Ch.28

I sat down and told her. "You're free to stay or go report my words to Flint, I care not. But if it comes between me and him, stay out of it or I'll not be able to stay my hand. I don't want you dead over a fool's pretty words. Nassau cannot face the full might of the British nor Spanish crown and no amount of gold will change that. Pirates are not warriors and farmers are not capable of holding the island, nor do they wish to. If a war comes they will turn on you from the inside because they're faithful to the crown and with a war on two fronts and Nassau caught in the center, it will fall. A single fort is not capable of holding off the full force of the British navy nor the Spaniards that will come for the gold or blood."

My cold words sent a shiver down her spine and Vane asked what I planned afterwards. I shrugged. "My crew will retire to the colonies after trading Spanish gold for pearls. My ship will mysteriously vanish, never to be heard from again and not a word about the gold will trace back to Nassau. I will stay on Nassau retired and perhaps give Flint the man o war I'll have acquired if there's two. The only issue will be in how you deal with your share and how well you'll deal with the issues as they come."

Vane grunted and I sat back down while he stood. He asked Eleanor if she wanted him to stay on Nassau after the prize is ours. She didn't answer and he sighed before leaving. Eleanor went to the bed and Max pulled off her near see through negligee.

Eleanor said not here, but Max told her she wasn't going anywhere and I was here to alleviate her worries. Eleanor looked to me as I closed the flaps of the tent and walked up behind her. She sighed and dropped her dress onto the rug, showing she was naked without it. A few hours later I was bare chested and working out the provisions list, making cuts to the ship's weight just in case no man o wars were near so soon.

We'd need all the space possible and to move as fast as possible. Eleanor dressed and left far more relaxed, if however dreading the coming storms. Flint came trying to convince me of his vision and when that didn't work, his men attacked in the night only to be killed and captured, though mostly killed. Several of my men were injured, but none died.

Still, I was going to have Flint executed with his men while Vane and half of Nassau watched when Eleanor showed up and asked I release him. I glared at her and told her what he done. I told her my men are owed blood for blood and she said they got it before asking that I put a stop to this because Nassau needed him, she needed him. I growled, my choice made before telling my men. "Release them. If they come again, take no prisoners even if it's Eleanor and Flint themselves."

My men acted without question or hesitation as they released Flint and his remaining crew, what little there was left. I turned to Eleanor. "I'll not be returning to Nassau and neither will my men. You've made your decision and so have I."

I turned to Tato. "Tell the men to finish their work and help Vane's men on the Ranger. I'm done with Nassau and Nassau is done with us."

I turned and left as Tato gave the orders to the crew while Augustine gave the crew reasons to want to obey them including enough money to be free of this life for good and retire to start families which many wanted by now. They were all well educated and knew this prize would end in disaster if not handled right. It was the prize of a lifetime and it would be theirs.

We spent the rest of the time working in earnest and gathering the supplies we needed. Max came with us on the hunt since I paid Noonan for her release. We ran into the storm and with our ships prepared, I anchored the ships as we tied them together. The waves failed the bring down the ships while I sat in Vane's ship smoking a joint laced with pure magic to enhance it effects enough for me.

Vane told me his lookout spotted the Urca and I asked. "Anyone else?"

He shook his head and I grunted. "Then the escorts haven't caught up. Let the sea determine their fate now. It won't destroy us, but we'll have to wait it out before we give chase. Tell your man to watch it as far as he can and when the storm lets up we'll estimate it's location."

Anne said I was was crazy if I thought this storm wouldn't take us down if we stayed where we were. It was a ship killer and that was a fact but I pinned her against the wall, telling her that was the last time she questioned my honor and word. Jack was a simp and they weren't married so he kept his mouth shut when I tossed her over my shoulder and left to my ship.

She wasn't the least bit afraid, only horny and now she was going to get what she wanted. I stepped out of my cabin in just my trousers with my belt, sword and guns. I didn't even have boots on while Anne and Max laid in bed thoroughly fucked and exhausted. I'd healed Anne with my suit and left her face down, ass up, drizzling the sheets with leftovers.

