Sally Island 28

Fleming has been on his job as assigned, looking out for any strange thing possibly on sight. He noticed something from a distance and wanted to report to Mudshark instantly, although he knew Aisha was about pulling a fast one as she had always wanted to. Fleming had initially noticed Aisha liked Mudshark but he seemed not to want that to happen for reasons best known to him. Aisha had also noticed Fleming was always a step ahead of her each time she went for a shot with Mudshark, she started thinking Fleming liked men. But even if that was the case, she wasn't letting that happen, she swore to give the young lad a beat down once she got the chance to set him straight. But at the moment the situation needed attention and being part of the deck crew, she was involved somehow. Fleming breaking up the tension in the air with his news, asking Mudshark to come up deck where his attention was needed. But he still needed to get the information which was the main aim of coming down to see Aisha. As soon as Aisha told him JohnBull sent Catherine to come distract him, he knew JohnBull had already set sail and was coming for him. No coincidence Fleming saw something. Mudshark was worried about his buccaneers, he wasn't sure if they were ready for what was coming. 

JohnBull had been afraid of Mudshark since their altercation. As Mudshark's legend spread across as 'a certain buccaneer', JohnBull and his cohorts avoided him. But this new confrontation was a new one. Mudshark was a bit shaken, just like when the prey isn't afraid of the predator anymore, you know there is a new vertebrae. Mudshark was never out for revenge against JohnBull, he made peace with whatever they had gone wrong. But being that JohnBull haven't seen him since then, he feared they would be an attack plan on him. And as the famous saying goes 'the best form of defence is attack'. Hence the ship Fleming spotted approaching. And it was getting really close, Mudshark's men weren't ready, but they weren't scared. It's been long they had any excitement on board their ship. Most ships avoided them as soon as they spotted their yellow flag tied at the top of their ship. They yearned for action, as little as they can get. But what was coming wasn't little at all. 

"Get me my long eyes" Mudshark yelled, referring to his binoculars. Captain Blood and his ship sailed too fast towards them to give Mudshark a chance to strategize. It seems JohnBull's plans of distracting Mudshark while he attacked was working. Captain Blood always strategized well, he always planned well and usually carried out his plans effectively. Mudshark knew this and it somewhat slowed him down. But then he remembered he was the nimble force behind JohnBull's triumphs. JohnBull wasn't too confident at wars, he usually goes in with doubts, that's why he planned well before attacks. Mudshark knew he had angry crew members on deck forever ready to wage wars against slavers. Aisha was the top on that list and Mudshark needed her to lead this battle. But she was still down stairs sulking on not being allowed to have her way. "Where is Aisha?" Mudshark yelled "I need her here!". She was still naked below deck as she heard her name being yelled. It gave her joy whenever she was called on like that. It awakens the warrior in her and drives her courage into any battle. Hearing her footsteps from under deck running up was driving the adrenaline in other crew members. They loved being led by her into battle, Aisha was to Mudshark what Mudshark was to JohnBull; a driving force. It was war already as all buccaneers on board the ship drew their swords, Aisha had just her leather jacket on almost naked like she chilled at the beach. Running up, she met Fleming and gave him a huge punch that threw him to the ground. Fleming hadn't been in a fight before, Mudshark thought that was a way of telling him what lies ahead. Within minutes Captain Blood's ship crashed into Mudshark's ship wrecking it, Aisha had been ready for this day, she quick made a swift charge and jumped on the enemies ship as other buccaneers followed her to cause a little wreck. Running through Fleming, he thought he was about loosing his life to Aisha's sword.

Omin on board the slave ship he was hiding in for months now got seen by the slavers on board. He has been uncomfortable with the whole being in a vessel thing, hair all grown beyond normal and dreading in tiny strings. He's been on only fishing boats all his life and this ship adventure wasn't just for him. The smell and bad Odour from the packed slaves down deck got him really sea sick. The Oyibos had noticed there was someone was loose on the ship, let loose watch dogs to sniff him out, Omin kept running from one corner to another on the vessel he didn't know his way around, To a point he had to jump ship. He had forgotten his main aim of coming on the ship, he had hoped to find James but at the moment, his life was paramount and he wasn't even sure of where he was swimming to, in the middle of the large water, he swam long and steady, thanks to the skill he adapted from living on an island. After hours in the freezing water swimming kilometers without a known destination, Omin finally found an island. Happy to have found some kinda land, he walked up to the beach, hearing voices of people talking. He got excited and wanted to walk up to them for help. But on coming closer, he beheld more than he bargained for. Omin had landed on Ugep Island, the natives were cannibals that have a tradition of eating strangers and foreigners. The first thing he witness was such killing. He took off running back to the sea, but on getting to the waters and remembering what he had gone through, he knew that jumping on that slave ship from the onset was a very bad idea. Seeing how stuck he was on Ugep Island, he went back to see why those people were being killed and roasted. 

He got back and watched from the bushes, he watched how they slowly killed their victims and roasted them like animals, cutting out their flesh and eating. Omin noticed it was actually people who looked different from them that they killed. So he started observing how they looked and paid great attention to the details. The Ugep people had patterned tattoos on their skins and straight hairs. Dressed with animal skin appearing almost naked. This was totally different from what they had going on in Sally island. Omin realized this is his new home and to be able to survive here without being eaten, he has to blend in good. He stayed in the bushes till it was dark, good thing he was a kind of guy who was bold and strong minded even in the face of danger, Omin never flinches. He followed some of the men home, sneaking behind him as he went. He wanted to see how they lived, so maybe he could find a boat or something he could paddle out of that island. In Sally island, boats where all over the shores, Omin wondered why the Ugep people didn't have boats on shores. Since he saw no way out, he stayed studying their lifestyle from the bushes for days. From there he learnt how they made their hair sleek and how they tattooed their skins almost every morning. He slowly started adapting and changing his skin and lifestyle to theirs. Hair now sleek and skin tattooed, all that was left now was to learn the language. Because there was no way he could survive in Ugep without being able to communicate with them, and he wasn't going to learn the language from the bushes. From the jungle life Omin lived in Ugep Island, he was able to know movements and take notes of almost everything that happened in the island without being spotted. 

Story: Nnagoziem TheVyrus Udensi 

Illustrations: chevellin Pierre and Joseph Kendy