Captain – Chapter 86 – Crew

“What if… I said yes?”

Staring into those sea-blue eyes, Roy narrowed her own, asking almost in a whisper.

The captain’s question subtly revealed a hint of danger. She seemed quite displeased with the first mate’s answer and chose to use a sharper question to analyze his inner thoughts, to see if all his previous promises were as beautiful and fleeting as a mermaid’s tears.

The tension between the captain and first mate reached everyone’s nostrils. The sailors breathed nervously, Ben frowned as he observed the scene, while the younger Daniel, as if witnessing the pillars of his home quarreling, looked at the two with worry and anxiety.

The silence was quickly broken, not by the conflicting parties, but by Alfie, whom Daniel held in his arms.

The raven seemed to dislike this atmosphere, so it raised its voice and called out to the young man: “Acting! Acting!”

This wasn’t blatantly telling Caine to act in order to please the captain, but rather reminding the first mate that the girl’s previous words and actions were merely an act.

At some point, the little creature’s attitude toward this former imperial officer had changed dramatically.

From cursing him as a “Mola” when they first met, to now unreservedly revealing secrets to him—what happened between these points, even Caine himself wasn’t entirely clear.

Only Roy saw through it all. She knew that the raven wasn’t really betraying her, but rather…

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It didn’t want her to be alone anymore, in whatever sense.

“You backstabbing traitor, next time you snitch, I’ll pluck all your feathers.”

Roy glared fiercely at the raven, frightening Daniel who hurriedly covered the Raven’s beak, fearing the captain might truly strip its oily, gleaming black feathers clean in anger.

“Captain.”

The first mate’s voice reached her ears. Roy turned back, looking at him with displeasure: “Speak.”

“If you truly did such things in the past, I would do my utmost to make amends for you and ensure you don’t repeat such mistakes.”

Caine’s tone was perfectly calm, without the slightest hint of falsehood. Or to put it another way, hearing false words from someone who had been steeped in the solemn family traditions of a military family for nearly twenty years was simply impossible.

Hearing the first mate’s statement, which sounded almost like a servant’s, Roy blinked and casually waved her hand: “Alright, alright, I don’t need you to repay my debts. You just need to remember what you’ve promised before, after all… you’re different from them.”

The captain didn’t explain exactly how he was different, but during the three-month journey, anyone with eyes could see how much Roy trusted and valued this first mate.

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“Alright, alright, gentlemen, don’t be tense.”

Roy clapped her hands, driving away the somewhat gloomy atmosphere from the deck, once again wearing a gentle smile: “Although I have indeed sunk some imperial warships, they were all ones that came looking for me, not the result of my active aggression. As for Auran merchant and civilian ships…”

Roy paused, and then her expression turned somewhat unsightly: “Oh, damn it, hasn’t anyone told you that this captain is the most agreeable pirate in the Eastern Seas?”

The sailors looked bewildered and instinctively shook their heads.

“Your military is truly shameless.” Seeing this, Roy covered her mouth with her hand and complained softly to the first mate beside her.

Caine’s eye twitched, and he also lowered his voice: “First, I’m no longer part of the military. Second, it was you who first…”

“Oh, oh, oh, alright, alright, gentlemen, it seems you don’t know much about me.”

Roy casually interrupted the young man and gestured to the sailors to calm down, then threw out a question that was difficult for them to deny: “Gentlemen, have you ever heard of a picky pirate?”

Seeing the sailors shake their heads, her smile brightened a bit more: “Then I’m the same. The Mermaid has always treated merchant ships from the Federation, the Empire, and those small principalities equally. As long as you don’t resist and are willing to surrender half of your cargo, you can leave safely.”

“You can ask my pet about this.”

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Obviously, no one would be foolish enough to seek testimony from a raven, no matter how smart it was. So after deliberating for a long time, the sailors unanimously accepted the captain’s words, and their expressions relaxed considerably.

“That’s just one thing. To reassure you all further…”

At the captain’s gesture, the first mate, whose face had darkened due to being interrupted, sighed and returned to the captain’s cabin. When he reappeared, he held a snow-white scroll tied with a gold-edged ribbon.

Taking the scroll from the young man’s hand, Roy pulled open the ribbon and unfolded it. She then walked closer to the sailors, allowing them to see its contents and seal clearly.

“Look carefully, everyone. This is a passage document granted by Governor Federo, recognized by the imperial military and politicians. It also stipulates the share I can plunder when encountering imperial merchant ships. If I truly viewed the Empire as a thorn in my eye and didn’t spare any Auran vessel, would the Governor be willing to sign his name to this?”

With the appearance of the passage document, plus the famous old man mentioned by the captain, the sailors had no more doubts. Willie, who had raised the question earlier, also apologized for his presumption.

“Of course, this is just my side of the story. If you still have doubts, you can ask him.”

After putting away the document and tossing it to Caine, Roy walked around him a few steps, drawing people’s attention to this first mate: “He is the former commander of the imperial navy, the eldest son of the Howard family, Master Caine Howard.”

Feeling the sailors’ instantly transformed gazes, Caine coughed lightly and pushed the captain back to the front: “That’s all in the past. From now on, I am your first mate, and I can verify everything the captain said before.”

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“Well, it seems no one has any objections, so let’s return to the main topic.”

Having dispelled the sailors’ doubts, Roy dropped her smile and spoke seriously: “Now that you know my identity, you should also understand that following me will involve many dangers, such as my former enemies, or eerie things like the Victoria. So, if anyone wants to withdraw now, you can come forward and collect five more silver coins, then disembark. I won’t blame you.”

If they disembarked now, they could receive five more silver coins—this was Roy’s reward for those loyal to her. Naturally, those who stayed had offered her their sincerity.

No one spoke up, and no one came forward.

Roy added another line: “If you don’t leave now but want to leave later, I won’t let you go.”

Still, no one moved.

“Very good.”

Feeling the sailors’ determined gaze, Roy’s eyes showed some satisfaction: “Then congratulations to you all. From now on…”

“You are the crew of the Golden-Eyed Devil.”