Ned looked down at the demoness and then glanced around the deck, she was right the boatswain had vanished from sight. Ned frowned at his crushed wheel, now how was he supposed to act busy now, or steer the ship? Ned looked up as he heard his demoness speak.<br/><br/>"No, captain I think you're the one who has forgotten to finish discussing plans with the boatswain." Her hand tipped the straw hat gently in his direction.<br/><br/>"Oh, and I am indeed sobering up. So if you wish to involve me feel free. Another matter is where has our boatswain taken off to?"<br/><br/>"I'm a captain, captains don't have to finish con..." Ned stopped talking and shifted his eyes back and forth the sound of rushing water building up behind him. Turning around Ned stopped staring wide eyed as he looked upon a giant maelstrom. After a few seconds Ned realized they were on the very edge of the maelstrom and slowly moving backwards towards it. Calmly turning back towards his crushed wheel and his demoness Ned cleared his throat and picked up two broken remnants of his steering wheel gripping them firmly with both his hands. At least he didn't have to hear the boisterous voice of the haughty grinning crow.<br/><br/>"Well... you don't see that every day. Okay men, first someone get me some rum. Second, someone get my wheel fixed. Third, I have decided that we will be turning around. Hop to it." Ned yelled loudly at his crew throwing the pieces of the wheel to the ground and looking at his demoness.<br/><br/>"Well looks like where in for some fun. Aren't you happy you get a front row seat?" Grinning Ned looked back at the voracious maelstrom, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.<br/><br/>After a few moments Ned watched casually as a few men lengthened the tiller ropes handing the ends to him. Looking around Ned held the one of the ropes in either hand and grinned widely as he pulled them taut. Yanking them to the left Ned looked around gleefully as the ship slowly started turning towards the right. Looking out over the ships deck Ned gripped the ropes tighter.<br/><br/>"Time to giddy-up!" Ned pulled to the left harder the ship responding in kind and turning towards the right even faster. The sound of the maelstrom began to grow louder as they moved into the swirling current the ship picking up speed as the strong waters pulled greedily at the ship. The roaring waters grew to deafening noise as the ship broke into the top of the maelstrom. As the bow of the ship broke into the maelstrom Ned pulled the ship reins hard to the right aligning the front of the ship so it was moving with the current.<br/><br/>"Whoo! Demoness can you believe are luck getting to ride a whirlpool." Ned's words were lost in the thunderous noise drowning it out so quickly he was barely even able to hear himself. As the ship picked up speed the ropes began to tug at him as the tiller tried to go its own way. Ned began leaning to the left pulling against the reins with his body weight as the ship tried to move deeper into the whirlpool. Ned began breathing heavily as the he struggled to keep the ship steady and on course. The faster the ship moved the harder it shook making it hard for Ned to keep his balance and steer at the same time. As they began to come up on the opposite side of the whirlpool Ned pulled even harder to the right aiming the ship so it would burst out of the maelstrom just passed the ship next to the ship on the gray blob.<br/><br/>Ned whooped with joy as the ship blew out of the current seemingly floating for a second before it crashed back into the water. Suddenly the roaring of the maelstrom faded away the absence of the deafening torrent leaving an eerie silence to hang over the battered Whop Molly. Ned looked around slightly confused more for the absence of rum in his hand then the foreboding silence. Slowly the sounds of bubbling water began to push past the quite Ned looking around in confusion trying to figure out the new noise. Ned noticed they were in the middle of a patch of foaming, boiling water. Turning his attention back to his crew Ned smiled grandly raising his hands.<br/><br/>"Well crew, and demoness, thanks to my brave feats of ship wrangling I have saved us all from the maelstrom that was sure to tear us apart and end us in a watery grave. Be happy now we are safe. I'm sure the boiling water is nothing to worry about." As if waiting for his cue a geyser erupted upwards around the Whop Molly swallowing it whole in a swirl of white frothy salt water. Francine still making her way around the maelstrom wailed in despair as the Whop Molly faded from view leaving only a large pillar of angry water raging upwards ten stories into the sky. Francine began swimming faster making her way as close to the pillar as she could stopping a few feet away letting out another wail of despair.<br/><br/>"YeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaw!" Ned yelled with excitement as the Whop Molly burst out of the geyser, the sails pulled across the top of the ship horizontally letting it float nine stories above the water. Letting go of the ship's reins Ned walked to the side of the ship careful not to fall over where the railing was destroyed. Leaning his head over the side Ned kicked a piece of debris over the edge of the ship and watched as it plunged straight down hitting one of the crew of the rotting whale floating two stories below the Molly Whop. Running over to broken wheel Ned gathered up an armful of debris and ran back over to the edge a wide smile plastered on his face. Looking over the side of the ship again Ned took a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs.<br/><br/>"Hey Rotter! Yeah, you!" Ned had no idea who Rotter was but he felt he should keep up appearance, the upper hand also had to be the better looking hand.<br/><br/>"I'm giving you one chance to surrender before we rain broken pieces of my ship down on you." Ned immediately turned back to his crew and lifted up a piece of the broken wheel.<br/><br/>"Come on men throw crap at them... Empty rum bottles, empty rum caskets, empty rum barrels! Lets hit 'em!" Ned started pelting the Rotsman with pieces of wood while laughing maniacally as the stunned crew began to stir, some raising half hearted cheers unsure what was going on. As they realized the Flying Rotsman's normal advantage had flipped they began to cheer more happily as they ran about gathering anything heavy and no essential they could to say they attacked the Rotsman.<br/><br/>"How does it feel to be hit from the sky?! Rotter, I have grown tired of you, so give me your ship and we will let you go!" Ned shouted in between throwing things down at the Rotsman still not sure who Rotter actually was.