The Patronized Pirate was always doubting himself, for his crew was constantly patronizing him. His crew would always exclude him from doing chores around the ship and look down on him because they thought he was incapable of doing tasks correctly. For instance, when he was sweeping the deck, his crew began making fun of his sweeping technique. One morning, the Patronized Pirate was walking towards his crew’s cabins to wake them up. When he got there, an enormous rhinoceros jumped in front of him. The rhino, an all-around adversary of the captain, was well known for his attempts to make the Patronized Pirate look bad in order to take over his position. When the rhino jumped in front of him, the Patronized Pirate yelped. In response, the rhino rudely commented, “Wow, some captain you are!” The Patronized Pirate cowered, but did not run away like he usually did. Instead, he tried to act confident. In his deepest voice, he announced, “Normally, I would make you get out of my way, but today I would like to have a word with you. And if our conversation does not end well, you will need to walk the plank!” The rhinoceros started laughing, for he knew the Patronized Pirate was not as tough as he was trying to seem. However, he thought it would be fun to play along with the captain’s change in attitude, so he followed the Patronized Pirate back to the stern. 

They walked side by side, not saying a word to each other until they entered his office. In order to continue his tough act, the Patronized Pirate decided to reprimand the rhino for his actions. “You need to stop getting involved in plights with other crew members on the ship. Every time there is trouble, you’re always the center of the problem. It is not ok that the crew and I have to deal with your shenanigans,” remarked the captain with his voice quivering. The rhino erupted in outrage, “I cannot believe that I get blamed for things I do not do! It is completely unfair!” The Patronized Pirate grew nervous at the rhino’s remarks. He knew he couldn’t remain confident for much longer, so as his last resort he told the rhino to walk the plank. The rhino was surprised by his comment but walked toward the plank to avoid further trouble. Though the rhino was trying to not act it, the Patronized Pirate could see that he was nervous. Before the rhino reached the end of the plank, the Patronized Pirate exclaimed, “If you stop being disrespectful to everyone around you, you do not have to walk the plank!” The rhinoceros looked relieved, nodded his head in agreement, and sprinted off of the plank. “However, I have one condition,” the Patronized Pirate continued. The rhinoceros looked as if he wanted to protest, but did not say a word. The Patronized Pirate declared, “I think that it would be best for you to take an interim job sweeping the deck. Through this temporary position, you will learn how to be a helpful and kinder person.” Because the rhino wanted to rectify and correct the problems he had caused, he decided to take the temporary job. 

About two months later, the rhinoceros was known as the friendliest person on the ship, for the Patronized Pirate’s words really affected him. He realized that when he is nicer to others, he gains more respect. He also realized that the Patronized Pirate and the other crew members were kinder to him when he wasn’t as involved in trouble. As for the Patronized Pirate, standing up to the rhino made him determined to become a better captain by keeping peace among the crew members. His determination helped him take action by being the mediator in arguments to keep the crew’s relationships happy. Overall, his newfound determination and persistence helped him become a better captain to his ship. His crew decided that with his change, he needed a new name to suit his personality. He will now be forever remembered as the Tenacious Pirate.

The End