The entire crew was now gathered in front of Puss, Jack, and Tornado, huddled together in fear, staring at Puss standing there.
Puss looked at Jack, who seemed excited.
"Can you make them work?" He asked indifferently, his paw lazily resting on the hilt of his sword.
"Of course, of course, don't worry," Jack said, narrowing his eyes at the pirates standing there, awaiting their fate, secretly excited.
Puss nodded and looked at the pirates.
"I don't like criminals, and pirates can be considered some of the worst kind. So, this man here by my side, Jack Sparrow, just saved your lives. But I give you only one chance. Disappoint me, and next time you'll be floating corpses in the sea," He said flatly, not waiting for a response as he walked off to find somewhere to lie down.
Even though he wanted to establish Jack's authority, he wasn't bluffing with his threat.
Having been accused and treated like a criminal when he had done nothing wrong had made Puss more closed off and indifferent.
With his darker mindset, killing was no longer such a repulsive option. At least not when it came to these criminals, who were likely soaked in sin.
He was already a wanted outlaw, not the gallant hero he once imagined he'd become. So he wouldn't care anymore if his sword struck a little harder next time.
'Maybe I wasn't meant to be someone who leads and brings hope even in the darkest times… from now on, I'll just live my life for myself, and the way I want.'
…
In Del Mar, there was a luxurious and richly decorated mansion perched on top of the mountain.
It was the richest place in Del Mar, and the contrast between the mansion and the rest of the city was stark—after all, most of the city's and the region's gold flowed into that place of opulence and extravagance.
That was the governor's mansion.
The current governor had ruled the city and the surrounding lands for decades, as a representative of the Spanish crown and its interests.
But that man, once full of power and authority, now found himself entering the slow twilight of his years.
At that moment, the governor was in his room, which, though extremely luxurious, seemed gloomy and cold.
He was now an old, sick man, unable to get up, lying in his bed, still trying to look through some documents with effort.
Despite his condition, he didn't seem ready to rest from his duties—or his ambitions.
Knock knock!
The old man slowly raised his eyes from the paper.
"Come in," He said in a hoarse and aged, yet still commanding voice.
The doors opened, and a well-dressed man entered with a letter in hand—the same letter Puss had handed to the guard.
"How did it go? Did everything go as expected?" The old man asked, raising his gaze and coldly eyeing the man who entered.
"Sir, the plan went perfectly. The cat was indeed powerful and perceptive. The man we sent was our best spy, but even then he was noticed on the day of the trap. Thankfully, everything went smoothly after that," The man said with a smile, clearly proud of his role.
"Hmm… the cat's instincts were strong. But if we didn't watch him directly, he wouldn't notice," The old man nodded, fully aware of the matter—after all, it was his plan.
"Yes, sir. Your idea of not watching him directly and risking being noticed, but instead gathering news indirectly from those who interacted with him, was splendid."
The man complimented flatteringly, then continued with a grin.
"In fact, everything you did was a masterstroke. You cornered the cat until he fled Spain on his own. And who would've thought he'd find a pirate to help him escape? After all, he's not as heroic and righteous as we thought. Now we can even spread word that he's joined piracy, and no one will question it. Everyone saw it. Brilliant!" The man laughed gleefully.
The governor couldn't hold back a malicious smile at his successful plan either.
But then his gaze grew colder, and his face darkened as he remembered his own situation.
"I don't have much time left. My foolish son will soon have to take my place, and if that threat wasn't neutralized, it could have endangered him—and the crown. He has only himself to blame, being not only powerful and intelligent, but also the founder of a large and influential company that's growing at an alarming pace. For the sake of my loyalty to the crown and my son's future, that threat had to be eliminated. And since we couldn't be certain we could kill him, we had to strike at his reputation," He said grimly.
"And once again, you were right. He really did kill that toad. You thought of everything. If he hadn't killed the toad and died with him, that would have been fine. If he lost and fled, his reputation would be in ruins, and even at the cost of a city, it would have been worth it. In the end, it was the best of both worlds—only a few useless peasants died, and we rid ourselves of the threat with minimal damage," The man said, not just brown-nosing, but genuinely admiring the governor's analytical mind.
The truth, in the end, was that the governor had sensed a threat in the powerful influence, strength, and capital that Puss was developing in such a short amount of time, despite being so young. He feared a possible revolt—or even an attempt at usurpation.
So he devised a plan to take him out of the game.
