Free Web NovelChapter 117: Claw Versus Claws
Led by Franky, all the sailors of the "Traveling Mermaid" crew managed to reach the deck just as Claw’s pirates were still recovering from Victor’s swing in the water. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Claw felt a shiver run down his spine at the situation. He knew his crew was at a complete disadvantage right now. His mind raced to find a way to regain control of the situation.
"Mouse, attack the fugitives! NOW!" Claw ordered in a trembling voice that showed his desperation.
Mouse, though loyal, was small and thin, a pathetic figure in front of Franky and the many other sailors.
"B-but I a-am–"
"NOW!"
With a courage born of desperation, Mouse ran toward the group of fugitives, not thinking much about what he was doing, just wielding a small knife. But even though all the sailors were unarmed and had no fighting skills, the difference in strength between them and Mouse was overwhelming.
The sailors turned Franky around and easily swallowed Mouse, his slender figure trampled and tossed around like a rag doll.
Franky turned in the melee and walked towards Claw. The sound of his heavy paws accompanied every step he took on the wooden deck.
Claw considered retreating, but fear paralyzed his body.
"Come on, mate. I’m sure we can talk things over and come to an agreement!" Claw tried to argue. "Tell you what, I’ll only keep half of what we took! What do you think?"
The cold expression on Franky’s face didn’t change at Claw’s suggestion.
"All right, all right! A third, we’ll just take a third!!!"
Franky raised his right hand and showed the claws on his fingers, which were getting bigger and bigger. "I don’t want to negotiate. I think I’m more inclined to compete to see which of our claws is better."
"You... you can’t do that!" shouted Captain Claw, trying to sound brave, but his voice failed him.
Franky just looked at Claw with icy disdain before moving in on him.
Claw tried to fight back, but it was useless. Franky grabbed him by the neck and lifted him easily with one hand, as if he was nothing, even though Claw probably weighed more than one hundred and fifty kilos.
"Actually, I couldn’t dirty my pretty Claws with blood as rotten as yours." Franky admitted.
Surprisingly, Claw smiled at that moment, even though his neck was crushed by Franky’s hand. "Ah, you fucking troglodyte, you have no idea what an opportunity you’ve just given me!"
Claw then moved his right arm and dug his metal claws into Franky’s stomach with a smile. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"There’s your answer to which of our claws is better!" shouted Captain Claw.
Franky looked down, saw the claw that had pierced him, and didn’t care. With a quick, strong movement, he threw the pirate captain into the sea, just as he used to throw the garbage bags into the alley of his tavern.
Claw fell into the water with a thud, splashing water everywhere. He surfaced a few moments later, struggling desperately to stay afloat.
"HELP! I CAN’T SWIM!" he cried in panic.
The remaining pirates, seeing their captain in despair, hesitated, not knowing what to do. They didn’t want to fall into the water just to save their miserable captain, because it was winter and the water was freezing, which could easily cause them to die of hypothermia.
Captain Claw’s breath turned to steam in the icy air, his cries for help echoing across the bay.
"No... Please... Somebody help me...!" Claw screamed as his hands flailed desperately at the water’s surface, trying to grab onto anything that might save him, but finding himself less and less able to hold on.
Franky turned his back, stepped forward and said to the others on deck:
"Pirates, surrender now and I promise we’ll spare your lives. Continue to fight and you will meet the same fate as your captain."
There was a moment of tense silence, and the one who would probably be the only one to jump into the water to save Claw the Mouse was unconscious from the beating he had taken.
One of the pirates, a burly man with a deep scar across his face, was the first to speak.
"If we surrender, will you guarantee our lives?" he asked in a suspicious tone.
"We just want to get back what you stole. We don’t want to kill you." Franky replied.
The scarred man looked at his companions and they exchanged quick glances. Then he let go of the sword he was holding, which fell to the deck with a metallic clang. One by one, the other pirates followed suit, dropping their weapons and raising their hands in surrender.
Franky relaxed a bit, but didn’t let his guard down. He knew that even a surrendering pirate could be dangerous. "Tie them all up," he ordered the sailors of the merchant ship’s crew. "We don’t want any surprises."
The sailors, who had been on constant alert, began to move, gathering ropes and chains to restrain the pirates.
Franky approached the edge of the ship and looked down where Claw had been struggling against the water. There was only silence now, which meant that Captain Claw had sunk for good.
Turning his attention to the deck, Franky saw a man standing with his hands in front of him, waiting for someone to arrest him, but this man was one of those Franky had seen carrying crates and being cursed at by the pirates. He approached the man and asked:
"Hey, you. What’s your name?"
"Owen," the man replied, turning his hands towards Franky as if he expected him to tie them.
"Well, Owen, it looks like you’re the acting captain now."
"W-what?" Owen asked.
At the same time, the bound pirates asked the same question.
"You know this ship and its crew very well. I want you to order the other men to transfer everything we own back to the ’Traveling Mermaid’."
"Yes, sir! I’ll do whatever it takes!"
The pirates gritted their teeth in anger, for they could easily admit defeat, but they couldn’t accept a slave as their captain.
While all this was going on, Victor Shiedman, who was also afraid to go into the water in all this cold, sat on the edge of the beach, enjoying the evening breeze and the sound of the ocean waves. He had every confidence that Franky would be able to handle the situation on the ships, so he wasn’t worried about what was happening on the ship.
Then Victor heard footsteps on the sand, and a slurred voice disturbed his moment of peace.
"Arh-h... hunter, what are you... doing standing there?" Captain Demetrius, still a little drunk, approached and sat down next to Victor.
Victor smiled from the right corner of his mouth. "Waiting for a ride back to the Traveling Mermaid."
"Those damn... lazy... can’t they see we’re here? Hey! Hello! Bring a boat... Blergh!!!" Demetrius began to vomit what little alcohol he had consumed.
