Davina Jones was shocked.
Her eyes widened. Her heart pounded. Her breath caught in her throat. The hand that had grabbed her was warm, firm, and unexpected. The voice that had spoken was smooth, confident, and strange. She opened her mouth to scream.
But then a chilling reminder came to her immediately.
If I scream here... She looked at the navy ships surrounding her, at the monsters rising from the sea, at the chaos that stretched to every horizon. ...then it's over.
Her body tensed. Her mind raced. Her survival instincts kicked in.
All my abilities are on a cool down. She felt the emptiness inside her the absence of the power that had once flowed through her veins. I can't do anything. I'm weak. I can't defend myself.
She glanced at the figure beside her the man who had grabbed her, the stranger who had appeared from nowhere.
But this figure what does he want with me? All of a sudden?
She turned her head.
And then she was able to see the face of the man.
On his face was a black X. It was so big, so stark, so permanent, that it looked like he was a criminal who had been sentenced a mark of shame, of judgment, of exile. It stretched across his cheeks, crossed his nose, and covered his forehead. It was not a tattoo. It was something more.
He smiled.
"Hello, princess of the sea." His voice was warm, almost affectionate. "I am the banished one."
He paused.
"I was kicked out of your father's kingdom at the bottom, sent to the top, and given one task and one task alone."
He met her eyes.
"To retrieve his daughter." He paused. "And bring her into the hands of her father."
His voice hardened.
"So that when the King of the Sea begins to make his move..." He paused. "...his most beloved will not be harmed."
Darlington heard all this and derived information from it.
His mind that brilliant, calculating engine worked quickly, efficiently, hungrily. He processed the words, the implications, the opportunities.
First, he thought, his inner voice sharp with understanding, he now knows the location of Davey Jones. Davey Jones is at the bottom of the Infinite Sea.
His eyes narrowed.
And now he knows why the navy has been targeting Davina Jones. It's to hold him down.
He leaned back, a slow smile spreading across his face.
It seems Davey Jones is a man that still has a lot of emotional attachment. He chuckled. One that he cannot get rid of easily.
The British navy knows this. His smile widened. That's why they sent so much force here. They're not really concerned with the other pirates.
He looked at the battlefield at the ships, at the monsters, at the chaos that stretched to every horizon.
Which means... His voice dropped. ...this Infinite Sea is a battleground between two major forces. Davey Jones and the British navy.
He laughed.
"HAHAHA!"
Then he spoke to Gareth, his voice sharp and absolute.
"I have a plan." He paused. "Forget about that girl that I mentioned the other time."
His voice hardened.
"Dedicate yourself to the role of the Black Knight."
He smiled.
"I want to watch something really interesting unfold."
His face was filled with the purest of delight.
Davina Jones, after hearing all that the man with the black X on his face had to say, made a smile.
Tears poured out from her eyes as she spoke, her voice cracking with emotion.
"He's looking for me." She touched her chest over her heart. "Dad hasn't forgotten me."
She paused.
"But why?" Her voice hardened. "Why is it now now of all times?"
She looked at the man, her eyes burning with a mixture of pain and anger.
"He left mother to die." Her voice cracked. "I suffered while I was in the world of the living."
She shook her head.
"So what sense does it make?" She laughed a short, bitter, broken sound. "Why does he suddenly care about his daughter?"
She wiped her tears.
"HAHA."
"I don't know what to feel." Her voice was soft, almost childlike. "I'm overwhelmed with happiness. Finally, I'll meet my father."
She paused.
"But then I'm sad." Her voice dropped. "Because it's happening now. I just lost a family that I created."
She laughed again.
"Why does this news have to come now?" She shook her head. "It would have been fantastic if it had come before."
She paused, her voice darkening.
"And then there's this anger within my heart." She touched her chest again. "It feels hot. I feel like I could even rip out my own flesh to eat."
She looked at the man.
"I want to confirm all these emotions."
She turned to the man with the painted X on his face and spoke.
"So how do you plan on taking me to my father?" She gestured at the ships surrounding them. "We are surrounded by British navy ships, and more will probably come."
She paused.
"Not only that, but the monsters will continue to increase." She looked at him. "Even if you are saying the truth, it's impossible for us to leave here alive."
The man laughed.
"HAHAHA!"
"Girl," he said, his voice warm, almost affectionate. "For the daughter of the King of the Sea, you truly do not have faith at all. You should it's really good."
He leaned closer.
"Do you think that I would say something like this using the Davey name without any insurance?" He paused. "HAHAHA. "
He straightened.
"I have multiple insurance set in place." His voice hardened. "Today, the battles that have occurred on the Infinite Sea before this conversation took place will be child's play to what will transpire soon."
He smiled.
"Starting with the first trap that I have sprung into action."
He looked at her.
"Tell me, Davina Jones you're more of a sailor than I was all my life." He paused. "Have you encountered enemies who hide in the darkness of the sea and shoot arrows?"
Davina's face showed fear.
Almost every pirate at one time of their life had encountered them the sea snipers. Similar to pirates, they operated on their own, but were more or less assassins of the sea.
Darlington smiled.
"I knew this would be interesting." His voice was soft, almost reverent. "It's nice to have another chess player on the board."