After a long afternoon of hiking up a seemingly endless mountain, Hongjoong couldn't complain about having chosen the easier route. It had been gentle to his feet as well as his backside. His throat was parched from the hot and humid air of an exceptionally warm day, and he was one of the few men who still wore their sweaty shirts. When Yunho tried to give him an overly friendly hug as they arrived at their last break location, Hongjoong shoved him off.

From up here, they had a spectacular view over the entire island. The forest hid the Grief from their view - which was a positive aspect - and the ocean stretched vast to the horizon.

Even Cabezon had swallowed his comments at the grandeur that nature offered. The volcano they stood on mightily hoisted them up high. Hongjoong felt like a king.

As they further approached the crater edge, all of them slipped on their shirts and jackets again. The wind up here was icy and thin, taking away their ability to breathe. Hongjoong's coat wrapped around his legs, tripping up his every step.

By the time they reached the last steep climb towards the peak, Wooyoung had put away his compass. Breathless, he clapped into his hands to cheer them up.

"Come on! Just a few more minutes, mateys!" His smile put some strength back into the heaving pirates. With a struggle and rolling stones underneath their feet that threatened to make them slip any moment, they mounted the edge. Hongjoong balanced his body on hands and toes, keeping his torso low in case the wind picked up.

Yunho, ever so agile and energetic, was the first to reach the peak. He stood up to yell his triumph into the sky, only to get shut up by a harsh breeze that made him stumble. At the display of clumsiness, Hongjoong huffed a smile.

Seonghwa hauled himself up next. He sat down right away, making sure that his weight was balanced on his butt as he glanced into the crater.

When Hongjoong and Yeosang arrived at the same time, they chuckled and patted each other's backs with pride. Hongjoong copied Seonghwa's safe posture and peeked down into the valley beneath them.

Through the years of inactivity, water had collected in the volcano. It formed a large lake that reflected the sky so perfectly, as if somebody had dug an enormous hole into the ground and came up on the other side. Crystal clear and blue, it shimmered beneath them.

The drop to the lake was tricky. The crater formed a rim that made it impossible to find a good wall to climb down on. They could only jump into the open air from their current point.

"I would also 'ide me treasure down there, no lie," San snorted amusedly at the sight. The rim they sat on didn't seem too thick, but it carried them securely, even when the assembled group waved their arms down.

"Ow about somebody jumps an' directs the path from beneath? There must be a way they brought the treasure in," Mingi suggested carefully. His fear of heights didn't seem too fitting to his proposal.

"Or we use 'em ropes. A group goes down, reaches up the treasure, an' we get 'em back up the same way," Hongjoong added. At that, he received satisfied nods.

"Shall I get ropes ready to descend?"

Hongjoong waved the needlessly secure option off. A grin spread on Jongho's face when he watched Hongjoong drop his coat.

"Unnecessary. Half o' us go down, half stay." Naturally, his eyes found Seonghwa first. The man looked uncomfortable with the idea of diving, his eyes flickering. When he noticed he had a choice, he paled even further.

"I- I would like to join the group staying here, if possible."

Hongjoong shrugged. No need in cruelties up here when they counted on Seonghwa's help at carrying things. And also, the natural Seonghwa and his hatred were even more attractive than a battered and bloodied version of him.

"Cabezon, Mingi, who else?"

Jongho rose his hand. Then Yeosang.

Hongjoong nodded, satisfied with that troop. The mountain of fur he wore landed in Cabezon's lap as he handed it over carelessly. When he pressed his hat down on Cabezon's head, the man blinked surprisedly.

"There. Listen to Yeosang."

With those words, the Captain swung his legs over the edge. He didn't hesitate another second before he pushed himself off and into the air.

For several seconds, he just fell. His hand speedily came up to hold his nose shut. Then the cold wet embraced him. The water didn't burn in his mouth and eyes like saltwater would. When Hongjoong resurfaced, he took a big gulp of it.

Clean, perfect water. It was a blessing on his skin.

Hongjoong waved at the others to follow him. Then, he set out to swim outside of the circle of sunlight the crater created over the cave. Once he was far off, the next body hit the water behind him.

As everything that gave him an advantage with his long limbs and big body, Yunho swam faster than Hongjoong. They reached the nearby hidden beach about at the same time. Wooyoung and San took a moment to poke fun at each other in the water. With no hurry, Hongjoong let their giggles fill the cave.

