The story begins with Calico, a 17 year old boy living in the city of Tortuga, with dreams of becoming a city Pirate like his late Father. He has been training his whole life to take the Trial De Sangre, a rite of passage that everyone who wants to be recognized as an offical Pirate must take. A month before the Trial, he learns of a secret about the outside world that lies beyond the continent in which he lives in. In order to have permission to leave Tortuga, he needs to become a pirate, now more than ever.