"What did you just say?"
Emberlyn Stormtide stared at Jax like she had misheard him through cannon fire.
Jax rested Peacemaker casually on his shoulder.
The giant double-bladed dragon sword looked absurd in one hand.
"I said," Jax replied calmly, "I think we should discuss the terms of your surrender."
Emberlyn's brain stalled.
OUR surrender?
That sword alone looked like it weighed over a thousand pounds.
And he handled it like a decorative cane.
She had heard stories.
Everyone had.
Jax Darquebane.
Dragon slayer.
Founder of the United Kingdoms.
The man who marched into an army of hundreds of thousands and won.
Still—
She expected someone… larger.
By reputation alone, she imagined a seven-foot-tall monster of muscle and rage.
Instead, the man before her looked refined.
Handsome.
Confident.
Like a merchant noble who accidentally became a walking apocalypse.
And somehow, that made him more terrifying.
Emberlyn wisely chose not to answer directly.
Instead, she slowly stepped backward.
Then motioned subtly for her crew to retreat.
"Right then," she said loudly. "Wonderful meeting everyone. We'll just be on our—"
"Oh," Jax interrupted pleasantly. "I'm afraid there's a penalty for trespassing."
Peacemaker vanished from his shoulder.
The massive blade spun through the air in a deadly arc.
The pirates screamed and ducked as the enormous sword curved around them like a hunting hawk.
The blade passed within inches of necks.
Limbs.
Faces.
One pirate actually fainted.
The sword completed its impossible curve and returned directly into Jax's waiting hand.
He placed it back onto his shoulder carefully, avoiding damage to the deck beneath him.
Silence followed.
The pirates no longer looked confident.
Emberlyn no longer looked confident.
Even Ruktooth, the enormous shark-headed captain, took a nervous half-step backward.
Jax began walking toward them.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Peacemaker rested against his shoulder while the wood beneath his boots creaked softly.
"For trespassing," Jax said conversationally, "and boarding another ship unwanted, I think the toll should be… unique."
Ruktooth stepped protectively in front of Emberlyn.
Despite the fear in his eyes, he still looked ready to throw himself into a hopeless fight if needed.
Emberlyn immediately grabbed his wrist.
Firmly.
Protectively.
The massive sharkman paused.
Jax noticed that instantly.
Interesting.
He continued walking until he stood directly before all three pirate captains.
The squid-like captain adjusted his spectacles nervously.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody breathed.
"So," Jax continued, "to make up for this transgression, I have surrender terms for you."
Internally, the pirates panicked.
Were they losing their ships?
Their freedom?
Their lives?
Would they be thrown overboard near the Devil's Pools?
Emberlyn studied him more closely now.
The closer he got, the more imposing he became.
Not because of size.
Because of presence.
Everything about him radiated dangerous confidence.
And annoyingly—
She also found him attractive.
Which was frankly unacceptable during a hostage situation.
"You," Jax said, pointing casually between the three captains, "will escort us safely to the Dark Continent."
The pirates blinked.
Jax continued.
"We will transfer certain cargo, supplies, and personnel onto your ships."
Still no response.
"And in exchange," Jax finished, "we will pay you one hundred thousand gold."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the crew of the Horizon looked confused.
Ruktooth tilted his giant shark head.
"…What?"
The squid captain cautiously raised a hand.
"Are… are you saying you'll pay us?"
"Yes."
"For escort work?"
"Yes."
"And we keep our ships?"
"Yes."
"And our lives?"
"Ideally."
The squid captain looked deeply emotional.
Emberlyn stared at Jax in disbelief.
How in the abyss-blasted, tide-rotted, barnacle-chewing hell did this lunatic negotiate with the former Empire?
The squid captain carefully stepped forward.
His lower tentacles shifted nervously beneath his coat.
"If I may ask, sir… why?"
Jax shrugged.
"Because I need transports."
That simple answer somehow made it stranger.
"I could confiscate your ships," Jax continued casually, "but I'd rather use professionals."
