Zelda gradually learns to navigate her uncertain status as something both human and not, communicating across languages, cultures, and fear. Through daily labor, gun drills, and the patient instruction of crew members—especially Sancho—she learns English and the mastery of the ship's guns, becoming a trusted gun captain. Her striped appearance and ferocity become a deliberate tool in boarding actions. Reading Arabic stories and sharing them aloud in English, even when halting, helps her learn the language and form bonds with the crew, until the ship becomes her home and the pirates her uneasy family. By the chapter’s end, Zelda is no longer merely surviving captivity but shaping her role, finding a place to fit.