Prologue

It was an ordinary day in the territory of Nassau. A petite cranberry-haired girl rouses her sister, June, with a sense of urgency. The sun has yet to rise, providing the perfect opportunity to pilfer scraps from the ships setting sail. But the girls are not alone. Alongside them, countless destitute children of sailors and prostitutes partake in the same survival ritual.

After a successful heist, the girls sit on some branches by the shore to savor the fruits of their labor. 

June and Mei take pride in regaling each other with tales of their father, the infamous pirate Red beard. 

They dream of joining his crew one day. However, in Nassau, survival isn't easy. In a moment of distraction, a boy tries to snatch Mei's bread. As the oldest sibling and Mei's only family, June swiftly strikes the boy on the head with her stick.

A crimson-clad elderly woman, heavily adorned with makeup and a scowl, approaches the girls. 

"Julie, you can't behave so uncouthly! Can't you see they are just as wretched as you?" she chides.

"Like me?!" questions June, her head held high with pride. "Do you know who my father is? One day, you will bow at my feet, everyone will!" she proclaims.

"And I suggest you leave my sister alone from now on!" adds the slender-framed redhead, shouting after the fleeing boy on the beach.

"June, my dear, I have seen many men, and I will tell you this!" interrupts the old lady, continuing her disapproving approach.

With your attitude, I can assure you of one thing - one day you may hold the title of captain, little June,but in this day you will witness your ships sinking, your men betraying you, and all that you hold dear will be lost at the bottom of the vast ocean.

The higher you climb, the harder you fall, as they say.

Of course, June was not really attentive to these words; after all, she was only seven years old with a lot to keep her busy. Mei, struggling to keep up with June, apologized to the lady and they both disappeared into the mist that shrouded that morning on Narsal Island.

Their stroll began at the "Dead Man's Bar," a notorious establishment in Nassau where unconscious drunks often slept outside, easy targets for pickpockets. Later, the second bar closed early, leaving no drunken men outside, but it was still a good spot to catch up on news and hear stories from old "retired" pirates.

"Most of them have lost at least one bodily member," June added, and that's why she referred to it as the "One-Member Bar."

By noon, if they were lucky, they could make it to the butcher's shop first and earn some work that was paid for with leftover meat. However, if luck was not on their side, they would have to go hunting for wild animals, which wouldn't be a problem if June didn't have to take her four-year-old sister Mei along. Unfortunately, Mei was frail and weak, making it essential for June to be the first to reach the butcher's shop.

In the afternoon, they would have to visit the brothel where they resided to clean up. Only then would they have a roof over their heads.

And at night, they slept in the barn behind the house, ready to do it all over again the next day