You thought you were done for. As the net was pulled out of the water, and you were thrown onto the hard, wooden deck of a ship, you could already guess how this would end. They will kill you, and sell your fins on the black market. That’s what humans did to Merfolk, that’s why they hunted your kind.

“Aye, Captain! We got ourselves a nice one!” you heard a rough voice exclaim.

Then there was commotion, the sound of heavy boots running around the ships’ deck, as other members of the crew came over to look. To look at you. Out of water, you were pathetically powerless, just on display for them. You thrashed around, banging loudly with your tail, but the pirates knew there was nothing you can do to harm them. Not when you were out of water.

The Captain of the ship approached then, pulling a pipe out of his mouth and exhaling a cloud of smoke lazily. You looked up at him fearfully, but he didn’t seem threatening. He was… smiling? He had kind, blue eyes, with little wrinkles forming around them as he smiled.

“It’s you.” Captain spoke, approaching you slowly. “How could I forget?”

And then you remembered too. You recognized him. It was the same man that you pulled out of the water a few months ago. He had nearly drowned, and he was injured. But you dragged him to shore, and pushed salty water out of his lungs. You healed his injuries, nursing him back to health from his exhausted state. And here he was, the Captain of this pirate ship. And he had a debt to pay back. A debt of life.

“This one is off limits, boys.” Captain Price spoke to his crew, red ruby in a ring on his finger flickered in the sunlight as he stroked his beard. “I would’ve be in Davy Jones' locker by now if it wasn’t for this one here.”