At the break of dawn, Captain Hongjoong and his crew gathered once again to go over the plan they had. Taehyun laid out a simple sketch of their ship, marking the mast and a spot below the deck.
"There's a chance they're tied more securely after they had escaped last time," he explained, "We could have a distraction, while Yeonjun and I go to get the captain to safety while a few take care of the pirates above deck."
Taehyun handed the quill pen to the captain, who leaned his cheek into his palm.
"Wooyoung, Yeosang, San, Mingi. I want you four with Yeonjun and Taehyun," Hongjoong ordered, "Seonghwa and Jongho are with me. Yunho and Hueningkai stick together if you don't want to get hurt."
They nodded in agreement, Hongjoong looking up from the map at the sunrise.
"If we go now, there's a lesser chance of attracting too much attention," he commented, "Yeonjun, Taehyun, I want you two to get a look at your ship and theirs. Tell us where everyone is and we could plot an attack based off of that."
Taehyun and Yeonjun nodded in agreement, glancing over at their ship, which was still docked at the port.
"I think I have an idea," Yeonjun said quietly, smiling slightly. He leaned in closer so the others could hear him.
"Alright, here's the plan..."
—————————
Captain Soobin and Beomgyu's hands were tied, roughly thrown on board. Soobin fell with a harsh thud, Beomgyu falling right after. They fell to Captain Bang Chan's feet, shakily staggering to their knees.
Panting, Soobin slowly glanced up at his old friend. Chan drew his cutlass, pointing it at Soobin's throat. The captain didn't change his expression, breaking eye contact and staring down at the wooden deck.
Instead, he let out a light chuckle and closed his eyes.
"So... this is how it ends," Soobin murmured under his breath, "It seems it didn't take much for you to beat me."
Captain Bang Chan shrugged, lowering his sword. "I was always the better fighter, Soobin. It was a mistake to challenge me in the first place."
"I never wanted to challenge you in the first place," Soobin mumbled in a quiet voice. His eyes still closed solemnly, he kept his head low while he was kneeling before the other.
"I already gave you the chance to join me years ago, now's not a bad time to change your mind," Chan bargained, "You and I could've done something."
Soobin slowly opened his eyes again, his expression unchanged.
"You're wrong," the captain breathed, "You and I never got along, even my father knew that. Not to mention my 'chance' to join you was a threat."
"Maybe it feels like we were friends since I saw you so often," Soobin chuckled, then shook his head, "You were a wolf in sheep's clothing. Except I was never foolish enough to fall for your tricks."
Captain Bang Chan rolled his eyes. "Your views were pointless anyways, what good is it to find a treasure you're not going to take?"
"It's not the treasure that matters to me," Soobin breathed, "It's the journey to get there. My father never cared about riches or fame, neither did I."
He glared up at Captain Bang Chan, his voice trembling as he forced out his words.
"I'm staying with my crew until the end, whether that's now or sometime in the future," Soobin continued, his voice staying quiet, "They're not leaving my side and I'm not leaving theirs."
Captain Bang Chan scowled, The sword still pointed at his throat inched closer, the cold, steel blade pressing into him. A single drop of blood spilled and trickled down Soobin's throat.
Beomgyu stayed quiet, his hands trembling with fear. He didn't dare to say another word, afraid to provoke the other captain who was almost about to kill his own.
He looked around nervously, noticing something move in the corner of his eye. Squinting a little, he could barely see Hueningkai, Taehyun, and Yeonjun walking on the docks.
They ducked behind a couple of barrels, near their ship. Beomgyu's face lit up excitedly, quickly hiding his slight smile.
Captain Bang Chan lowered his sword from Soobin's throat again, returning it to its sheath.
"I won't kill you yet," Bang Chan smirked, "I want you to be the last to go."
Captain Soobin sighed a slight breath of relief, as Captain Bang Chan walked away. The two were hauled up again and tied to the main mast. The two were roughly disheveled from the past few days, their wounds not having enough time to heal properly.
The two stood tied at the mast, when they heard a set of familiar footsteps climb on board.
Hueningkai peeked out from behind a crate. "Captain!"
"Kai!" Captain Soobin exclaimed, tears brimming in his eyes, "You came back for us!"
Hueningkai put a finger to his lips, shushing the captain. Beomgyu hurriedly glanced around for any of Bang Chan's crewmates. Taehyun and Yeonjun were also ducked behind the crates, looking over at them.
"Are you guys alright?" Yeonjun asked softly.
"Could be better," Soobin answered, "But alive, what about you three?"
He looked around to make sure no one was listening.
"You'll need to find somewhere else to hide, they'll find you," Captain Soobin murmured, turning to the three again. Taehyun peeked over the crate, resting his fingertips on the edge of it.
"Don't worry Captain, we've got a plan," he reassured, then winked. Captain Soobin raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah I hope so, but seriously— You three aren't safe there," Soobin ordered, "Find somewhere safe or—"
Unfortunately, Jisung and Hyunjin had overheard the crew's chit-chat. The two strolled over, Captain Soobin immediately shutting his mouth and staying quiet.
"Well, well, looks like we've got company," Jisung scoffed, sparing a glance at Soobin, "Isn't that right, Captain?"
Hyunjin snorted, hitting the other playfully. "Seriously, I can't take you seriously when you say that!"
Captain Soobin looked worriedly at the three, who were now cornered by Jisung and Hyunjin.
"Whoever's behind there, show yourself!" Hyunjin demanded, reaching for his sword. Hueningkai slowly stood up from behind the crates, with his hands raised innocently.
"Oh no! It looks like you've caught me!" Hueningkai said nonchalantly. Yeonjun and Taehyun stood up innocently from behind the crates as well with their hands raised.
"Oh but we were so close!" Yeonjun whined, pouting and looking Hyunjin in the eyes, "Can't you let us off the hook this time?"
Hyunjin exchanged a look with Jisung, looking back at the two with a puzzled expression.
"Drop the act. Where have you two been?"
Taehyun shrugged casually, lowering his hands. "What act? We were just here to check in on our captain!"
"And cannon expert," Yeonjun added. Hyunjin nudged Jisung, gesturing to the three.
"Tie them up, Captain might have some questions for them."
Hueningkai gasped dramatically, placing the back of his hand on his forehead. "We're being captured! Oh, who would've thought! We might never make it out alive..."
Captain Soobin looked at the three, confused. Willingly, Taehyun let himself get tied up, silently mumbling under his breath so they couldn't hear. Yeonjun and Hueningkai did the same, allowing themselves to be tied alongside their captain.
Captain Soobin turned to look at them, glaring at the three.
"What was that all about? You three let yourselves—"
"Capt'n, don't worry," Hueningkai reassured with a smile, looking out onto the dock.
"Help is on the way."