Marlin sensed something was off from the way the waves rolled. They felt agitated, rocking the ship sporadically with sharp jolts.
None of his fellow pirates seemed to notice— they soaked up the sun, gambling with seashells and dried fins. Others languidly polished their weapons.
"Fish! Stop standing around 'n scrub the deck," a voice bellowed from across the ship. Marlin immediately reddened at his nickname: a reference to the fish he was named after.
Captain Gunnar approached, his heavy boots smacking against the floor. The man was famous among pirates for merely the amount of time he'd been in the profession. Seventy was an old age for a person who was constantly in harms way.
Marlin rushed to resume cleaning, shaky hands grabbing at a pail and rag. He began scrubbing, but it didn't stop the footsteps approaching.
The seven foot Captain Gunnar finally loomed over Marlin, who was hunched over on the sun-bleached wood.
"Fresh meat like ye should ne'er be still."
Marlin cautiously rose, but knew better than to meet eyes with the man. Instead, he studied the massive cutlass hanging from Captain Gunnar's hip. Suddenly, his legs felt like jelly.
"I'm sorry, Captain." Marlin chose his safety over honor. The crew, who had been observing, snickered loudly.
Suddenly, Captain Gunnar reached under his black coat. He tossed a dagger to Marlin, who caught it by the hilt with ease. Surprise flickered over the Captain's features, but quickly disappeared.
"I don't 'ave cabin on the Saltborne for a coward," Captain Gunnar said. He turned towards the lounging crew and shouted, "Someone come challenge Fish t' his first duel!"
For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then, a collective stomping of boots began. A man rose to battle Marlin. He was the pirate known as Reeve.
Reeve's lips curved upwards as he approached. His scarred hands extended and motioned upwards, signaling for the stomping to increase volume.
Marlin felt every vibration go through the floorboards and into his stomach, which threatened to release his lunch.
The only fighting experience he had was with raccoons over scraps. Even then, he lost half of the time.
Captain Gunnar stepped aside, leaving a wide space for Marlin and Reeve. Across from Marlin, Reeve pulled back his greasy black hair with a bandana.
Reeve cracked his knuckles before speaking. "If ye can make me take out me dagger, I'll back off, Fish."
Marlin nodded meekly, knowing what would happen if he couldn't meet the challenge.
Getting beat senseless was better than backing off now and getting thrown off the Saltborne.
Just as Marlin tightened his grip on his new dagger, Reeve crossed the gap with a few quick steps.
A swift uppercut slammed into Marlin's jaw before he could react. His teeth slammed together, accompanied by an intense pain and ringing ears. Around him, the crew cheered.
Marlin stumbled backwards, only stopping when his back hit the side of the boat. He wanted to stop. He was scared of getting hurt again.
But Reeve wouldn't stop, so Marlin pointed his dagger at his opponent's chest with shaky hands.
With a laugh at this effort, Reeve weaved past the outstretched weapon and kneed Marlin in the stomach.
With a cry, Marlin collapsed onto the deck and wheezed for air.
A boot slammed into his head, making his vision go spotty.
"Stop! Please, just—"
A deafening explosion sounded, followed by the crunching of wood and shouts of terror.
Marlin managed to regain his vision in time to witness a cannonball crush the body of 3 crewmates. They didn't even have time to scream before their bones were splintered into thousands of pieces.
"It's the Leviathan!" Captain Gunnar roared.
The Leviathan was a ship known for disappearing and reappearing wherever it pleased. Not to mention the crew, who could tear a man apart with their bare hands.
The pirates of the Saltborne armed themselves with cutlasses and flintlocks. Marlin however, a new addition who was just beat, felt no obligation to help his crewmates. Using the chaos as a cover, he crawled over to where the cannonball landed and hid amongst the dead bodies.
The metallic smell instantly brought bile into Marlin's throat. Sharp bones pressed into his abdomen, but he kept still.
Around him, he heard how terrifyingly swift the Leviathan's pirates worked. Sounds of metal on metal continued for a brief period before coming to a complete stop.
Marlin fully expected to stay still while the pirates looted the Saltborne.
But, the sound of boots leaving the boat confused Marlin beyond reason.
Marlin was left, all alone, among a sea of the dead.