48 Hours a Day

Panda Novel

The look on all the pirates’ changed right after Orff was done with his speech. All the new recruits that had just joined Sea Lion knew this had nothing to do with them. Besides, Orff did mention that the traitor used to fight with him on this ship. They just sat there, grabbed a bucket popcorn, and watched the drama unfold before them. On the other hand, all the old crew members were panicking.

Some of them chose not to say a single word.

Some of them berated Orff.

Some of them told Orff that he had no right to accuse others if he did not have evidence.

Everyone started to grow suspicious of each other. After Orff made the announcement, he did not say a single word after that. He started to look at everyone on the deck. When his gaze fixed on Zhang Heng, he felt that Orff had stared at him at least two seconds longer than the others.

“Unfortunately, the traitor doesn’t have the courage to admit his mistake. I think I have to give him a hand,” said Orff.

He then started to walk towards Zhang Heng while taking out his gun. Immediately, everyone landed their attention on him. At that moment, there were a lot of things went through Zhang Heng’s mind. One of his hands was holding his Shadow Moment in his pocket.

“Excuse me. Mind letting me through?” Orff said while standing in front of Zhang Heng.

“Orff, you are abusing your power! You are trying to make me pay back for challenging you, right? Are you guys going to just stand there and let him accuse me? He would do the same thing to you if you allow him to do such a thing to me! In the end, he can whatever he wants on this ship!”

The thing that Goodwin had just said managed to make everyone rethink the whole thing. Some of the pirates started to look at Orff in suspicion. Fighting for power was a very common thing on a pirate ship. However, it was rare that the winner would kill the loser. If Orff killed him, all the other pirates on the ship would feel that it was not safe for them to stay on the ship. That was why the winner would usually try his best to deal with the situation as peaceful as possible. It seemed like Orff held a huge grudge against Goodwin. That would mean the whole thing might turn ugly. As for now, Orff was saved from being attacked by the pirates on the ship because he was holding the map to locate Kidd’s treasure. Once the pirates on the ship had their eyes laid on the treasure, they would not hesitate to dethrone Orff. The thing that Goodwin said to the pirates had made them wanted to disobey Orff.

“If I’m not mistaken, you were the first batch of people that left the ship and went to Nassau, right? One hour later, almost everyone on the island knew that we are looking for Kidd’s treasure. Please don’t tell me that is just a coincidence,” said Orff in a calmed manner.

Goodwin had gone through a lot of hardship throughout his life. He was not panicked when Orff confronted him.

“There were around twenty people from the first batch of people that got down from the ship. How sure are you that I’m the one that leaked the news?”

“I asked Owen to interview everyone after that. Every single one of them could provide me with an alibi except you. You told us that you went and take a nap after you got down from the ship. Unfortunately, you have no eyewitnesses to support your claim.”

“What? I need eyewitnesses to prove that I was sleeping?!”

“Of course not. The thing is someone saw you come out from Marshall’s house. How do you explain that? Some of you might now know who Marshall is. He is the biggest loan shark in Nassau. The way he collects debt from people that owe him money is absolutely terrifying.”

Orff then took a good at Goodwin again. His forehead was dripping with sweat.

“While you were plotting to take my place, I know that you have used a lot of money to bribe quite a number of people. I’m really curious. Where did you get that money? You need to pay a huge price if you borrow money from Marshall. No wonder you looked so disappointed when you lost to me. The news of you failing to become a helmsman on Sea Lion was spread to everyone on the island the moment you got down from the ship, right? You had no money to return to Marshall when he came knocking at your door. That’s why you told Marshall about Kidd’s treasure. Am I right?”

Goodwin was sweating all over now. At this moment, he decided to make his last struggle by telling everyone that Orff was falsely accusing him. But, his words were not as trustworthy anymore. Goodwin had to admit that he borrowed money from Marshall. He told everyone that the reason why he went and looked for Marshall was because he wanted to ask Marshall to give him more time to come up with the money that he owed him. He denied the fact that he sold the treasure map news to Marshall and he told everyone that he would never betray Sea Lion. It was too late for him to defend himself. The pirates that had stood beside him started to distance themselves from him. Despair had finally hit Goodwin.

Suddenly, he started to run towards the gunwale. The Sea Lion had just left Nassau’s harbor. He could swim back to the harbor if he managed to jump into the water right now. Before he could do so, Orff pulled the trigger. The bullet was planted deep inside Goodwin’s calf. Immediately, all the pirates jumped at him and pressed him to the ground.

“Killing him right now is no different from showing him mercy. I think we should tie him up at the mast and let the heat from the sun torture him,” said Orff.

“Orff, you are one lying motherf*cker! Someday, you will be damned to hell!! I will wait for you there…”

He wanted to say more but his mouth was sealed by the pirates around him. The new pirates that had just joined Sea Lion used a rope to tie him up on the mast. It seemed like they had no intention of treating his gun wound.

“All those that know me know that I’m not a violent person. I don’t like to punish or torture people. However, it is my job to make sure that everyone’s yield is protected. I also have to try my best to make sure that you get to return to Nassau in one piece. I’m not punishing Mr. Goodwin out of a personal grudge. I want to set him as an example. If you dare to betray this ship and your friends, I will make sure that you end up like him. Let’s continue the journey looking for Kidd’s treasure. ”

After that, Orff swung his hands to signal all the pirates on board to return to their position. When Zhang Heng was checking on the Starboard, Orff walked towards him.

“Is everything okay?”

“All is well.”

“That’s good. Rothko thinks very highly of you. He told me that you will become the best boatswain if you are given enough time to gain the experience that you need. Earlier, when everyone voted for boatswain, your vote count and old Michael’s vote count were really close. Don’t be disappointed by it. Just work harder. Sooner or later, you will get the position.”