*Warning: this chapter does contain a little violence, so please proceed carefully if you're sensitive*

⊰ T W E N T Y N I N E ⊱

ALL FOR ONE

"Is that it?" Jin asked as the eight of us lined up to stare out at the distant ship.

Anchored a little ways off the shore of an island, the large vessel looked abandoned and ominous. Dark, torn sails drifted in the wind like thick cobwebs, casting shadows on the soot-colored wood of the monstrous boat. Deep, swirling carvings adorned every inch of the ebony like tribal markings or tattoos. A backdrop of stormy clouds only added to the eeriness of the scene in front of us.

It felt as if I was staring into the eyes of the Leviathan rather than a pirate ship.

It had taken us another two days to find the spot, but we couldn't have timed it better. As far as we could tell, the pirates had left the ship to go on the island, most likely hunting for treasure or pillaging a village that was hidden somewhere beyond the trees that lined the shore.

"That's it," Namjoon confirmed in a grave tone.

His tense demeanor made me nervous. How dangerous were these pirates, and just what kind of history did he have with them?

"Joon, what's the plan?" Yoongi asked as he turned to face him.

Namjoon didn't respond, instead looking over at Jimin. "Now that we're closer, can you tell if what I want is in the ship or not?" he asked.

Jimin frowned in concentration. "It's clearer now. Something you want is definitely on the ship, but I'm also sensing something on the island."

"Okay," Namjoon nodded, appearing relieved. "That's a good thing. That means they're definitely on the island right now."

"How do you know?" Hoseok asked doubtfully.

"The item I'm looking for is on the ship. The second thing I want is from the captain and the crew, which means they must all be on the island," Namjoon explained.

"I could have told you that," Jungkook piped up, all heads turning to look at him. He threw his finger out to point into the distance where a small boat with oars sat on the beach.

"Oh."

"How did we miss that?"

"Huh."

After figuring that the coast was clear, we made our way beside the large ship and anchored when only a short distance remained between both vessels. Jungkook went to grab the makeshift wooden plank we'd crafted to hook onto the railing of other ships, creating a bridge for us to cross over.

"Alright, I say we split up. Half of us should go on the ship while the other half stays here in case we need to get away quickly," Namjoon proposed. "The best fighters should come with me, just in case there are still some crew members on board," he added, eyeing me, Hoseok, and Jimin.

After our training session, Hoseok had immediately told the rest about Jimin's skills with the sword. To my surprise, the new information made them all regard Jimin with a new level of respect. Even Yoongi was impressed.

"Okay then." The captain nodded, gesturing for the three of us to join Namjoon. "Just stay on the lookout. If anyone noticed us coming, they could be hiding somewhere and waiting to attack."

"Let's go," Joon said as he climbed up on the rail and carefully stepped onto the wooden platform. Hoseok and Jimin followed closely behind him.

"Kat," Yoongi grabbed my elbow before I could get up on the railing. I looked at him, surprised to see his eyes clouded over in concern. "Be careful," he mumbled.

"I will. You don't have to worry, Yoongi." Squeezing his hand, I sent him a reassuring smile. He nodded and let his grip fall.

I made my way across the plank, hesitantly taking Jimin's outstretched hand as I hopped down onto the deck. I had been avoiding him since our training session, still embarrassed that I'd cried in front of him. His rejection was hanging over my head despite doing my best to not let it get to me. It was hard to pretend that I was fine when my feelings for him were only growing, and he was still denying his own.

"It should be in the captain's quarters," Namjoon said as he motioned for us to follow him. He led us down to a large room filled with dark red and black furniture.

An extravagant bookshelf stood against the back wall and Joon immediately walked over to it. We watched curiously as he scanned over the different spines of books, finally pulling out a worn and tattered one. It looked thick and heavy, with a dark blue cover that had foreign words scrawled on the front, spelling out Secretum Secretorum.

"A book?" Hoseok asked in disbelief, crossing his arms, "What's so important about a book?"

"It's not just any book. It has information about all kinds of myths and legends. I know it sounds stupid, but this book holds the key to so many secrets in the world. It's how my—"

He was cut off when the doors behind us shut with a loud bang. All of us spun around, looking at the doors anxiously. With a pounding heart, I reached out and tried to push them open. When they wouldn't budge, Hoseok stepped forward and pressed against them with all his strength, cussing when they still didn't give.

"Someone just trapped us in here," I stated the obvious.

"That's right, little lass. Now you can just wait right there until the captain comes back," a hoarse, gravelly voice spoke from the other side of the door. I curled my nose up at his nickname for me.

"What do we do now?" Jimin whispered as he glanced around the room.

