"Who you calling an idiot?"

"Like I said you, and him probably."

Currently, we three sit in a small booth at the inn I stayed in last night. After the altercation at the bar, we all collectively decided that we didn't like the looks we were receiving so we retreated here.

After giving them a spare few silver for a room we all sat down to eat lunch. The plan was to talk but the noise of their rumbling stomachs was too distracting. So I ordered plates for them as well.

Now that they had stuffed themselves to some extent the talk resumed.

"So tell us about your vessel."

I glance at my body for a moment before realizing her meaning and shaking the idiocy out of my head.

"Right, well first though we should introduce ourselves. I'm Cole Moedy, but you can call me 'Captain Cole'" I say pointing to my chest with a thumb and putting on a smug grin followed by a firm nod. "And about the ship, I don't have one."

"Ah, I'm Rou and this rude little sister is Aqua."

"Nice to meet you, but let's step back for a moment, what do you mean you don't have a ship?"

"It's as it sounds."

Both girls cock an eyebrow at me before glancing between themselves.

"And how do you plan to be a merchant without a…"

"Who said I wanted to be a merchant? Bah, that's boring. I'm going to be an adventurer! Of the seas!"

""A Pirate?"" They both ask tilting their head with a ponderous expression.

"Pirate?"

"Mhm, that's what Sea Adventurers are called," Rou explains as Aqua nervously buries her face back into eating.

I guess the definition is different here, they refer to our swashbucklers as just bandits or mercenaries depending on the situation. I try asking about it further but they seem to know the term pirate as only a positive one.

"But again, how do you plan to be a pirate without a ship?"

"Hmm, well I could have one built, or buy one I guess. But I'd prefer a new one."

"Bahahahaha" A man at a nearby table burst into tears as I finish the sentence. "Good luck having a ship built within a thousand miles."

"Oh? Why not?" I ask turning to the eavesdropper.

"Not one drydock in the country. Not since Dugan's closed up."

"And not just that, do you know how much a boat costs?" Aqua pipes up with a firm tone. "Rou I told you he was an idiot, we should go."

"But, pirate…" Rou complains with reluctance turning to her sister.

"A pirate without a ship is just an adventurer. There's no point. Come on." She says standing up without giving me a moment to interject.

Honestly, I didn't want them to go. They were cute, and of course useful. I don't just want them to stay because they are cute, Rou is an expert navigator and Aqua can apparently do healing magic. I wasn't aware magic existed so my surprise at her skill was real.

"Ah, well…" A young girl standing by the table in waitress attire stammers.

"Hmm?" I ask, imploring the girl to continue.

"Mirna knows where you can get a ship."

~ ~

"Secret hideout, huh?"

"Mhm." The young inn worker nods in confirmation. "Mirna can show you where, but after work."

"Hmm, well I think I can find it actually, I was near that area yesterday its past the dunes you said?"

"Yeah, impossible to miss. Big. You'll see. But stuck, really stuck. Knights couldn't budge it."

"Knights?" Rou asks.

"Tried to dig it out, and push. No luck."

"Sounds really beached. If it has been there that long there's no telling if it's in good shape structurally."

"Oh, why be negative, we won't know unless we try!"

"Right, right!" Rou says pumping a fist into the air. I figured she would be on my side.

"Come on. Let's go!" I say grabbing Aqua's hand and pulling her towards the doorway that Rou had already begun moving towards. "Ah right, here. Thank you for the information cutie." I say remembering the waitress and handing her a handful of silver coins. She looks at them in shocks before quickly stuffing them into her dress.

She gave me a sparkling nod and wished me luck.

~ ~

"It's big!"

"Mhm…" Aqua confirms to her sister with a nod.

It's a fine looking ship, A single massive mast pierces the near hundred foot deck proudly. If I have any complaints it might be too nice. A shimmering angel statue hung from the stern. I wondered if it might be the ocean spirit muscleman had talked so much about but both Rou and Aqua sternly told me it wasn't.

"Impossible." Aqua finally decides after inspecting the ship for a while. She was particularly interested in the ditch that was dug by the knights but it seemed even that work was for naught.

"Maybe I can try." I finally decided after a moment, no particular use hiding it.

I suppose first I need to take you back a few hours. After my failure at the bar and before we began the meal I thought it might be a good idea to try something new. Meal wise.

So I asked our waitress, Mirna for a menu. She claimed to not have one but I was already tuned out at that point.

Vocal commands. Really?

That's obnoxious. And I hate menu systems. But sure enough there it sat in my vision.

First, I will explain why menu systems are dumb.

People don't think about it fully when they conceptualize it. They claim it sits in your peripheral vision so it doesn't get in the way. But please find me someone who can read in their peripheral vision. And if you try to actually glance towards the menu it moves. it's like trying to catch your own tail. I hate it. But it's a cheat so I guess I'm happy.

