The ladies shocking the Black Pearl's crew

Meanwhile, Cersei and the pirates had already arrived at Black Pearl using their boats laden with swag.

Pirate Pintel and Ragetti boarded the ship's main deck with Cersei. Once up and steady, and surrounded by grim-looking pirates who were looking at her with raw lust, Cersei turned her head toward the ship's stern and spied on Captain Barbossa's silhouette. [Image 1]

Richly dressed, and with a Captain's bearing, Hector Barbossa was eying everyone and everything from the quarterdeck. He was looking down at the main deck with his dark eyes, his gaze reaching to the forecastle and going beyond to the figurehead. [Image 2]

"I didn't know we was taking on captives," a thick voice reached Cersei's ears, and she frowned.

This voice belonged to a humongous man, dark-skinned, cruel-faced, and body covered in ritual facial and body scarring. His chest was bare, and there was displeasure in his eyes. [Image 3]

He was Black Pearl's Boatswain and First Mate — Bo'sun.

Cersei had known to not open a lady's mouth in front of such savages even when she was a pup. Much less needed to be said when she was almost a woman grown.

Pintel showed fear, but his head was high; a pirate's courage, perhaps. "She's invoked the right to Parley with Captain Barbossa."

The first mate eyed Cersei up and down cruelly, and when he got no response out of her, he lifted his hand to hit her, anyway.

"Ye'll not lay a hand on those under the protection of parley," Barbossa hissed, grabbing Bo'sun's hand. His tone meant business. [Image 4]

"Aye, sir," the first mate spat, and then snatched back his hand.

Cersei observed the Captain from close. A monkey was sitting over his left shoulder, and despite his ill reputation, Barbossa's speech had a finesse that few of his kind possessed.

"My apologies, miss," Barbossa said, smiling.

"Captain Barbossa," Cersei said coquettishly, stepping in, her smile even broader. "I am here to negotiate with you on behalf of the White Serpent Pirates' Captain, Blood Demon."

Kai had always known that there were chances of a few Contestants being a part of Black Pearl's crew. But the main storyline had already changed drastically and he cared little about it at this point. No matter what, he couldn't have hidden Elizabeth's absence when the young lady who boarded the ghost ship didn't even look like her.

So what if they heard, saw, gasped, or took action? There weren't many in this Random World who could threaten Kai's plans. And Kai was certain that a Contestant of that caliber couldn't be a part of Barbossa's crewmen so easily. This was one of the reasons for him to get a measure of Protectors' strength during the Night of Truce.

Captain Barbossa frowned and made an odd face at Cersei. "There were a lot of long words in there, miss," he commented, bringing a chuckle out of everyone. "We're naught but humble pirates. I, for once, never heard of White Serpent Pirates or this Captain Blood Demon."

"It' some new pirate, Captain Barbossa," a crewman told them. "I saw a torn Wanted poster in town. Looked a babe still livin' on mother's milk."

A current of mocking laughter coursed through the crew.

Captain Barbossa's smile widened. "A mere scallywag?" he japed, calling Blood Demon an inexperienced pirate. "I'm disinclined to acquiesce your request. Means No."

Anger was already flashing across Cersei's eyes as she heard the mockery directed toward Kai, although Kai had exclusively warned her to not lose her mind over petty things. But this was Cersei; bold, cunning, and manipulative, and yet her anger flared now and then out of her control, especially when power and her children were concerned.

This Cersei had no children, but she had Kai.

Cersei was about to fume when she took a deep breath and snatched the chain off her neck. "Fine!" she spat, her green eyes burning. "Live like the cursed beings you all are… forever!"

Cersei held the chain with the gold medallion, her hand outstretched beyond the hull. Then, under the shocked and silent gazes of the Black Pearl's pirates, she loosened her grip, letting the medallion fall and stop with a jerk. [Image 5]

With this jerk, the entire crew gasped. "No!" [Image 6]

Cersei sneered at the horrifying look on the pirates' faces, her eyes glinting with cunningness. "Scallywag or Seadog," she warned Captain Barbossa, "no one gets to mock our Captain."

