48 Hours a Day

There were a total of seven names on the list. Other than Zhang Heng, the rest of them were the old pirates that used to complain to Kent about the captain and helmsman.

All of them used to work under Frazer. There were basically two parties on the ship when Oven announced their names. While one party wanted them executed, the other said that they should be exiled. Amid the argument, Billy insisted that the paper had been swapped out by someone. Unfortunately, the war was nigh, and they had no time to investigate the case. In the end, Orff decided to lock them up in the ship’s brig. An investigation would be carried out tomorrow when the war was over.

When Oven mentioned the name, Zhang Heng, Marvin started to move away from Zhang Heng slowly. Zhang Heng, however, was not angry knowing that this was who he is. At the moment, a total of 17 pirates were being held in the ship’s brig.

On the afternoon of the second day, all the pirates on the ship changed into the navy’s uniform. Elmer, the original captain of the Scarborough, was brought out of solitary confinement. After being locked away all alone in the dark for a month, Elmer had deteriorated, and had clarly become frail and thin. His beard was unkempt, and his uniform torn and dirty. He could not help but squint when he caught a glimpse of the sunlight.

“Do you remember everything that I taught you?” asked Orff.

“I’m the captain of the Scarborough. My name is Elmer Anderson. Our vessel braved a mighty storm a month after we left the port. So, I decided to return here for repairs. I’ve also heard that the daughter of the general governor of New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire is going to have her wedding here. So, I bought my people along to celebrate the happy event.”

After a short pause, Elmer added, “You know, listening to me will save you a lot of trouble. In the New World, everyone knows the Scarborough. No one dares question us. Plus, I have known Bellomonte for a long time.”

“I know the two of you have known each other for a long time. Don’t worry. You can be with him soon.”

Elmer thought that Orff was trying to tell him that they would capture Bellomonte and put the two of them together. It turned into a rather awkward moment. After all, Elmer was about to betray Bellomonte. Friendship became nothing when his life was at stake. Besides, Orff did promise him that he would let him go if he was willing to cooperate.

“Bring him down and shower him. I want him in a new and clean uniform. After all, he is the captain of the Scarborough.

“It’s time.”

Orff opened the door of the captain’s quarters and looked at the man behind the table. Teach looked completely different now. A black tricorne was on his head. He also wore a red jacket, a leather belt, and he had even shaved away his signature black beard. A terrifying pirate had now turned into a respectable navy captain.

“How many years has it been? I thought I would never get to see you wear this uniform.”

“It’s all in the name of forgetting bad things,” said Edward Teach while grabbing his sword and gun.

“Until now, I’m still doubtful whether we are doing the right thing or not. If he is still alive, I don’t think he wants to see what you have become.”

“You better reminisce now if you want to. I’m about to clear all the old debts.”

…

50 pirates gathered at the deck. Owen was shocked when he saw Teach exiting the captain’s quarters.

“I have chosen the right people for the task. These are our best men!”

Teach lifted his gaze to the sun that was setting below the horizon. Turning to Elmer, he said, “Let’s go.”

Orff stood at the dock and watched the 50 pirates disembark the ship. Just like what Elmer said, nobody was inspecting them when they came off the Scarborough. Soon, they managed to slip into town without raising suspicion.

When they were finally gone, Orff left the deck. He knew that the war had now officially begun, and it was time for him to play his role well.

It was in the late of night. Orff was in the captain’s quarters alone, looking at the clock in front of him. There was still half an hour to go before he would do what was needed to be done. As usual, he meticulously replayed the plan in his mind over and over again to ensure nothing would go wrong later. Still, there was an unsettling feeling rumbling within his chest.

Seconds later, he could see a massive fire burning in Charleston. Orff was terrified, instantly realizing that something had gone wrong. The fire was not supposed to happen now. According to the plan, he should have first fired the Queen Anne’s cannons at the center of the town to create panic and chaos. Had something forced them to act thirty minutes early? The pirates standing on the deck saw the raging fires as well.

“Mr. Orff. What should we do now? Should we open fire to support them?”

Orff was trying to figure out what to do as well. If this fire had nothing to do with them, firing the cannons right now would cause the 50 pirates a lot of unnecessary trouble.

“Everyone. Await my orders!”

Suddenly, an observant pirate saw a few navy personnel running towards the boats docked at the port. They then started to row towards the Queen Anne’s Revenge as fast as their arms could swing the oars.

“They are with us!”

When they saw the signal given out by them, some pirates immediately dropped the ladder for them to board the ship. Owen was leading the group of returning pirates. There were only 12 left, and they were covered in blood. Owen’s stomach was wrapped in bandages as well.

“We have failed! Elder has somehow communicated with the garrison troops in the city! We were ambushed! That’s why we had to disperse and run for our lives.”

“Where is the captain?”

“The captain… he is the first who noticed something had gone wrong. He shot Elder to death, but he was hit by six bullets after that. I’m sorry I failed to retrieve his body,” said Owen, his voice filled with melancholy.

All 11 pirates behind him instantly became somber as they were reminded of what had just taken place.

“Mr. Off, I think you should take charge since the captain is not here. We can’t drag this on any longer. The garrison troops in the city know that we have the Scarborough. They will fire their cannons on us mighty soon. Capturing Bellomonta has become a big failure. There’s no reason for us to fight with them. We should flee now!”