"Thanks, but I really shouldn't," Breaker said, thinking of the last time he imbibed while aboard a ship. He doubted that the Peregrine contained enough alcohol to get him blackout drunk, but even so he wanted to stay away from the habit. The Deadman's Trove on the other hand, valued only one thing over treasure, and that was drink. Josh glared across the waves at the pirate ship. As the Peregrine's crew piled on fresh sail she began to catch the Trove, cutting the water like a sharp knife through silk. Before long the lead vessel jibed, turning with the wind, lining up for another broadside.

"If you can get me in front of them," Josh called over the whistling wind, "I'll swim over and board their ship." Cain nodded and bellowed a fresh string of orders to his crew. Rather than challenge the Trove broadside for broadside, the Peregrine swooped around windward to cut the other vessel off. Cannon fire roared from the Trove but many of the shots missed the angled corvette. Heavy splashes echoed all around as the Peregrine came about, gaining a short lead.

"Keep them engaged as long as you can!" Breaker said to Cain as a heavy wave broke over the bulwark, "I'll see what I can do to stop them blowing holes in your boat!" With that he vaulted over the railing and slipped beneath the waves. He swam beneath the Peregrine and then surfaced, coughing and sputtering as a swell rose over his head. As the Deadman's Trove bore down on him, a small iceberg formed in the water next to Josh. He rested his hands on it as it grew to the size of a small horse, and clambered on top of it as the pirate ship drew nearer. The Trove's lookout saw the strange iceberg and called a warning, but too late. As the pirate ship passed him by Josh leaped and grasped its gunwale, clinging to the side of the boat like a barnacle.

"We're bein' boarded!" Roared a nearby pirate. Both of the tattooed man's hands were occupied pulling on a long rope, so he took a sideways step and kicked out as Breaker swung over the bulwark. Josh caught the kick and twisted the pirate's leg powerfully, dislocating the ankle. The corsair cried out and fell to his knees, maintaining his grip on the rope as if his life depended on it.

Josh left him there and stalked toward the mainmast. The pirates were operating with a skeleton crew and for the most part, could not afford to leave their positions to challenge him. He padded past the mainmast and gained the quarterdeck just as a pair of pirates burst up from below, their cutlasses flashing in the sunlight. Breaker slid past the first stab and gained control of the buccaneer's arm, countering his crew mate's slash with the short blade. He shoved the second pirate powerfully into the mainmast. The man's head hit the thick pole and he fell to the deck and lay still. Breaker disarmed the other swordsman with a flick of his wrist and applied painful pressure to the pirate's ensnared limb.

"Where's Marigold the Freebooter?" He demanded, "where's your first mate?"

"Yeeeargh, yore breakin' me arm!" The pirate cried, "ack, he's below, below manning the guns!" Josh pivoted and tossed the pirate over his hip, slamming the man to the deck hard enough to stun him. He turned toward the stairs leading down in time to see the captain of the Trove leveling a pistol at his chest.

"What're yew doin' on my ship?"