You leave the cannon and run into the only available space: the back room on the ship you've been instructed never to enter. As the thugs bolt after you, they suddenly collapse to the deck, dead. A figure walks away from the dead thugs, enters the room, and closes the door. You can see in the light of the lantern lighting the room that the figure is a towering wolf-man with a noticeable hat. It's clear he's the Admiral. He doesn't waste time with introductions. "I can get you what you want," he says. "Just tell me, and you can leave this room. It'll be for the good of both of our careers."
Try to learn what really caused everything you've seen here. Try to elevate your status. The Admiral is offering you something higher. Take it. Don't tell him anything. If he won't let you leave, kill him, then leave the premises as fast as you can.