10 The Sin of Innocence 8

Lower deck, still night time. Axel descended the stairs after the conversations he had with the captain and saw Durxante still eating the leftovers heart fully.

“He ate like a gluttonous person,” Axel thought as he shook his head.

Durxante noticed him and waved while still eating a piece of bread.

“Oh?” Durxante said as he saw Axel. “Congratulations on—! Cough!” Durxante choked on the food. Axel hurried to help him, and luckily, Durxante’s cell was open. Axel helped Durxante by pounding his back. After a while, the piece Durxante choked on fell down to his stomach thanks to Axel’s help.

“Are you okay?” Axel asked.

Durxante coughed a couple of times to clear his throat.

“I am…” Durxante replied with a pale face while panting.

“I almost died in the most comical way ever!” Durxante thought.

Axel sat in front of Durxante’s cell, waiting for him to calm down.

“So,” Durxante asked. “What did you talk to him about?”

“About what happened earlier,” he replied. “Sigh, now I know why he scolded me.”

“Why?”

“Because he lost someone important to him; his one and only son in the same way.”

“His son? You mean… Dave?”

“Yes. Wait, how do you know?”

“I was around during that time.”

"Eh? How long have you been here then?"

“Ah… I told you I don’t remember. I wanted to go to the Western Land, but guess what? He never goes there. At least he wants to go there now...”

Durxante sat on his bench and opened the book to read. As always, his sight never left the pages he was reading.

“Anyway, after closer inspection… don’t you know that you and Dave look similar?” Durxante said.

“Really?”

“Yes… I bet the captain felt the same way. What else did you talk about?”

“I will do some combat training starting tomorrow.”

“Oh? Now you mention it,” Durxante smiled. “You look pathetic compared to the rest of the crew!”

Axel looked at him with squinted, bitter eyes.

“Sorry, sorry!” Durxante giggled. “Ahem! Then, you need to rest now for tomorrow’s training.”

“Ah, you’re right!” Axel stood. “I have to rest.”

Axel went to his bunk to get some sleep.

“Good night, Durxante,” Axel said before closing his eyes.

“Good night.”

After a while, Axel fell asleep peacefully.

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid, when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3:24,” Durxante thought as he looked at him with a smile.

Durxante opened and read the book, but an uneasy feeling lingered in his mind. He closed the book and looked at the gleaming moon from the vent.

“So my guess is correct,” he thought. “He desires revenge on Ricardo… Why couldn’t he learn from his mistake? Why won’t you learn, Titus? You wanted revenge for your dear Carnelissa, costing you Dave’s life in the process even though I’m sure that you know she never wants you to avenge her, but alas; Your stubbornness killed Dave. If he still holds on to that stupid game of revenge, he will soon lose everything he holds dear, even himself.”

Durxante lied on the plank and placed the book on his chest. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands, praying.

The next day came, and thus, Axel’s first day of training began. Early in the morning, on the lower deck.

“AHOY!!!” Captain Goldteeth shouted aloud as he barged the lower deck door like a raging storm, waking both Durxante and Axel in shock. Durxante jumped, causing his head to collide with the ceiling.

“God have mercy! Are we under attack?!” Durxante panicked as he hid under the plank bed while Axel took a dagger from his pocket, cautious.

“W-What happened?!” Axel asked, concerned.

“Hey!” Captain Goldteeth shouted. “Calm yer butts down! We aren’t under attack! Yet…” Captain Goldteeth paced around the lower deck.

“Oh?” Durxante got out from the plank, relieved. “Sigh…”

“You don’t need to do that!” Axel said, angry. “You almost made my heart explode—!”

“I do need to do that! It’s necessary to prepare both of your wimpy bodies! Now look! Both of yer faces and bodies are now fresh and ready!”

“Both?” Axel sat down on the plank.

“Yes,” the captain confirmed. “Both!”

“Eh?” Durxante’s eyes were full of hope as he looked at the captain. “Does that mean—?!”

