"Stop firing!" Luna shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos, aimed at both her crew and the opposing ship. The Navy sailors ignored her and continued their barrage. Frustrated, Luna closed her eyes, retreating into the memory of her father’s training, the lessons flowing through her mind like a mantra.
The air around her turned cold, and a palpable weight descended over the scene. The Light of Hope seemed to resonate with Luna’s spiritual force. The echo condensed, forming a whirlwind of wind that bridged her will to the world. Concentrating, she envisioned a blade taking shape, and at that moment, every particle of echo aligned with her unwavering determination.
She felt the warm mantle of energy grow denser around her. The Light of Hope pulsed powerfully, coalescing into the vortex of emerald wind swirling before her. On the twenty-fifth breath—each inhale and exhale drawing the particles of echo closer together—the Echo Blade finally emerged: a crystallized hurricane of energy, its long, double-edged form illuminated by vibrant turquoise light rippling along the metallic surface. Its emerald-green hilt gave it a distinct, almost otherworldly aura.
When Luna opened her eyes, she found Johny standing at the bow of the Sofie, frozen in place. His face bore the astonishment of a child witnessing the impossible. Pleased, Luna smirked. He recognized it, she thought. He knew. Her legacy, as real as the blood in her veins, was now undeniable, and Johny understood exactly what it meant. Her left hand wrapped firmly around the hilt, and despite its size, the blade felt astonishingly light.
With a fierce cry, Luna swung the blade downward, slamming it into the deck. Upon impact, a massive wave of turquoise energy erupted from the blade, spreading outward like a colossal fan aimed directly at the Sofie. The magical wind, compressed and furious, struck the enemy ship with the force of a raging storm.
The Sofie’s sails shredded like paper, its masts groaned and splintered, collapsing like dry twigs. Sailors were flung into the sea as the ship shuddered violently, as though it had collided with an invisible iceberg.
Johny’s face twisted into a blend of shock and despair. He clung to anything within reach to keep from being thrown overboard, his expression that of a man who had woken from a nightmare only to find reality far worse. From across the distance, Luna stared him down, her eyes blazing with intensity, reflecting the Light of Hope coursing through her.
It was as though raw, unbridled power had overtaken her—a storm contained within her very being. She drew a deep breath, feeling the crushing weight of that energy. Her body trembled, her knees buckling under the strain of the overwhelming magic. The Echo Blade, unable to sustain itself any longer, began to dissolve, fracturing into the air like a fading mirage.
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"Turn the Diana! We’re going back for another strike! Ed, ready the cannons!" Luna roared, channeling the wind to drive the ship faster. Gasping for breath, she fought to maintain her focus, pushing the limits of her own endurance. "Raise the flag!"
"All hands to the helm!" Aiko responded, spinning the helm with force. His arms were rigid, his muscles straining as he maneuvered the ship.
The Diana surged forward like an arrow through the chaos, cutting through the air. Aiko spun the helm with all his strength, and with the wind’s assistance, the ship carved a wide arc through the waves, gaining speed as it circled the Sofie, now crippled and reeling from the impact.
Luna gripped one of the ropes tightly to keep from being thrown overboard, while the rest of the crew did the same, shouting over the ship’s abrupt lurch. When the Diana finally aligned itself and sailed past the Sofie at a safe distance, the enemy ship’s gunfire came in a scattered, desperate volley—like the final, panicked thrashes of a wounded beast. Most of the shots missed, as though the wind itself bent them off course.
Her gaze locked onto the Sofie, Luna pointed to the mainmast.
“Raise our flag!” she bellowed.
One of the crew hoisted the banner of the Midnight Pirates. The black flag, emblazoned with a one-eyed skull and a long, braided beard—the unmistakable mark of Luna’s father—unfurled in the wind, a warning to anyone foolish enough to challenge them.
Onboard the Sofie, the chaos was beginning to subside. Stunned sailors struggled to stand and return to their posts, while Johny, his face streaked with soot and twisted in fury, barked frantic orders in a desperate attempt to reorganize the defense.
Aiko expertly maneuvered the Diana, bringing it alongside the Sofie, maintaining a distance of about ten meters. The crew used long boarding poles to stabilize the position between the two ships, ensuring the perfect angle for the assault. The Diana gave a slight shudder as it drew closer.
On the other side, the demoralized Navy sailors stepped back cautiously, clutching their muskets, trying to maintain some semblance of composure. Luna narrowed her eyes and turned to face her crew. A mischievous smile spread across her lips as her long blue hair billowed in the wind like a living banner.
“Take everything—anything of value!” she shouted, raising her sword high before pointing it toward the Sofie. “Don’t kill unless they surrender, and leave the women untouched. I want anything useful, especially ammunition and onyx coins!”
“We’ll follow you to hell, Captain!” came the roaring response from her crew.
“I am not the captain, you idiots!” Luna snapped, exasperated. “In five minutes, that ship will be ours. Grab axes, swords, whatever you’ve got… Now move!”
Wasting no time, Luna crossed the deck of the Diana, weaving through wreckage and smoke. When she found a clear vantage point, she paused to scan the Sofie’s deck. Around eighty Navy soldiers had hastily formed a defensive line, their muskets aimed at the obvious points where pirates might attempt to board.
Luna chuckled softly and turned to Aiko.
“Oh, and… don’t die!”