Felton was startled and tried to rise from his chair, but four powerful hands had already pressed him down from behind. Twisting his head, he saw that the hands belonged to Clow and Diego.
Then, without his noticing, Selkirk had slipped behind him. Pulling a rope as thick as a finger from his sleeve, he looped it over Felton's neck once Diego and Clow had pinned him, then began to tighten it slowly.
Caught completely off guard, Felton thrashed in panic. But Diego and Clow held him down firmly. His struggles scraped the chair legs across the floor with sharp squeaks. The choking sensation spread through his mind, and his wide, bulging eyes filled with terror.
Doctor Wood and Hutchinson had already leapt to their feet, pale-faced, watching Felton's face flush red from lack of oxygen.
Sweat poured down Wood's brow. He could not understand how the conversation, which William had kept so light and easy, had suddenly turned into this deadly scene. He was utterly at a loss.
Hutchinson instinctively reached for his sword, but when his eyes fell on Harden—still seated, calm as ever—he hesitated. His hand rested on the hilt but he did not draw it.
When he looked at William, he found the captain sitting behind the desk, perfectly relaxed, watching both him and Wood with amused interest.
"Why are you standing?" William asked the two pale men with a smile. "Sit back down."
Shaking, Wood and Hutchinson obeyed, though their bodies remained tense, ready to spring. They kept glancing over their shoulders nervously.
William chuckled at their expressions. By now Felton's struggles were weakening. Selkirk's strength was great; Felton's neck was nearly crushed.
Soon he went limp, and Wood and Hutchinson's clothes were drenched with sweat.
Only then did William rise from behind his desk. Selkirk loosened the rope and stepped back with Diego and Clow. Felton's head drooped lifelessly forward.
Steel flashed. William drew his blade in an instant. His mastery of swordplay gave him flawless control over distance and timing. The tip sliced cleanly across Felton's neck. His head tumbled to the floor.
The headless body wavered in the chair, then toppled to the ground with a heavy thud. Blood pooled quickly beneath it, filling the room with a suffocating iron scent.
A few droplets spattered onto William's face. Quick as ever, Clow pulled a clean handkerchief from his coat and handed it to him.
"You two probably think this is a purge," William said evenly as he wiped away the blood, looking at Wood and Hutchinson. "Felton probably thought the same—that I would never tolerate him, that I'd eventually get rid of him. But if that's what you think, then you underestimate me."
"Whatever happened before, I won't hold it against anyone. From the moment you gave no objection to me taking command on the deck, I ceased to care about past mistakes. Before then I wasn't captain, and you hadn't sworn loyalty to me." His eyes swept over Selkirk, Clow, Diego, and Harden as well, making it clear the words were meant for them too. "I gave every man a chance to challenge me on the deck that day. Felton stayed silent, which meant he acknowledged me as captain. But afterward, he schemed in secret, gathering men and planning to leave."
"Tell me, could I possibly let that pass?" William asked with a smile. "He thought he could just walk away. Once a man joins a crew, the most important thing is loyalty. If you have a problem, speak it to me. I'm an easy man to talk to when it comes to my own. But if you play tricks behind my back like Felton did, I will never forgive it. I mean what I say."
Turning to Diego, he ordered, "As I said on the deck—throw his body into the sea."
Diego acknowledged with a nod, hauled the corpse away, and left the cabin.
Doctor Wood wiped his brow, muttering inwardly. Easy to talk to? You just had a man strangled to death. Still, he dared not voice the thought aloud.
Instead, he and Hutchinson felt calmer now. They realized William wasn't killing out of madness. As long as they remained loyal, he would not strike at them.
Wood rubbed his thinning head, slick with sweat, and forced a smile. "Felton deserved it. If he had complaints, he should have spoken openly. Skulking in the shadows only made him contemptible."
William's smile widened as he nodded slowly. Hutchinson swigged from his flask, then braced himself to ask, "What about Felton's followers? How do we deal with them?"
William turned his gaze on Harden. "What do you think?"
Harden grinned, baring his teeth. "They were his closest lackeys. Their hearts won't change. I say…" He drew his finger across his throat.
"Then kill them all," William said without hesitation. "See to it yourself."
Clow's eyes flickered. He understood why William had let Selkirk strangle Felton. Even if Felton was branded a traitor, Selkirk killing him would make the East Blue natives wary, making it harder for this outsider from the North Sea to ever be truly trusted.
But Clow could not yet see the deeper reason behind William's new command. He knew William was no bloodthirsty butcher. Every move had purpose.
…
William did not head for Kalmar City right away. Instead, he lowered the pirate flag and docked at Maple Village to rest.
Though the Morgan Pirates had not fought any great battles during their voyage to the Calm Belt, they had endured sleepless nights under constant strain. Their captain had changed, and the crew was unsettled. William judged it best to let them rest on home ground. He also needed time to rearrange responsibilities.
With Felton and his faction cut down in a storm of blood, William no longer had to worry about defiance. The men would not dare stir trouble in the village. And since Tony's uncle Omar was the village headman, there was no fear of alerting the Navy or other authorities.
The journey had drained William's strength. Upon reaching Maple Village, even when greeted by his old companions, he spoke little. He gave a few simple orders for work to be done, then retired to rest.
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