As he walked through the forest, slowly the secret location came in sight. It was a port to which not many knew how to reach. Here was the meeting spot for a small group of pirates and mercenaries. Amongst the large groups only a few were aware about how to find the place without getting swallowed in a storm by the ocean.

Their leader known as the Golden General was an old pirate, yet he was as strong and stubborn as they came…. And just as merciless. His hat had a black cloth which covered his face yet you could see his beard knots coming from under it. He wasn’t extremely tall, nor was he well built, but in the stories, it’s said he single handedly sank a commodore’s ship. Sykes always had on his belt a cutlass and two flints, he also loved to keep his coat on the back.

“Golden General, it’s been a while.”

Most of the pirates glanced at Kojirou, then they went back to work, the kids were a bit confused as his appearance would put anyone on guard at the very least.

“Ah, if it ain’t good ol’ Kojirou, come ‘ere and join me for a clap of thunder! Hmm, who are the lil rascals behind ye?”

“This is one of the reasons I came to talk with you. Help me take care of them.”

“Aye… Do ye know we are pirates? Two little brats, what are we supposed to do with them? They wouldn’t even sell for much, just look at ye… Stinky and skinny, ye do look healthy, but even so not much I can win. Do ye really want to make ‘em shark bait?”

“I didn’t bring them here to sell or kill them, I want you to protect them.”

“Ahahahaha! You bilge sucking moron, why should we take care of some brats you found on the road?”

“Because I said so.”

Sykes got up from his chair where he was drinking. He went to check the kids kneeling to take a better look.

“Look ‘ere ya seadog, we’ve been friends for a long time. I need something more to make it worth…”

“Two years from now, a rebellion in Shimabara. You can go and plunder there all you want. There are some bandits hiding close and might have quite some treasures for you and your crew. Now we have a deal, don’t we?”

“Aye, a favor for a favor… I’ll make sure none of me mates will touch ‘em… But they must learn the ways of the ocean. I will not always be there for ‘em so they will sail with us for better or for worse… Although the lass ‘ere may not be suited for this.”

He took another look at her. She was tiny and had big eyes.

“Ah, me heart will melt… I will get them to Tortuga, some friends might take care of them there. To be young and lively, those were the days.”

“As long as they will be safe. Taishiro, Akiko he is a trusted friend so listen to him. I have something to do in other places and we will probably not meet again so be careful.”

Sykes observed the glow in Kojirou’s eyes.

“Oy, what do more do ye want?”

“I have some things to do in China.”

“Ah, one of me lads going there. I will tell him ye are comin’ along.”

“Thank you, Sykes.”

“Nay, we thank ye… Without yer help we wouldn’t have this beautiful place to plunder and retreat from the damned privateers. You would pester me for the rest of me days if I were to refuse, not much of a choice.”

“Ahah, it’s only fair…”

“My arse is fair! I have a question though, what ye doin’ in China?”

“I made a promise to a friend, someone is playing with forces greater than they understand. They believe that’s their chance to become a god… I am a keeper of balance, not by choice though. Ah, what can you do when you make a promise? The enemy is strong, stronger than me, but I have a gift from an interesting man to deal with that.”

“I ain’t followin’, but as long as ye’re safe… Oy, I ‘ave to steel this little brat here. The lass is another story, she ain’t cut for this…”

“So you are going to take the boy alone.”

“Nay, this lass speaks their language. I may take advantage of that.”

“Ahaha, a translator, who would have taught? You realize she is but a child.”

“Listen ‘ere, help me get a teacher or sumthin’ for the lass. If you do… I got info, if ye goin’ to China better be prepared aye?”

“I shall listen, but getting a teacher… Ah there is one person, although I have to snatch him. I’ll return with the teacher in a day.”

“Hehehe! We are hearties ‘till the end!”

“Ha! Hearties only if there is money in it.”

“I ‘ave me crew to take care, look at these scurvy dogs, we’ve been through thick and thin, not even Davy Jones can stop us!”

Sykes changed his tone, his voice got much more threatening.

“Shall I not provide for me family?”

Bigger flames emerged from Kojirou. He caught the pirate from his neck.

“Listen to me ‘Golden General’ you can say we are ‘hearties’ and I am happy with that, BUT, don’t misunderstand where you stand, I have respect for you as you are a man who keeps his words. I have respect for you because you love your family, but remember why you stand here! Have I not more than paid for everything? You dare bite the hand that feeds you?”