"He has to know that half of us are still on our ship. I'm guessing he'll stay hidden until his crew comes back, since he wasn't brave enough to show himself before. He won't try doing anything yet because he knows he's outnumbered," Namjoon said quietly, trying to prevent the pirate from hearing our conversation.

"But what if it's not just him? What if there's a lot of them out there?" I whispered.

"If we can get Yoongi and the rest of them to know we're trapped, they can come help us before the rest of the pirates come. Our best chance is to fight whoever is still on this ship now. If we wait until the rest come back, we won't stand a chance," Hoseok said as he surveyed our surroundings. "Did anyone bring a pistol?"

"I did." Taking out the holstered gun, Namjoon handed it to Hoseok.

"If we have pistols, why even bother with swords?" Jimin asked in exasperation.

Hoseok shrugged, "Pistols are hard to come by, so we don't have many. They're not good for close-range fights, and besides, it's sort of an unspoken agreement that pirates fight each other with swords. It's just more exciting that way, and it proves who is better skilled."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Jimin scoffed. "I swear, all you pirates are dense."

Hoseok ignored him and brushed past us as he moved to the door.

"Hey buddy, you might want to watch out," he hollered before holding the gun up and shooting. My ears rang as a loud bang pierced the air, splinters of wood spurting out as he shot at the door handles. The metal latches hung loose, and in one swift motion, Hoseok threw his foot forward to kick the door.

It still didn't quite budge, only opening a crack to reveal a heavy plank lodged across the door, keeping it blocked.

"STOP SHOOTING UP THE CAPTAIN'S SHIP!" the man yowled in anger. I could imagine spit coming from his mouth from how intensely he was shouting.

Hoseok chuckled and moved the pistol above him, sending another shot through the roof. Jimin groaned at the deafening sound and covered his ears. A third shot went off, this one blasting through the side wall.

Wisps of smoke swirled from the tip of the gun and Hoseok brought it to his lips, letting out a short breath as if he was blowing out a candle.

The pirate outside cussed loudly before his footsteps pounded against the floor, running up the stairs. The three of us looked at each other in confusion, but before anyone could speak, the sound of more boots hit the deck above us. Multiple feet were moving around quickly, then there were shouts and the sound of metal striking metal.

"They got the message. They'll find us in no time," Hoseok said.

I nodded, trying to stay hopeful even though my heart was racing. Something foreboding brewed in the pit of my gut.

"Be ready to fight as soon as those doors open. Sounds like there was more than just one of them," Namjoon warned, stuffing the book into the satchel he wore before quickly drawing his sword.

The rest of us followed suit, preparing to face whatever was waiting for us outside.

Only a minute later, feet were descending the stairs and walking up to the door. The handles shook as the person on the other side removed whatever had been blocking it. Finally, it was pulled open and there stood a panting Taehyung.

"We need your help. Quick," he breathed, not giving us the chance to reply before he was running back up the stairs.

Namjoon and Hoseok didn't hesitate to follow after him, but I did. I caught Jimin glancing at me nervously and that horrible feeling made its way into my chest, like a serpent constricting itself around my ribs. I swallowed and reached out to grab his hand, pulling him with me.

Chaos greeted us as we stepped onto the deck. Shouts and grunts mixed with the striking of blades in a battle of sweaty, angry pirates. There were only four on the opposing side, and I frowned.

Why do they need help if we already outnumber them?

Yoongi suddenly lashed his sword across his opponent's thigh, the blade tearing through the material of his pants and leaving a thick gash of blood in its wake. The pirate fell to the ground, holding his thigh in agony. Yoongi glanced over at me and Jimin before jutting his elbow straight into the man's nose, knocking him out cold.

"We need to get out of here. Now." Yoongi's voice was gruff, heavy with adrenaline and fear as he approached us.

"Yoongi, what's going on? Can't we handle them?" I asked. Looking into his eyes only made me more unsettled as I saw the panic in them.

"It's not them I'm worried about," he said before looking out toward the island.

I followed his gaze and my eyes widened upon realizing that the small boat was no longer on the beach, but rather in the water. I couldn't make out exactly how many men were in the boat, but I knew it was a lot.

Too many.

"Shit," Jimin mumbled.

A sudden scream ripped through the air, and we turned to see Jungkook holding a man's arms against his back, twisting at an awkward angle. He added pressure and a sickening pop indicated that his shoulder detached from its socket. Jungkook released him and the pirate fell to the floor, writhing in pain.

Jin and Hoseok finished off the pirate they were fighting together with a blow to the head, then they both came jogging up to where we stood.

Namjoon and Taehyung quickly joined us after sending a blade through their opponent's gut.

