Exposed on an open deck, the cage offered scant protection from the elements and Jack and his friends were forced to sit in the full glare of the sun. Although Captain Kurogumo had promised food and water, he still hadn’t provided them with either. And Jack didn’t hold out much hope he ever would. The pirates held little concern for the well-being of their captives.

Jack had to be grateful for small blessings, though. From their conversation with the captain, it seemed he was unaware of Jack’s reputation or the bounty on his head.

‘So who’s Tatsumaki?’ asked Jack, his mouth parched.

‘Or what?’ corrected Yori. ‘The word means “tornado”.’

‘Perhaps the captain’s going to set us adrift in the middle of a storm,’ suggested Saburo, who looked faint from hunger. ‘And let fate decide our lives.’

‘Then we might have a chance,’ said Jack. ‘I’ve survived countless tempests at sea.’

The Korean slave was cackling again.

‘Tatsumaki comes out of nowhere … creates havoc … then …’ His gnarled fingers exploded outwards. ‘… disappears into nothingness.’

His wild eyes stared at the young warriors with amused pity. ‘All that remains is chaos and desolation. For you to pin your hopes on Tatsumaki is like putting your head inside a hungry lion’s mouth!’

The Korean slave laughed, then broke into a coughing fit. His skeletal body shuddered with the effort. Jack, along with the others, began to feel an overwhelming sense of despair at their situation. Glancing round at the despondent expressions of the other prisoners, it seemed inevitable that death would be their only way out.

The cage door opened and the pirate boy appeared with a jug of water.

‘Compliments of the captain,’ he said, setting it down next to Jack.

The boy retreated and the gate was closed.

Jack snatched up the water but, seeing Yori lick his dry lips in anticipation, offered the jug to his friend first.

‘No, after you,’ insisted Yori.

Jack lifted the brimming jug to his lips and took a huge welcome gulp. Almost at once, he gagged violently.

‘It’s seawater!’ he rasped, spitting and hacking up bile.

The sound of hearty laughter reached their ears. Skullface and his gang were lounging beside the main mast, clapping each other on the back at their prank.

‘How’s the water, fishface?’ jeered Snakehead, his tattoo of the two-headed serpent stretched out along his gangly legs upon the deck.

Jack vomited, expelling the last of the salt water. The pirate gang roared even louder.

‘That trick never fails on new prisoners,’ grinned Skullface.

Wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, Jack glared at the ninja pirate. ‘Tastes better than you look!’

The other pirates stopped laughing and uttered an exaggerated cry of shock.

Skullface took the insult more seriously. Seizing a wooden club, he strode over to the cage. ‘You need some respect beaten into you, gaijin.’