“Aye, I dare, for ye don’t know what happens in the world.”

Kojirou put him down, but didn’t loose his grip.

“Listen ‘ere Kojirou, I love ye as a brother. Nay, I love ye as a father, ye took this little rascal from the streets of London and helped him live. Ye did more than me parents would have ever done. Somethin’ is wrong, they have a bounty on yer ‘ead. I destroyed five privateer ships to reach the passage you made for us. They know about ye and yer ways, they want ye and I want to help!”

He slapped Kojirou’s boney hand aside.

“I won’t ever sell me family, not like they did to me, I beg ye don’t go to China, stay with us. We can drink and party, we can have so much fun!”

“Stand tall Sykes, be mighty and take all you can from this world. I was never a good person and it was bound to happen, consider this my last request take care of those children as they were your own… I never managed to save mine, I never managed to be a true father so you don’t understand how much it means for me, to be called one… I shall leave for China in three days, the teacher will be here tomorrow, be safe...”

“Aye… Argh, what am I even doin’, Taishiro!”

Sykes waved his hand at the kid. He approached the pirate slowly.

“Tell this lil brat to follow me. Today will be the first lesson.”

“Follow him.”

The boy just gave him a nod and left along with Sykes. They walked deep into the forest until the pirate found some traces of the bandits.

He kept walking ahead along with the boy until they found a small camp.

‘Hmm, about a dozen… Nothin’ I can’t handle.’

He walked into the camp like nothing was wrong and sat next to one of the bandits. They were drinking and enjoying themselves after stealing from the village, killing everyone and burning their homes. The bandits captured few women which were tied and held into a tent.

Sykes took a seat on a wooden chair next to one of the bandits. He stole a bottle from his hand and drank.

When the bandits saw him it was already too late, with one hand he kept the bottle to his mouth and with the other blew the bandits brains out with the flint.

“Ahah, ye bastards are afraid of me?”

They all got whatever they found near, swords or planks and tried to jump Sykes.

He dodged the first attack and cut someone’s belly. With a few swift strikes he parried the next attacks. All while drinking from the bottle.

“Pff, ye need more than that. Come on, HIT ME!”

They kept attacking him, but the General just kept on blocking and parrying their attacks.

A few slashes and he cut everyone down. Every slash was meant to incapacitate them. In the end they were all alive on the ground screaming from their injuries.

“Taishiro!”

The boy came from the woods. He got scared when he saw him simply walking into the enemy territory, but now he was confused as to why he called him.

The pirate threw his cutlass at the boy’s feet.

“Kill ‘em!”

He just stood there, Taishiro didn’t understand what the pirate wanted.

Sykes came to the boy and put the sword in his hand.

He guided the boy’s hand into one of their guts.

At that moment Taishiro started to shake. His feet nearly gave up. The boy looked again at the pirate which just went back on the chair and opened another bottle.

“Brat, ye may not understand me words, but we ain’t goin’ anywhere ‘till they die.”

Right then, he felt like he understood the man. He either killed the bandits or the pirate wouldn’t help him or his sister, thus he proceeded to put an end to the bandits.

He looked them in the eye while killing them. One got up and tried to attack the boy, but Sykes quickly got his hand on the other flint and shot him between the eyes. Taishiro walked from one bandit to another sticking the cutlass into their guts, he was but a child yet he had to do this. It was a world where he either killed or was killed.

“I like that ye steeled yerself fast, good, ye may protect yer sister. Be prepared brat, for he who wields a sword must be prepared to meet lady death as well. Ah, nay, a pirate must dance with her every day. Welcome to me family ye little shit.”

For a pirate was rather strange to refer to a woman as a lady, but something made Sykes respect lady death as he calls her or as other pirates call her, Wench of the End Times.

A ray of hope flashed through Taishiro’s eyes, but once again it faded. The pirate found the women and didn’t free them. Instead he just tightened the ropes and got them to follow him.

The boy tried to jump and save them, but Sykes just slapped him aside.

“Ye scurvy dog, don’t misunderstand pirates are not good people. The one who got ye here, he knows very well what we do. This miserable life, this is the way a pirate lives, we kill innocents, we plunder everywhere we go, we rape, we kill and we steal again and again. Now this is yer life too.”

Taishiro slowly began to understand him more and more, he might not know the words, but he saw. The boy saw the joy and sadness in Sykes, he saw a man who had nothing and wanted everything and thus he swore to himself.

“I will neve be one of them!”