Ivankov turned to Kuma and Ginny. "Kuma! Ginny! Come with me! We'll explain the good news to everyone—I know they'll understand!"
"Mm!"
The three half-grown kids split up at once, each running toward the refugees whose faces were etched with despair.
A dozen minutes later.
John had contacted the pirates waiting on the coated ship. It took a little time, but they finally surfaced the vessel they'd prepared in advance.
What he saw then stunned him: along the beach stretched an endless, dark mass of people.
Yet, to his surprise, there was no mad scramble for the boat.
Hundreds of refugees, led by the three brats who'd annoyed him, stayed quietly in place. Tears streaming, they pushed the crying children beside them forward, as if they'd already made their choice.
Ivankov led roughly five hundred children—big and small, shackled and frightened—toward the only ship on the shore.
Ivankov, at the front, came up to John and grinned.
"See? People are reasonable. The ugliness you expected never happened. Everyone agreed: the youngest get the right to live…"
His young voice cracked; tears carved two clean tracks through the dust on his face.
Behind him, Kuma and Ginny sobbed uncontrollably.
John stared, eyes wide.
A long, long time.
Face dark, he stepped onto the Sky Pirates' vessel and ordered the crew, "Dump the cannons, the ammo—every non-essential. We squeeze in a few more."
"Thanks, mister!" Ivankov shouted after him.
"Thank you for saving us all!"
"Thank you for saving my child!"
"We're forever grateful!!"
The dark mass of people knelt as one.
"Cut the crap! You want to die here? Get aboard—now!" John slammed a fist against the gunwale, eyes red.
"Let's leave this hellhole!"
Hundreds of terrified children, led by Ivankov, climbed one by one onto the Sky Pirates' ship.
Five hundred kids soon packed the pirate vessel to bursting.
Though John had jettisoned every non-essential weight…
…they could still take only a few dozen more.
Any extra and the ship wouldn't move.
She was only a small two-masted brigantine,
with no steam engine.
Six hundred souls was already her limit.
Deck, cabins, hold—every inch was crammed.
Even the helmsman barely had room to steer.
Yet on the shore below, children still stood, faces blank with despair.
Parents, relatives, neighbors stepped forward and led the ones who couldn't board back into the crowd.
John saw waves, lowered heads, whispered farewells.
He said nothing, only signaled to cast off.
Just then a sturdy figure wriggled free of the crush, tumbled over the side with a splash, and landed in the shallows.
John spun around.
There was Kuma, soaked, rising from the water.
"Brat! What're you doing? We're casting off—get back up here!"
Kuma scratched his head, standing awkwardly in the surf, forcing a shy smile.
"Kind mister, you go on. I… I won't come. That noble old man said I'm a lowborn who doesn't deserve to live. My life's worth nothing. And I'm too big—one body takes space for three or four kids. Give my spot to them."
"Mister… let the little ones have my place…"
He was smiling,
but John saw the fear in his eyes.
Still, he said it.
He did it.
John's temples throbbed; he slammed the rail. "Don't joke with me! You've no choice! Carlo handed you to me—you're coming, or else—"
Splash!
Splash!
Before he finished, two more bodies hit the water.
A big-headed kid was pulling his face out of the sand, spitting grit.
A freckled girl with pink hair waded to Kuma and took his hand.
Ivankov ran to kids being led away, grabbed three, and hauled them to the ladder.
"The three of us stay! That frees six spots—pick the smallest kids and send them up!"
Six toddlers were pushed forward; Ivankov boosted them up the ladder to John.
John roared.
"You damn brats, enough! I said all three of you leave—Carlo's orders! If you stay, no one goes!"
After sending the six up, Ivankov jumped into the surf beside Kuma and Ginny, waving at the fuming John.
"Mister! I know you won't abandon them—you're a good pirate! Good is rewarded!"
"Thanks for everything!"
"See you!"
All three were beaming.
"Screw 'good is rewarded'! I'm a notorious pirate!" John snarled—and, to their shock, leapt from the bow.
But he didn't hit the water;
his body lifted and glided to the beach.
Ivankov ran after him, flustered. "Mister! Are you angry? Sorry—we decided on our own—please don't blame the others…"
He got a whack on the head mid-sentence.
He yelped and clutched his skull.
"Big bro!"
"Little Ivan!"
Kuma and Ginny rushed over.
"I'm fine!"
Ivankov stood, still rubbing his head. "Mister, you…"
"Shut it!" John barked, then waved to the ship. "Sail on! I'll catch up with Carlo later!"
He glared at the silent trio.
"Remember—you're Carlo's mission to me. I'm getting you out!"
His metal belt whirred, lifting him into the sky toward the island.
Below, Ivankov shouted, "Pirate mister! Where are you going?"
"Stay put till I get back!"
"I'm fetching something—something that'll get all of you out of here!"