Boom—!

The explosion rocked the ship so violently that even the deck seemed to shudder in response. The sudden eruption shattered the fragile calm, and the subdued slaves and beasts, once under control, now seized the opportunity to break free and thrash wildly.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Hiss!

The long-whiskered leopard that had been subdued with such effort before lunged forward, seizing the chaos as its chance. The siren's Commander, momentarily distracted, snapped out of his thoughts and swiftly swung the trident, striking the beast with the blunt end to subdue it without causing harm.

Thud!

A muffled thud rang out, followed by the painful whine of the giant creature. It faltered, crumpling to the ground, its massive form going still.

That should do it. It's under control now.

"Commander!"

A subordinate's voice called out from behind, urgently snapping the Commander from his brief pause.

"We found the man."

At the mention of the prisoner, the Commander tensed his colossal frame, casually flicking the blood off his trident. His movements were precise, efficient, and in the same moment, he turned sharply. Despite just moments ago battling the beast, there was no hint of exhaustion on his face. Instead, there was a distinct aura of dominance about him.

"Bring him here."

At the Commander's command, his underling forcefully shoved the unfortunate guard forward. The poor siren stumbled and nearly collapsed, unable to lift his gaze. His body was drenched in sweat, and his tongue flicked out in frantic desperation. The fear radiating from him was palpable.

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"C-Commander..."

The poor siren's voice quivered, unable to meet the Commander's cold, unflinching gaze. Before he could even get a full word out, he dropped to his knees in terror.

"You'd better explain to me what the hell just happened."

The Commander's voice was low, his eyes narrowing into sharp slits. The mere pressure of his gaze was enough to send a shudder through the poor siren, who flinched and almost knelt outright, scrambling to comply.

"It's... It's like this, Commander."

The words spilled out in a rush, and the poo siren barely hesitated as he divulged everything.

He was just one of the many stationed at the hold, one of the more cautious ones. That day, however, the guards had been switched earlier than expected, and with them came an unfamiliar face—someone he'd shared a passing conversation with. He'd known what they were up to, but he hadn't cared.

He'd turned a blind eye to it.

After all, he reasoned, as long as he didn't get caught, what harm was there in letting a few things go? He'd get a small payout for being flexible. If anything went wrong, the blame wouldn't fall on him.

Who could have predicted that things would fall apart so disastrously?

He'd been resting in his room when suddenly, the entire hold erupted into chaos. Before he could even rearm himself, the Commander's men had burst in, apprehending him.

And before he could even explain himself, the entire cargo hold had blown up.

There was no room for excuses now. His words tumbled out in a frantic stream, desperate to give a full account of the events, hoping that if he said everything, he could avoid the wrath that was sure to come. With the situation so dire, one wrong word could mean his life.

"..."

The Commander remained silent for a moment, processing the guard's explanation. His gaze shifted, narrowing as he turned toward his subordinate.

"What's the situation below deck?"

"Commander, below deck... the situation is..."

The subordinate was quick to respond, giving a detailed report. The Commander listened, his expression impassive. Despite the explosion's chaos, he had trained his men well, and they were already regaining control, efficiently suppressing the uprising on deck.

"We've managed to keep the fire contained for now, but..."

The subordinate's voice faltered when he saw the Commander's eyes narrow in displeasure.

And the kneeling siren, even more attuned to the Commander's shifting mood, sensed the tension rising. He froze, realizing that the Commander's patience was wearing thin.

"Commander, please! I... I made a mistake! I'll do anything—anything you ask! Please... give me a chance to atone!"

The poor siren's voice trembled, his body trembling with genuine fear, his plea growing more desperate by the second. The enormity of his mistake hit him fully now, and he knew that the consequences could be fatal.