Chapter 80: JACOBS POV.

"The lass is right... I might know how to sail a ship, but this old bag of bones isn’t good at navigating," he revealed to me. He let out a long, shaky breath.

"I can keep us upright and moving with the wind, but as for knowing where the nearest port is, or how to avoid the deadly reef zones... well, I’m as lost as a goat in a blizzard."

"W-What?" I stuttered, taken aback by the reveal. My heart sank. I looked at the old man in disbelief. "But you said you knew how to sail!"

"Sailing is just making the boat go, lad!" he barked back, showing a bit of his cranky side. "Navigating is knowing where the boat is going. Without a map, a compass, or the knowledge of the currents in these parts, we’re just drifting in style."

"But I’m sure someone else knows..." I said, turning my head to look at the other men standing on the deck. "Anyone? Does anyone here know how to read the stars? Or know where the mainland is?"

My voice trailed off when I saw the apologetic looks on the faces of the former captives. They looked down at their feet.

Some of them shook their heads slowly. It seemed even they had no idea as to how to navigate the ocean. They were mostly farmers, laborers, or city folk who had been kidnapped from their homes.

They hadn’t spent their lives studying sea charts or learning how to travel using this worlds constellations.

My confusion turned into a look of irritation when I saw the beast folk smirking all of a sudden. She was leaning against the railing of our ship, looking completely relaxed, as if she’d already predicted this exact moment.

She knew we were helpless out here.

"So that’s your aim... Bargain us all into working for your unruly crew or you won’t help us return to land?" I said, massaging my forehead.

I felt a headache coming on. It was a classic pirate move, find someone in trouble and make them pay a price they can’t afford to get out of it.

"Hmph, since you refused my offer the first time, the deal’s changed," she said, her smile widening. "Now if you want my help, you and your entire crew will have to work under me."

’But isn’t that the same thing as having me work under you?’ I wondered, staring at her strangely as if looking at an idiot.

She was basically offering the same thing but making it sound like a punishment. Or maybe she just wanted the whole group instead of just me. I was the current one in charge of these captives, so if I agreed, she got everyone.

I looked out at the vast, blue water. It went on forever in every direction. The sun was hot, and our supplies were probably low.

If I refused, we’d stay on this small ship. We’d eventually run out of fresh water and get caught in some storm.

Or worse, another group of slavers might find us, and next time, I might not be lucky enough to wake up in a captain’s bed.

’If I agree, it means she won’t be leaving anytime soon, but if I don’t, I might have bigger problems on my hands.... Who knows how she’d react if I said no.’ I let out a pitiful sigh.

The odds were definitely stacked against me this time around. I hated being backed into a corner, but I wasn’t just responsible for myself anymore.

I looked at the men behind me. They had been through enough hell. I couldn’t let them die out here just because I was too proud to take an order for a few weeks.

I glanced at the captives, or should I say my crew once more, and though they said nothing, I could already tell they wanted me to take the offer.

They were just too ashamed to say it outright because they felt they owed me their lives, but their eyes were begging me to choose the path that kept them breathing.

I turned back to the tigress woman. She was waiting, her tail flicking with impatience, that was what I thought anyway.

"Alright... You have yourself a deal," I finally said. The words felt heavy in my throat, but it was the only choice that made sense.

"Great!" she cheered, clasping her hands together. The action sending a gust of wind that ruffled my hair.

"But!" I interrupted her, raising a finger. I wasn’t done.

"If we’re going to be working for you, we’ll need to set some ground rules first," I said. I wasn’t going to let her treat these men like slaves again.

I needed to make sure they were safe, fed, and not used as cannon fodder in her pirate wars.

She blinked her eyes for a moment, looking a bit surprised that I was still trying to negotiate. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She looked at me for a long time, then she let out a short, bark-like laugh. "Alright, kid. You’ve got spirit, I’ll give you that. But first, let’s move onto my ship. We can’t talk business on this stinking tub while the wind is picking up."

She pointed toward the massive ship, which was sitting high in the water just a few yards away.

"Dinklehimer, get the men ready," I ordered. "Pack whatever food and water we have left. We’re moving."

"You got it, boss!" Dinklehimer said, sounding way more relieved than he should have been. He practically skipped away to start giving orders to the others.

The beast folk woman turned and started walking toward the massive chain that connected our ships. She didn’t use a bridge or a rope; she just hopped onto the iron links and started walking up them as if she were walking up a flight of stairs. She stopped halfway and looked back at me.

"Well? Are you coming, or do I need to carry you?" she teased.

I didn’t answer. I just walked to the edge of the deck and looked at the chain. It was thick, but it was wet from the sea spray and constantly moving as the ships swayed.

It looked like a great way to fall and break my neck. But I saw the men watching me.

Moreover , what if the pirates on her ship were secretly watching me as well.

If I wanted to protect the others, I couldn’t look weak to anyone.

I took a deep breath, grabbed the chain, and started to climb. I wasn’t as graceful as she was, but my new strength made it easy to hold on. I pulled myself up, link by link, until I reached the railing of her ship.