The pirates looked at one another.
Professionals.
Nobody had ever called them that before.
Jax kept going.
"And when we safely return to Oceanside…"
He smiled.
"We'll pay an additional ten million gold."
"TEN MILLION?!" Ruktooth nearly bit through his own teeth.
"That," the squid captain whispered reverently, "would be quite the haul…"
Emberlyn looked at Jax carefully.
No fear.
No arrogance.
No desperation.
Just confidence.
Like he genuinely believed this arrangement benefited everyone involved.
And somehow—
That terrified her more than threats.
Because it meant he never felt endangered to begin with.
Emberlyn stepped forward cautiously.
"And if we accept your surrender terms… what happens to our crews?"
Jax smirked slightly at the phrasing.
"We transfer cargo and select personnel onto your ships. Especially yours."
His eyes landed directly on Emberlyn.
For reasons she hated admitting, her stomach flipped slightly.
"Our ship remains here until we return. Ten percent of your crew stays behind to guard it. Some of our sailors will temporarily supplement your manpower."
Emberlyn frowned immediately.
"No."
That answer surprised everyone.
Even Jax.
She crossed her arms.
"I don't like pretend sailors."
Ruktooth nodded seriously.
"Land folk panic easy."
The squid captain adjusted his spectacles.
"Poor sea balance."
Emberlyn pointed toward Jax's crew.
"I don't want stiff-legged, tide-brained, kelp-sniffing fake sailors treated like equals aboard my ship. That's how accidents happen."
Then her expression hardened.
"When someone steps onto my ship, they become my responsibility. Crew, guests, captives… doesn't matter."
Jax paused.
Then smiled slightly.
There it was again.
Responsibility.
He saw how she protected her crew.
How Ruktooth instinctively moved to shield her.
How the squid captain deferred to her judgment.
This wasn't just a pirate crew.
This was a family.
"Fair enough," Jax admitted.
He pointed toward the Horizon.
"We'll move only cargo and the Vixens. My crew returns to Oceanside."
Emberlyn visibly relaxed.
Then Jax casually turned toward his own terrified sailors.
"If we fail to communicate within ninety days," he announced loudly, "I want a two billion gold bounty placed on Emberlyn Stormtide."
Emberlyn froze.
Jax continued casually.
"One billion if she's killed."
The pirates collectively paled.
"Two billion if captured alive and cut into pieces."
Emberlyn stared at him in horror.
"I'd like fishermen to use the pieces as bait," Jax added thoughtfully. "Recycle her back into the sea."
The pirates looked horrified.
Jax looked back toward Emberlyn.
"I'm not a monster," he assured her. "I care deeply about environmental sustainability."
Emberlyn had absolutely no idea whether he was joking anymore.
Which somehow made him scarier.
Still—
A strange excitement burned in her chest.
Dangerous man.
Impossible job.
Massive payday.
And a voyage to the Dark Continent.
This was either the greatest opportunity of her life—
Or the beginning of a legendary disaster.
Possibly both.
"I think," Emberlyn said carefully, "the surrender terms are acceptable."
Jax nodded once.
"Excellent."
"What do you need from us?"
"Attach your ships to ours. Prepare for cargo transfer."
Then Jax pointed toward his sleeping wives sprawled across the upper deck.
"And someone wake Nyxian and Pixelle."
Llandra raised her drink lazily.
"Once the cargo is moved, I'll wake them."
Jax nodded.
Then turned toward Ruktooth.
The massive sharkman stiffened slightly.
Jax stepped forward and extended his arm in a warrior's shake.
"Can I trust you to help transport our people and goods safely?"
Ruktooth blinked.
No disgust.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just trust.
From a human.
"As much as you can trust any pirate," Ruktooth answered honestly.
Jax grinned.
"Good enough for me."
Ruktooth grabbed his forearm firmly.
And in that moment, despite everything—
He liked this crazy human immediately.
Behind him, Emberlyn watched the interaction carefully.
This trip…
Was going to be very interesting.