Now back to current time.

I murmur 'menu' under my breath and its ugly garish colors pop into view. I had messed with it a bit so I knew the general idea. There were dozens of tabs, Possessions, Party, Storage, Stats, Skills, ect. Each had a dozen sub-menu's. Really, whoever designed this didn't have usability in mind.

I choose stats and start putting points into strength. I leveled 48 times from the sea dragon and I gain a point in each stat every two levels. So my base level for each stat was currently 24 and with the 48 points I have, I brought it up to 72.

Maybe a waste but I don't want to waste time on menu systems. Though I also don't want to look dumb. So let's see if we can get some assurance. I have 4 skill points. I guess I receive them each ten levels, so I put them each into Herculean strength.

Each point adds 20% to total strength. So with 80% added, it's now listed as 72(129).

That should do.

I approach the ship, I had been getting glances up till a moment ago. Curiousity from Rou and from Aqua… Is it distrust? In any case I ignore them. I will just claim I was praying to the ocean spirit or something.

I inhale deeply as I place my hands on the neck of the massive ship. I begin to press and my feet plow deeply into the sand. It compresses further until finally turning to something that felt like concrete. Finally, my force begins to enter the ship. I press harder and begin to strain myself.

I hear a soft giggle from behind but Rou seems to point at my feet and Aqua quickly quiets down.

Finally, after an excruciating moment, I hear the sound I hoped for. Not the heavy crack of wood but instead the soft flow of water entering a suction. The wood, with small hand prints now pressed into it, begins to drift away from me. With that, I smugly turn to the two girls.

'Praise me, Praise me.' I practically shout with a nod.

"H…He is loved by the spirit of the ocean Rou. D…Did you see?"

"I…I saw."

They both gape at me blankly.

"Well come on our boat is getting away," I say pointing towards the still drifting ship.

~ ~

Mahhhhh, I wasted points. that didn't even take a hairs worth of my strength. But no helping it now. But really, there were so many better options for those Skill points.

Currently, the two girls are running around from room to room of the ship. It seems to be a very nice one. Although storage space is low there are quite a few cabins and even a fairly nice kitchen. Aqua seems thrilled by the concept but Rou seems more disappointed she couldn't grill fish on the deck. Apparently, it was a tradition for their family.

The two grew up on the water I learn. They have lived on land for only around two years of their lives. The rest was spent on one house boat or another. It seemed this was their first time on a ship this nice. They praise it endlessly.

The two collected a large list of must haves. Some of the ropes on the deck were usable but most were rotted out so it was best to replace them all. I was curious how much all that would cost but the sisters explained that rope was cheap in the port. It seems there are numerous fibrous monsters on the lower levels of the infinite dungeon so rope fiber was never low in stock.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

We also, of course, needed sails. It seems like the knights who came to retrieve the ship previously removed the sails and anything else worth value, even the compass block on the upper deck was empty. Did they somehow miss the giant metal statue?

After tieing the ship with some of the less crusty ropes. Rou and I went towards town while Aqua insisted on inspecting the ship and scrubbing the deck.

I had only just now noticed the names of the two. Rou, pronounced Row, and Aqua. Thier parents surely enjoyed the ocean.

Rou was quiet as we walked towards town. It was only after a half hour that she finally spoke up, in a more gentle tone than her normal outgoing voice.

"Thank you."

"For?"

"For not making fun of Aqua's ocean spirit talk. She gets really upset when people look down on it. But really that… that was amazing. I still can't exactly comprehend it. It's hard not to brush it off as a blessing of the ocean."

"Ah, that. Well, it's not the first time I've heard it. It doesn't really bother me. I can't prove it wasn't a blessing so no point denying peoples beliefs."

"But when people claim your deed is something a God did, that can't make you happy."

"I don't know well the beliefs here but where I came from the people believe that a single God was responsible for everything. And as you say often others deeds were seen as God's work. But those people didn't let it bother them. If anything it's a compliment. They were seen by believers as direct tools of God. So if anything I take it as a compliment. "

"A far off country?" She asks seemingly confused by the vast difference in the belief system.

"Something like that."

"I'd like to hear about it more at some point." She says shyly.

She had been acting differently the entire time so I quickly whirled around and placed a hand to her forehead. It was smooth, and her hair lightly tickled my palm but overall the temperature was normal. Though now her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Mysterious," I say staring at her face.

"C…can I help you with something?"

"Nope, never mind, you seem fine. I thought you might have a fever." I say release my grip on her face and turning back towards the direction of the piers.

Rou pauses behind me for a moment fiddles around and then quickens her pace to catch up with me.

~ ~

Ropes, lots of ropes, and a literal ton of fabric 'this won't be possible to bring back to the ship with just us two.' is what Rou said but I had a secret up my sleeve. I rented a cart from the man and trucked it towards a forest. I got some strange looks but most brushed it off as teenage stupidity.  

