Aboard the Black Swan | P.JM |

Poison

Y/N POV

Senior Manager Haemin. He was a man in his 40s who had worked for the organisation since its inception. He was one of the residents of the island who stepped up to assist The Black Swan and its leaders.

As a senior manager, he oversaw all the outposts in trades, incomes, and security. He was also the employee who tipped us off about the theft going on at Outpost 5. It was a genuine surprise that he would be a spy. And quite a disappointment to the Captains, too.

Everyone stood still as a stone, waiting for any type of reaction from the man who betrayed us. But he sat without a care, his facial expression cold. However, I noticed some sweat ran down the side of his head. After a long pause, someone finally spoke up.

“Well? Do you have anything to say?” Captain Suga asked. Haemin merely smiled.

“Only that I had underestimated your capabilities. But not to worry. I came prepared,” he said, and suddenly bit down on his tooth. A slight crack was heard, and he started foaming at the mouth.

It all happened too fast for us to realise that he had triggered some sort of poison to prevent himself from revealing anything. We all watched in silence as the dead man slumped in his chair. A shiver ran up my spine with the realisation that our enemies might actually be a hundred steps ahead of us.

Captain RM heaved a sigh and sheathed his dagger, making us also put away our weapons. He then gestured to Captain Jeon.

“Please remove the corpse and dispose of it,” he instructed. Captain Jeon nodded, and he and two other members of the council dragged the body out of the Main House. Everyone was silent as they processed the happenings of the past few minutes.

“Captain Suga and Heather, please meet me in my office along with Captain Park after the interrogation is over. Meeting adjourned.” Captain RM stated and left the building. Everyone was murmuring among themselves while I left as well to meet up with Captain Park.

This poison thing was new among the spies. Could it be that the ones in higher positions use that as a fail-safe method to prevent leakage of information? If that is so, it will be tricky to catch them without triggering the poison. All it takes is one hard bite after all. And if the spy doesn't report back to their employer in time, they would know that the mole they planted had been weeded out.

We unfortunately do not possess the element of surprise. Now the other spies will be more wary, more careful. Crap! And when we were so close to getting the intelligence we needed!

Right as I approached the beach, I saw Captain Park exit the office with a tired look on his face. I slightly bowed to him as a greeting and informed him of the Mastermind's orders. The overworked man only gave me a silent nod and gestured to lead the way.

The three of us gathered in the office overlooking the ocean. The air was tense, and nobody spoke a word. Captain RM then leaned on his desk again and scanned us all as he spoke.

“We have a tricky situation on our hands. But, because of this, we also have a grip on the situation. We now know that the more intelligent moles have a safety net to prevent capture. They have no regard for the loss of their life and protected their secret till the end. Which means, there is only one way for us to get ahead of our enemies.” Captain RM said. He then looks at me expectantly, like he was waiting for an answer from me.

“We outsmart them,” I replied confidently. Captain RM nodded.

“Does anyone have any ideas?” Captain RM asked, looking at the three of us. I slowly raised my hand. “Yes, Heather?”

“Captain, I believe we still may have a use for Haemin.” I said. He knitted his eyebrows.

“I’m listening.”

TIME SKIP

JIMIN POV

“Hey, did you hear? The Captains apparently have a problem within the organisation.” A villager whispered.

“Wait, really? I thought The Mastermind could solve any kind of problem. That's how we’ve survived the past few years, haven't we?” The maid replied.

“Well, yes, but this time, the problem isn't the enemy. It's the organisation itself.” The villager said. The maid gasped.

“Whatever do you mean? The pirates of The Black Swan are charming, young, and strong men! What could be such a big problem for you to insult them so?” the maid fumed.

“Shh! Listen to me carefully. I heard from one of the pirates that there has been infighting recently. A trust issue between Captains Park and Kim. They accuse each other of being spies for the enemy.” The villager said in a hushed voice. “They found a real spy among their council. He's being interrogated as we speak.”

The maid gasped again. I smiled.

The solution that Heather came up with to root out other spies was nothing short of genius. It has the perfect pirate mentality, too. I couldn't be more proud of my student.

But the one issue with this plan is that the whole thing is a gamble. We never know for sure until we see proof. But if it does work out, we would be able to get rid of a large number of moles.

With that in mind, I made my way to the S.S.Serendipity for the monthly trade mission. The crew was already preparing the materials and readying the ship. I nodded to Beomgyu as I boarded and walked up the helm.

I looked over the crew once. We had made some changes to the personnel for this trip. This was the first step to the plan after all. This might be the chance we were looking for. We can finally be ahead of the enemy!

“Everyone! Good luck on the trades!” I heard Y/N and Jungkook cheering from the docks. I smiled and waved at them. For a while, I doubted Y/N. But as we spent more time together, I realised that all my assumptions were simply…assumptions.

I was being judgmental. But I got to see the true value in our newest member, and even felt the fear of losing her. And that wasn't the only fear I had.

I feared the future. I still do. The last time we trusted a woman and loved her as one of our own, we were severely hurt and disappointed. I never want a repeat of that incident. My heart won't be able to take it.

But now…I feel like she really might be what boosts Bangtan to the highest peak. I'm willing to put my confidence in that.

The crew was ready, and the anchor was lifted. Just you wait, Captain Argent. I’m coming for you and your entire army!

A/N:

Hey everyone! It's been a while huh? I know a lot of you had been anticipating this chapter and I tried my best to get it done despite the busy weeks of uni. It's not much but I have set the base for the next arc of this story! I'm not sure when I'll publish it but I definitely will next month! Thank you for your patience! <3

XOXO
Twinkle