There was only a single stripe of black beach in the cave. Nature had exposed some of it from the water, and without even pulling the shovel from his back, Hongjoong spotted the edge of a crate buried in the ground. Depending on the time of the year, it was most likely hidden by water. A good hiding spot indeed.

Hongjoong and Yunho crouched down and began to shovel the sand away with their hands. It didn't take much until they pulled the first coffer onto the ground. Yunho's eyes gleamed at the heavy iron lock that held the thing shut.

Wooyoung and San trudged on land with cheers and joy in their shouts. While they busied their hands picking the lock, Hongjoong dug further. This time, he actually needed the shovel.

"Did ye 'ear 'ow much treasure there be? We ain't leavin' with a doubloon less than we can salvage."

"Six?" For confirmation, Wooyoung looked at Yunho. The man nodded pensively.

"Six, aye. Let's search fer six chests."

Yunho and Hongjoong dug around the dirt for a while. Their shovels had chunked against four more wooden crates, and they were busy getting the nearest one free by the time Wooyoung opened the first one. His merry screech alerted them to his success.

"There ye go, Captain! Grand 'our o' truth!"

Hongjoong washed some wet grains from his hands before he knelt in front of the trunk. With a noble gesture, he opened it slowly and carefully. A grin spread on his features when the insides exposed themselves.

Golden statues as one would find them in ancient temples blinked at his eyes. They laid on a long roll of red silk that wrapped around them whisperingly.

The monks that had tried to hide their heritage here had failed. Now, they belonged to a very accomplished pirate.

"Congrats, mateys! We found booty!"

Their loud claps probably travelled all the way up to the other group.

"Leave the other coffers locked. Now that we know it be real, let's just take 'em to the sky."

San and Wooyoung snapped the chest shut. While they swam off with it to attach it to the dangling ropes, Yunho and Hongjoong resumed their digging.

Hours passed like this. They dug out a trunk, handed it to their two friends, and the team up above pulled it from the crater with their ropes.

By the time the fifth chest was safely retrieved, San and Wooyoung left, too. The rest of the crew pulled them up to hear the magnificent story of their win.

Hongjoong found himself alone with Yunho as they dug out the last chest. The man was uncharacteristically quiet today. The thoughts in his mind weighed so heavily that Hongjoong nearly felt them on his own shoulders.

Just when Hongjoong figured out how to ask him about his brooding, Yunho spoke up.

"Capt'n. Hongjoong. I need to ask ye somethin'."

Hongjoong directed his attention at the man, mostly. His boots sunk into the give of the sand. The ground had lowered with the missing chests.

"Hoist the mizzen."

Yunho hesitated for a moment longer. As if the words didn't quite come to his mind.

"It be about Cabezon. Capt'n, be ye plannin' to get 'im out to the battle with us?"

Slowing, Hongjoong faltered in his movements. His shovel weakly set down on the sand.

"San told me what the old lady at the market told ye. An' she be right. If Cabezon's life be worth anythin' to ye, then do nay take 'im with us." Yunho's voice was quiet, begging. Asking Hongjoong to rethink a decision he hadn't noticed he made.

Of course, he would have kept Seonghwa around. They planned to leave the following day, and he would have ushered the naval captain into his quarters as always. Maybe rogered him once more to take the edge off his tense mind. Naturally, Seonghwa would have been around in their battle.

But Yunho spoke the truth. Nobody had asked Seonghwa to join. Compared to the other crew members, he hadn't agreed to be by Hongjoong's side for his revenge. And there was no doubt he wouldn't want to, either.

"I know ye... want to keep 'im alive. An' spy 'im suffer at the same time. But I fear yer little fight against 'im 'as to end 'ere. Once we set sail, there be no return."

Yunho crouched to haul the chest from its sandy grave. Reflexively, Hongjoong helped him, even though his thoughts were elsewhere.

"Do ye suggest I leave 'im 'ere?"

"Aye. Cut yer ties. Do nay punish 'im by takin' 'is life."

It would be best if Seonghwa survived. Of course, he would come back for revenge. And of course, his ways would be none the different from before. But there was no disagreeing with Yunho's words.

Together, they strapped their equipment back onto their bodies and waded into the water. The trunk was heavy between them as they brought it over to the ropes. Wordlessly, Hongjoong fastened one on his side. Yunho did the same at the other end.

While the chest got pulled up, Yunho's gentle eyes found Hongjoong's again. Understanding. Ever so kind.

"Or do ye want to keep 'im?"

Yes, Hongjoong wanted to keep Seonghwa. The few weeks they had spent together weren't enough. Not enough punishment? Not enough suffering? Hongjoong didn't know. But they weren't enough.

