14 July 1802

Jiangping

Four years had passed since the captain had abducted and adopted Zhang Bao, and now he was commanding his first junk. Although he had resisted piracy at first, the young man was pressed into the lifestyle and never looked back. A year after the wedding, Zheng Qi was captured and executed by Anh Nguyen forces.

Zheng Yi quickly took control of his cousin's fleet, bringing the crew with him to China. There was a period of infighting, between the former-Vietnamese pirates and our pirates, when we docked at Guangdong until Ching Shih showed up. She was a capable consolidator and organiser. The captain united the pirates under a confederation.

The Red Flag Fleet, under his command, was larger than those of the Black, Blue, White, Yellow, and Purple. As a sign blessing this confederation, we soon found out that his wife was pregnant with their first child. In 1803, Zheng Yingshi was born, followed by his brother Zheng Xiongshi in 1807. At least, their father was present during the early days of both sons.

"What a beautiful day," the azure sky belied the events of the night of 15 November. The temperature dipped and a gust arose- my plan was about to be set into action. Clouds the colour of ember dotted the horizon, quickly gathering as one. The decks that were swabbed earlier were now pelted by droplets of rain. I saw a blue dragon fly above us but no one else did. Such luck.

The water soon came down in relentless sheets, threatening to rip at the strong sailcloth. We battened down the hatches and secured all movable objects so they wouldn't tear apart the junk. Everyone, save for the captain and I, were below deck. The door was wide open and the second-in-command was urging us to safety.

And then it appeared; something that only Caishen and I could have predicted- a gale so strong, it stirred the water into a tsunami. Maybe it was the sap of the bamboo I had mass-consumed all those years ago, or the blessing of the god of wealth, but my utterly-soaked fingertips adhered to the wood of the junk like the sticky rice-paper holding the Great Wall of China intact.

The same could not be said of Zheng Yi. Bai Ling and I watched helplessly as he was swept aboard. Tying a nearby snake of rope around my waist, I ran to the spot the captain was last seen standing, but I saw neither hide nor hair of him. Everyone else joined me as soon as the biting winds had dropped but the still surface of the sea wasn't punctured by his face, laughing at the experience.

I told the despondent crew that I would send word of the tragedy home with Verde, bolting the galley shut. The quill moved as quickly as a hare, but it still couldn't dodge the teardrops that fell like stray cannonballs. I was not that wave of seawater but I had very well killed Zheng Yi with my own hands. Filling a pouch with his favourite snacks, I called my parrot and instructed him on his mission.

"He's not dead," Caishen whispered. "I have plans for him as a merman."

The tears froze on my face as I contemplated my former captain's new career in the depths of the sea. When the ship docked, I would read up on merpeople in the library and pray for his family, of course. Trust the deities to twist fate in such an interesting direction. I had no idea what my next Mandate of Heaven would bring but I needed to rest first.

Once we returned, there was a brief funeral ceremony for the family. The next week, the confederation met to determine leadership of the Red Flag Fleet. Although I had no influence on the decision-making, I attended to watch the spectacle that was my former captain's wife overpowering many men stronger than her to become captain.

She used Zhang Bao, in that meeting room and in her bedroom. Her puppeteer skills were unmatched- although his name was written on the amended agreement, she held the strings and had him dancing to her will. The biggest change of all, however, was the adoption of our new code of conduct.

Rape was punishable by beheading and desertion by cutting ears off. Men, women and children were on her crew. Ching Shih, flamboyantly dressed, promoted a homosocial utopia and equality of the sexes. She robbed towns from Macau to Canton. In 1808, the government tried to destroy her fleet in battle but she pillaged and took over their ships. Rival O-po-tae allied with Qing government.

In 1809, the Red Flag Fleet surrendered to the Portuguese fleet. Afterwards, Ching Shih became an opium dealer and gambling den owner. She was more successful than Mary Reed and Anne Bonny. The admiralty court had her going from swashbuckling to silk and calico. Other members of the crew used their share of the loot to set up farming ventures.

I wish I could have witnessed the happenings of her gambling and opium den, but the crew had started to whisper about how my unmarked skin hadn't changed under the white-hot sun all this time. My contract was nearing its end and I chose not to renew, for reasons of returning home to care for my ailing parents and young siblings.

"You always were the most innocent of us all," the incomparably rich woman patted my cheek.

"You always were the most ambitious of us all," I squeezed the madam's hand.

We wished each other fair fortune before I turned my back on this adventure. Soon, there wouldn't be any more lands left to loot, no more pirate ships left to pillage. I whistled and my most loyal friend flew to me, landing on my shoulder. Verde found a mate and there were many chicks, singing ocean ditties in the pine trees. I kissed him farewell before leaving, tears falling in my wake.

(A/N: I was reading a post on ParrotForums and a poster had a lovebird named Dino. He would bob his head while dancing so my brain automatically went, "Lee Chan, is that you?")