The morning breeze greets me as the soft and gentle salty wind tickles my face. The slow and calm rocking of the ship that sails instill a calm atmosphere. The sun is still peeking out from the horizon which makes the sky tinted with red and orange.
The crew of the ship that stayed up all night is retiring and passing the baton on the newly awakened and well-rested people. From people that make round around the ship to people who watches from high and low.
Due to the battle yesterday, the ship’s state is kind of a mess even though the totality of the damages are nearly repaired. Casablanca, Hibiscus and I were fed, give fresh water and took cared by these people.
They served us smoke salted saury and vegetable soup that tasted a little salty but was still filling as we ate together with all the crews. We drank and used the fresh water for out necessity such as drinking and brushing our teeth. We even used it to clean ourselves by dipping a towel in a bowl full of water.
The three of us in the cabin have to wipe each other’s backs so naturally, we need to get naked. Merissa stands on guard outside our cabin while Emby sat on her head.
It seems that bird brain has taken a liking to her hat.
After that, we were forced to sleep…
Right now, I aimlessly wander in the deck of the ship while being greeted by the crews. Each and every one of them has unforgettable features but I never really remembered their names and they never bother to introduce themselves unless I hear from Merissa directly what she calls them.
As I walk around, a sudden blast of cold wind hovers and the chill of the air permeate my skin.
“Brrr… so cold… How did such wind get in this kind of place?”
“Be careful there, that only means we are catching the drift of the breeze from the demon continent’s icy hell. You’re strong but don’t let your guard down against diseases and illnesses.”
“Captain?!”
As she said those, she covered my whole body with the robe she is wearing and it instantly warms up me to the core. I turn to look at her and got surprised.
She is wearing a long sleeved shirt underneath the coat but in her chest, now that I have a closer look at, it actually swelled and looks so bountiful even though she is petite.
Her movements and speech are rough and violent but there is this fact that cannot be taken away and that’s she is pretty.
“W-What are you looking at Gao?”
“Eh? Ah,…no…it’s just that…captain, you are really pretty…”
“Awawawawa!!! D-Don’t say something stupid! That’s not even an image or concept that would fit me! You’re throwing my composure off…”
“Why? Isn’t captain confident about her looks?”
“N-No…it’s just that I never really paid attention to it since I am enthralled by what I wanted to do… and…I am too boyish to look pretty. You can see that too, right?”
“It’s a waste! You’re really pretty! Captain, have more confidence! If you ask me, I guess I will say that I like captain if we get to know more about each other.”
“A-Anyway! Gao, today we will definitely take you back! It was my stupid mistake, to begin with.”
“Captain, you’re blushing!”
“D-Don’t look…!”
Ahh!~ That was fun!
That kind of tickles something inside me and I hope that it is not sadism. It will horribly reflect as one of Nil’s attitude and just thinking about being the same as him makes me nauseous.
“For someone who claimed that she killed and robbed people, you are awfully bashful and charming side captain.”
“Sorry Gao but, we really have killed and robbed tons of people. If they fight back, we kill, if they are obedient, we just rob them. We are pirates after all and these kinds of stuff are what you’d call fact. I do feel bad about it though but I don’t have any intention of stopping being a pirate.”
“…”
“I am not trying to scare you Gao but if you three seriously were to join our group, that will be in the line of our job and sooner or later, we need to make you guys do the same.”
“I am not scared…or even angry… It just makes me both sad and relieve.”
“You…did you understand what I just said?”
“Yes.”
“Then what the hell are you saying?! Relieve? Why?!”
“You may not believe it but, I have met all sorts of people with different values and attitudes. Among them, there are those who kill to feed someone they care for. Killing is something that also comes as a job and it is honestly cruel and twisted. But if you think about it, they did it because they need to or sometimes, it is what dictated by your own judgment.”
“Isn’t that a natural thing in this world? Sometimes, we need to kill so we won’t be killed. We kill for the betterment of other or for the sake of something.”
“But…how would you feel to know someone who kills for pleasure and fun? There are also those kinds of monsters.”
“Ah…I see…sorry…I am in no position to talk about anything further. I just realized how you value life. Gao, you experienced such things the way you talk.”
Yes…there are lots of things that happened to me before and one of those experiences taught me not to too selfless or too selfish. I value other’s life like it is my own and I will always strive to save people. Though, sometimes, you cannot fight the inevitable…”
“Gao…sorry for making you remember something unpleasant…”
“Hmm? No, all the memories of people in my mind are an important reminder of what I am now and what are the things I need to remember so I won’t make the same stupidity ever again.”
“You’re so strong willed Gao. Makes me think you are actually an adult.”
“…”
My heart races there for a moment.
I guess there won’t be any harm telling her something about my true age. Then again, I’d rather not so I’ll keep my lips sealed about it.
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I really don’t expect for a peaceful day today too.
