Contented with the new lead they had got, Hongjoong returned to his ship with squared shoulders. Mingi dispatched at the docks to go into the town as well, to spend his money and time there. On other days, Hongjoong might have joined to crack Jenny's teacup, but he didn't feel like it today. Instead, he returned onto the Grief and glanced at Cabezon's back in passing. After patching him up, Yeosang had pulled his uniform back down over his skin to protect it from the salty spray. A seagull hopped around near the soldier's feet, unsure if he already was dead enough to eat or not.

Hongjoong left him without a comment. The voices of the harbour were louder out here than the calming rushing of the waves. People on the docks yelled about provisions, money, and their plans of departure.

Inside his cabin, Yunho was waiting for Hongjoong. He had kicked up his long legs on the captain's table and studied a few maps he had found lying around. At Hongjoong's entry, he gave a broad grin.

"Aft so early?"

Hongjoong pulled the rolled paper from his pocket and waved it around. His triumphant snicker had Yunho's eyes go wide in glee.

Hongjoong stepped in to show him. He spread out the paper and repeated what Yongguk had told them. The fabled tale of the monster they were hunting now wasn't so unbelievable as it sometimes seemed when they asked other sailors. Most people confronted with the horror shared the same clueless blank look on their faces. Hongjoong already counted it as a success that Yongguk had confirmed its existence with his belief.

Because Hongjoong had not dreamed. Hongjoong had been there when it happened.

"This be the best route we obtained so far! Congrats on yer work well done, Capt'n!" Yunho's enthusiasm was addicting. For a moment, Hongjoong relished in the praise.

As he rolled the map back up to keep it close to his body at all times, his face returned to its prior seriousness.

"'Ow be the Jack Tar doin'? Seems suspiciously tame out there."

"Want me to get 'im in 'ere to question?"

Hongjoong nodded and stepped aside so Yunho could pass. The man was tall, so tall that he had to duck as he crossed the doorway. While he was gone, Hongjoong opened the windows to his chamber to let some fresh air stream in. The sight of the vast sea called him back out to it, promising adventure and freedom. He didn't resist it. Any second less he spent near the land and its doubtful folks was a blessing to him.

When Yunho came back, he dragged Cabezon behind him. The soldier stumbled as his legs adjusted to the sudden new task after a long time on the mast. Yet, he blinked at Hongjoong with the same hostility as always. Having him around to glare at had already become a custom to Hongjoong.

"On the chair," Hongjoong beckoned without disconnecting his gaze from Cabezon. Some strands of his well-kept hair had fallen from their place and hung into his forehead like the spindly legs of a spider. The state of debauchery and the first traces of dirt on his uniform pulled a satisfied grin from Hongjoong's lips. He bet that the man hated it.

Yunho fixed the ropes that held their prisoner's wrists behind his back to the chair. The soldier didn't struggle, too prideful to show his weakness against the dirty pirate folk. Outside, a swarm of seagulls loudly fought over something. Yunho stood near the door in case Cabezon would try something.

"Ahoy, Cabezon! I think ye already began to smell o' the bilge an' us dirty pirate folks. 'Ow do ye like yer stay 'ere?" Cheerful, Hongjoong sat on his desk to leer down on the man. With cold disinterest, the man stared back. His eyes were closed off, giving not even a hint of his thoughts and feelings away. An annoying blockade between Hongjoong and what he wanted the man to become. Which was a raw mess.

"You turned out to be no more or less of my expectations. A brutal murderer with no sense of justice or honour." The voice in his throat was rough. He hadn't got anything to drink in a while, and it showed even as he tried to hide his condition. When would he dry out? Surely faster than expected given the saltiness of their surroundings.

"'Arsh words. 'Ere I been, thinkin' I much rather been just rather than pure evil fer once."

"What about my current situation is just to you? You had me flogged, denied of food and drink, and lodged in the worst conditions. You may claim a lot about what the Royal Navy does or does not do, but we don't treat our prisoners like this."

Hongjoong grinned, remembering more than the other man did. His attention found Yunho.

"Matey, please recite to us the way that the navy treats our dear Commander Park's crime usually."

