The air between Hongjoong and Seonghwa was odd. Ever since the sudden confession of the pirate of being the only man who had ever had the pleasure to live after a meeting with the strict commander, Cabezon tried his best to remember the incident. He seemed to doubt no longer that the pirate of the past and Hongjoong were the same people. And yet, he frowned most hours of the day when he couldn't recall the exact details of their encounter.

Hongjoong didn't want to tell him. It felt wrong to him to reveal to a man who blissfully forgot his misdeeds what evil he had done. Without him possibly ever remembering.

But also, Cabezon's forgetfulness made the captain furious. All this time, he had waited, had sharpened his knives and his mind for the day he would meet the gruesome commander again. He had dreamt of him, of conquering his handsome features and having the man kneel just how he had done to Hongjoong.

All of his effort and fire against his enemy had been for nought. If he fought Seonghwa now, it would feel like a battle against a senile old man who was helpless in his defence. That was not what Hongjoong wanted. He wanted to fight the man, but he didn't want to win.

Ultimately, it all came down to the argument that Hongjoong had with San at dinner.

"An' 'e just forgot? Remembers nothin'?"

"Nothin' at all. Except that 'e caught me an' wanted to punish me."

San peeled a fishbone from between his teeth. While he was at it, he used it to scrape any residue food from the cramped spaces. Hongjoong leaned back on the bench with a long-suffering sigh.

"Sounds suspicious to me, Cap. Too convenient that 'e forgot only the rotten parts. Ye sure 'e ain't just denyin' 'em?"

Hongjoong was. In the weeks out here with Cabezon, he had found out that he could read the man like an open book. Anything but the usual contempt in his eyes was apparent in his features. He was a terrible liar.

"'E ain't. An' now I ain't sure what I want with 'im anymore. I can't punish a man fer somethin' 'e does nay remember 'e did."

With a grimace, San wiped the bone off his finger using his plate. He patted his exposed stomach, never caring much for a shirt on warm days.

"I know ye 'eld this grudge fer a while. But what if ye try to treat Cabezon as the commander ye met a few weeks ago? As yer jack tar toy that fights aft in the same way, without rememberin'."

Hongjoong's sharp eyes scrutinised the man. Most of the time, San was a careless and playful man. Seeing his eyes narrow with attention as he explored the captain's mind was a seldom and sobering experience.

"Ye suggest I treat 'im as me regular enemy? Without revenge?"

"Aye."

Hongjoong had to think about that for a long time. He still felt wronged, still felt as if Seonghwa hadn't learned his lesson. Or had he? If it were brainwashing, as they currently assumed, then the church and his superiors probably already made the man suffer unimaginable pain.

In his motives, Hongjoong's revenge plan translated into the desire Seonghwa and he had for each other. The desire that had prompted Seonghwa to go against his rules all this time ago in that wet prison cell. And the same desire to take him apart.

"Even if ye did nay want to catch up with 'im from the past. Ye would want 'im on 'is knees fer ye anyway, am I right?"

Their eyes met again.

Right. Seonghwa had fallen into their play without remembering Hongjoong. Out of pure tension between them alone. Hongjoong could do the same. He could desire Seonghwa for the banter they shared now.

"Aye, ye rapscallion. Ye be smart." A grin tugged on Hongjoong's lips. San smiled back just as brightly, and his dimples appeared to dig into his cheeks.

"It be me pleasure, Captain. Maybe it be best to nay dig around in 'is pretty 'ead any further."

Hongjoong agreed to that. He also had things he didn't want to remember. As much as Seonghwa was his prisoner, he also regarded the two of them on the same balanced level. Hongjoong had respect for his enemy, enough not to pull any dirty tricks when it was about his pleasure of winning.

The two pirates shared the rest of their meal in lighthearted banter. They talked about irresponsible theories on how to take down the enemy (San suggested setting the ship on fire and seeing it slowly roast itself while they laughed and feasted on its flesh) and nothing of serious importance. By the time Wooyoung and Yunho returned from the island with big grins plastered onto their faces, they were greeted with a duo of two slightly tipsy pirates that giggled about the wonders of shrimps.

San attached himself to Wooyoung like sticky algae the second he entered the room. With the added weight of the broad pirate hanging off his frame, Wooyoung came over to hand Hongjoong a map.

"Ye asked fer booty, Captain, an' booty ye shall get! 'Ere, we asked around a lot. They say they found somethin' in the crater up there. But none o' the daily caravans that go there to 'arvest 'ave dared to dig it out."

Hongjoong stood from the table with a broad grin. The pearls in his hair clicked soothingly as he pressed his hat down on his head.

"Well then, mateys! We 'ave gold to find in the mornin'!"

-

Since the treasure hunt would occupy most of the upcoming day, Hongjoong had decided to utilise the remaining hours of light on the horizon to visit the town on the same day. Seonghwa hadn't bothered to look up from the book he was reading while the pirate strapped a ridiculous number of knives and guns to his body. The one time Seonghwa's eyes brushed the captain, he had reddened at the sight of Hongjoong fastening a knife tightly around his thigh.

Neither of them commented on it, but Hongjoong couldn't help his amused chuckle. It had Seonghwa bury his nose in the book furiously.

Manned for war, Hongjoong stepped out on deck. In his coat and the hat, he looked entirely like the captain he was. Yunho and Yeosang rested their injuries for the long hike the following day, but Jongho and Mingi had been ready to join the captain on his trip.

