So, the least he could do was to keep calm and assess the problem with a clear mind. Yet, to them, his reaction was another thing all entirely.
Turning to bis towards Mad John, Prince Wyatt said "You said previously that you knew where the slave contract was hidden, right?".
".…Y..es… Capta..in" Mad John's voice croaked.
"Okay. Kindly do me a favour and fetch them for me:" Prince Wyatt said, staring at the wide-eyed expression of Mad John who was still trying to comprehend his statement.
"Pri…nce Wyatt….. I mean Captain. Are you sure?" Mad John replied hesitantly, undoubtedly still trying to believe his ears.
Prince Wyatt smiled.
His gaze swept across the dozens of men in front of him that roared and protested for their freedom.
"The rage and unhappiness in their bodies will lead them to plot something much more sinister if it is not quelled. So. suppressing their voices now would only be bad for both me and them. Besides, they are ready to give up their lives, so what else can I do" Shaking his head, Prince Wyatt continued "Since they have told me what they wanted, it would be foolish of me not to give it to them".
Although it was just briefly, the tone Prince Wyatt had used to voice out his statement wto asn't one that he could go against.
Mad John could almost snarl loudly at the ignorance of his fellow crewmen. Haven't they seen that Prince Wyatt had changed and would sooner or later become a proper Captain?
Haven't they witnessed his powers when he jumped towards the jaws of the tiger whale with nothing but a raging flame all over his body?
Mad John sighed.
Maybe they hadn't and were blinded by blinded the days of their suffering, hoping for a different future, the next day.
However, no matter what it was, he couldn't blame them. After all, he would have done the same if he wasn't given the chance to experience the change and might of Prince Wyatt.
"Alright" Nodding his head in response, Mad John walked out from the midst of the rebellion and went into the ship to bring out the documents.
Seeing the eerie quiet atmosphere around them as he stood alone against the protesters, Prince Wyatt would have struck up a conversation with them, but as he wasn't in the mood to do so, he just observed every one of them.
From those shivering in the back with their false morale smeared across their faces, to those in the middle who were still unsure if they should turn back or continue on with their actions. And those brave enough to stand at the front with nothing but their words and their hate.
Minutes ticked by upon the imaginary clock that was held up against the sky.
And soon, seeing Mad John walking towards them caused him to breathe out in relief.
'So these are the slave contracts' Prince Wyatt thought, collecting the rolled-up scrolls that Mad John had given him.
The grey and yellow parchment in his hands, each tie up with a red ribbon, each holding the life of one of the men standing in front of him.
"Give it to us" No one knew who it was that shouted, however, it didn't matter. Because the voice spoke the communal minds of all of them present.
They pushed forward, impatiently. Their breathings hitched as they all looked at the familiar scroll that imprisoned their lives with nothing but a blood print.
Yet, the man in front of them was the one stopping them from matching any further. They were numerous, plenty in number, so why?
The first and most important reason was that they were scared of his power and newly uncovered behaviour. The images of a flaming Prince Wyatt still arched deep into the psyche. He was dangerous and wasn't acting like the incompetent Prince they knew of. So they couldn't do anything else except bark like an inpatient dog.
"This is what you want right?" Prince Wyatt replied.
His voice drew them away from their inner thoughts. Each of them clenched their hands into a tight grip as Sea dog spoke as their mouthpiece.
"Yes, give it to us".
"You know I would have wanted to talk more with you guys. But after the event of the day, I think that I need to rest" Prince Wyatt said.
"But I am going to be a little generous today because this is a very important matter".
"What do you mean?" Seadog responded with a foreboding. An unwelcoming feeling slowly spread in his bones.
Under the might of the dread they felt, threatening to tear their courageousness from the inside out, they paid a warily amount of attention to Prince Wyatt's voice.
"I will give you give you all a choice" Prince Wyatt said, a toothy grin on his lips and a familiar deviant expression in his eyes.
They only knew two people that could make such an expression, two women, a knight and a Pirate.
And neither of them was the bringer of good news.
….....
Good! They are beginning to slowly fall back into the pit of their fears.
No matter how I felt like it, now wasn't the time to be compassionate with them. I couldn't give them what they wanted, but that would mean giving them back their freedom and putting me in a tight spot of becoming a crew-less Captain.
And since I, 'the former Prince Wyatt' had purchased them with what I would consider a huge amount of money since the life of a human being in a somewhat medieval society might be a little costly, then I needed to get a refund if I wanted to start afresh and purchase my new crewmen.
Ha!!
Hahaha!! Who am I kidding? There was no way I could get a refund, and even if it was possible, I wouldn't take it.
Maybe some other time, I will try to make them warm up to me, but for now, I needed to be authoritative…. It sounds cheesy right?
Well, if you think about it, why didn't they revolt and aim their rebellion at Knight Camille, or, Captain Clara when they were still around but instead waited to pounce on me after gathering their guts together?