The silence between them was broken only by the roar of the flames and the relentless drumming of rain against the deck. The tension was suffocating, a palpable weight pressing down on the air. Two warriors stood locked in place, both knowing there was no turning back.
Luna tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword, then surged forward like a fierce, unpredictable storm. Her strikes forced Johny to retreat, each blow faster and more aggressive than the last.
And then she saw it—a weakness. It was almost imperceptible, a fleeting hesitation in Johny’s movements that left his guard open, but it was enough. Always too confident, she thought.
A smile played on Luna’s lips even before the strike landed. Spinning on her heel, she unleashed a devastating attack, her glowing blue blade arcing upward with force as Johny scrambled, too late, to raise his sword in defense.
The impact was brutal.
Luna’s blade tore through Johny’s side, cutting through flesh and muscle before plunging deep into his chest. A guttural, animalistic cry tore from the captain’s throat—a sound that seemed to come from somewhere beyond physical pain. Hot blood poured forth, mingling with the rain and staining the already-soaked deck. For a moment, time froze.
The roar of the surrounding flames fell silent, and the world seemed suspended in a strange void. The fire that had once engulfed Johny’s sword extinguished abruptly, snuffed out like a candle under a cruel wind. He collapsed to his knees, his body trembling.
His eyes met Luna’s—filled with disbelief, acceptance... and a hint of respect.
“I…” Johny’s voice was faint, strained. He drew a shallow breath, struggling to continue. “I underestimated you… You’ll be a greater captain than he ever was…” A choking gasp interrupted his words, but his gaze remained locked on Luna’s. “But… you have to finish what you’ve started. There’s still something you must do…”
With a final effort, Johny shouted, his voice echoing across the deck, mingling with the distant sounds of battle:
“Do it, girl! Don’t be afraid! If you want to live this life, you have to do this!”
Luna closed her eyes for a moment. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her breath uneven, as her fingers gripped the sword’s hilt tightly. Kill Johny? The thought echoed in her mind like a hammer, relentless and crushing. But without it, the fight would never end.
Was this the pirate she wanted to be? Was this the barrier she had to break to reach her dreams? Her thoughts spun, chaotic and suffocating. Is my fear… fear of fighting, of killing, of defeating my enemies… greater than my dream? The question rang in her mind like a distant, unyielding voice.
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Luna felt the Light of Hope falter. The energy that had always pulsed strongly within her now wavered, flickering like a flame on the verge of extinguishing. She shook her head, trying to dispel the weight of doubt. Then, a memory surged into her mind—the vow she had made: a promise never to let anything—or anyone—stand in the way of her quest for freedom.
It was that determination that had awakened the Light of Hope. It was what had carried her this far, what had ignited her will to fight. And now, here she was, hesitating, caught in an absurd doubt.
I can’t let fear win, Luna thought.
When she opened her eyes, the deck before her seemed sharper, clearer. Determined, she raised her sword, and the hesitation in her gaze was gone, replaced by something steady and resolute. She knew what had to be done. To live her dream, she would have to leave her old life behind.
With the blade raised above her head, Luna drew a deep breath and brought it down with force. The resistance was minimal. The dry, grating sound of flesh and bone giving way reverberated through her body as the sword cleaved through Johny’s neck. A dull thud followed, and silence fell over the deck.
Johny collapsed forward. His lifeless body hit the deck heavily, like a puppet with its strings severed. The bluish glow of Luna’s sword reflected on the rain-soaked wood, now streaked with the blood of someone who had once been a familiar face.
Her sword slipped from her hands as she fell to her knees. The metallic clang of the blade hitting the floor echoed faintly in the stillness.
The captain was dead.
For a moment, everything stopped. The sailors drew back, clustering behind the mainmast, struggling to comprehend what they had just witnessed. Yet, even in the shock, the battle raged on.
In the distance, chaos reigned. Flames roared loudly, and the clash of steel against steel rang out above the thunder of the waves. Men fought with brutal desperation, stumbling over ropes and debris scattered across the deck. Every blow was savage, driven by survival. Sporadic gunshots tore through the air, mingling with the cries of pain and the muffled thuds of bodies hitting the ground.
Luna wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, still gasping for breath. Her lungs burned from the effort. Instinctively, her fingers sought out the fallen sword beside her. She gripped it, her resolve hardening as she pushed herself to her feet slowly.
Tears threatened to spill, but Luna held them back. She hardened her expression, feeling the weight of reality crash down on her.
As she looked around, the devastation became clear. Charred fragments of wood smoldered, bodies lay scattered like the wreckage of a sunken ship, and the air was thick with the mingling scents of salt, blood, and smoke. The weight of it all was as suffocating as the sword she held in her hand.
"This will never end..." she murmured, her words nearly swallowed by the chaos.
Luna took a step forward, her expression grim, and raised her voice:
"Stop this!"
The command rang out with an authority that left no room for doubt. The Diana's pirates reacted immediately, halting their attacks and retreating in a coordinated maneuver, surrounding the remaining sailors who now found themselves trapped in the center of the deck.