Leon Scott Kennedy held the proud title of captain of his ship, which he had commanded for many years. His crew could hardly be called pirates, but nothing good could be expected from them either.

Leon was stern and unyielding. The entire crew knew better than to argue with the captain: if he had decided on something, he would see it through to the end.

He was also indifferent to women's charms. No matter how much the navigator tried to persuade him to go on at least one date, the captain invariably refused.

He was completely busy. Leon loved the open ocean and the feeling of freedom. He took relationships seriously and couldn't flirt with a woman just for one night and then sail off into the sunset.

The catch had been small that day. They had sailed quite far from the islands, and ships rarely traveled this route. However, they did manage to spot one.

Surprisingly, it was a fairly large and obviously wealthy ship. A girl, clearly the daughter of some influential man, stood on the deck, gazing into the distance. Kennedy and the crew waited until nightfall to execute the plan that had formed in the captain's mind almost immediately.

The girl came on deck almost every hour, which made the task considerably easier. Several nimble sailors managed to sneak onto the ship and kidnap her. Leon was convinced the captive would fetch an insane amount of pesos. Kennedy had long wanted to refinish the hold's planking.

The ship was lit by warm lanterns and candles. Leon was holding one in his hand when the girl was brought to the deck and bound. She wore an expensive dress with an equally expensive corset, adorned with trinkets from distant islands.

Leon delegated the rest of the work to the crew, while he remained standing next to the captive. She tried to break free from the ropes with which she was bound, but Leon only rolled his eyes and snorted in irritation.

"Calm down already. No one's going to release you until I get your ransom. So sit still, or your terribly well-groomed little face might get hurt."