Chapter 258: Old Maui

It has been a few days since such a voyage has been made, with the children accustoming themselves to their new resting place. Harvard would fashion himself a standard coat and frilly undershirt to make him look as much of a pirate as he can. Stolas would do the same, having his cloak serve to be a belt around his waist, whilst taking more bandages to cover his upper body, as well as some gloves to help him hold a flintlock better whenever he gets the chance to practice his aim and shooting with Anne Marie. Zazel would, begrudgingly, be forced to abandon his leather jacket in exchange for a black and white shirt, as well as a bandana to wrap around his head, poking small holes so that his horns can freely slip in and out without much issue. Solomon would simply have an eyepatch, putting the least amount of effort on his new look, mainly focused on keeping an eye at the troublemakers he's friends with.

As Solomon would watch his friends work on the ship on the ropes, from Harvard maintaining the sails, to Zazel using a Sigil to summon one of the demons, Kimaris, to help clean the ship, he would start hearing a small hum. Such a hum came from Teach himself, steering his ship, basking in the warm sun. The shadow would appear for the Biblical Sorcerer, nudging him to ask what the song was. Despite Solomon wanting to say no, he'd realize it may be one of the few times he can get more friends besides the ones he's accompanied with. He would be visibly nervous, however, yet Shady would materialize a hand and pet his head, giving its usual wide smile, ready to stand with him if he's scared. With a deep breath, he'd get down to the ship, walked towards Teach, and tugged him a bit to get his attention. "Hey....What's with the humming?" He'd ask.

"Aye, you nev'r 'eard of a shanty, fella?" The Captain asked, raising his eyebrow, still maintaining his cheerful demeanor. The Biblical Mage shook his head, prompting a small chuckle before looking out to the vast, blue sea. "Well then, laddie! A Shanty is a song that lifts our spirits! Calls to us to bellow our tune when need be! T'is be our person'l swan song to the sea whenever we sail her waters, If you'd like, I can start us off with one! A personal favorite of mines too!" The boy, hearing the Captain's words, was a bit skeptical, though he does nod at the thought of one, looking down towards his shadow, watching it gives a thumbs up, despite not being prepared for what may bellow out from Teach's voice. Once he braced, the Captain began to sing.

"It's a damn tough life full of toil and strife.."

"We whalermen undergo...♪!"

"And we won't give a damn, when the gale is done..."

"How hard the winds do blow~♪!"

"For We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground..."

"With a good ship taut and free...♪!"

"And we don't give a damn when we drink our rum..."

"With the girls of Old Maui~♪!"

The crew would hear such a tune, singing the chorus in such synchrony.

"Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys!"

"Rolling down to Old Maui!"

"We're homeward bound! From the Arctic Ground!"

"Rolling down...to Old Maui~♪♫!"

Solomon would be amazed, watching them memorize the shanty by heart, the children moving towards the Biblical Sorcerer as they watch this unfold. "I think I actually know the lyrics to some of this!" Stolas would state, before hearing Anne Marie sing with her beautiful voice the next solo.

"Once more we sail, with a Northerly gale..!"

"Through the ice, and wind, and rain...♪!"

"Them coconut fronds, them tropical shores..."

"We soon shall see again...♪!"

"For Six hellish months we passed away...!"

"On the cold Kamchatka sea...♪!"

"But now we're bound from the Arctic ground..."

"Rolling down to Old Maui~♪!"

"Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys!"

"Rolling down to Old Maui!"

"We're homeward bound! From the Arctic Ground!"

"Rolling down...to Old Maui~♪♫!"

Once more, the chorus roared with the tune, slowly starting to excite the boys. "I wanna go next! I wanna go next!" Stolas would state, much to the dismay to Solomon and Zazel, though he was quick in whispering the lyrics for them to follow along. Harvard would notice the skepticism and would pat the Sorcerer on the back, reassuring him. Zazel, still adamant, wouldn't want to subject his friend to sing along if it makes him feel uncomfortable. In this moment, Solomon knew fully well that, even though they're the equivalent of low-life bandits that tends to go over the top, they were his real family. He couldn't help but smile in this moment. Teach would give the approval, allowing the boys to try and sing, with Solomon giving his own approval to follow along, embarrassing as it was. The boys would take turns on their lyrics, starting with Stolas, followed by Harvard, Zazel, and lastly, the Biblical Sorcerer himself.

"Once more we sail the Northerly gale...!"

"Towards our Island home~♪!"

"Our whaling done, out mainmast sprung...!!"

"And we ain't got far to roam~!!"

"Our stans'l booms is carried away..."

"What care we for that sound...♪!"

"A living gale is after us....♪!"

"THANK GOD, WE'RE HOMEWARD BOUND~♪!!" Solomon's words resonated as loud as the crew themselves, being within the moment, having everyone sing the last chorus, the sorcerer's words holding so much power, people almost assumed he was the captain himself.

"Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys!"

"Rolling down to Old Maui~♪!"

"We're homeward bound! From the Arctic Ground!"

"Rolling down...to Old Maui~♪♫!"

"Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys!"

"Rolling down to Old Maui~♪!"

"We're homeward bound....!"

"From the Arctic Ground....!"

"Rolling down...TO OLD MAUIIIII~♪♫!" 

In that moment, it was over. The song swept them to and fro, and for the next few days, they sang away as much as they can, shanty after shanty, never being tired of such tunes, until they made it towards the island. Their spirits were high, and their hopes were large. They were more than ready to take the riches for themselves, no matter the case.