Barbossa regarded Cersei with an odd gaze for some time and then burst out in a feat of laughter, stepping toward Cersei. "Hahaha! You have a name, missy?"

"Lanny…" Cersei looked unsure about giving her first name only. Kai hadn't commanded her about these trivial things. "Lanny Stormwind."

"Aye, Lanny Stormwind," Barbossa repeated, pressing his gaze onto Cersei. "And how do we know you are indeed who you say you are?"

Cersei scorned inwardly. Kai had already guessed that Barbossa would raise this question, especially in front of the crew. If Cersei were to fail in proving that the White Serpent Pirates weren't ordinary, then it would give Barbossa a chance to belittle the upcoming negotiation. It was especially so when Kai didn't have much reputation among the pirates of this Random World. Not yet.

In this, both Barbossa and Jack Sparrow were alike, as both needed a shock factor before putting someone in their eyes.

Cersei stepped aside and let the entire crew take a good look at her. This wasn't a show Kai had prepared only for Barbossa, but it would also serve as a warning to the Contestants in Barbossa's crew if there were any.

To the utter surprise of the undead crew, Cersei opened her mouth, and then kept opening it until it looked like she would soon let out the most powerful scream of her life.

No sound came out of her mouth, however.

"What's she doin'?" a pirate asked.

"Eh, yeh think she want us ter…"

Just when this pirate was going to say something truly deplorable, Cersei belched as if she was going to vomit the next moment.

And then a touch of white flashed in her throat. A white that bordered silver.

In the darkness of night, this silver shone everywhere. As they kept watching Cersei, glued to this mystifying sparkling color, both white and silver grew, enlarging exponentially.

Captain Barbossa was the first to step back, and the entire crew followed his action soon, too.

A shocking presence emitted from Cersei as the center as Selene slithered out of Cersei's mouth, hissing and spitting, flicking out her forked tongue. If there was any Contestant on the ship, her Perception and might alone was enough to scare the shit out of them.

This was the shock factor Kai had prepared for all, risking the dip in his Abnormality Limiter.

Cersei was Kai's Item, and thus, her doings were Kai's doings as well. It was just like how Selene's kills also counted as Kai's kills when they battled together. If Cersei would gain an object, as per the Contestants' procedure, then it would be equivalent to Kai's gaining that object, turning it into an Item.

That's where the advantage of letting Cersei roam on her own lay. Only Cersei could do such things, for Kai didn't have the confidence to let either Petyr or Rintaro out on their own. Though, the reason for both men differed by quite a much.

Then there was the fact that Selene couldn't enter the Book's Characters in her mist form without forcing them back into the Book. But, in her original shape, Selene could control herself from damaging the Characters inadvertently.

The moment Selene came out, she looked at Cersei with her blind eyes, almost eying her with disgust. But Kai's command was paramount for both of them.

With a puff, Selene burst into silver mist and hovered over Cersei's head.

Then, this mist churned and roiled, taking a ghostly shape of a skull sitting over two crossed sabers, and a white serpent slithering in and out of the skull. [Image 7]

White Serpent Pirates' Jolly Roger!

"What sorcery is this?!" someone gasped.

"Ghost!"

"She's a Witch!" the words came out like a curse.

"Captain Barbossa," Cersei said, snickering, rubbing off the wetness from the corners of her mouth. "Dare I ask for a private audience now?"

Hector Barbossa had lost a part of his nonchalant attitude. His upper lips twisted, and then he let out a grunt. "Arrgh! Follow me."

As Cersei gracefully walked behind Captain Barbossa, the silver mist in the air dispersed. But Selene was still there, hiding in the fog lingering around the Black Pearl, for Cersei was her responsibility tonight.

Better would be to say it was the Book Ghost Basilisk cared about. Nothing else.

**************

AN: 3 chapters tomorrow. At first, I wanted to dedicate this Christamas gift to the book getting 50 reviews. But, I guess, not many wanted a bonus chapter of my fic. Haha! Anyway, Merry Christmas! Enjoy!!