"No. Ye be right. I should definitely leave 'im 'ere. The island most likely 'as ties to the navy. It can be the kindest thin' we can do fer 'im. An' no more than 'e deserves." Hongjoong mumbled the last sentence. It felt vile in his mouth.

Yunho wordlessly squeezed Hongjoong's shoulder. The comfort felt hollow in Hongjoong's chest. But he knew what he had to do.

The two ropes came down again. Hongjoong strapped his foot in as he let them haul him up. On the crater ruled the best of moods. The crew laughed and jested with each other. Everybody already made their plans on how to spend their share of the treasure.

The positivity didn't reach Hongjoong. His face fell into a neutral mask the moment he grabbed Mingi's hand. Up under the open sky, he shivered for a moment.

When his warm coat met his shoulders, Hongjoong had half a mind not even to react so he wouldn't ruin everybody's fun. But it was Seonghwa, who had pushed it onto his trembling and wet body.

Hongjoong wasn't cold. His insides felt far too hot.

"Excellent work down there, pirate. I begin to see the charm of why pirates like to dig around in the mud."

With a frosty smile, Hongjoong pulled the jacket tighter around his form. It created a protective shield between the two of them.

Yunho lowered his eyes. Hongjoong saw him gesture for everybody to grab a coffer in his peripherals.

"What do ye reckon we do with our loot? What would the jack tar do?"

A jack tar. All that Seonghwa was. Not a pirate mate, not Hongjoong's lover. Just a man who had blended in by wearing their clothes. An enemy.

Seonghwa shrugged helplessly.

"Distribute it under the people, most likely. Some funds may go to the church, but ultimately, we try to create better facilities and safety. The governor might finance new warships with this amount." His eyes gleamed in wonder.

Hongjoong swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Aye... New warships. To 'unt us."

When he picked up on the sudden distance in Hongjoong's voice, Seonghwa curiously tilted his head. For a moment, they stared at each other wordlessly. Sharp eyes that read their very souls.

"I 'ave decided somethin', Cabezon. Now that ye experienced what a pirate life be like, we will teach ye another lesson in it."

Wary, Seonghwa glanced between him and the crew. Hongjoong snatched his hat from Seonghwa's head and shoved it on his own hair. Seonghwa hadn't looked good with it, anyway.

"What lesson?"

An icy film coated Hongjoong's heart when he spoke. Too much pain came with his words. There wasn't supposed to be this much pain.

"We be goin' to maroon ye."

Wooyoung gasped loudly. When he tried to move between them, Jongho pulled him back. All conversation had fallen quiet as the crew watched the exchange tensely.

"Maroon me? What does that mean?"

Seonghwa knew what it meant. He had read it in the codex. But this stubborn man refused the truth laid out in front of him.

With a more stable voice, Hongjoong continued. His eyes were unforgiving and cold.

"We be goin' to leave ye alone on this island an' sail off. It be yer punishment. A pirate's punishment for rapin' me two years ago." His voice lost its strength towards the end.

For the split of a second, he detected pain. Unbearable, horrifying pain in Seonghwa's eyes. Then they glazed over. No words came from his lips even as he opened them. Stunned beyond words, the commander just stared at him.

He had expected Hongjoong to kill him himself. Then to feed him to the sharks. Then to hand him over to the old crew he had wronged.

None of it had prepared him for the truth. And it ripped deep wounds into his flesh. His memories came with anguish.

And regret. Hongjoong spotted regret in his eyes.

"May our paths never cross again. Next time I spy ye, I will nay 'esitate to kill ye."

With that, Hongjoong rose his foot. A single powerful kick was enough. Seonghwa lost the balance he had never felt the need to stabilise. For a moment, panic flashed in his eyes. A sense of unfulfilment. Of not having said enough yet.

When his hand reached out for Hongjoong, he actually caught the man's lifted hand that balanced the pirate. Hongjoong ripped it away in a flash. A sharp yank followed, Seonghwa's fingers catching onto his bracelet.

The leather ripped, and Seonghwa tumbled over the edge. Hongjoong couldn't bear the betrayal in his eyes. He closed his lids.

Within the flash of a second, Cabezon disappeared within the crater.

When Hongjoong heard his body connect with the water's surface a dozen metres down, he turned. He cleared his burning throat before he addressed his crew. Unfortunate fingers rubbed his bare wrist.

"Down the fast path we go."

Nobody protested. They silently collected their treasure and set out.