Chapter Text
The night was unforgiving; constant rain and a thick mist dominated the high seas, accompanied by a wind that howled relentlessly against the masts. For any inexperienced sailor, navigating in these conditions would be considered suicide. However, for those with dark secrets, it was the ideal weather.
A perfect night for those who did not wish to be seen.
"Full sail! Unfurl the mainsails!" shouted the captain in desperation, clinging to the taffrail.
"You heard the captain! Hoist the sails!" bellowed the quartermaster.
"Aye, aye!" responded the sailors in unison, climbing the slippery rigging.
The crew of that merchant frigate believed they had secured their escape. They sailed incognito, secretly transporting a cargo coveted by any ambitious soul.
Boom! Boom!
The thunder of cannons tore through the curtain of rain behind them.
"We're taking fire, take cover!"
The impact of the cannonballs shattered part of the port gunwale, sending sword-sized splinters flying through the air.
"How is it possible that they found us?" muttered the ship's captain. "No one was supposed to know our route or our cargo."
Gritting his teeth in fury, he took the creaking wooden stairs two at a time until he reached the ship's wheel.
"Have you managed to identify their flag!?"
"No, Captain!" answered the helmsman, turning the wheel sharply to dodge the swell. "The fog is too thick!"
"Damn it! Then how do they have a firing angle?" the captain roared, slamming his fist against the binnacle in rage.
"I just sent a topman to the foretop to look for their lights. They must be King Fourier's dogs. If he sent a whole fleet from the armada, this frigate won't survive a single broadside."
"Then what do you suggest, Captain?"
"Exactly what we are doing!" he answered furiously. "Flee, of course!"
The captain had no other options. The sensible thing would be to throw cargo overboard to lighten the ship's draft. If the pursuing ship had caught up to them so quickly, it was probably a military schooner armed with chain-shot, aiming to destroy their masts and leave them dead in the water until the rest of the warships tore them to pieces.
Getting lost in the storm was their only salvation.
"Captain! I could see our pursuer from above!" shouted the topman, falling almost to his knees after sliding down the ropes.
"Report, quickly!"
"I-It's a single ship, sir!" he stuttered, trembling from cold and fear. "By its rigging, it looks to be a brigantine!"
"A brigantine!?" The captain blinked in disbelief before letting out a nervous laugh. "That explains the speed at which they caught us."
"What are your orders, Captain?" asked the helmsman, relieved.
"If it's a brigantine, it will eventually catch up to us anyway," the captain analyzed, regaining his composure. "But its firepower is nothing compared to our frigate's cannons."
A malevolent smile, loaded with arrogance, formed on his face. Surely it was a group of small-time pirates who had stumbled upon them by sheer luck and attacked, blinded by greed.
"Furl the headsails and ready the starboard batteries!" ordered the captain at the top of his lungs. "We'll turn broadside and teach these bastards not to bite off more than they can chew!"
"You heard the captain! Beat to quarters!"
"Captain, I have to add something else!" interrupted the topman, his voice breaking.
"What is it now?"
"About the brigantine, sir..." he swallowed hard, his eyes wide open. "When I saw it through the spyglass during a lightning flash, its flag wasn't from the armada. It had a constellation of stars engraved on it."
"Stars!?" exclaimed the helmsman, turning pale.
The captain maintained a dead silence.
"And not only that..." the sailor continued, taking a step back. "Its figurehead... is a black obsidian dragon."
Upon hearing the description, a freezing terror paralyzed the entire crew. The sounds of battle preparations ceased at once, leaving only the relentless roar of the ocean and the drumming of the rain on the wood.
"That means..."
"That it's La Patrasche," the captain interrupted, feeling his throat go dry. "Our pursuer is the Pleiades Battalion."
Crushed by this new reality, the cultist leader looked up into the stormy darkness.
"Change of plans. Forget the cannons," he ordered with a grim voice, unsheathing his sword. "Draw your cutlasses, load the muskets, and prepare to be boarded! The Witch Cult will not fall tonight!"
†††
Aboard that legendary and fearsome vessel, the morale was the exact opposite. A blond boy with sharp teeth ran across the main deck, dodging loose ropes and enduring the violent jolts of the ship crashing through the waves with absolute ease.
"Captain! Weitz reports that the chase guns are reloaded!" shouted the blond boy toward the quarterdeck. "We only await your orders!"
