Captain Roseus first approached Blodwen the Green, who had now recovered from his extensive use of his powers, but was still resting beneath the deck.

The man had his head resting against a crate as he drank ale from a mug.

As he spotted Roseus, his eyes drifted over to him.

"How you feeling, Captain?"

It still felt weird being called captain by a man who was so much more powerful than him.

Blodwen held out the mug for Roseus to take a swig from. He did, despite having already drunk his fill earlier.

"Not too bad. I didn’t suffer any injuries during the battle... At least not physically."

Blodwen took the mug back and nodded his head. He knew what the captain was insinuating.

"You don’t get to see such a sight every day. It’s bound to leave a mental scar."

Roseus felt sweat beading down his forehead just from the thought of it.

It certainly did...

"But... You did well. You stepped up when most men wouldn’t. To me, that is the making of a good captain. My only advice would be to cherish your life more. If you die, this whole crew falls apart."

Roseus acknowledged the man’s words.

It wasn’t that he didn’t love his life. In fact, it was the opposite. He loved his life so much that he was willing to do anything to keep it.

Afterwards, he found the chance to ask the question that had been on his mind. He explained the changes in his system, as well as the fact that he had kept the power given to him by Nammon.

As Blodwen heard this, his brows furrowed.

"As I said before, my knowledge of the gods is lacking. I’ve never been involved with them, and for as long as I knew the Redeye Pirates, they weren’t either. However, it feels wrong to keep the powers after a pact is broken. Everyone has always assumed that you can only hold the powers of one god at a time. Perhaps the power will fade away after a certain time, or become cursed," Blodwen explained.

Those final guesses made sense. After all, Blodwen had explained it well... keeping those powers felt wrong.

Still, he wouldn’t complain.

Roseus had a few more matters he wished to discuss with Blodwen, but the man seemed tired, so he let him rest again.

However, before he left, he told the man that he wished to make him his Second Mate.

...

Back on the upper deck, Roseus found Dawn standing by the railing, drinking a mug of milk. She had never been fond of alcohol.

Her blonde hair was tied into a high bun, and she now had a makeshift eye patch covering her missing eye. It was made from green vines and leaves.

As she felt Roseus join her by the railing, she tried to smile, but found she couldn’t.

It seemed that she too was being affected by the previous events.

"It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?" Roseus said, to which Dawn nodded and sighed.

"I knew what we were getting into. I swear I thought I was prepared for it... but when stuff got serious, I cowered away beneath the deck like everyone else. As First Mate, I should’ve been up there with you and Blodwen, risking my life..."

Her voice trailed off as she continued staring out into the blue seas.

She couldn’t help but feel helpless after the night’s events.

Roseus placed a hand on her shoulder, and he felt her body slightly jolt beneath his touch. He hoped it wasn’t as a result of trauma.

Afterwards, she sighed and leaned into him slightly.

"We are barely a few weeks into our journey, Dawn. Opportunities will arise where you can play your part. And besides, wasn’t Kruger down there with you too? He’s the oldest of us all, except for Blodwen, and even he was scared shitless."

A slight smile crept onto Dawn’s face.

"You’re right... but still, I promise to play my part, Rose. I won’t continue to let you down."

"Don’t worry, you haven’t let me down at all."

...

After his conversation with Dawn, Roseus had one more person he wished to personally speak to, and she was by the quarterdeck, sitting dangerously on the railing with her legs dangling over the ocean.

It was Lavender, with the buttons of her shirt undone, catching the cool breeze. Her long purple hair blew behind her.

Roseus didn’t stand too close to her, and although she heard him approach, she didn’t turn to face him. She still wore that sad look on her face, but more importantly, she was ashamed of herself. Ashamed that she had kept such a secret from her crew.

She had expected to be reprimanded soon, and wouldn’t be surprised if she was made to walk the plank, like the tales spoke of.

"I’m sorry we couldn’t save your sister."

The captain’s words caught her by surprise. Why was he apologising to her when she was in the wrong?

Lavender remained facing towards the sea.

"It’s okay. Lyna is strong. After seeing that... thing, I abandoned the thought of saving her. I have to trust that she can look after herself."

It was the most he had heard her talk since that day.

Her words hung in the air for a few moments before Roseus broke the silence again.

"And I thank you for helping me back there. Without you, I would have lost myself... But next time, don’t hide these things from me."

Lavender’s heart lurched in her chest. Here it was: the reprimanding.

"Whatever your relationship is with the Orthodox Gods, I will ignore it, so long as they continue to help us. I won’t pry into your personal business, but if we are to be a crew, transparency is needed."

Roseus didn’t say anything else to her, and instead headed back towards the deck, giving her time to think about it. He was sure that with time, she would soon open up to him and the crew. A lot was happening in her mind at the moment, and he acknowledged that.

Finally, the captain made his way back to the deck and called everybody together. They shared any necessary information about their systems with one another, and then they discussed the next part of their journey.

Over the next few days, they would be travelling to the Maze Sea.