The storm subsided and I had them weigh anchor and pull the supports between ships. Jack asked about Anne and I grunted, telling him she was sleeping, out cold and would be for some time with Max. I we headed to trace the Urca and found her wrecked on an island off course. We hit the survivors hard and fast before they could set up cannons to mount a defense.

My men spotted a Man o war so I told Vane to take the ships on the other side of the island. He asked about the gold and us. and I shook my head. "My men and I will take the man o war when she sends men to the beach to retrieve the gold. Your men will take the beach once the ship pulls away, hitting them from behind. Before we set anchor. Go now!"

He took his men and left, Tato following my orders while me and twelve of my men hid down the beach. The man o war found the Urca and sent longboats full of soldiers so we took a swim while they were gathering the gold scattered on the beach. We slaughtered most of the men in their sleep and I took out the lookout with a dagger thrown so hard it split his skull.

We weighed anchor and pulled away from the beach making a racket and shooting the longboats that tried to come back. The beach was slaughtered of men and soon we gathered the gold, filling the man o war while using the Urca's guns and supplies to fill up the Ranger. My men and I took our share and I set aside Eleanor's.

I asked Vane to give it to her and he said he would so I wished him luck. The Spanish weapons and ammo, everything was on the man o war we gave them so only the burned dead remained on the beach, burning in the Urca's empty wreckage. My men and I stopped in Tortuga and across the Caribbean away from Nassau, exchanging Spanish gold for top quality pearls all over.

Soon our gold was gone and my men jumped ship for a ride on merchant ships to Africa or the colonies, splitting as they pleased. Max and I headed on a smaller but faster boat I built to Boston where we heard Eleanor was captured and turned in by Hornigold because Flint took the fort. I grappled with my inner savage and left Max in Boston with all the pearls before heading to Nassau to get a bigger ship and get Eleanor back.

I began the path of war and it didn't end well for anyone. I got the ship and crew I needed in former slaves liberated by Vane on his way back. He and Flint had come to terms and agreed to help defend Nassau so I took the Ranger that Vane offered and sailed with the former slaves and Mr.Scott towards England. Along the way I slaughtered three Spanish Man o Wars on my own and two British war ships.

The five ships were sent back to Nassau with dozens of extra men I'd brought with me. When we entered the heavily guarded waters, I slipped aboard a merchant ship headed to London and sent the crew back on the Ranger. Mr.Scott wanted to come with but I lifted him up with one hand and told him he'd slow me down and get her killed.

I set him down and he told me to bring her back. I told him I was going to do a lot more than that. When I walked the streets of London, it wasn't hard in my suit to cloak and find Eleanor in the Tower of London in a cell. Woodes Rogers was quoting what she'd said in court before I heard her tell Woodes when he mentioned his plans for Nassau. "There's only one flaw with your plan. The moment I was betrayed word spread of my capture and if it's reached the colonies as well, a man I loved would have heard of it. He will be coming and no army has ever terrified anyone I've ever heard of like him."

Woodes grunted. "If it's one man-"

She shook her head. "He's not a man, he's a legend amongst pirates. They say he'd been a pirate for over a century already before I met him on Nassau. I've known him since I was a girl and he's not aged a day. If he's coming, your plans mean nothing. This cell, the courts, your armies and navy, the entire British empire will mean nothing before a man who cannot be killed and has forever to strike back."

He frowned. "And the name of this fictitious immortal would be?"

I broke the wall and jumped down into the cell as the dust cleared without my suit now. I spoke cold. "The name's Oz, but you can call me Death because I'm the last being you'll ever meet."

He called for guards and I ran him through. Eleanor backed away and I took Woodes's key, tossing it to her. "Lets go. I've set black powder across London's ports to blow once we're off the island. Half of London will be in flames by the time we're halfway to Nassau."

She asked wearily. "I thought you didn't believe in Nassau's survival."

I scowled. "I don't and I won't change my mind. Nassau is a death trap, but if you're to survive without your family's support now you'll need to either make a stand or go into hiding. Seeing as I have no desire to return to the place, I've arranged for alternative efforts to be made to curb England and Spain's desire for reprisals. England will lose a great many ships today, tomorrow Spain will lose all of their navel power."