From the quarterdeck, clinging to the majestic ship's wheel with poise, an enthusiastic voice rose above the storm upon seeing their opponents bring their ship to a halt.
"Ha! So they finally realized who they're messing with!" exclaimed a certain black-haired boy, sporting a massive, proud smile. "What do you think about it, Quartermaster?"
He looked to his right, where a gray-haired young man, dressed in a neat coat and a green tricorn hat, was trying to keep his balance.
"It seems they've abandoned the idea of escaping," the man said, tucking his brass spyglass into his belt. "They might be maneuvering to give us a full broadside once we enter their firing range."
He paused and sighed, adjusting his hat.
"At least, that's what they would do if we were a normal brigantine. However, assuming they know who we are, they'll understand that in an exchange of heavy artillery, they would be on the losing end. The most logical move is that they're digging in to repel our boarding party."
The quartermaster's flawless strategic analysis only managed to widen the captain's smile even further.
"Heh! Of course. After all, my precious Patrasche is the terror of the seven seas," laughed the captain, devotedly caressing the varnish of the ship's wheel.
La Patrasche.
A vessel whose mere silhouette cut against the fog caused nightmares. Its crew, the Pleiades Battalion, was a brotherhood of pirates feared throughout the Four Nations and the West Indies. And the ship itself... was a defiance of the laws of naval physics.
It was a massive brigantine. It boasted a monstrous arsenal: 46 cannons in total. Batteries of twenty-three guns per broadside, four powerful chase guns at the bow, swivel guns on the gunwales to clear decks, heavy long-range mortars, and barrels of flammable powder ready to be thrown. Its hull was clad in thick iron plates to repel artillery, crowned with a deadly steel ram designed to cleave through ships.
And, as the crown jewel, it deployed a total of twenty-six enormous sails that granted it a speed bordering on the absurd. In short, it was a monster with the agility and maneuverability of a light vessel, but with the devastating firepower of a first-rate Ship of the Line. An anomaly that, by simple weight and distribution, should have capsized the moment it touched the water.
"Hmph. How you have the nerve to show more affection to a piece of wood than to the very person who makes it possible for this to float, I suppose."
A sharp voice full of indignation interrupted the captain's fantasies from his left flank.
"How could you think me capable of doing such a thing to my adorable Beako?" the captain replied tenderly. "If it weren't for my hands being occupied with this helm, I'd shower you with affection for your incredible work keeping this fortress afloat."
"Hmph. Your affection wouldn't be enough to compensate for Betty's arduous mana expenditure. But even so, make sure to do it as soon as we finish with that scum, in fact."
The little girl with her arms crossed was none other than Beatrice, the Great Artificial Spirit of Yin affinity. Former guardian of the Forbidden Library, she now sailed as the captain's contracted spirit and was responsible for infusing her powerful Yin magic into the skeleton of La Patrasche, nullifying the weight of its monumental artillery and armor, allowing the existence of that legendary vessel.
"Captain Natsuki, focus on the mission, please," the quartermaster reprimanded him, revealing the leader's name.
Captain Natsuki Subaru.
Owner of La Patrasche, ringleader of the Pleiades, and symbol of freedom. A boy with black hair and eyes as sharp as his wits. He wore an unmistakable dark leather coat with orange and white accents, tailored for the sea winds. He was armed to the teeth: a cutlass on his hip, his lethal coiled whip, and a bandolier with four loaded flintlock pistols strapped across his chest.
"Don't worry, Quartermaster Otto," Subaru replied with a wink.
Otto Suwen, once an honest maritime merchant, now turned pirate after a series of misfortunes—and meeting Subaru. He was the Second in Command, combining his commercial cunning for logistics with the versatility of his Divine Protection, becoming the eyes and ears of the ship.
"I have it all perfectly calculated," Subaru assured, turning his gaze back to the sharp-toothed boy on the deck. "Master Gunner Garfiel!"
"Aye, Captain!"
"Inform Weitz and the rest of the batteries to secure the cannons! Hold fire and wait for my signal!"
"At your orders, Captain!" roared Garfiel, shooting across the deck like a cannonball.
Garfiel Tinsel, a demi-human with the strength of a titan, served as the ultimate master gunner, capable of relocating and loading heavy artillery at an inhuman speed out of pure devotion to his captain.