"Delightfully, Captain. Dependin' on the ship's captain, these rules might change, but generally, the Royal Fleet punishes sodomy with the death penalty or a thousand lashes with the cat. Which is similar to a death sentence."

Commander Park wanted to speak up and protest, but Hongjoong shushed him with a gesture of his hand. Angered, the man gritted his teeth.

"An' what be the pirate way to punish it?"

"Accordin' to Captain J. Phillips, we also 'and out the death penalty. In some cases, we choose to maroon criminals such as those. That leaves them with little chance o' survival." Proud, Yunho grinned at Cabezon. When Hongjoong also turned his head to raise his brow at him, the man nearly burst from the seams.

"Who are you to verdict me of sodomy! Whichever one of your crew members told you a story like that, they lied to you! I ask some common sense of you, Captain, I know you are not that foolish. Rethink your decision!"

Hongjoong already gave him far less punishment than the commander deserved because he was no judge. The soldier didn't belong to his crew and Hongjoong wasn't interested in nudging his moral compass right. But he was interested to play with him. And the fiery confusion and sense of getting mistreated in the man's eyes was worth every moment.

Hongjoong leaned back on his hands. His dark eyes scanned the soldier and his visible struggle to sit upright. His back must burn like hell.

"Do nay get me wrong, Commander, but I trust me own mates more than I trust me enemy. Seein' that we did neither o' these options an' decided fer a minor whippin', I think I already favour ye a lot. Shouldn't ye be thankin' me?" As Hongjoong's lips curled into an impish grin, the soldier leaned back from him, repulsed. Seeing him squirm was Hongjoong's greatest joy. Clearly, he feared getting into more trouble if he ran his mouth too much.

Hongjoong proved to him that this guess was right.

"As fer yer accommodations, Yunho, I need ye to find 'im a better place. He would make fer such a gorgeous figurehead."

When Yunho stepped in grinning to retrieve Cabezon, the man threw himself against the pirate's grip at first. Hongjoong watched amused as Yunho effortlessly wrestled the man down even when injured. However, just as Yunho wanted to take him outside, the soldier dug the heels of his feet into the ground. Rooted on the spot, Yunho curiously watched how the man's face contorted in confusion. Then, his eyes widened. His dumbness looked excellent on that annoyingly handsome face.

"You! I remember you! You worked in the royal prison a while back... And you- became a pirate." The commander's eyes dropped from Yunho, disheartened. When he turned to glance at Hongjoong, his eyes had narrowed.

"How do you two know each other?"

Hongjoong grinned. He took a doubloon from the tabletop at his side and begun to throw it around between his hands.

"Enough questions fer today. I wish ye a jolly afternoon."

Yunho dragged the man off before he got to investigate further. No doubt, Cabezon would ask him another dozen questions, but Hongjoong trusted Yunho to keep quiet. The devastation on the commander's face once he realised Hongjoong was right and that he had survived their entire ordeal would be phenomenal. Nobody was allowed to ruin it for him.

Once Yunho was gone, Hongjoong stepped back out on the deck, too. Jongho and Wooyoung returned from the town in time. Both of them carried several duffels and a big crate each in their arms. A cheerful conversation passed between the two of them and mingled with the boisterous ambience of the docks. Wooyoung sat his crate down first with a huff, and Jongho put his on top.

Hongjoong closed in on them with no hurry.

"Me 'earties, I 'ave a wonderful declaration to make." He opened his coat to show them the map tucked into it. At the sight, Wooyoung's eyes gleamed with eagerness and Jongho showed his gummy smile.

"We can always trust in our captain's skill! Hooray!"

Hongjoong let them pat his shoulders and ask him their excited questions about their future route and the dangers awaiting them there. Then, Wooyoung instantly rushed off to compare Yongguk's map with his own studies. Jongho stuck around to bring their new goods to the designated places to be. Yeosang called a happy thanks at him when he received his bag.

"Oi, Cap, where did the prisoner go? We ain't settin' sail without 'im, aye?"

Amused, Hongjoong shook his head.

"We belayed 'im to the bowsprit since 'e complained about 'is lodging. We'll see whether 'e will 'ave enough first or another ship notices 'im."

Jongho snickered at the idea.