"Interdimensional magic?" Rou finally asks when I place the sail and ropes into my storage via menu.

"Yep, you guessed it." Ah, so such a thing exists. That's a handy excuse.

"But I've only heard legends of it. They say the 'Sage Merchant' had interdimensional magic."                               

"Sage merchant?"

"Greatest merchant to ever live. They say he always had what was most in demand whenever he arrived. They say he single handily saved a hundred towns."

"Oh, sounds like a good guy."

"I've heard he was ruthless as a merchant but of course his customers loved him. He even gave profits to open an orphanage in the capital."

"Woah intense. Quite the philanthropist."

"Mhm," Rou said with a firm nod but then her expression turned to confusion. "But with Interdimensional magic why not be a merchant instead?"

"Ah well yeah. 'Storage' is handy but being a merchant seems boring, I'd rather go on an adventure! Plus being a pirate sounds like fun."

"Right?!" Rou says with excitement glittering in her eyes. "Life on the seas. Rescuing damsels in distress and fighting beasts!"

She sighs contently gripping her hands to her chest tightly with a delighted expression. It seems she really found the whole thing romantic in her own way.

I don't see pirates as a romantic concept but I suppose that's my own world view. In this world, pirates were heroes of the seas.

Now that I think about it, we did technically steal that ship so I guess that makes us pirates according to my world.

~ ~

Rou and I chatted for awhile as we meandered around the city. We picked up a few other essentials as well as a few more changes of clothes for the girls. Rou was hesitant but I insisted so she bought a dress for both her and her sister as well as another set of rugged work clothes.

I, on the other hand, was looking for something in particular. And it didn't take long to find in a port town. I called Rou over and tested it on her head. It was a little loose but it allowed room for her bun so I thought it was perfect. She glanced at some buffed silver and gasped at her appearance before turning to me with pleading eyes.

"I already planned to get it for you. A first mate needs a proper hat."

"First mate!" She says with a look of shock before removing the hat naturally and holding it against her chest. "It will be my honor!"

"Good! Then let's be off."

"Right."

I pay with a gold coin and receive a few silver back. I didn't pay much attention to the price but Rou seemed shocked, perhaps I overpaid.

After we exit the shop Rou thanks me shyly and carefully replaces the hat onto her head as if it's a prized possession.

I had also got a bandana for Aqua but Rou told me after that she likely wouldn't wear it. It seems their father had tried the same but Aqua didn't like stuff on her head. It's the same reason she had short hair. Apparently, her reasoning was she wanted to be able to dive into the ocean any time, and taking off head covering each time was a hassle.

But too late now I already bought it. I guess I'll save it.

~ ~

"Aqua, Aqua get this. I'm the first mate," Rou says with a proud expression.

"Oh well, that just makes me second mate." Aqua retorts without effort. I thought it would be more of a problem but Aqua seems to have shrugged it off easily.

"No, no, no. Such a position doesn't exist."

"It does, dad said so. Who else would become the first mate when the first mate becomes captain?"

"Well, it's not an official position."

"Yeah huh!"

"Nu uh!"

As the two sisters bicker on the deck I lower my head and enter the galley attached to the deck. The door on the stern leads to the cabins while the door on the bow leads to the servants quarters and this kitchen apparently.

This must have been someone important though, to have servants quarters. And they don't look bad either. The rooms were nicer than the inn. And the actual cabins were several levels above the Inn. In fact, I have probably never been in such a luxurious room. I will enjoy this place.

I look around the kitchen to start cooking. First I look for a stove. Oh, right, technology.

"How would you girls like to eat at the Inn tonight?"

~ ~

We decided such so I unloaded the sail and ropes we had purchased in town. Aqua gasped loudly at the action but it was explained by Rou after a few moments. It seemed to elicit an even higher opinion of me from Aqua. I was now looked at in complete wonder.

On the way back to town for the second time today Aqua and Rou discussed hiring another person, perhaps someone who could cook as well as sail. Someone to help get the ship in sailable condition. It seemed a reasonable thought so I agreed.

We decided to make another announcement this time at the inn, perhaps we would have better luck there.

"… Who amongst you then?"

"Mhm. We are the mightiest pirates of the Three Great Seas! Who wants to join our mighty crew!" Rou retorts with a nod towards me. I knew we would work as a great team for this.

Again the building sits in silence. I was worried.

This was the same response. I again felt naked sans money pouch.

"Our ship has a kitchen." Aqua finally said in a soft voice. I wondered if they had even heard her but in an instant, we were crowded with people.

So that was the ticket? I see.

Aqua and Rou formed them into lines and then began interviewing them briefly one by one.

They seemed to have the rough men under control so I glanced around the inn in order to apologize for the commotion.

I met eyes with the lady I first spoke to when registering and she motioned me over towards her.

Oh, am I in trouble?