"What is your plan, Captain Natsuki?" asked Otto, with a resigned smile, already sensing the madness that was coming.
"You know exactly what we're going to do, my dear friend," Subaru answered, his eyes shining with anticipation. "Full sail!"
"You're hopeless, I suppose," Beatrice sighed.
Otto simply shook his head, sketching a smile, and amplified the order:
"You heard the captain! Hoist all sails, catch the wind!"
"Aye, aye!"
The staysails and jibs fell with a crash, swelling violently with the storm. La Patrasche cut through the sea like a black arrow, closing the distance with the cultists.
Upon piercing the curtain of fog, the prey was laid bare: the enemy frigate showed damage, and its ominous name could be read on its stern: The Fifth Finger.
Subaru analyzed the battlefield in fractions of a second. The frigate's sails were furled. They weren't presenting their cannons through the gun ports, and their men were crowding the gunwales with steel weapons gleaming under the lightning. They were looking for close-quarters combat.
"Perfect."
With a look of absolute determination, Subaru violently spun the wheel to port. He sought to avoid ramming them with the bow and, instead, pull up alongside their broadside.
"Furl the mainsail!" ordered Subaru.
"The mainsail! Furl the mainsail!" repeated Otto, organizing the crew.
The sailors obeyed without hesitation, reducing their impact speed to avoid destroying the ships. The two vessels were now separated by barely a few meters of turbulent water.
"Captain! Should we ready the grappling hooks?" asked Hyain from the main deck, clinging to the shrouds.
"Captain Natsuki, the orders are yours," Otto added.
Before the hulls of both ships could scrape together, Subaru dug his hands into the wheel's spokes, achieving a perfect maritime drift that positioned La Patrasche parallel to The Fifth Finger.
"I suppose you all should keep quiet," said Beatrice with a haughty smile. "You should already know that Betty's Subaru is setting the stage."
The entire crew fell silent. With their weapons drawn, they awaited their leader's order.
"Let's get closer and give them our regards!" Subaru raised his right fist toward the stormy heavens.
"Throw the grappling hooks! Board them! Board them!"
The roar of the Pleiades drowned out the thunder. Dozens of steel grappling hooks flew through the air, biting into the enemy rails, while the sailors hauled on the ropes to bind the fates of both ships together.
In that microsecond of chaos, before the slaughter, Captain Natsuki Subaru brought his raised hand to his chest, closed his eyes, and connected his soul with that of every single one of his men.
"Activate... Cor Leonis," he whispered.
Instantly, an invisible network bathed the entire Pleiades crew. A warm, inexhaustible, and dazzling vigor flooded their veins. With euphoric shouts, the pirates swung on ropes toward the Cult's deck.
Bang! Boom!
The sparks from the enemy muskets illuminated the darkness, kicking off the massacre.
"I'm not missing out on this party! I'll leave you to hold the fort here, Quartermaster Otto!" shouted Subaru, stepping away from the helm and sprinting toward the gunwale.
"Go ahead, Captain! Leave them breathless!" Otto sent him off with total confidence.
"Subaru!" shouted the little spirit, furrowing her brow with concern. "Take care of yourself and come back in one piece. You still owe me that affection, in fact."
"Of course I do, my Beako!" Subaru winked at her as he uncoiled his whip, using it to grapple the mainmast. "Otto, take good care of her or we're going down!"
With those words dissolving in the mist, the legendary Captain Natsuki Subaru leaped into the void, swinging over the furious abyss of the ocean to land squarely in the heart of the battle.
Subaru observed for a moment the fierce battle raging between the members of both crews. Although calling it a "battle" was being generous; it was more of an absolute massacre. The Pleiades Battalion swept the deck, dominating the disorganized members of the Witch Cult with insulting ease.
Captain Natsuki would have loved to stay to support his men and show off a bit, but his main objective awaited elsewhere.
Right in front of him, Garfiel roared like a wild beast and, with a single brutal punch, sent three cultists flying overboard at once, straight into the freezing waters.
"Master Gunner Garfiel, I need your support!" shouted Subaru, dodging a desperate slash from a cultist before dropping him with a kick.
"Huh?" The boy turned his head, his fists still smoking and his face smeared with gunpowder, but his furious expression immediately changed to one of absolute devotion. "Ah! Sure, Captain. Tell me, how can I serve you?"
