"What are you betting this time?" Puss asked with a mischievous grin as he dragged a gold coin across the table.
In front of him, Jack stood stark naked, not a single piece of clothing left on his body. Even the trinkets in his hair and the rings on his fingers were gone, now stacked neatly next to Puss.
There was even a stinky braies in the pile — the undergarment of the time, once presumably white.
Puss was having the time of his life with the game.
Jack hadn't kept playing until he was nearly naked because he was a gambling addict or a fool. On the contrary, despite lacking formal education, he was actually quite clever.
The truth was, Jack's so-called gambling addiction was entirely Puss's fault.
Since Puss only had gold coins, he proposed betting them. Jack, who didn't have much money, agreed when Puss offered to count each item on his person as worth one gold coin. Puss was quick to clarify that body parts didn't count — he didn't want Jack tossing in hair, nails, or anything like that.
Jack hadn't hesitated. After all, if you could trade an old, dirty pair of underwear for a gold coin, who wouldn't?
But now, Jack had nothing left to bet. He hadn't won a single round. Sure, Puss was good at cards — but he may have used a little trickery here and there to ensure his victories.
'Totally worth it.' Puss thought with amusement, looking at the dazed Jack, nude and windblown.
The only thing Jack was still wearing was his iconic red bandana, which had a coin-shaped ornament dangling from it.
"I think all you've got left is your bandana, that hair ornament, and your compass. Which one's it gonna be?" Puss asked, smiling as he gently tapped the gold coin with a claw to draw Jack's attention.
He actually wanted both the compass and the ornament.
The compass, of course, was useful. But the ornament wasn't just a fancy coin — it was the symbol of a Pirate Lord. To become a Pirate Lord, all one needed was one of the nine symbols. If he won it, Puss would officially and immediately become one.
'Puss in Boots, one of the Nine Pirate Lords... sounds interesting. ' He mused with a playful grin.
Perhaps the greatest challenge in being a Pirate Lord was keeping the title. But the most amusing part was that very few people seemed to know what the symbol was or how to become one — meaning it wasn't much of a burden to hold.
"Ugh…" Jack hesitated, unsure whether to continue.
'Several bottles of rum or one of those things?' He chewed on his fingernails, anxious, feeling the breeze on his bare behind — not that he cared much about that.
He wasn't really seeing a gold coin. He was seeing bottles of rum.
He was also beginning to wonder how Puss had won every single hand and whether he should just quit.
But fate decided for him.
"Captain! Wreckage ahead!" Came a cry from one of the crew.
Puss blinked in surprise at the sudden shout. He simply grabbed his gold coin and sprinted to the bow to see what was going on.
'Something interesting happening?' He wondered as he ran.
Once there, he leapt onto the railing and peered out. He spotted some floating debris, remnants of a ship, but no sign of the vessel itself — it had likely sunk.
As their ship approached the wreckage, Puss examined it more closely.
"What could've happened to them?" He wondered, staring at the floating bodies, feeling slightly dazed.
The only time he had seen dead people in this world before, was when the giant frog killed some guards before he could stop it.
'This world might be black and white, but I keep forgetting the black is real too.' He thought solemnly. Removing his hat, he placed it over his chest in a silent gesture of respect.
"Pirates..." Jack appeared beside him, stating it as if there were no doubt in his mind.
Puss glanced at him curiously, then couldn't help but chuckle when he saw what Jack was wearing.
"Hey... aren't those my clothes?" He asked, noticing Jack back in his usual outfit — the same one he'd lost in their bets.
"Yours? I found them lying on a table. Thought they were abandoned. Besides, they look a little big on you," Jack replied, looking genuinely confused, then turned back to the sea.
Puss simply smiled and said nothing. He'd collect on those clothes later.
Jack felt a slight chill at that smile. He'd learned the hard way this kitten wasn't nearly as innocent as he looked.
"You said it was a pirate attack. Why?" Puss asked, letting the subject drop for now.
"Look over there. The bodies have sword wounds. It wasn't an accident — it was an assault. And that one, the heavier guy... his clothes look like they were decent quality. The rest of the crew don't look like pirates either. I'd say it was a merchant ship that got hit." Jack pointed out a few small details in the water, backing up his theory. Puss nodded, agreeing.
He'd noticed the same things, but wanted to hear the professional opinion of a pirate.
"When did the attack happen?" Puss asked, a solemn look on his face.
If he could, he wouldn't mind hunting down a few pirates.
"Couple of hours ago, probably. We won't catch them," Jack shrugged and walked away, clearly not bothered.
Puss kept watching, even as their ship drifted onward and the bodies slowly disappeared from view.
Jumping down from the railing, Puss walked over to the helm, where Jack was studying his compass.
"It's been over a month since we left Spain. So, how much longer until we arrive? You said it would take about two months, didn't you?" Puss asked, shaking off the unsettling image he had just seen.
It wasn't that he was indifferent to the lives of those people, but now that they were dead, there wasn't much he could do. He despised evil, but he wouldn't carry the world's sorrow on his shoulders or weep for strangers. The most he could offer them was vengeance—if the opportunity ever arose.
Jack, one hand on the wheel and eyes narrowed toward the horizon, responded casually as he closed the compass and tucked it away.
"The trip's been a lot smoother than I expected. Actually, this is probably the calmest long voyage I've ever had. It's impressive."
He admitted, surprising Puss a little. Upon hearing that, the feline couldn't help but think of his talent.
[Lucky Feline (Gold): Level 3]
'Could it be because of that? That talent is so strange... it only acts when it feels like it?' He wondered.
Shaking his head slightly to clear away the distraction, Puss looked at Jack again.
"So, where are we?" He asked, hopping back onto the railing, tired of having to look up just to hold a conversation.
Jack gave him a small, amused smile and looked at Puss with a glint in his eye.
"You didn't catch the hint back there?" He asked with a grin.
'Hint? He means the wreckage? He must be talking about the pirates. Could it be...' Puss thought, his expression turning a bit more serious.
He despised pirates — but deep down, he couldn't deny the slight excitement at the thought of facing them in battle.
"We're already there? That was faster than I expected." Puss said, looking at Jack in surprise — who simply returned a sly smile.
"Welcome to the Caribbean, Yo Ho!" Jack said cheerfully, his eyes fixed on the horizon.