“Oh no, ye aren’t!” Captain Goldteeth barked as he stared at Durxante coldly. “Ye will take Lil Axey’s job from now on!”

“My job?” Axel thought for a moment. “It means that—!”

“Ye are the jail cleaner from now on! Understand?! Do ye think ye could live here without doin’ anythin’?!” Captain Goldteeth said, surprising Durxante.

“Eh???” Durxante looked like he lost his soul and his will to live.

“Now, get out of yer damned cell and mop!”

“How?” Durxante asked. “The jail door is locked. I can’t get out unless—”

“Okay, okay! Shut up!” Captain Goldteeth went to the keys rack on the wall.

“Wait,” Axel thought. “Isn’t the key on Durxante?”

Axel looked at Durxante; he was grinning maliciously as he held his pocket.

“That sly fox…” Axel thought as he squinted his eyes.

“If he couldn’t find it, then I don’t need to mop because I can’t get out!” Durxante thought.

Captain Goldteeth stared on the rack, trying to find the key.

“Where is ze damned key?!” he thought, confused. “Ah, whatever.” He took all the keys and stood in front of Durxante’s cell. “I just need to try them all.”

“Everything went smoothly!” Durxante thought as he looked at Captain Goldteeth’s effort.

All the keys couldn’t open the cell as Durxante expected.

“Blimey!” Captain Goldteeth thought. “What in the Davy John’s Locker?!”

“Phew,” Durxante thought, relieved. “I guess I could laze around—”

“Well, there’s no other way then,” Captain Goldteeth said as he dug into his pocket. To Durxante’s horror, Captain Goldteeth took a key, exactly the copy of Durxante’s. “I’ll have to use the spare one then.”

“What???” Durxante said aloud as he stood.

“What?!” Captain Goldteeth said as he stared at Durxante’s weird reaction.

“N-Nothing, Captain…” Durxante sat on the plank, pouting.

“Damn you, Captain. I never thought you would prepare something like that!” Durxante thought, irritated as he clenched his right palm.

“Now stand and mop!” he ordered as he opened the cell.

“Aye, Captain… Sigh…” Durxante got out and filled the bucket with water.

Fleton and a crew entered the lower deck, bringing a human wooden practice dummy with them.

“Ah,” Durxante said to them. “Good Morn—!”

“Shut up!” both Fleton and the crew shouted, annoyed.

“Ah. I just want to greet them. I see no error in that,” Durxante thought as he mopped the floor. “I guess everyone here hates me to my very existence, no? At least Axel still wants to talk with me.”

“A-Alrighty, captain,” Fleton said as he carried the dummy. “Now where do you want this thing to be?”

“Place it there,” Captain Goldteeth pointed at the middle of the room.

They placed the dummy and nailed a bounty paper for the dummy’s face.

“Alright, I’m done here. Have fun ye both!” Fleton said.

“Ah,” Durxante said with a smile. “Thank y—!”

“Not you!” Fleton shouted, annoyed as he ascended the stairs with the other crew.

“Sigh…” Durxante looked sad as he mopped around.

Captain Goldteeth stood in front of the wooden dummy with Axel next to him.

“What’s this for?” Axel asked.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s your opponent for today’s trainin’!”

“Wait, I’m not doing real combat simulation with another person?”

“It’s too early, lad. Ye have to learn how to walk if you want to know how to run—”

“But I defeated you before. At least—!”

Captain Goldteeth flicked his forehead.

“That wasn’t even real combat ye son of a biscuit eat’r!” he scolded. “Ye barely touched me while I beat you to a pulp, ye remember?!”

“But you cheated—!”

“What’s the difference?! If I didn’t, ye would only wound my thigh! If it was real, ye would be in Davy Jones’ Locker, fool!”

“Ah…!” Axel clenched his mouth shut.

“No more objection, I assume. List’n up, today’s practice is the weaponry training—”

Axel showed and held his dagger in a reverse grip.

“I can already do that—”

“Kids these days…” the captain thought, irritated.

Captain Goldteeth flicked Axel’s forehead.