“Drats! To think we would end up in the eye of the storm!”
“Captain, all seventy-four ships are present! It seems that they deliberately gathered here for reason unknown to us!”
“S-Seventy four?! All of them?!”
“No mistaking it! Our sensor detected every Ether Point Core and counted it as seventy-five including ours!”
BOOM!
Something just blew up near us. It seems a cannonball missed our ship but the explosion is deafening and it violently shook the whole ship. Our ship sails here and there to avoid any enemy contact but mostly, we are the target of the foes.
After my little chat with captain earlier, I head towards the cabin to wake up Casablanca and Hibiscus to let them know that they are willing to take us back and we shouldn’t worry. I told them those to reassure them.
We ate breakfast together inside our cabin and afterward, he decided to head to where Merissa is to kill time with a little more chit chat.
But as we walk together out from the middle deck, a loud explosion occurred and we immediately run outside just to see that array of ships from afar are coming for us.
The alerted crews immediately head to their post and this is what exactly happening now.
BAM!
The ship took another shaking and the three of us topple down.
“Auu…”
“M-My…head…it’s spinning again…!”
“Are you two okay?! Well, that’s stupid question to ask when it is clear that you are not…”
I help them get up since I myself landed on both of them. Casablanca seems to just end up falling on her rear and Hibiscus’ sea sickness is coming back.
“Are you three okay?!”
“Captain?! What’s happening?!”
“Sorry… It seems that we are now going to an all out war and the chance of escape is slim. Also, a ship rammed ours so there will be a fisticuff that’s going to happen!”
“Fisticuff…you say it like it is just a brawl…”
“Gao, Cus, Ca, we can’t have you three being seen now. Go back to your cabin and locked up there!”
“Let us help too!”
“This is our problem, our trouble, our battle. Pirates are rowdy people and being out for blood against our own kind is not that uncommon.”
“Such thing…Happening to suddenly…Captain…what did you do?”
“Eh? Me? Ahahha…none! None at all! Don’t ask me! I didn’t do anything! Ahahaha…”
“Suspicious…”
“Anyway, please retreat to your cabin!”
CRASH!
FWOOSH!
The ship shakes again and this time, violent surge of waves and small whirlpools invaded the whole sea. The clamor of people can be heard and the cannons and lasers of each and every ship are being fired more violently.
But on top of that, a new enemy makes its appearance that sent shiver down to my spine. Merissa, upon seeing the monstrosity also breathed in fear.
It was a giant devil…
One that I have never seen before…
Half of its entirety is submerged in the sea but its whole body that peeks out from the water surface is astoundingly humongous. It has a deformed and elastic claw that looks like tentacles and dons a large gigantic full plate that also covers its face with pitch black color.
Upon its appearance, the sky darkens from its malicious and pugnacious aura. One that would instantly inject fear to anyone.
But what scares me the most is that…this devil is what Ichirou told me about. A giant with a regeneration ability or so. We don’t even know if that’s a specific ability of the devil Ichirou himself fought or it is generally their ability.
The power it oozes is akin to an arcana user and I know full well that Arcana Magic equates to a larger problem. A devil the wields Arcana Magic becomes Archdevil but, this giant is made up of countless of Archdevil…
“What the hell…?! Gao?! You know something about that?!”
“Yes…but…I didn’t think something like that would appear here…rather…this is also the first time I saw that…”
“Drats! All hands, prepare for a full speed retreat!”
Merissa obviously becomes panicky but she still coughs up some proper order. The only problem would be…
“No good Captain! There are whirlpools everywhere! We cannot bypass this garden of an underwater typhoon!”
“Then our only option is to fight?!”
“Captain, all the ships has changed their target from us to the devil that appeared. At this moment, the only way we can survive this is to cooperate with them.”
“Drats! I don’t want to be indebted to these assholes! I don’t want all of them forcing answers from me regarding the seventy-sixth Ether Point Core.”
Something painfully rings in my ears.
I immediately took an initiative and directed my gaze at Merissa…
“Captain…right now, what did you just said?”
“I…I said something? That’s weird…I was just giving out orders.”
“The reason that a whole fleet of a pirate ship coming for you is…”
“No…No…nothing at all…”
“Captain, greed is bad.”
“Listen here Gao, there are things that are meant to be kept secret, okay?”
“Captain! Are you seriously saying that?!”
“It’s for advancement! I need something like that to further my ambitions!”
“D-Don’t be stubborn captain!”
“No way! I won’t yield! That core is mine! I accidentally found it and no one claims it to be theirs so it is now mine!”
“Geez…”
I didn’t think that she was just being attacked because of the core. I thought at first that it is because of her ranking in this pirate game but she seems to be hiding something from every pirate out there and that’s what it made them attack her.
Yeah…greed is bad…
“Captain…there’s no point talking about that now…the problem is that devil…”
“Gao…you’re not thinking of fighting it, right?”
