Edward Teach Died on a Beach (OFMD)

Chapter 7

"This thing goes slow," Black Pete said.

"I know," Oluwande replied from the wheel.

Black Pete glanced around. "Where's Captain?"

Oluwande shrugged. "He wandered off somewhere."

Black Pete leaned against the railing. He leaned closer to Oluwande. "Do you think we're going to have to kill Blackbeard?"

Oluwande glanced at him. "I'd rather not think of that. Mostly because I know we'd lose against him. The man's insane."

Black Pete sighed. "That's true."

"What would Lucius do about Stede right now?" Oluwande asked with a frown.

Black Pete shrugged. "He'd probably go find him and say something about him having to get over himself because what's happened has happened. Now it's time to deal with it all."

Oluwande nodded slightly. Just below them, Stede sat on the floor. His back was pressed against the wall right by the cannon. His eyes were squeezed shut.

Guilt gripped his chest. It was all his fault. Everything was his fault. He really had ruined Blackbeard in the end.

"Captain!" Oluwande shouted.

Stede slowly looked upwards. He didn't speak.

"We're at the island," Oluwande said.

Only about ten minutes earlier, Jim and Frenchie had spotted the island that the crew had been abandoned at. From the distance they were at, they could see Buttons and Roach fighting over a canvas bag.

As they drew closer, they saw Swede on Wee John's shoulders, reaching toward a palm tree. Jim began to row faster. Oluwande wasn't with them.

"Guys!" Frenchie shouted.

The others froze. Buttons and Roach began to jump and wave at them. Jim hopped out of the dinghy as soon as it'd hit the land and pulled it to the ground.

"You guys have any water?" Jim asked.

Their lips were cracked and dry. Frenchie's were as well. Roach and Buttons looked over at each other and then down at the bag. They both began to tug at it again.

"Hey," Jim said firmly. "Where's Oluwande?"

Buttons stopped. "They went to visit Spanish Jackie. They're gettin' a ship. They'll be here soon."

Jim looked around. "Who else are we missing? Black Pete, Lucius."

"Lucius was on the ship," Wee John said. "He wasn't with us."

Jim shook their head and looked at Frenchie. "I didn't see much, honestly. But I think I would've heard Izzy bitching at Lucius."

Frenchie frowned. "Lucius wasn't with us."

Jim frowned deeply. "So how long ago did they leave?"

Buttons shrugged. "It's been about one moon and half a sun."

Jim narrowed their eyes. "What?"

"They left yesterday afternoon," Wee John said.

Jim nodded slightly. And you said they were going to Spanish Jackie's?"

Wee John nodded. "Yeah. Oluwande took Stede and Black Pete."

Jim stiffened. "What?"

"Oluwande, Stede, and Black Pete."

Frenchie glanced over at Jim. "Stede's dead."

Swede frowned sadly. "No! Not the Captain!"

Wee John rolled his eyes. "He said he faked his death. He didn't say why."

Jim hummed and glanced at Frenchie. "Blackbeard is going to be..."

"So pissed," Frenchie finished.

"Uh, guys?" Wee John said. "Is that a British navy ship?"

Jim stiffened and turned around. They frowned, putting a hand over their eyes. "Looks like one, doesn't it?"

"Should we try to flag it down?" Frenchie asked.

Jim stared over at him. "We're pirates, Frenchie. I don't think they'll be very friendly."

"It's getting closer, right?" Frenchie said quietly.

Jim narrowed their eyes. "Yeah. It is, isn't it?"

Wee John sighed. "Do you think they'll let us go again?"

Jim shrugged. "Who knows? They might just kill us because we aren't worth anything to them."

Buttons pointed toward the ship. "Livy recognizes them."

Jim glanced over, rolling their eyes as a seagull settled onto Buttons' shoulder.

Back on the boat, Oluwande was helping get the dinghy ready to pick up the others. Black Pete was next to him, quickly untying the ropes.

"Let's get this over with so we can get back to the Revenge," Oluwande said.

Black Pete nodded. "Yeah, I need to see Lucius again."

Oluwande hummed. "Actually, Pete, do you mind going to get them? I should go look for Captain."

Pete looked like he wanted to argue, but he nodded. "That's what Lucius would've done."

"Thanks," Oluwande said as he watched Black Pete climb into the dinghy.

After a moment, he turned back to the center of the boat. "Captain?" He shouted.

No answer.

"Captain!" Oluwande shouted.

There was a creak from below him. Oluwande sighed, going to look for the stairs to the lower parts of the boat. He followed the noise he'd heard, hoping he wasn't following a rat or something.

Stede sat between two cannons, tears running down his cheeks. When he saw Oluwande, he abruptly stood up and turned away.

"How is the ship sailing? I was just... inspecting the ship. It has a lot of... cannons," Stede said quickly, his voice rather sharp.

Oluwande awkwardly wandered closer to him. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

Stede glanced over at him and then looked away again. "No."

"What do you always say, Captain? We talk it through..."

"As a crew," Stede whispered. "But I'm not a pirate. I'm not your captain. I'm not worthy of it. I lost my ship, I lost my... Ed."

"I mean," Oluwande began. "Maybe you still have a chance."

"No, I ruined him."

Oluwande sighed. "It sort of seemed like you ruined him by leaving. So maybe if you find him again, you can fix it."

Stede looked over at him. The white linen shirt he was wearing was covered in dust.

"So let's go find the Revenge after we get the crew back, okay? Maybe we can... maybe we can convince Blackbeard to be Ed again."

Stede sighed deeply, sitting back down. "You're too kind to me. I fear I've ruined everything."

Oluwande sat across from him. "To be honest, Stede, we were going to kill you. We were going to mutiny and someone else was going to become captain."

Stede frowned. "That's not very comforting."

"My point is that last time we were all together, we were family, right? We would all be willing to go into battle against Blackbeard for you. For your ship. We need you, Stede. We need Captain Stede, the Gentleman Pirate."

Stede seemed to relax a little. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I can fix this."

"That's the spirit!" Oluwande said, slapping him on the shoulder. "There he is!"

Stede smiled weakly. "Shall we go up to meet the others?"

Oluwande nodded. He got up and then held a hand out. Stede took it, grunting softly as Oluwande pulled him to his feet. Oluwande patted his back as they went back upstairs