With all of us finally gathered, Yoongi ushered us toward the wooden plank so we could return to our ship. Jungkook was the first to go up, but as soon as his boot stepped onto the railing, the sound of voices and bodies scaling the side of the boat drifted to our ears.

"Cap," Namjoon tried to get Yoongi's attention, but he was too focused on sending his crew across the makeshift bridge to acknowledge him.

"Kat, come on," Yoongi grabbed my hand and brought me to the railing, helping me up.

"Yoongi," Joon's voice came out more forcefully.

I caught a glimpse of Yoongi's eyes, wild with desperation before he spun to face Namjoon. My feet stopped on the plank as I watched them.

"What?" the captain asked.

"I'm not going with you. I can't," Namjoon said, locking his jaw.

"Don't pull this on me now, Namjoon. We're leaving. All of us."

Boots started landing on the floor from behind us, and I glanced up to see the pirates helping each other over the rail, one by one. The fourth was just climbing up and my throat tightened in panic.

Namjoon looked over at them, then back to us. Anger and pain flooded his features.

"I have to deal with this. You guys should go on without me." His words held a certain acceptance in them, and I knew that he didn't plan on making it out alive.

My heart sunk.

I didn't know what history he had with these pirates, but if it was important enough for him to be willing to die, I trusted that it was something worth fighting for.

"I'm staying, too," I declared, jumping down. Yoongi grabbed my upper arm roughly, fury swarming in his eyes.

"No, you're not. Get to the ship, now," he growled.

I met his glare with resolve. "I'm not leaving Namjoon to fight alone." My arm pulled out of his grasp.

Yoongi looked over at Jimin. "Tell Kat she's being stupid and she needs to go back to the ship," he said desperately.

Jimin's eyes met mine, glistening with emotion. His gaze never wavered from me as he spoke.

"If Katherine stays, I stay."

With an infuriated groan, Yoongi called the rest of the boys to come back, mumbling about idiocy and how we were going to get ourselves killed. Jungkook, Taehyung, Hoseok, and Jin quickly crossed back over to where we stood, their frowns heavy.

"Care to explain what you're doing on my ship?" a throaty voice spoke from the other side of the deck.

Turning to face him, I let out a shaky breath upon seeing the men that stood in front of us.

There must have been at least a dozen of them. They all wore different styles of black clothing, matching the gothic-like ship we stood on. Their faces were grimey, covered in scars and dirt and sweat. The only parts of them that weren't dark and muted were their bright silver swords that were decorated with splashes of crimson, confirming that they had just pillaged an innocent village without mercy.

The man in the front stood taller than the rest, with a large hat on his head and a dark mess of a beard hanging from his chin. His pale blue orbs were soulless and bloodthirsty as he stared us down.

These were the kind of pirates Yoongi worked hard to avoid becoming. He had a sort of code for us to follow. We weren't innocent by any means, but we never shed blood without being provoked or threatened. We stole swiftly and quietly, without using violence. But these men before us were the type to raid and ransack even the most peaceful homes, destroying everything and everyone in their path.

"Little Joonie," the man in front spoke, letting out a raspy chuckle. "Is that you?"

Namjoon stepped forward, his hand hovering over the sheath of his sword. "Booth," he spoke the name distastefully.

"Never thought I'd see you again, kid." The pirate's lips stretched into a vicious grin, revealing yellowed and crooked teeth.

"You thought you could just get rid of me and never pay for what you did."

"You'll have to remind me what it is that I did," he smirked, and it was evident that he knew exactly what Namjoon was talking about.

"You killed my father."

"Is that really why you tracked me down? To avenge your pathetic father? He was a sorry excuse for a pirate."

"I'm here to take what's mine, and that includes this ship and the crew," said Namjoon through gritted teeth, his knuckles going white as his fist tightened around the hilt of his weapon.

The pirate named Booth laughed mockingly, his men soon joining him. "You really want to challenge me, boy? You know what I'm capable of. If you think your cute little friends here will help you defeat me, you're mistaken. I suggest you take them and go, before someone gets hurt."

"I forgot how much you run your mouth. Are we fighting today or tomorrow?" Namjoon jabbed, earning a low, guttural sound from Booth.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

And like rushing water, a mass of bodies descended upon each other, forming a sea of steel and violence and blood.

• • •

Author's Note:

I'm sorry for the long wait. Life has been crazy lately. I'm currently bundled up in a sleeping bag in a tent in the middle of the woods. It's cold and late but here I am finishing this chapter up because I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer.

HolY crAp I just heard a bunch of wolves howling close by—

Next chapter is coming soon. Are you ready?

And 40k, seriously? Thank you all so much for your support ♡

I love you guys.

-Hoseokiiss

June 1, 2019