“A sight of a devil reminds me of him and it makes my blood boil! That devil is not a part of the pirate game so it is okay to attack it, right?”
“W-Wait!”
“Also, because of that devil, somehow, its power manages to gather all of these ships here.”
“Are you certain?!”
“No.”
“What?!”
I immediately run up to Hibiscus who is holding her head temples while Casablanca and Emby are comforting her.
“Hey, Hibiscus…”
“A-Asagao…I…don’t know what’s happening but…I have been so useless…please…let me borrow your power…”
“Eh? Are you really certain?”
“Emby…wants to fight too…”
“Pii!”
“And I think…I will be more comfortable flying than sitting here and getting all nauseous…
“Hibiscus…”
“No…at all cost…I want to fly up there! I feel like my head will go off…”
“Y-You…just want to rid of that nausea…”
“Please…I’ll fight the devil too…”
“It’s too big and we still don’t know what it can do so I will go with you.”
“Y-You will ride Emby too?”
“Yes…so…let’s do it?”
“O-Okay…”
Since Hibiscus cannot stand on her own, I have to support her and hug her. We both raise our hand and interlocked fingers. Her soft and pretty body envelopes mine and the sweet scent and a trickle of sweat enter my nose which made me a little flushed.
As I already established a deep connection with her, the power flawlessly flows from me to her. The divine energy immediately lightened her up to the core.
“[Divine Ascension!]”
As always, a pillar of light immediately flows out from Hibiscus. Her silver radiant hair shines and her body glows as golden rays of bright light spills out from her. The insignia also appears behind her which I have to say, it is still captivating.
It also caught the attention of everyone around us…event the devil…
They all watch with gasping mouths and petrified face. What makes them all more shocked is the sudden transformation of Emby from a tiny chick to a large blazing bird that its fire seems to shine in a color of the prism.
“Gao…! I didn’t think that Cus is a goddess!”
“No…you’re wrong, captain. This is entirely different matter.”
“Eh?! That’s not a goddess you?!”
“Please Captain, take care of Casablanca for a while.”
I turn my head to look at Casablanca and my heart immediately feels pain.
Her face says that she is worried and doesn’t want us to go but, there’s a solemn agony in her eyes that tells that she wants to do something. The corner of her eyes produces a droplet of tears that I have to turn my head away…
Sorry…I cannot do anything…
I immediately ride Emby’s back and hug Hibiscus from behind. It seems that when she and Emby flies, she never gets thrown off.
“Pii!”
“Emby?!”
In an immediate response, Emby immediately took off as a large and thick tentacle suddenly swoop the whole ship from the side.
BAM!
“What…?! That was a close one!”
“Thank you Emby…but…Casablanca! Casablanca is in there!”
“Damn! Emby you dumb bird, go back there!”
BOOM!
Before Emby could even fly back to the toppled ship, another tentacle from below the sea strikes upwards, sending the ship flying.
It spins several times in the air before it crashes into the water again. It seems the devil earlier is targeting not only us but also the ship and proceeded to ignore everything else that attacks it.
“Emby! Hurry up! Casablanca! Casablanca is there! I need to make sure she is safe!!!”
“PIII!”
I immediately felt how Hibiscus’ body trembles and sweats in fear and worry for her beloved twin. Emby’s pace sped up at a tremendous rate that we immediately arrive at the battered ship of Merissa.
“Captain! Casablanca?! Where is Casablanca?!”
“Cus…?...Ca was…”
“Where?! Where?!!”
“She…”
“Answer me, Captain!”
“She…she was…flung out of the ship…I wasn’t able to hold her…”
“Where?!! Captain!”
“In…in one of those…whirlpools…”
“C-Casablanca…”
“Sorry…”
Hibiscus becomes quiet.
I try to peek at her countenance just to see that…the light in her eyes vanished…
“Hibiscus! I will find Casablanca! Put me down!”
“…”
“Hibiscus!!!”
Without any response or answer from her, I jump down in my own initiative. I land on the ship and saw the whole crew trying to fix and keep the ship together. Merissa was looking down as she told Hibiscus what happened to her twin.
I am going to follow where Casablanca is and I don’t have time to comfort anyone!
“Merissa, I am going to follow her into the whirlpool! Which exactly the whirlpool she was flung into?!”
“G-Gao! Don’t be stupid!”
“But I need to save Casa--!?”
A chill…
A chill that I am well familiar with suddenly crept down my back…
I turn my head where that suffocating chill comes from…
In an instant…my eyes widened…
Hibiscus who was silently staring into nothingness just tears up. And…the insignia behind her…vanishes…
“PIIIII!!!!”
“Kuh...Acckkkk! WaaaaahHHH!”
Divine Ascension…was dispelled and its place…
Black fiery mist…immediately oozes from her body and Emby’s radiant fire…turns black…
“Astlan’s…Ira…”