Koke wasted no time as he turned and stooped down to pick up the pirate's dropped cutlass. He raised it high and the pirate's panicked eyes rose to Koke as he caught sight of the upraised blade in the dim light given off by the lantern on the floor. His cry for help was abruptly cut off as the cutlass came down again and again.
Shaking with the release of the nerved up tension that had just been released Koke stepped back from the hacked up corpse on the floor. He laid the cutlass down on a barrel top and removed the protruding jagged piece of bone with a sigh of relief from his rear. He pulled his pants back up and took stock of the situation.
The pirate's cut off scream for help had failed to bring anyone to investigate. Koke reached down and pulled the key ring wet with blood from the pirate's belt. Quickly he went through the rusty keys until he found the one that unlocked his manacles, as they fell free of this chaffed wrists and upsurgent wave of hope flooded into him.
He'd take his chances in the water as opposed to this ship's motley crew of cutthroat undesirables. His foot was on the rung of the ladder that led topside before his consciousness overtook him.
He glanced back to the hold. He couldn't just leave them to the same fate that he'd just narrowly averted himself.
Koke made his way back the way the pirate had brought him quickly. The people stood up with a hopeful murmur at his appearance.
"Shhhh!" Was all he said as he fit the key into the lock.
The rusty bars opened with a squeak and Koke turned back the way he had come as the others followed along in silence after him. Cautiously he made his way up the ladder.
The ladder went past another interior deck that was full of pirates. They were all snoring away in a drunken stupor, at least Koke hoped so as one by one the fearful people made their way up past the intervening deck.
Koke eased up onto the main deck and quickly glanced around. Pirates were slumped here and there all along the ship's deck, but none appeared to be conscious. He stood up and walked confidently over to the ship's railing as if he belonged to the scene and wasn't a captive in the process of leading an escape attempt.
The others quickly joined him somewhat less confidently as they peered around at the sleeping pirates in fear. Koke motioned to the tied off rowboat and started helping the others into it. He and another man undid the ropes to either side that led up to the winches.