"I have some personal matters to attend to with this ship's captain in his quarters," said Subaru, adopting an aura of mystery as he nimbly advanced through the falling bodies on the deck. "And I need you to ensure that absolutely no one interrupts us."
Garfiel closed in with a jump and started following his pace, covering his back.
"Consider it done, Captain. Leave it in my hands!" exclaimed the demi-human, bumping his bloody fists together with a fierce smile.
They both fought their way to the stern, arriving in front of the captain's heavy oak cabin doors. Subaru stopped before turning the brass doorknob.
"Let no one enter this place, Garf. I need some alone time with our host."
"At your orders, my captain. Not a single soul will pass through this door as long as I breathe!"
After confirming his subordinate's unwavering loyalty, Subaru unsheathed his cutlass with his right hand and kicked the door open, stepping into the shadows of the cabin.
The place was far from formidable. It was a mess of crumpled maps, rusted navigation instruments, and half-consumed candles. The air reeked of dampness and dried blood, radiating a creepy aura that chilled the blood.
Subaru took a confident step toward the center of the room, but his instincts, sharpened by countless battles, warned him of danger. He spun on his heels with dizzying speed and raised his sword, blocking just in time a treacherous thrust aimed at piercing his heart from the blind spot of a dark corner.
Clang!
The clash of steel sent sparks flying that briefly illuminated the cabin.
"Shit!" grunted the cultist captain, stepping back seeing his surprise attack thwarted.
"Ha! Sorry, friend, but you're not going to catch me off guard a second time," boasted Subaru, striking his characteristic cocky pose while facing his opponent.
"I don't know what you mean by 'second time,' scum," roared the cult leader, wielding a blackened rapier. "But I'll make sure to gut you like the vile pirate you are!"
"Believe me, I know that very well," Subaru replied with a sly smile. "But my target isn't you. I've come for the cargo you're transporting."
"There are no treasures worth your life on this pathetic ship, pirate!" spat the cultist in disgust. "You're wasting your time!"
"I'm not looking for gold. I'm looking for a map. One that details the possible destination of a certain legendary vessel..." Subaru drawled mockingly.
The cultist captain's eyes widened, unable to hide his disbelief.
"Y-You... How do you know...?"
"Let's just say my quartermaster has a special talent for overhearing private conversations, even when the little birds try to whisper," Subaru replied, winking. "And I'm guessing that map is conveniently hidden in a false bottom inside your personal desk drawer."
Subaru intentionally shifted his gaze toward the heavy mahogany desk at the back of the room, grinning from ear to ear.
"You... Damn you!" roared the man, blind with rage at being found out.
"Oops. You made me understand it yourself in a past that you possibly don't remember," Subaru mocked, shrugging.
"Don't mock me! I'll cut out your tongue!"
Following that declaration, the cultist captain lunged forward with blind fury, beginning the duel.
The cultist's sword was fast and precise, seeking Subaru's chest with lethal thrusts. Subaru parried the first assault with a flick of his wrist, deflecting the blade toward the wooden ceiling, and replied with a horizontal slash that forced his opponent back. The clash of metals echoed off the cabin's narrow walls.
The cultist, taking advantage of his knowledge of the terrain, kicked a chair toward Subaru's legs, forcing the pirate to jump to dodge it. Seizing the brief moment Subaru was in the air, the cult leader lunged with a direct thrust at his throat.
But Subaru had already foreseen it.
Landing heavily, Subaru spun on himself, dodging the blade by mere inches. With his free left hand, he uncoiled his trusty whip in a fluid and lethal motion. The leather cracked in the air and wrapped tightly around the cultist's ankle. With a hard yank, Subaru stole his balance, sending him crashing face-first against the floorboards with a dull thud.
The man cursed and tried to get up quickly, raising his sword, but Subaru gave him no quarter.
With a perfectly rehearsed movement, Subaru dropped the whip and, in the blink of an eye, drew two of the flintlock pistols crossing his chest. In a deadly and precise dance, he pulled the triggers in quick succession, dropping the smoking weapons to draw the other two from his bandolier without wasting a second.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four deafening shots echoed inside the enclosed cabin, filling the air with thick white smoke and the smell of gunpowder. The cultist captain dropped his sword and, after a violent spasm, fell limp onto the deck, completely struck down.