“Ye fool!” Captain Goldteeth scolded. “In ze real combat, no one uses that! The moment ye draw that butter knife, the moment ye are sent to Father’s keeping! Understand?!”

“A-Aye!”

“Ahem! Well, that’s why ye have to learn to wield a cutlass, the real weapon for us, sailors!” Captain Goldteeth unsheathed his cutlass and handed it to Axel. “Let’s see how ye use this thing.”

Axel held the cutlass in a reverse grip like the dagger before. The blade was too heavy as Axel accidentally let go of it, dropping it, and the hilt hit his toe.

“Ouch!” Axel jumped.

“Ya moron! That’s not how ye wield that! Ye have to hold it properly! Remember our first fight? Hold it like that!”

“It’s uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable yer nose! Ye fought me before like that!”

“Because it was lighter—”

“Pick that cutlass up, no more excuses or I’ll feed you to the fish!”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Axel took and held the cutlass properly.

“Good!” Captain Goldteeth said as he stood behind the practice dummy's right. “Now treat this thing like yer enemy; attack it!”

“Aye.”

Axel swung the cutlass, but because the blade was too heavy for Axel, he released the cutlass accidentally after a slash. The cutlass launched past the captain’s hair, one centimeter away from his neck. The cutlass pierced and stuck on a wall.

Captain Goldteeth and Axel stopped for a while out of shock, while Durxante ignored the situation as he kept mopping around while whistling and humming the same lullaby for Axel.

Captain Goldteeth’s eyes were wide open while his face went pale. Chills ran through his spine as he realized such an accident could cost him his life.

“Oops…” Axel muttered with a shocked face. His hands went cold, and his fingers trembled.

Captain Goldteeth sat down to calm his mind from the almost imminent death. Durxante giggled as quietly as he could, but the captain could hear him. Out of annoyance, he took a bottle cap from his pocket and threw it to Durxante’s forehead.

“Ouch… A second chance does exist as long as God is willing, eh?” Durxante thought as he scratched his forehead.

“A-Are you okay, captain?” Axel asked as he got closer, checking on the captain.

“I am,” Captain Goldteeth regained his sense and took the cutlass from the wall. He gave it to Axel and stood behind him. “Ye will need to get used to the cutlass using yer girly hands first! Keep swinging until I tell ya to stop!”

“A-Aye!”

“I better not mop there if I still want to live until tomorrow,” Durxante thought as he looked behind the dummy.

Axel swung the cutlass, slashing the air as much as he could while the captain watched. Axel slipped the cutlass many times, but no one would be injured this time.

“Ah!” Axel thought as he corrected the ways of handling the cutlass. “I need to hold it like this!”

After minutes passed, Axel’s hands became more used with the cutlass shown by less slipping.

“He’s a quick learner,” Captain Goldteeth thought with a subtle smirk.

As Captain Goldteeth looked and supervised Axel’s training from the back, he felt a warm and familiar sensation in his chest.

“Sigh… Once, I taught Dave like this too…” he thought as he lowered his head, and remembered the time he spent with his late son. A tear of longing fell from his left eye as he sighed. “If only…”

Captain Goldteeth raised his head and looked at Axel. Much to his surprise, he saw the image of Dave instead of Axel.

“D-Dave—?!” he thought with a surprised face. He shook his head and pinched himself as he closed his eyes. “Damn it, I’m being drunk again!”

A minute later, the captain thought that it’s enough for Axel. He stood and patted Axel's back.

“Alright Dave! it’s en—!” Captain Goldteeth abruptly stopped with his eyes wide open; he almost mistook Axel for his late son.

With a serious look, Durxante stopped moving as he stared at the captain.

“D-Dave?” Axel thought. “Ah—!”

“P-Pardon, captain?” Axel asked as he was still swinging the cutlass, slashing the air, pretending he heard nothing.

Durxante sighed as he continued mopping.

“Ahem! Ye can stop now, L-Lil Ax-ey!” Captain Goldteeth said.

