Shipwrecked Hearts

Navigare 8

Masyado na naman akong nabigla sa mga nangyayari. Maximo really loves surprising me, don't he?

"I'm taking my leave, Starfish." Aniya at saka tumalikod para umalis. Nang wala na si Maximo sa kwarto ay tila nag-iba ang aura ng kwarto, it felt like something was missing. I Shook the thought away and went to the bathroom. I already saw the lukewarm water in the bathtub waiting to be used, then there were petals of white roses that gave a garden-like scent.

Naghubad na ako at saka pumasok sa bathtub.

It soothed me and calmed my senses, the smell of the roses quite made me focused and released me from all confusion. When I let the water drench my body, I felt all worries and the words of Maximo sink in into my mind and soul. I wasn't officially a part of his pirate crew yet. I needed to prove myself worthy. They want to test me.

I smiled to myself. Challenge accepted.

After the nice bath, I did my personal necessities. I brushed my teeth and my hair. Dahil basa pa ito ay wala pa ang kulot na mga dulo nito. My old friends were envious of the natural curly tips of my hair, I kind of got it from my dad, who happens to be a governor, he's actually gonna be a presidential candidate in the near republican election. Kaya naman sinisiraan kami ng media. That's why they're saying I cheated on Vanz. Para madungisan ang pangalan ni papa.

Umahon na ako sa bathtub, I took the bathrobe that was stitched with floral designs. Lumabas na ako sa banyo at tumungo sa wardrobe. I opened it and saw a pair of black undies and a white long sleeve, the fabric was thin as it was almost see-through. Then a weirdly embroidered dark blue tuxedo, along with it was a black leather pants, and dirty brown combat boots.

Sinuot ko iyon at tinignan ang sarili sa salamin. I'm quite surprised Pearl got my measurements right. I smiled at myself at the mirror, this pirate-ish dress is quite complimenting the curves of my body.

Saktong iyon ay bumukas ang pinto at pumasok si Marco, I saw him enter through the mirror. Kumunot naman ang noo ko. "Hindi ka ba tinuruang kumatok?"

"If I am to be here and fetch you or whatever, let's assume once a day. It'd consume 10 seconds just by knocking and waiting for your response. 10 seconds multiplied by 365 days of a year is equals 3,650 seconds wasted, if converted into hours is estimated 61 hours, in days, that'd be 2 days and 5 hours. I don't like wasting time."

I rolled my eyes. But I hid a smile, I was quite pleased. So he is a great Mathematician, eh? And here I thought pirates were lumads. Unschooled. Uneducated.

"Ano pa ang tinatayo mo d'yan? Let's go!" Saad niya sabay tingin sa pendant niyang orasan. I rolled my eyes at his back and followed him.

Lumabas na kami sa palasyo, natanaw ko naman mula sa aking p'westo ang buong isla. The ancient buildings were color cream, there were flags, tinanaw ko naman ang karagatan na puno ng mga barko. All of this is owned by Alexander Renaissance. Just how rich and powerful is he? How can the outside world not know of this paradise?

"Lakad." Halata ang inip sa boses ni Marco.

"Can't we take our time? Sa lahat ba ng bagay nagmamadali ka?"

"As I said, I don't like wasting time."

"There's a difference between taking your time and wasting your time." I debated.

He hissed. "Bilisan mong maglakad kung ayaw mong maiwan." Aniya habang mabilis na naglalakad. I sighed and followed him. Nang nasa baba na kami kung saan ang mga bahay ay kakaunti lamang ang mga tao. Perhaps most here are nocturnal. Gaya nga ng sinabi ni Pearl, mas may buhay ang isla tuwing gabi dahil doon nagkakaroon ng mga barter trade.

"This city is called Jolly Roger." Marco said out of the blue, "though people just say it's Anarchist Harbor, actually, Anarchist Harbor is simply the name of the island, not the city itself."

Tumango naman ako. "Well, thank you for educating me."

He nodded and walked again in his fast pace. Umiling na lang ako. He needs to chill sometimes!

When we were at the port, we were confronted by 10 different men in their pirate suits. Marco faked a cough and all of them stood still. "This lady here is going to be our temporary captain." They looked at me as if measuring me and judging me. I looked at them the same way, too. I found half of them attractive as the other half were a little old, or aging. "Introduce yourself." Utos ni Marco sa akin.

"I'm Akira Kara." I smiled.

"That's it?" Marco frowned.

"Don't like wasting time." I said, mimicking him.

He smirked. "Y'all, speak your names like your captain!"

"Nick, the Navigator." Wika ng unang lalaki. Ngumiti ito sa akin. Okay, he's charming. Too charming.

"Eli, the cook."

"Charles." And so on.

"And I'm John Marco Polo, I'll be observing you." Saad ni Marco. "Now that you know your crew's names, this is..." he pointed the ship in front of me, "...Siren Steel." I get it why it was named like that.

The tip of the ship was decorated with a steel-sculpture of a mermaid. It was beautiful. The ship was mostly of silver, it was shining with the Sun's kiss. "Say your first order to your crew."

"Um..." I hesitated, "...let's board on Siren Steel!"

"Aye!" Sigaw nilang lahat at isa-isang umakyat papunta roon.

I nervously heaved a breath and followed. When I was already on board. I couldn't help but smile, it feels like I already own the ship. "This is the ship's blueprint. Siren Steel is one of the best ship for defense, but is slower than Treasure Trove as it is mostly of steel." Marco discussed. "Siren Ship is not designed for close combat but is the best ship to use when we're talking about distance, it is impenetrable with any explosives and cannons."

"So today, you will serve as the support or defense for Maximo's raid, this is gonna be crucial as we're dealing with fully protected cargo ship that carries advanced weaponry." What?! Okay, isa akong kapitana ng barko pero wala akong background tungkol sa mga battles!

"Okay." I gulped. "So what's the battle plan?"

"I'm glad you're following." Marco smiled. Tumungo kami sa may mesa kung saan may naka-pin na papel. "This is the plan." Turo ni Marco sa tatlong barko. "This middle ship is the cargo ship which is our target. This ship on its right side which is the closest is Treasure Trove manned by Maximo and his crew. On the other hand, that ship on the left, which is the farthest is Siren Steel, we will sink the middle ship once it has been looted."

"How?"

"Are you seriously asking that?" Marco asked in disbelief, tinuro niya ang cannons at iba pang explosive ng barko. "Don't worry, I'm with you. Though I won't do much work, I'll be just observing you as instructed by Maximo. But once I see things are getting out of hand, I'll take charge and you fail by default."

I nodded, as his words sink in my mind. I came to an unsettling realization. How many are on board that target ship? How many will die at my command?

"Commence mission." Umupo si Marco sa gilid ng mesa. "Captain, your command?"

I heaved a heavy breath and yelled. "Avast ye! Set sail!"