"Sir, before leaving with the pirate, he left a letter," The man suddenly remembered and quickly handed the letter to the governor.
But the governor raised his hand and stopped him.
"My eyes can no longer help me. Open it and read it to me," He said, shaking his head slowly.
"Oh, okay!" The man quickly nodded and opened the letter.
"Ahem!" The man coughed into his fist and began to read.
"Governor. Someone powerful and influential, whom I can only assume to be a nobleman like yourself, has been attacking my reputation through traps and rumors. I fear they might now target my city and my fellow countrymen since I've left, so I'm entrusting you with a mission…" The man read up to that point and stopped, his expression growing stern.
At first, he had been smiling as he read, expecting the cat to beg for help and forgiveness. But as the letter went on, he found no such thing—only an arrogant tone, as if addressing a subordinate.
"Continue," The governor said with a dark frown, ordering him coldly.
The man nodded and kept reading.
"...so I'm entrusting you with a mission. You must protect my countrymen, because if any harm comes to them, I will hunt you down, your family, your acquaintances, the royal family, and every noble and influential person in Spain. Don't take my words as a joke. I do what I promise. If anything happens, I won't rest until I find the one responsible and make them bleed and regret ever existing…"
The man's breathing began to quicken.
"This is treason! But… he's really strong…" He said, now frightened—after all, he had been involved and knew well Puss's history of strength.
The governor's expression grew solemn as well.
They knew the cat was no ordinary creature. The toad he had defeated was a monster so fearsome that even the powerful royal family of the previous dynasty—over two hundred years ago—had failed to subdue it with an entire army. Although the toad slowly faded into legend during its long slumber and was nearly forgotten by most, the nobles still held clear records of its existence.
Of course, they didn't believe Puss could defeat a whole army either—he wasn't a giant like the toad—but it was still proof of his strength. And although he couldn't defeat an army, that didn't mean an army could defeat him either. He could always escape, hide.
Besides, he didn't need to break through an army to attack them. He only needed to be stealthy, striking when they least expected it.
So the governor took the consequences of attacking San Ricardo very seriously.
"Is that the end?" He asked the man sternly.
"Not yet. Let me see… entrusting with a mission… make them bleed… Ah! Here!"
The man quickly scanned the letter, his finger running across the page until he found the place he'd left off.
"He continues with: Maybe everything I said so far sounds like an empty threat to you, so let me give you a real one. They say I lured the toad to attack San Riqueza just to pretend to be a hero, so what do you say I do the same with Del Mar and bring in T-The Sleeping Giant for a little show? But this time, maybe, I won't be so eager to play the h-hero."
The moment he spoke the name of the monster that lived near the city, the man began to tremble, falling into sheer panic.
The governor wasn't any better. He clutched his chest, gasping, his eyes wide with terror at the threat, growing terribly agitated.
"Cough! Cough! Esteban!" The old man, sweating, coughing, and short of breath, called out—finally revealing the man's name.
The monster near Del Mar was even more powerful than the toad, and the governor's worst nightmare—and the nightmare of the city's residents—was the possibility of it awakening. This time, Puss's message had truly thrown them into panic.
"Governor!" Esteban froze upon being called and saw the sweating, breathless man summoning him, panicking.
He rushed to his side and said anxiously:
"Sir! Hang in there! I'll call a doctor!" He said and prepared to leave, but a hand gripped his arm tightly.
"No! I… I don't think I have much time left... Huff! Huff! Esteban, call off all actions against his egg friend, the Comandante's cousin, and that town," The old man said with effort, referring to Humpty and San Ricardo. He continued:
"Huff... He was our main concern. Now, with word that he's joined the pirates, it'll be hard for him to defend himself or clear his name. He's probably out of the game. But even if he's not, it doesn't matter. Don't make another move against him — he's far more dangerous and cunning than we anticipated... Huff... He might already suspect us! Forget everything that happened... and get rid... of anyone who knows too much..."
Struggling, he managed to get his last cruel words out before his eyes lost their light and the hand gripping Esteban's arm fell limp.
"HEEELP!"
With Esteban's desperate scream, the governor's death echoed like thunder through the region.
At 67 years old, he was declared dead—victim of a heart attack.
Aside from his family, the crown, and a few nobles, no one would miss him.
Least of all the common folk, who despised him.
If Puss ever heard of this event, he would probably just be stunned that they already knew the term heart attack back then.