Captain – Chapter 123 – Invisible Chains

Just as the old sailor recalled, Captain Roy was changeable.

One moment she was smiling coldly, a devil wanting to make the traitor pay with merciless methods; the next moment her expression shifted, returning to that cunning and shrewd fox, beginning to calculate some tricks to protect her own interests.

“John, Old John.”

The captain looked at the old sailor with a smile, calling him with great familiarity, exactly like a little girl wheedling her parents for a doll. She was just short of stepping forward to take his arm.

But hearing the young woman’s somewhat sweet call, Old John shuddered, his weathered face showing a trace of horror.

It was well known that Roy rarely used this tone with subordinates on the Mermaid. If one day you were fortunate enough to see the captain’s friendly and kind demeanor, it was certainly because you had offended her somewhere, or you were about to be assigned an important mission…

A mission with no return—essentially no different from being sent to die.

Therefore, Old John would rather have Roy give him the cold shoulder, curse his vile behavior, or subject him to severe and cruel punishment, than face her deliberately displayed gentle smile.

“Cap… Captain, what are you…?”

Rеаⅾ оn ΚаtRеαdіոɡСаfе

Old John asked with a trembling voice, not knowing what Roy had up her sleeve.

“Although Richi was the mastermind of this betrayal, without your support, he couldn’t have so easily taken control of the Mermaid and Yadris. So, I can’t be sure now whether you, like him, despised my leadership, or were just bewitched and threatened by him.”

The captain’s slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the wooden table. She was smiling, but there wasn’t the slightest trace of joy in her dark golden pupils: “You know, Old John, once someone has been deceived, it becomes very difficult to trust the deceiver again. Therefore, I need you to show a small token of sincerity to prove you’re still willing to be loyal to me.”

At this point, Roy’s smile grew increasingly radiant, as if she had unexpectedly discovered something novel: “Oh, damn, if little Ceci hadn’t told me, I really wouldn’t have known that you, you old bastard, actually have such a beautiful daughter. It’s unbelievable—how does that girl resemble you in any way?”

The captain’s words struck Old John like a bolt from the blue, stunning him momentarily.

But after just a moment, the previously fawning old man suddenly stood up, trembling as he pointed at Roy. His light brown eyes no longer showed any panic, only fear and anger overwhelmed by a certain possibility.

“You, you all, what have you done to Edith!”

Nearly roaring, the old sailor was like an old wolf cornered into a desperate situation, no longer considering any advantages, disadvantages, plans, or escape routes. If not for the awe developed from years of working with this captain restraining him, he might have already rushed at Roy to fight to the death.

Rеаⅾ оո KαtRеaⅾіոɡСαfe

“Relax, Old John. You know I’ve always been gentle with the fairer sex. So calm down, sit down first.”

Seeing the young woman’s composed demeanor, Old John knew that his anger or despair couldn’t affect her in the slightest. He slumped back into his chair, a heavy sense of sorrow and powerlessness welling up in his heart.

“You know, I’m not threatening you or anything. This is just a small safeguard. If I had no constraints on you whatsoever, then forgive my frankness, I’d rather end your life with one stroke than believe a single word of your lies.”

Roy snapped her fingers, quite satisfied with Old John’s reaction, then continued: “The girl is fine now. I just went to take a look at her and sent some men to keep an eye on her, that’s all.”

“I don’t think it’s a big deal, after all, besides my people, there are quite a few others watching, um, Miss Edith, aren’t there?”

Hearing this, Old John’s gaze flickered for a moment, and after a while, he said hoarsely: “Those are Captain Richi’s men.”

“Yes, I know. So perhaps you can consider my crew as… the final safeguard after falling out with the little bastard.” Roy held up one finger, smiling.

“But it’s also a chain binding me, isn’t it, Captain?”

Old John sighed deeply, smiling bitterly: “As soon as I returned to Yadris, I was planning to find an opportunity to escape from this hellhole with Edith, and then never again get involved in anything related to pirates for the rest of my life. But I never expected…”

Rеαⅾ οո КatRеαdіոgСαfе

“Never expected that I would survive.”

Roy gently stroked the black feathers of the raven in her arms, neutrally picking up the conversation: “Are you disappointed?”

“I can’t say whether I’m disappointed or not, but for some reason, my heart actually feels somewhat relieved.”

Old John shook his head, a trace of weariness appearing in his weathered eyes: “To be honest, your concerns were justified. Even those things I just promised you, I had no intention of doing them at all.”

“It’s not that I wanted to betray you again, but I also didn’t want to be entangled in these troubles that could cost me my old life at any moment.”

The old sailor hung his head, his tone very downcast: “Captain, I’m over fifty years old. I’m already quite old and tired of the unpredictable life at sea. If I could go to a stable place, watch my daughter find someone she loves, form a happy family, I would be content and die without regrets.”

“That’s quite a good plan—making enough money for the latter half of your life, then retiring and living out your golden years peacefully. How many pirates dream of this? But given those bastards’ temperaments, they couldn’t save any money no matter how much they had.”

Listening to Old John’s longing for his twilight years and his genuine love for his daughter, Roy raised her fine eyebrows slightly, making a joking remark.

Rеаd oո КatRеαdіngСаfе

She placed Alfie back on her shoulder, slowly stood up, and looked at Old John, who seemed to have aged many years in an instant. After a moment of silence, she said gently: “Although old villains like you deserve to go to hell, having such a life before going to hell isn’t bad either.”

Old John looked up at those bright pupils. The weakness had disappeared from his wrinkled face, as if the previous scene had been merely a performance to elicit sympathy.

“I’m sorry you had to hear all that, Captain. But please rest assured, I know what to do.”

“That’s best.”

Roy smiled and promised him: “As long as you help me this one more time, I guarantee that Miss Edith will appear before you unharmed. You can leave with a merchant ship to some small place in the Empire or Federation and obtain a reasonable identity.”

“Thank you for your tolerance and mercy, my Captain.”

As she pushed open the iron door to leave the secret room, Roy turned her head slightly and said softly: “John Davidson, remember, this is not a transaction, nor am I trying to force you to do anything.”

“This… is what you owe me.”