Chapter 6: Ten Years Ago, I Was Powerless
The wind howled in his ears as his body plummeted.
A thick cable rushed up to meet him. Just give up like this? Resign myself to fate? That's not me! Twisted Fate's hand shot out and grabbed the cable.
The friction from his rapid descent generated searing heat, making it feel as if he were gripping hot coals. He spun down the length of the cable, a sharp, tearing pain exploding in his palms before he finally managed to stabilize his fall.
A hanging basket swayed toward him on the wind. He swung himself over with a desperate lurch and tumbled inside. A wave of nausea hit him as he landed. It was a large fish creel, and the foul stench of its trade enveloped him.
A gunshot rang out from above, and the steel cable snapped.
The basket shrieked, a sharp, grating protest as it hurtled down its remaining line. Just before it crashed, the violent momentum threw Twisted Fate clear, and he slammed hard onto the shore.
He struggled to crawl toward a small boat moored nearby. He hadn't gotten far when another gunshot echoed, and the boat, now riddled with a hole, slowly sank beneath the waves.
Graves appeared before him, taking in his wretched state.
There were so many people on the bridge. No idea how this big oaf got down here, Twisted Fate thought. Then again, if he'd just stayed put like a sensible person, he wouldn't be Graves.
"Tsk. I thought you were always so suave?" Graves jeered, his eyes raking over him.
Twisted Fate propped himself up on one leg, trying to stand. "Don't you ever damn well learn? Every single time, I'm the one covering your ass, cleaning up your messes, but you always..."
Graves fired a shot into the ground at his feet. Splintered rock sprayed against Twisted Fate's leg.
"Would you just let me say—"
"Uh-uh, I don't want to hear it," Graves cut him off, grinding his teeth. "The biggest score of our lives, and you disappeared without a word."
"Without a word? Use that pig brain of yours and think again!"
Another shot hit the dirt, kicking debris into his face, but Twisted Fate no longer cared.
"I knew that job was shady from the start! How many times did I warn you? Did you listen? You never listen to me!" A card appeared in his hand, a subconscious reflex.
"I told you what the plan was! You provide cover, I go in and get it done! An easy, big score. But you vanished. You sold me out!" Graves snarled, his glare burning with malice.
Gods above, ten years of prison have made my old friend even dumber than before.
Twisted Fate said nothing more. The light in his eyes quietly dimmed.
Something glinted behind the big oaf—a matchlock pistol. The Iron Hook scum were here.
Without a moment's hesitation, Twisted Fate flicked the card in his hand.
It flew straight for Graves.
At the exact same instant, Graves pulled the trigger. BANG!
The card shot past Graves's head and blew the gunman away, sending his pistol flying. Simultaneously, a gaping hole opened in the chest of a pirate behind Twisted Fate, who collapsed in a heap.
They each glanced over their shoulders, then their eyes met again. In that instant, they both had the same thought: This damned chemistry.
By now, Gangplank had arrived with his men. The Iron Hook and Red Hat gangs had sealed off the entire area.
Graves was out of bullets. Twisted Fate only had a few cards left. He slumped to the ground, looking as though he had accepted his fate.
But accepting fate was never Graves's style. With a furious roar, he charged into the crowd, swinging his empty shotgun like a club.
He was strong, and he knocked down a few men right away, but two fists are no match for four hands, let alone the forty pairs surrounding him.
In moments, Twisted Fate was pinned to the ground, and Graves was beaten to a bloody pulp.
As the dust settled, a path opened in the crowd. Gangplank strode through, calmly peeling an orange with a carving knife, each strip of peel coming off clean.
"Tell me, little pups," Gangplank's low voice rumbled. "Which one of you is a fan of scrimshaw?"
Watching from a distance as Gangplank and his men led the prisoners away, Ren muttered to himself.
"The two unlucky saps have been captured. That means tonight's main event is about to begin."
"I need to get back before them and hide in that little boat."
On the other side of the port, darkness reigned.
In a harbor that should have been deserted, a single ship lit its lanterns: the Siren, Miss Fortune's vessel.
Miss Fortune stood at the prow, gazing toward the other side of the port. It was brightly lit, a cluster of pirate ships gathered around the centerpiece: Gangplank's Dreadnought.
Raven emerged from the group of crewmen behind her and came to stand beside Ramsey, just behind Sarah. He spoke, as if to himself.
"It's about to start."
No one replied. Sarah merely gave a slight nod.
"Come on, what's wrong? Didn't you eat breakfast?!"
Graves was a hard man, but his mouth was even harder. His face was swollen like a pig's, and he could barely speak straight, but he was still taunting Gangplank's men.
"You little bastards can't even hit hard. What are you doing in a gang?"
"My mother hits harder than you!"
A nearby goon, his face flushed with anger, moved to land a few more punches but was stopped by Gangplank.
"Twisted Fate, is it? I hear you're a master thief."
"I actually admire you. But you were stupid enough to steal from me."
Gangplank then turned his head to Graves.
"And you. If your brain were just a little bit bigger, you might have had a chance to work for me."
"But that chance is gone now."
The enraged Graves was about to let loose a string of curses when Gangplank continued.
"I am a reasonable man. All I ask for is a sliver of respect."
"But you two dared to climb onto my neck and take a shit. Unforgivable!"
Graves finally managed to get a word in.
"I was the one who took the shit. Killing me is fair game."
