Edward Teach Died on a Beach (OFMD)

Part 2: Chapter 8

Posting this just to say sorry if you just got spammed with notifs bc I was adding part 2 to each chapter bc I wanted to make sure that having duplicate Chapter names wasn't fuckin with it

"Okay!" Black Caesar shouted.

He stood on the deck of the Spanish vessel with their crew around him.

"Can anyone speak English?" Caesar bellowed.

The Spanish crew looked around in confusion. Caesar looked back toward the Revenge, eyes scanning the crew for Jim. Jim was leaning against the railing. They stood up and headed toward the side of the boat. Ed and Stede were crossing the deck as well.

Ed slowly stepped across the plank separating the Spanish ship from the Revenge. Stede followed him with a slight frown, watching Ed carefully. Ed stepped onto the deck of the ship barefoot, humming softly. He looked at Black Caesar. Caesar glanced at his crew, who were mostly crowded by the mast. A few of Stede's crew were mixed in, but most were still on the Revenge.

"Tell them that whoever wants to join my crew can. We'll lock the others in the brig," Caesar said to Jim.

"That's a little harsh, isn't it?" Ed asked.

Stede let out a sigh. He'd been thinking the same thing. Caesar turned to Ed with a grin.

"It's better than making them walk the plank. At least this way, they'll be alive. We'll drop them off somewhere by Nassau."

Ed glanced at Stede and shrugged slightly. "Good point."

"Why don't we just take them?" Stede asked.

Caesar chuckled. "Sure. I don't care."

Ed smiled over at Stede. Jim crossed the plank between boats and moved around Ed, turning to the Spanish crew.

"We're taking them? Where are we dropping them off?" Jim asked.

Stede shrugged. "Wherever."

"B... Ed," Caesar said. "A word in private?"

Ed nodded softly. Jim began to speak to the Spanish crew. They ended up pointing to one and waving him over. They spoke quietly as Ed followed Black Caesar into the Captain's quarters of the Spanish ship. He closed the door behind them, stopping and watching Caesar walk to the window above the bed.

"Edward, say the word and I'll kill him," Caesar said, sitting down on a chair by the bed.

Ed's eyes widened. "What? No!"

Caesar put a finger to his lips. "Quiet."

"I'm not leaving Stede," Ed said.

Caesar crossed his arms. "You're really happy like this? Lazing around? Taking baths? Why have a tub on a ship? We're surrounded by water."

Ed stared at him for a long time. "I'm happy with Stede. It doesn't matter what we're doing."

"You're not bored? You, Blackbeard, aren't bored?" Caesar asked.

Ed stepped closer to Caesar. "Don't call me that."

"Blackbeard," Caesar replied. "I'm giving you the chance of an out. You can kill your past but that doesn't mean it's really gone. You know that."

Ed clenched his fist. "Blackbeard was an act. It was a character made from pain and suffering designed for revenge. I don't need it anymore."

Caesar sat back, crossing his arms. "You'll get tired of this. Of him. What do you expect to do? Continue taking down little merchant ships until the British figure out who you are, where you will be hunted down and killed. Hell, they even had Hornigold on you."