All too happy to leave the literal tons of work the new cannons and ammunition they had bought were, Jongho and Mingi skipped behind Hongjoong as they left the ship. When their boots thundered down the plank, the first curious onlookers already took their distance. The port towns were smart enough not to shun pirates if they wanted good trade and their friendliness. Yet, it was even more intelligent to keep their distance from a captain they couldn't predict. Not that Hongjoong wanted to mess with them.

"Anythin' in particular ye need, Captain?" Jongho was to his left, his hands relaxed by his side. The heavy blunderbuss on his back with the pretty carvings on it would lie in his hands within less than three seconds if they were attacked. On the contrary, Mingi always walked with his hand on his sword, alert at all times.

"More about the booty, aye. An' anythin' about the Enemy."

Mingi kept his eyes wide open as if a curious tentacle they could question loomed behind every corner.

The main street was cluttered with all sorts of merchants that noisily announced their ware. People of all sorts milled around to shop, old ladies complained over outrageous prices, and a crowd had formed around two sellers that had got in a fight over whose pineapples were better. When the pirates passed the empty booth, Hongjoong snatched a few apples, one for each of them.

They halted in front of an old lady who sold jewellery made with pretty stones. Hongjoong looked at them without caring for their worth.

"Ahoy, beauty. Do ye take payment fer yer advice?"

She gave him a toothless smile. Her glassy eyes were milky and white, unseeing as they stared right ahead of her. At once, her craft got impressive. Hongjoong ran his fingers over a wristband that held a gem with a greyish colour to it. It looked less colourful and eye-catching than the other ones, so he wondered why his gaze was so drawn to it.

"If I hear more of your charming voice then yes, Captain, I will."

Hongjoong picked up the wristband to investigate it. The leather braided together with great care and intricate details that looked fragile but pleasing to the eye. A few wires that tied to the leather held the gem. The surface of the round stone was polished and smooth.

"The tentacled fiend. Do ye 'ave any information about it?" Hongjoong bit in his apple. The rowdy street behind them faded into white noise as he concentrated on the wrinkly face of the woman.

"Ah, you ask dangerous questions. Out here, we call him the Kraken. Some consider him a god, some the doom of mankind. I have never heard or seen of anything like him."

Mingi shifted on his feet, uncomfortable. An exhilarated shudder travelled down Hongjoong's spine, too.

"Hundreds came to hunt it, and hundreds found their grave in the depths. You know the Kraken is coming when you see fish rise to the surface."

Intrigued, Hongjoong leaned closer. He nearly forgot to chew, the bite of apple just sitting in his mouth sweetly.

"How will we access it?"

"The Kraken dwells deeply on the ocean floor. Hunting, waiting. He only appears when the weather is warm, or when disturbed."

Hongjoong handed his apple to Jongho, too distracted to eat. The smoky voice of the woman reeled him in and trapped him in his place between fascination and fear.

"Take care when ye try to defeat it. The creature is large, far larger than your ship, Captain. And so much older than anything we know. It is a tough enemy to choose," she murmured, her voice lost in the crowd's noise. Nothing mattered but what she told them.

"The water will turn black as you fight it. Your sole chance at survival is to cut off its many arms."

Right. Hongjoong had never even seen the creature attached to those arms. He only knew of enormous tentacles, each taller than a building. How they had ripped through their ship as if through a piece of paper as they had come down.

Nothing had been left. The Kraken hadn't consumed them. Just wiped them out of existence for disturbing its slumber.

"Does it require a sacrifice?" Hongjoong leaned over the booth trustingly. His hand held him up by a wooden beam.

The woman stared at him, unblinking.

"Your sacrifice will be the ship full of men you take out there. Each and any of you. Do not take anybody who isn't ready to be part of the whole to that place."

Impressed, Hongjoong leaned back. His hand still clutched the wristband.

Jerky like a puppet, the woman turned her head towards his palm. The spell her words had woven around the myths of the horrible beast broke. Instantly, noise filtered back into Hongjoong's ears. Mingi's soothing frame pressed up to his shoulder when he moved back.

"You have a keen eye for beauty, Captain. What you are holding is the only moonstone I got my hands on in years. A good stone for a sailor."

Hongjoong glanced at the pretty grey stone. A moonstone, yes. That was a fitting name for it.

"It must be expensive."

"I trust you know its worth."

Hongjoong gave her a roguish smile. Then, he reached into his pocket to pull out the well-filled bag of doubloons he always carried around. He handed it over wholly.

"'Ere. I thank ye fer yer tales an' this beautiful craft." Hongjoong turned to Mingi to have the man fasten it around his wrist. Snug and pretty, it hugged his arm.

With a hollow smile, the woman grabbed the bag and pulled it towards her. Her fingers played with the coins inside, enjoying them clicking against each other.

Just when Hongjoong turned on his heel to leave, her raspy words held him back once more. Entranced, he listened.

"Let me explain its meaning before you go. The moonstone means compassion and intuition. Under the moon, it has healing properties. May it heal your wounds well, Captain."

Respectful, Hongjoong tipped his head for her. Then, he shrugged the tense spell off his shoulder as they walked on.

Jongho's eyes were wide when he caught up with him.

"Jolly work there, Captain." His usually calm voice seemed disturbed and shaken. Intimidated by the power that tale had created.

Hongjoong nodded. The moonstone hugged his wrist protectively.

"Aye. Now on to find our booty."