"Well, that was moderately fun," said Subaru, blowing the smoke from the barrels before holstering his weapons. "It's time to claim my loot."
With a steady step and stepping over the corpse, Subaru approached the desk. He calmly sat in the deceased captain's chair, opened the bottom drawer, and unceremoniously tossed out the dusty books it held. His fingers felt the wood until they found the fissure of the false bottom. Pressing on it, a board gave way, revealing a package wrapped in oiled leather and sealed with black wax.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" muttered Subaru to himself, weighing the package. "Let's see if this is what we came looking for."
He broke the seal and unrolled the ancient parchment. After a quick glance at the navigational charts and the mysterious marked coordinates, a triumphant smile lit up his face.
"Bingo! With this, we can call it a night."
He stood up from the chair, carefully stowing the precious map inside a waterproof compartment within his coat. He prepared to leave and order the retreat, but before he could take the first step toward the door, something caught his attention.
The reflection in the windowpane warned him of a massive shadow looming against the storm. Turning around, he peered through the glass, and his blood ran cold.
A majestic and stylized Galleon, with sails as white as snow despite the rain, was pulling up along the side opposite La Patrasche. Immediately afterward, the air was filled with a chorus of fierce feminine battle cries, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of grappling hooks biting into the wood.
"Shit, she's here!" grunted Subaru, panic coloring his voice. He sprinted toward the cabin door, ready to flee in a hurry.
But before he could even touch the doorknob, a heated argument stopped him dead on the other side of the wood.
"Huh? What are you doing here, Princess? Hey, wait, I can't let you pass, I promised the cap..."
BAM!
A brutal impact, followed by the sound of a heavy body crashing against the outer railing and being sent flying through the air, abruptly silenced poor Garfiel's protests.
Subaru backed away, adopting a defensive stance. He heard the echo of light boots approaching. The footsteps paused briefly; then, the double doors of the cabin were kicked open, ripping the hinges right off.
Through the shattered entryway stood the imposing and beautiful figure of a woman with silver hair flowing in the storm's wind, and amethyst eyes that gleamed with dangerous intensity.
"My, Subaru. You're quite the gentleman, taking care of all these ruffians and clearing the way for me," said the newcomer, with a voice like silver chimes, but laden with thick sarcasm. "So, how about you be a good boy now and kindly hand over the treasure?"
She extended a hand clad in an elegant white glove toward him, demanding her prize.
"First time we've seen each other in a good while, and the very first thing you do is try to steal someone else's loot," sighed Subaru, bringing a hand to his chest and feigning deep emotional injury. "How cruel you are, Captain Emilia."
Before him stood his greatest rival on the seas: Captain Emilia. A half-elf of surreal beauty, feared for her monstrous strength and devastating ice magic. She was the absolute leader of a formidable fleet composed entirely of brave amazon warriors, and the proud owner of the Fortuna, the majestic frigate that had just ambushed them.
"Moo... Subaru, I'm not stealing anything from you. I'm just asking for things nicely, as courtesy dictates," Emilia replied, forming an adorable but dangerous pout as she entered the cabin. "But if you refuse, I'll have no choice but to give you a little punishment."
"That's just another fancy way of calling it pillaging," countered Subaru, desperately trying to buy time to provoke her. "Though, to be honest, I'm already used to you stealing from me. After all, you stole my heart a long time ago."
Emilia became slightly flustered; her pointed ears acquired a faint pink hue, but she didn't lose her composure.
"It seems you have energy to spare for spouting nonsense in this situation," she said, raising her chin proudly.
"You know I'd love to keep chatting with you by candlelight, Captain Emilia, but my adorable Beako is waiting for her reward on our ship, and she'll be furious if I'm late. So I must take my leave." Subaru slowly backed away, tensing the muscles in his legs.
"So you choose to be a bad boy, Subaru? That's a real shame," Emilia sighed, shaking her head with feigned resignation.
"Hey, don't treat me like a disobedient child!"
"Then I suppose I'll have to punish you for real," Emilia declared, and the air around her dropped several degrees in an instant.
Both captains remained motionless for a microsecond, analyzing each other under the dim light of the lightning entering through the window. And then, hell broke loose.
They both launched into the attack simultaneously. Subaru unsheathed his cutlass with his right hand and brandished his whip with his left. Emilia, for her part, drew no steel weapons. She extended her hands and, in a blinding flash of bluish mana, materialized two lethal boarding sabers made of pure, indestructible ice.
