Captain – Chapter 161 – A Turn of Events

“You kept saying that betraying Captain Roy would lead to a better future, then you used the sailors’ support to force that vote. Of course, you succeeded—many important figures stood by your side, and the most surprising and powerful among them was Captain Richi.”

Lance spoke flatly: “Since then, you’ve served that butcher wholeheartedly, helping him find all the so-called unstable elements and eliminating them completely. During this process, you gained the new captain’s approval and achieved your own goals.”

“You obtained enough wealth to last a lifetime, successfully distancing yourself from this murky cesspool and these annoying, disgusting power struggles. Yet in the end, that better future you spoke of still seems so far out of reach, and has even made our lives more difficult.”

The young man stepped forward, staring into the old sailor’s cloudy, trembling eyes: “You’re nothing but a hyena, eating scraps behind the predator, pushing everyone who trusted you into the fire. Captain Roy, us, and especially the sailors.”

“Why should we trust you now? How can you guarantee this isn’t just another loyalty test?”

Hearing Lance’s words, the sailors exchanged glances, their faces showing approval, though still tinged with some inner struggle.

John Davidson—this old man who appeared sinister and terrifying to those in power, possessing a nose as keen as a hunting dog’s, always sniffing out their secrets and privacy. Once someone conflicted with him, he would present everything to the Golden-Eyed Devil as revenge.

But in the sailors’ eyes, he was genuinely a good bosun who fought for their rights and used the information he held to protect them from bullying. This was why when he raised his arm and called out, almost all sailors stood by his side.

Yet after returning to Yadris, everything seemed to change.

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For his own goals, to distance himself and his daughter from the conflicts, he had no qualms about selling out their interests and using anyone he could. From that moment on, he lost their trust.

“No, Lance, you must believe me—all of you must believe me. If I wasn’t trying to make amends, I could have fled far away. Why would I risk my life to return?”

Seeing the sailors still unmoved, Old John said hoarsely: “Hurry, we don’t have much time. If we wait until the guards finish changing shifts, we’ll find it much harder to break out, and the captain will…”

“BANG!”

The wooden door to the rest area was kicked open forcefully. The guard who had first checked the bosun’s quarters and then heard the shrill alarm entered with a grim expression. He surveyed the standing sailors, quickly fixing his gaze on the old sailor.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Old John’s breathing grew increasingly rapid. He explained hastily: “Yes, Lance, yes, I betrayed the captain again, luring him onto the Mermaid. Right now he’s facing Richi and over a hundred Fighting Squad members alone. I had already completed what the butcher asked of me, I should have left, but in the end…”

The fierce-looking guard punched the old sailor in the head, knocking him to the ground, then kicked him hard in the stomach before stomping on his face repeatedly.

Old John howled in pain, using both hands to protect his face, but soon his screams diminished. His swollen arms fell limp, and eventually even his nose was broken, his wrinkled face covered in blood.

“I wondered which bastard snuck in here, so it’s you, you old mongrel. What, planning to undermine morale during battle to reclaim your position?”

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Seeing the old man barely responding, the guard sneered coldly: “You should know your place. Captain Richi letting you leave was already showing exceptional mercy, yet you have the nerve to come crawling back.”

From the moment he saw Old John, the guard had understood everything, so he cleverly threw accusations at the old bosun to divert attention.

After all, as long as he beat this old man until he couldn’t speak, wouldn’t all the slander become fact?

“Such an ungrateful old wolf. But this is good—you know too much, and if our secrets leaked out, it might cause trouble for the Mermaid. Today I’ll eliminate you and remove a future threat.” As he spoke, his hand moved to the hilt of his sword.

“Dena, is there a battle outside?” Lance suddenly asked.

The guard slowly drew his curved blade, not looking back as he said: “Of course. Not long after we set sail, we encountered a pirate ship trying to ambush us. The captain is directing the battle right now.”

“Why not let the brothers lend a hand? Those Fighting Squad guys can’t aim the cannons properly.”

Sweat trickled down the guard’s forehead, but his tone remained unchanged: “It’s just a twin-masted warship, no need for cannons. By now, Squad Captain Fern should have boarded their deck. The battle will end soon.”

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“Is that so? Then it seems I was overthinking. But Old John just said…”

Hearing Lance’s tone, the guard’s heart suddenly tensed, and even the knife in his hand began to tremble: “What, Lance, do you believe what this old man says?”

As if momentarily stunned by the guard’s deliberate attempt to establish familiarity, Lance remained silent for a long time before saying flatly: “No, not a word he says is true. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have lost so many comrades in the past half year. Make it quick.”

Hearing this, the guard imperceptibly relaxed, a cold smile lifting the corner of his mouth. He aimed his curved blade at Old John’s nape—the old man who kept opening and closing his mouth but could only spit blood, unable to utter a single word. Just as he was about to swing the blade down, a sudden burst of gunfire interrupted his action.

Because of the distance, the gunshots sounded somewhat muffled, creating an unreal feeling. But the next moment, a violent explosion echoed throughout the Mermaid. Even separated by three decks, the tremendous noise was clearly audible.

“That’s black powder exploding, but why on the deck? And who are those muskets targeting?” Lance’s eyes suddenly narrowed, as if a storm was gradually gathering within them.

“Roy… Captain… Roy…” Old John’s weak voice came out intermittently, reaching the ears of both the guard and the young man.

Sensing trouble, the guard swung his blade down fiercely, but before the edge could behead Old John, Lance had already pounced like a beast, grappling with the guard.

Caught off guard, the guard’s curved blade was flung away, grazing Lance’s body before landing not far away.

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Perhaps in the past, when Lance was strong and healthy, this guard would have been someone he could easily handle. But now, weakened by hunger and exhaustion, both his strength and stamina were greatly diminished. After a few exchanges, he found himself pinned down by the guard, his throat tightly gripped.

Feeling the suffocating pressure on his neck, Lance pushed against the guard’s arms, preventing him from easily breaking his neck. But under the guard’s furious effort, those iron-like hands continued to close slowly.

Just as Lance’s vision blurred from asphyxiation, the guard’s roar abruptly ceased.

A curved blade pierced through the guard’s back and emerged from his chest, directly impaling his heart. Blood gushed continuously from his chest, spattering all over Lance.

After twitching a few times, the guard stopped moving completely.

The sailor who had struck braced his foot against the guard’s back, pulled out the blade, kicked the corpse away, and then helped Lance to his feet.

After a series of footsteps, a pair of shiny black boots stopped before Old John’s blood-reddened vision. With difficulty, he raised his eyes to see the blood-covered young man extending a hand toward him.

“Get up, Old John. We still have work to do.”