted into shocked laughter.
Tom looked like he might faint.
“You can’t be serious!”
Jack’s smile vanished.
“You questioning my authority?”
Tom shut his mouth instantly.
Jack turned away casually.
“If my deputy can’t defend himself from a girl, he doesn’t deserve the job.”
Then he glanced back at Eva.
“Try not to kill him yet.”
And just like that, the captain left.
The deck exploded with noise.
Some pirates laughed.
Others stared at Eva with newfound respect.
Tom looked at her like he wanted to rip her apart.
Eva simply slid the knife back into her sleeve.
Her hands were steady.
But inside, her heart pounded wildly.
She had survived.
For now.
Later that night, the lower deck grew quiet.
Most of the crew were drunk or asleep.
Eva sat near the lantern light, carefully repairing torn sailcloth.
A voice spoke behind her.
“That was reckless.”
Eva didn’t turn.
“Maybe.”
Sebastian Black shifted against the wall, chains clinking softly.
“But effective.”
Eva glanced at him.
“You told me to wait.”
Sebastian’s lips twitched faintly.
“You lasted longer than I expected.”
Eva leaned back slightly.
“You said pirates respect strength.”
“I did.”
“And?”
Sebastian studied her carefully.
“You proved your point.”
He paused.
“But you also made enemies.”
Eva shrugged.
“I already had those.”
Sebastian chuckled quietly.
There was something strange about him.
Even chained like a criminal, he carried himself like a nobleman.
His posture straight.
His voice calm.
“You weren’t lying earlier,” he said.
“You really do study the ship.”
Eva looked at him sharply.
“You noticed.”
“Of course.”
His gray eyes gleamed slightly.
“Most people only see the dirt under your nails.”
Eva hesitated.
Then she whispered,
“Teach me.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow.
“Teach you what?”
“Everything.”
She gestured toward the ship above them.
“Navigation. Combat. Strategy.”
Sebastian leaned back thoughtfully.
“Why?”
Eva’s gaze hardened.
“Because I’m not dying on this ship.”
Sebastian studied her for a long moment.
Then he nodded once.
“Alright.”
Eva blinked.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
He smiled faintly.
“But if you’re going to survive here…”
His voice dropped lower.
“You’ll have to become far more dangerous than you are now.”
Eva met his gaze without hesitation.
“Good.”
Above them, the waves crashed against the hull as the Hunter Shark cut deeper into the Atlantic.
And somewhere in the captain’s cabin—
Jack Hunter watched the moonlit ocean through his window.
A pirate approached cautiously.
“Captain.”
Jack didn’t turn.
“What?”
“The girl… Eva.”
Jack smiled faintly.
“Yes?”
“She’s causing trouble.”
Jack chuckled.
“I know.”
The pirate frowned.
“Should we deal with her?”
Jack finally turned.
His eyes were dark with amusement.
“No.”
“Why not?”
Jack poured himself a drink.
“Because watching her struggle is entertaining.”
He raised the glass toward the sea.
“And besides…”
His smile grew colder.
“She still doesn’t know who killed her parents.”
The pirate blinked.
“You did?”
Jack’s grin widened.
“Exactly.”
He drank slowly.
“I plan to enjoy this.”
The storm arrived without warning.
One moment the ocean stretched wide and calm beneath a pale gray sky. The next, the horizon turned black.
Eva noticed it first.