The Rookie Pirates (Parts 1-6)

38. Lilith

But all was not well.

A horrified expression fell upon Zach's face at what he saw. The people he came to adore and loved, who had taken him in as one of his family, were reduced to nothing more than mere animals. Caged, shackled, beaten, and bruised by the navy, they were treated inhumanely as they were forced to carry their precious honey gold onto ships with the King's insignia stamped across the whitewashed sails.

No wonder it wasn't in the papers that Hive Island had joined the United Islands, because they hadn't. The entire island had been overthrown by the King and had been turned into his own personal slavery island in his search for honey gold.

Zach's hand curled tightly around the hilt of his red bladed cutlass. His red aura shrouded around him, and his bronze eyes clouded over until they could no longer be seen, except the hot, angry tears that washed down his face.

"This is not good. The Captain's angry! He's unleashing his power! Take cover!" Hawkins swallowed and stepped back away from Zach and started waving his arms around in warning to the other crew members, who immediately ducked for cover.

In doing so, Hawkins accidentally bumped into Cain, forcing him to lose his concentration, and the ship once again turned visible. Everyone from the islanders to the navy to Zach's crew froze as the ship slowly started to appear as though it were emerging from the mist.

Nobody dared to move, not knowing what to do other than stare towards the Captain, whose dark wrath continued to grow. Zach's breathing heightened, and his body started to shake uncontrollably. He could no longer keep his rage hidden from within him; he was about to explode.

He had promised the people of Hive Island that he would always protect them. It was his duty as King Regent to the Honey Tribe Kingdom to look after his people. He had broken his promise.

Why wasn't he aware of what was going on here? This was all his fault!

"ARGH!" He screamed and swung out his red cutlass, and a lash of red energy sliced its way across the ten naval ships docked at the port. Each and every one of them tore in half from his single attack and exploded into red flames.

Cain covered his head as he ducked down, away from the raw power which could have easily burned the flesh from his skin. So this is what it meant to be a Pirate Lord. The navy never had a chance, and that was just the captain's starting attack!

"Was that a sword attack?" Cain's jaw flew wide open. He'd never seen anything like it before.

"It was a combination of his underlying power and a sword attack." Hawkins pulled him back. "And from the looks of it, he's going to call upon his sword."

Cain frowned, confused. "Call upon his sword? What does that mean?"

"You'll see." Hawkins locked and loaded his flintlock pistols and started shooting at the enemy that was retaliating.

Wood started to splinter across the deck as shots from the navy were aimed at them.

Zach looked down at his shaking hand, which was still grasping the hilt of his cutlass. The sharp blade reflected the light of the sun into his blazing eyes. No, it wasn't his hand that was shaking, it was his sword. She was incredibly angry, more so than him, and she wanted to come out and play.

He swooshed the sword in front of him until the tip of the red blade was pointed in the direction of the quivering islanders, their shackles rattling to the rhythm of their shaking bodies.

"Set free the prisoners and kill all who stand against me, Jess..."

He was about to call forth Jessica Red, the name of his red-bladed cutlass, which Azalea had named for him, but he knew that would no longer work.