Axel stopped and felt his right arm throbbing and burning because of muscle fatigue from the repeated swingings. He stretched his right arm, trying to relax the muscle.

“So,” the captain asked. “How do ye feel, kid? I see that ye could hold the cutlass properly now.”

“Maybe…” he replied as he sat down. “Now what?”

“Hmm… Let’s have a ten-minute rest—”

“Ah,” Durxante said as he looked with puppy eyes at the captain. “Does that mean I—!”

Captain Goldteeth stared at Durxante with a bitter face. Durxante knew what that face meant and kept mopping.

“No rest for the weary nor the wicked,” Durxante thought, sadly.

“I’ll be back in ten minutes,” the captain said to Axel as he ascended the stairs, leaving the lower deck.

Axel lied on the ground, staring at the ceiling.

“Phew!” Axel felt his body burning.

“Tired?” Durxante asked as he stopped mopping and sat next to Axel.

“I am—. Ouch!” Axel sat, but he felt a painful sensation on his right arm.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing.” Axel held his right arm.

“Ah, let me take a look at your right arm,” Durxante offered. “Maybe I could help.”

“Help? How?”

“Just show me your right arm. Don’t worry, I don’t bite.”

Axel accepted and showed him his right arm. Durxante held Axel’s right arm with both of his hands and rolled the sleeve back, showing the right arm.

“Hmm…” Durxante examined, trying to guess where the problem was as he pressed and massaged Axel’s arm with his thumbs.

When Durxante pressed the elbow tendon, Axel felt pain like an electric shock all over his right arm.

“Ouch!” Axel muttered.

“Oh? Is it painful there?”

“Y-Yes.”

“I see… Then—!” Durxante pressed and massaged the tendon harder with his thumbs several times.

“Ouch! Durxante—! What the—!” Axel shouted in pain as he tried to pull his arm, but somehow, Durxante’s grip was too strong. “S-Stop! Ouch! D-Durxante—!”

Durxante kept pressing even harder with his eyes open with a dead, serious stare, ignoring Axel’s reactions.

After minutes full of pain, Durxante released Axel’s arm. Axel fell with his back, staring at the ceiling. His right arm was red like a tomato with Durxante’s thumbs printed on the tendon. Axel couldn’t hold his tears as he felt the throbbing and spasming pain all over his arm.

“So,” Durxante asked with a smile. “How do you f—?”

Axel gave him a silent and bitter stare.

“Ah…” Durxante’s smile turned into a worried smile. “S-Sorry. I just want to help.”

Axel sat and moved his right arm; he felt better, much to his surprise.

“Hey, my arm felt lighter!” Axel stood and stretched his right arm. “Thanks, Durxante!”

“Eh? Ahem!” Durxante gave Axel a smug smirk and stood. “I told you I could help—!”

They heard someone opened the door and descended the stairs. It was Captain Goldteeth. Durxante immediately took the mop, pretending to have been mopping while Axel rolled his sleeve back and stood still in front of the dummy.

“Alright!” Captain Goldteeth said. “Time to continue ze trainin’!”

Axel picked the cutlass and faced the dummy.

“Now what?” Axel asked.

“Hm…” the captain said as he stood far behind Axel. “I want ye to attack that thing until ye cut it into two.”

“Into two using this cutlass? With a wooden dummy this thick? It will take forever—”

“Don’t complain; just do it ye son of a biscuit eat’r!”

“A-Aye!”

Axel swung the cutlass, trying to make a deep cut on the chest part. As soon as the blade touched the surface, the blade became stuck on the dummy's body.

“Ye need to give it more power into yer hand!” Captain Goldteeth said. “Otherwise, ye wouldn’t injure yer foes!”

“Aye, captain!”

Axel clenched the handle tighter and slashed the body diagonally from bottom to the top, but the blade still stuck on the blade’s end.

“Eh?” Axel said as he pulled the cutlass back. “What did I do wrong this time?”

“When ye hold the cutlass, what do ye feel?”

“It feels heavy, captain.”