"'E might garner us some compliments since 'e makes fer a pretty figurehead, aye." Giggling, Jongho wandered off to finish his work. Hongjoong took a bag to carry, too, and followed him partly along the way. Once he had set the heavy load down, he wandered into the kitchen to get himself some food. With a bowl of bread and a fresh apple that Jongho gave him, he returned to the deck.

Yunho had finished tying Cabezon to the mast at the tip of the ship already. The tall man was nowhere in sight as Hongjoong sat down on the railing next to the bowsprit to regard his work. Both Cabezon's hands and feet were tied neatly around the solid wood. He didn't hang from it but was attached to the wood tightly so he wouldn't slip off if they crossed waves and the ocean. The soldier hung his head as he stared into the sea beneath as if pondering if it was worth trying to wriggle free. He would most likely drown due to his bindings.

"'Ow be yer back doin'? Me surgeon will scream at me once 'e finds ye 'ere, so I 'ope ye do nay suffer too much pain after 'is 'ard work." Hongjoong called out to him loud enough to be heard over the licking water beneath and the bustling town to their left. Cabezon didn't turn his face towards him, but Hongjoong saw him swallow as he bit into his apple.

Sticky and sweet, its juices dripped from Hongjoong's chin.

When Cabezon stubbornly refused to answer, Hongjoong chuckled to himself. He propped one heavy boot up on the railing, balancing precariously on the edge.

"Yer new quarters suit ye. I been afraid ye'd feel scrutinised by the crew in the middle o' the deck. Ye 'ave the front row to the most magnificent sights 'ere!"

Hongjoong's mockery didn't irk Cabezon. With steely determination, he gritted his jaw once more and refused to answer. His dark brows formed a single line, black like storm clouds.

The angrier he became, the more glee filled Hongjoong's heart.

"See, matey, I be no devil either. If ye comply, I may give ye some grub. Ye could 'ave half o' this apple if ye babble fast enough."

Finally, the man's eyes curiously found Hongjoong. Apprehension shone in them, and a lot of contempt. But he licked his chapped lips nonetheless at the apple that Hongjoong offered in his direction.

Hongjoong was sure that two days ago, the stuck up commander wouldn't have dreamt to share an apple that a pirate had eaten from. Cabezon's resolve was already crumbling.

"What do you want me to do?"

The question was poised carefully. Depending on the reply, he would refuse instantly. Thus, Hongjoong began small. In due time, he could have the man crawl for him, but for now, he had to stick to the bare minimum.

"Yer name. Tell me yer name."

Cabezon hesitated for a long while. His name was no secret, Yunho could presumably tell Hongjoong if he wanted. And yet, it was a piece of the commander that he had to give up to the pirate. A splinter off his identity and self. Something that hoisted him off his high horse.

Hongjoong loudly bit into the apple again. The commander's eyes wavered.

Of course, he could tell Hongjoong the wrong name. But both of them knew it would end it more floggings if he did. Hongjoong was a master at lies, he would know best.

"Seonghwa." The man cleared his throat when his voice broke around the word. "My name is Seonghwa."

Hongjoong mouthed the name, testing it with his lips. A good name, if very soft. It was impossible to say it with spite.

Seonghwa didn't dare look at him any longer, probably afraid of the grin he would find on Hongjoong's face. Instead, he stubbornly stared up ahead.

With a jump, Hongjoong got to his feet. Secure as if he had been born on a mast, he balanced over the bowsprit. Seonghwa's eyes widened at the trembles that travelled through his body when the pirate stomped closer. Then, he flinched when Hongjoong sat down and let his legs dangled left and right of the soldier's bound flanks.

Hongjoong took care not to brush his injuries.

Seonghwa's hands that were bound behind his back to circle the wooden mast curled into fists when the fabric of Hongjoong's pants brushed them. The pirate's crotch was tantalisingly close to those slender fingers.

"'Ere. Ye may nay want to eat out o' the 'and o' a pirate, but this be me sole offer."

Seonghwa stared at the fresh and juicy apple that Hongjoong held in front of his face. Then, with another grimace, he dipped his head to bite into it.

Hongjoong grinned as he held it for him and watched him wolf it down greedily. He wanted to pet Seonghwa's hair and call him a good mutt, but he held back. For today, the humiliated blush on Seonghwa's cheeks as he got tamed was enough for him.