Crash!
The clash of weapons generated a shockwave that rattled the furniture. Emilia attacked with relentless fury, accompanying each thrust with her sharp, adorable battle cries (Ei! Yah!), while Subaru defended himself desperately, blocking the frozen slashes with his steel sword and replying with feints and his usual confident smile.
The confined space of the cabin favored the half-elf's overwhelming strength. Emilia crossed her ice sabers and delivered a scissor slash aimed directly at Subaru, looking to knock him unconscious. He ducked, feeling the freezing edge slice off a lock of his black hair. In response, Subaru launched a sweep with his whip toward her legs. Emilia leaped nimbly, planting a foot on the wooden wall to propel herself and fall upon Subaru like a valkyrie.
Subaru raised his cutlass with both hands to block the impact from above. The steel groaned painfully under Emilia's monstrous elven strength, forcing him to drop to one knee. They exchanged fierce glares just inches apart.
Subaru, using his cunning, kicked the desk toward her to throw her off balance. The maneuver partially worked: Emilia stepped back, and Subaru seized the opening. With a quick twist of his wrist, he struck the center of one of Emilia's ice swords hard, managing to fracture and shatter it.
Believing he had the advantage, Subaru launched a frontal attack, using the flat side of his blade so as not to hurt her. However, Emilia reacted with superhuman reflexes. She deliberately sacrificed her remaining weapon, interposing it in the path of Subaru's sword. Upon collision, the ice exploded, but the force of the impact acted as a lever that brutally wrenched the cutlass from Subaru's hands, sending it flying to the other side of the room.
Unarmed and with his eyes wide open, Subaru tried to retreat, but Emilia was faster. She lunged at him before he could blink and caught him in an iron embrace, pinning his arms to his torso with titanic force.
"Got you," whispered Emilia, her ragged breathing brushing Subaru's ear as she tightened the hug.
"Agh! No fair, no fair!" complained Subaru, kicking and struggling uselessly against the hydraulic press that was the captain's arms. "That's cheating! Why do you have to be so absurdly strong?"
Emilia let out a crystalline laugh at his complaints.
"It's one of the perks of my elven ancestry, I suppose," she replied with an evident mocking tone. "Well, Subaru, it seems you lose this time. Besides, we're pirates; we fight without rules," she boasted, looking up with victorious pride.
"I don't care. Even if you squeeze me like a lemon, I won't tell you what I found," replied Subaru, turning his face to confront her.
Upon doing so, he realized something dangerous. Due to the struggle, their faces were separated by barely a breath. He could feel Emilia's sweet breath mixed with the cold of her magic. That closeness gave Subaru a brilliant idea.
"Well, if you're going to be that stubborn, I suppose I'll have to take drastic measures," said Emilia.
Without letting go, she lifted Subaru as if he were a ragdoll. She stomped heavily toward the back of the cabin and, with a strong kick that shattered the frame, kicked the stern window wide open. The wind and rain lashed their faces, and the roar of the dark ocean below became deafening.
Still holding Subaru, Emilia leaned him out the window, leaving him dangling dangerously over the abyss.
"If you don't kindly hand over the loot, I suppose I'll have no choice but to throw you into the sea... and then tell Beatrice what happened to you," Emilia threatened him with a mischievous smile. "And what do you think will happen then? She'll go looking for you veeery worriedly at the bottom of the ocean, neglecting the spell that keeps your beloved ship afloat."
Subaru gulped loudly.
"Y-You... You wouldn't dare..." he stuttered, injecting feigned terror into his voice, while in his mind he prayed to all the gods of the seas that his plan would work.
"Oh, yes I would," assured Emilia, moving him a little closer to the edge and deliberately loosening her iron grip slightly to scare him.
That was the opening Subaru needed.
Taking advantage of Emilia loosening her arms, Subaru pushed off with his legs against the ship's interior wall. In a bold and unpredictable move, he closed the minimal distance separating them and crashed his lips against the surprised half-elf's in a deep, passionate kiss.
Emilia opened her immense amethyst eyes wide. The shock paralyzed her. Her first instinct, born of surprise, was to completely release her grip on Subaru's torso and raise her hands to shove him violently away from her.