“Exactly. But why?”

“Because it’s designed like that.”

“Yes, I know. But why would they design it like that?”

“Ah…”

Axel tried to remember his grandfather’s words. Once, when he’s younger, he asked his grandfather a question like that too.

[Flashback: Unique]

In the small hut where Axel used to live, his grandfather put some of his works on the display racks while the 9 years old Axel helped.

“Gramps,” the young Axel asked. “Why is that sword shaped like that?” He pointed at a thin, pointed-blade sword, Estoc. “While that thing shaped like that?” He pointed at a thin, medium-bladed sword, Broadsword.

“Because it’s designed based on their usage, Axel. Look at that.” The grandfather pointed at Estoc. “It looks like a needle, correct? What do people use needles for?”

“To knit and sew clothes!”

The grandfather patted Axel’s head.

“Correct. That sword—” The Grandfather pointed on the Estoc. “——looks like that for the same purpose.”

“Huh? Why would anyone sew clothes with that?”

His grandfather wheezed and smiled. He pinched Axel’s cheeks for a second.

“Gramps! Ow!” Axel huffed and pouted with his cheeks red. “I’m correct, aren’t I?!”

“None would be weird enough to sew with that sword, Axel.”

“Then why does that sword look like a needle?”

“It’s designed to pierce something as needles are used to pierce into a cloth.”

“But that sword can do it too, right?” Axel pointed at the broadsword.

“Correct, but what difference do you see between those two?”

“That one has a bigger blade.” Axel pointed at the Broadsword.

“What happens if you try to sew with a needle shaped like that?”

“A big hole in the cloth!”

“Correct. Now, imagine cutting bread using a needle.”

“Umm…” Axel imagined as he looked around, clueless, and finally gave up. “How?”

“You can’t cut bread using a needle.”

“Then why did gramps tell me to imagine it!” Axel pouted, irritated.

His grandfather smiled and pinched Axel’s nose for a second.

“Ow! Graaamps!” Axel pouted again with his nose and cheeks red.

“Now, imagine cutting it with a knife.”

Axel imagined cutting bread using a kitchen knife.

“Ah!” Axel said. “The bread would be cut into two easily!”

“Correct. That sword—” The grandfather pointed at the Broadsword. “—lacks the ability to pierce, but it excels in cutting instead, whereas that sword—” The grandfather pointed at the Estoc. “—solely excels in the piercing.”

"Ah, that's why! Because they have different functions and specialties!"

The grandfather patted Axel's back.

"Correct," the grandfather said with a smile.

***

In the present time, Axel knew the answer.

“The blade… is big and heavy,” Axel thought as he observed it. “Ah!”

“Because cutlasses have more attacking and blocking ability!” Axel answered.

“Indeed, Cutlasses aren’t as sharp as Scimitars nor as pointed as Rapiers, but they are capable of cutting people like papers because of their size and weight. Ye made a good job in putting all of your strength, but ye lack the timin’, son. Put more strength on yer attack a second before the impact; don’t waste it on the swingin’ or ye will exhaust yerself!”

“Oh?! I see.” Axel became eager to test what the captain said. He positioned himself with the cutlass ready.

“It's fine if ye kept failin’,” Captain Goldteeth said. “It takes time to get the feelin’.”

“Don’t waste it on the swinging,” Axel thought. “Give it all before the impact!”

Axel swung it diagonally again, but this time with that thought in mind. Axel made a perfect deep cut on the dummy’s chest, surprising the captain.

“Son of a…” the captain thought, awed by Axel's result. “For a beginner, this is beyond impressive!”

Durxante looked at Axel’s result and smiled while still mopping.

“Well,” the captain said. “T—”

Someone opened the door. It was Fleton.

“Captain!” he called. “There’s an island near us!”

“Oh?” the captain muttered as he opened his map.

“We’re stoppin’ there!” he ordered.

“Aye!”

The sun was glaring on the calm sea; it was noon. The ship headed to an island; twice bigger and more populated than Naxos island.