"It’s surprisingly smooth sailing! Ivo did a great job, and Haroldo has made a significant contribution!"
Matim patted the head chef’s shoulder, laughing as he spoke. The captain’s six guards were supposed to be the toughest to deal with, but after Haroldo tampered with their dinner, they became like lambs to the slaughter, not even making much noise.
"The crew all want to turn back. When they heard we were going to ’persuade’ the captain, there was hardly any resistance!"
Bruno said with some emotion. There were originally a dozen or so sailors on the lower deck, but once the purpose of the confrontation was explained, most of them remained neutral on the spot, and some even wanted to join us on the spot.
"Ha! The captain is deserted by his supporters, he brought this upon himself!"
Matim chuckled, looking at everyone.
"Everyone’s here, let’s go! Bruno, you lead the way, go and ’persuade’ the captain!"
Bruno nodded and walked out first, with everyone following behind him.
Not far away, in the narrow captain’s cabin, Diogo was hunched over, lying on a wooden bed covered with soft cloth. This was a privilege reserved for the captain, while everyone else could only sleep on the deck or in hammocks. At this moment, the captain furrowed his brow deeply, his stomach rumbling like a tempestuous sea.
After shouting, there was silence outside the captain’s chamber, with no response. Diogo listened, hearing only the sound of the Congo River’s flowing water and some miscellaneous noises. He held his stomach with one hand, and continued shouting.
An unusual silence, with no voice answering. Diogo struggled to sit up, staring at the bucket in the corner of the room. His stomach was especially troublesome tonight, and the small bucket had been filled to the brim with filth. A pungent odor permeated the cabin. At this embarrassing time, the guards were nowhere to be found, and nobody had come to replace the bucket.
Diogo’s voice was tinged with anger and urgency. He clenched his teeth and slowly stood up from the bed. A sharp pain shot through his knee. The Demon’s curse had already penetrated deep into his bones, robbing this lion-like man of his former strength. In agony, he moved slowly toward the corner bucket.
A familiar voice suddenly rose from outside the door, accompanied by a "knock knock" on the door. Diogo paused, then sat back down on the bed. He straightened his back, his hand resting on the short sword on his waist, and asked in a deep voice.
"Captain, I have a suggestion I’d like to make."
"It’s too late, wait until tomorrow!"
Diogo’s voice was calm and authoritative.
"Right, call my guards. They should be near the wooden boards at the bow or stern."
"Respected captain, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid we can’t wait until tomorrow."
Bruno held up a torch, shaking his head. He glanced back at the few tense faces behind him, then forcefully pushed open the wooden door to the captain’s cabin.
The door opened, and a pungent smell wafted from the captain’s cabin. Under the light of the torch, Diogo looked furious, his hair and beard bristling. He was like a disturbed lion, glaring fiercely over.
"Noble Knight Bruno! What are you doing?"
"Captain, I want to give you a suggestion."
Diogo bellowed, his voice commanding, intimidating to the core.
Bruno stood in place, silently bowing his head slightly. Then, illuminated by the torchlight, the figures behind Bruno emerged: the fierce Sailor Chief Diego, the smiling Quartermaster Matim, the cowering head chef Haroldo, and the evasive carpenter Ivo.
Diogo’s heart plummeted into the abyss. In his twenty-odd years of sailing, he had encountered such scenes several times, but each had been suppressed by him! A mighty rage rose in his heart. For a moment, the captain forgot his pain and stood up fiercely, drawing the short sword from his waist and pointing it towards the people at the door.
"What are you doing! Thinking of mutiny? Guard! Guard!"
The ailing captain stood up suddenly, startling everyone at the door into taking a step back. Then, Sailor Chief Diego, irritated and ashamed, swiftly drew his curved blade, pointing it at the captain as well.
"Diogo, you dying old dog, still trying to scare people!"
Quartermaster Matim also quietly drew his short sword, his gaze fixed on the captain like a venomous snake.
"Captain, there’s no one left on this ship who supports you! You’d better listen to us!"
Bruno respectfully bowed his head to the captain.
"Respected captain, we mean no harm. We only wish to represent all the crew members, and persuade you to turn back!"
"Turn back?... Bru... no..."
Diogo, grinding his teeth, uttered Bruno’s name, deliberately enunciating each syllable. His gaze was fixed solely on Bruno, the relative from his family he had personally promoted, the Noble Knight in whom he had placed great hopes. At this moment, his eyes were so profound, filled with complex emotions.
"How disappointing you are!"
On hearing this, Bruno’s body shook, his knees weakened. The captain’s gaze made him feel utterly ashamed. Something he had steadfastly believed in for so long seemed to shatter in an instant inside him. The light of the Holy Mother receded in that moment, and the boundless darkness, whispering with the voice of the Demon, enveloped him deeply.
"Fuck! You damned old thing, still pretending at a time ?!"
Sailor Chief Diego cursed, then suddenly made his move. He parried Diogo’s short sword with his own curved blade, then raised his right leg and kicked fiercely at Diogo’s thigh.