The sky was clear, the breeze steady, and for the first time in weeks, the crew wasn't arguing about rations or weapon stockpiles.
We were headed to Port Reliya, a sleepy trade town known for its seafood, terrible weather forecasts, and eccentric street performers. Our mission: resupply. It was simple, and it would give us time to emotionally recover after the past few days.
Port Reliya welcomed us with noise, color, and chaos. The dock smelled like a stew of crab shells and spilled ale the town, however, was alive—markets buzzing, gulls screaming, children darting between fish carts, and merchants arguing with more energy than a caffeine-fueled Toma.
Speaking of.
"Captain!" he called, running toward me, arms full of shiny trinkets. "I bartered three pieces of jerky for a wind-up crab!"
"Why?"
"It dances!"
He wound it up. The crab wiggled for five seconds before toppling off the dock.
Toma stared at it, "He died doing what he loved." He laughed
Juno then smacked him in the head " you fool those were our rations. Add punishment I will reduce your meal portion for the next 3 days."
"I'm sorryyyyy." Said Toma.
...
...
While the crew scattered to gather supplies, I strolled through the market with Sora. She bartered with surgical precision, all while lecturing me on budgeting.
"No, Captain, we do not need exotic herbs unless you're planning to open a restaurant."
"They smell nice."
"So does taking a shower regularly. Try that."
Burke argued with a shady merchant over whether one of the grenades was fake. Lotte was talking to a merchant about the quality of his swords. Juno accidentally joined a parade. I pretended not to notice.
It was the most alive I'd seen them.
We took a break at a tavern—a creaky place called The Rusty Hook. Inside, sailors shouted drinking songs, two parrots argued over crackers, and a drunk octopus was somehow playing cards.
Toma eyed a glass of rum . "What's that?"
"Poison," I said flatly.
He drank it anyway, and multiple glasses at that
Ten minutes later, he was asleep face-down in a bread bowl.
"You ever think we're not cut out for this job?" I asked, watching Lotte dance with a pirate mannequin.
"Every day," Sora replied, sipping water. "But we're all the people have got."
Later, we walked up to a grassy hill that overlooked the town. The sea glimmered orange under the setting sun.
I sat with my crew—Juno tuning a flute, Lotte napping in the grass, Burke quietly whittling wood.
Toma sat beside me, hugging his knees and nursing this aching head.
"Captain," he said, voice small, "do you think we're the good guys?"
That caught me off guard. I glanced down at him.
"What sparked this question of yours?" I asked
" I was just thinking about the town of Brissle... Isn't it our job to ensure that these villages are protected? Also, I have heard many rumors about celestial dragons and their behavior. Why do we protect those monsters if those rumors are correct?" He asked
I sighed, " Power."
"What?" He asked
"Imagine you are a starving wolf, and to survive, you must either hunt a powerful lion or a weak and innocent rabbit. who would you hunt?"
His eyes gleamed with the light of realization.
"The common public is the rabbit, and the world government is the lion. The Marines can only enforce 'justice' when their stomachs are filled, and this is where human greed comes in....their stomachs are never filled."
"What about us?" He asked
"We are just wolves who are foolish enough to care more about the rabbits than ourselves, though the fear of the lion remains."
He nodded, satisfied.
For a moment, we weren't Marines or soldiers or survivors.
We were just people.
We returned to the harbor the next morning. The skies were clear again. The winds were calm.
That's when we saw it.
A ship—barely afloat—drifting in from the horizon. Its sails were torn, the hull scorched. One man lay slumped over the bow.
"Get him!" I shouted.
The crew moved fast. We hauled the man onboard. He was coughing blood, skin burnt, eyes wide with terror.
"Pirates," he rasped. "Abyss Pirates, no mercy..."
He gripped my collar, voice cracking.
"They… they burned the whole island. No survivors. Said they were 'cleansing the sea of weakness.'"
He died five seconds later.
The crew was silent. Even Lotte.
Toma's face had gone pale. He took a step back and whispered, "They… they killed everyone?"
I placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're heading home. Now."
Sora scanned the horizon. "That name… Is that who I think it is?" Her face pale
.
.....
.....
As we cast off, clouds gathered above the waves, thick and heavy. Like the sea itself was bracing for war.
I stared into the storm.
If this world wanted to test me...
Then it could try.
I wasn't ready.
But I would fight anyway.
Authors Note - I know the quality of this chapter was not very good but hang on for the next chapter where we see the Xavier clash with an unknown pirate. And if you like this novel please add this to your library and send some stones my way