"But I have one request. Kill him first," he said, jutting his chin toward Twisted Fate. The comment actually made Gangplank chuckle.
But Gangplank ignored him, instead nodding to one of his underlings. The man understood immediately, turned, and rang the ship's bell.
Moments later, a continuous tolling echoed back from across Bilgewater. The sound drew the attention of the entire city, and people began to flock toward Gangplank's port.
This was Gangplank's favorite tactic: killing a chicken to warn the monkeys. He would execute the two men in front of everyone, to show them all the miserable fate of those who defied him.
With a cheer from the crew, a long, rust-covered cannon was rolled out.
"[Death's Daughter] has been with me through many great battles," Gangplank said, stroking the cannon. "It's time she had a proper rest."
Graves glanced at Twisted Fate. No matter how dire the situation, that bastard always managed to have an escape plan.
But this time was different. He was just a defeated heap on the deck. Graves knew this was it for him, too.
"You deserve this, you son of a bitch. Ptooey!" Graves spat, getting in one last curse before death.
At that, Twisted Fate lifted his head, his eyes blazing with fury as he roared at Graves:
"I never thought things would turn out that way!"
"You abandoned me! You let me rot in that prison!"
"I brought men to rescue you, and they all died!" Twisted Fate shot back. "Cort, Valach, and Brick, they all died trying to save you! You big oaf!"
"But you're still alive. You know why? Because you're a coward, and no excuse you make can change that."
For once, the ever-eloquent, ever-cunning Twisted Fate had no comeback. He seemed to collapse in on himself, strength gone.
"We all have to die sometime. This is our fate," Twisted Fate continued, his voice softer.
"I'm telling the truth. They all went to save you. It doesn't matter anymore. Whether you believe me or not... none of it matters now."
It was the first time Graves had ever seen Twisted Fate like this. Hearing his words, he, too, fell silent.
Because he thought about it for a moment, and he found that he actually believed him.
Before, Graves had always done as he pleased. Even when he screwed things up, Twisted Fate would find a way to fix it.
But that time... I didn't listen to him. That's why I got caught. And why so many of our brothers died.
Suddenly, pirates grabbed them and began tying them together, back-to-back. They wrapped iron chains around them several times and secured them with a heavy lock. They were now two grasshoppers tied to the same string.
"Twisted Fate! Malcolm Graves! For their crimes... I sentence them to death by drowning!" Gangplank bellowed to the crowds that now packed the port.
A section of the ship's hull opened, creating a gap. The pirates pushed Death's Daughter to the edge. The people in the port stood on their toes, craning their necks to see.
Gangplank planted a foot on the cannon's barrel.
Just then, Twisted Fate felt something pressed into his hand. A card! It was Graves who had slipped it to him.
The pirates had taken all of Twisted Fate's cards, but they hadn't bothered to search Graves. He had picked this one up back at the treasury, planning to shove it in Twisted Fate's mouth before he killed him.
But at that same moment, Gangplank kicked the cannon. It plunged over the side, and the iron chain attached to it hissed as it was dragged rapidly into the water.
"Get out of here!" Graves roared.
A flash of light, and Twisted Fate vanished. At the same time, Graves was yanked into the water, sinking quickly toward the seabed.
As he sank into the deep, Graves was still thinking, All those other times, Twisted Fate was the one who figured out how to get us out of trouble. This time, I'm the one who helped him escape! At least I could pay him back once.
Tobias... I don't owe you anything anymore.
With that thought, Graves slowly closed his eyes in the dark water.
With a flash of light, Twisted Fate, who had been bound to Graves, disappeared and reappeared right behind Gangplank.
He had a thousand ways to escape, but he didn't take any of them. The only thing in his mind was the image of that old dog's furious, scowling face as he fell into the sea.
I can't leave him behind again. What happened that day was the last time!
In a single fluid motion, he lifted the dagger from Gangplank's belt, lunged forward, and desperately grabbed the iron chain that was rapidly unspooling across the deck.
But he had vastly overestimated his own strength. In an instant, he too was dragged into the sea.
The men on deck reacted, firing their guns into the water. A bullet pierced Twisted Fate's shoulder.
Running on pure instinct, he used the chain to pull himself deeper. Thankfully, the water near the port wasn't too deep. After a moment, he saw a blurry silhouette.
When he saw Twisted Fate, Graves began shaking his head violently, telling him he shouldn't have come back.
But Twisted Fate was completely numb now. Blood loss, lack of oxygen—he had all the debuffs stacked against him. In a few more seconds, he would probably die even faster than Graves.
Even so, he took out the dagger and jammed it into the keyhole of Graves's manacles.
Ten years ago, I was powerless. Ten years later, I'm willing to try again.
Picking locks was usually as easy as breathing for him, but in the water, his hands trembled uncontrollably. He twisted and turned, but the lock wouldn't give.
Just as he felt his consciousness fading, he grit his teeth and, with the last of his strength, gave the dagger a final, violent twist. The tip snapped off, slicing his hand open. Blood blossomed in the water. That was it. Twisted Fate was completely out of strength.
He let himself drift in the current. In the last second before he blacked out, he heard a tremendous, rumbling boom. The surface of the sea lit up in a brilliant orange-red, as if dusk had arrived in an instant.
Like fireworks all across the sky... is this what you see before you die?
So unlucky.
And then, Twisted Fate lost consciousness.