However, her hands stopped in the air, right before touching his chest. She hesitated.
Subaru, detecting that millimeter of hesitation, intensified his assault. He deepened the kiss, sliding a hand behind Emilia's nape to pull her closer, and used his tongue to boldly enter the captain's parted lips and explore the inside of her mouth.
Emilia felt the strength leave her legs. Her logical mind, which seconds before planned to throw him overboard, completely clouded over. Instead of pushing him away, her hands fell softly, seeking Subaru's shoulders, until her arms finally wrapped around his neck. She surrendered to the moment, returning the French kiss and tangling in an intoxicating dance of tongues that completely blocked out the sound of the storm and cannons.
That was the critical moment. While keeping her completely distracted, Subaru began to walk slowly, rotating their positions like in a clandestine waltz. Step by step, he gently pushed Emilia backward, cornering her without her realizing it.
The kiss continued for a few more seconds that felt like an eternity, until Subaru felt the cold breeze and calculated that he had achieved his goal. He had positioned Emilia with her back exactly to the open window.
He broke contact abruptly, pulling away from her. Emilia, visibly frustrated, let out a small moan and tried to follow his lips, leaning forward, but her eyes blinked, slowly regaining awareness of her surroundings.
The first thing her gaze focused on was the smug, triumphant smile adorning Subaru's face.
"You... You..." whispered Emilia, still dizzy, bringing her fingers to her swollen lips. "You... You did it again..."
"I'm so sorry, my sweet Emilia-tan," said Subaru, gently caressing her cheek with genuine affection. "Sometimes you're a bit too naive for such a fearsome pirate. But don't worry, that's exactly something I love about you."
The sincere declaration, coupled with the warm nickname, caused Emilia's pale face to dye a deep red that rivaled the fire of the cannons. But the captain's pride resurged, and her expression hardened.
"This time, Natsuki Subaru... I swear you will pay for this," she hissed, preparing to invoke her magic.
"Invisible Providence," whispered Subaru, raising his right hand.
"Huh?"
Before Emilia could process the strange phrase, she felt a brutal force, invisible and impossible to dodge, impact her dead on. It pushed her backward with great speed, tossing her out the window into the nocturnal void.
The half-elf's scream was lost in the wind before a loud splash echoed against the waves of the raging sea.
Upon falling into the saltwater, Emilia kicked furiously to reach the surface, coughing and spitting water. Looking up, soaked and humiliated, she was greeted by the booming laughter of Subaru, who was leaning out the broken window.
"Sorry, Emilia-tan! But the loot is coming with me this time!"
"Y-You! That's not fair! You cheated!" shouted Emilia, thrashing in the water furiously.
"You said it yourself, my dear Emilia-tan! We are pirates, we fight without rules!" Subaru replied, making an exaggerated, mocking bow from above. "See ya!"
Without waiting for an answer, Subaru turned around and sprinted out of the cabin at top speed, the precious map secure in his coat.
He left behind a soaked Emilia, swimming furiously toward the hull's ladder, gritting her teeth with freezing fury.
"SU-BA-RU!" Captain Emilia's infuriated scream echoed above the storm, promising a vengeance that would make anyone tremble.
Subaru shot out of the cabin onto the main deck, running headlong into a chaotic panorama. The initial skirmish had transformed into a fierce three-way battle: his own crew, the desperate cultists, and the new adversaries, the lethal pirates of the Fortuna.
Although steel clashed everywhere and gunpowder smoke blinded the sight, it was obvious who was on the losing end. The Witch Cult members were falling overboard one after another, overwhelmed. The female pirates, implacable warriors swinging from the rigging like furies of the storm, cornered the cultists, attacking with furious sweeps of curved sabers and precise musket shots.
On the other hand, when the warriors of the Fortuna clashed weapons with the men of the Pleiades Battalion, the lethality vanished. They exchanged feints, heavy blocks, and the occasional mocking insult, but without dealing mortal blows. It was logical; after all, both crews had already crossed swords and cups of rum in the past.
Subaru dodged a cultist who came flying through the air and closed his eyes for a moment to focus on his Authority.
Cor Leonis.
In the darkness of his mind, the lights of his crew pulsed strongly, intertwined with the fierce lights of the newcomers. However, his heart was only searching for a specific one: the bright and icy light of Captain Emilia.
He could visualize that light down below, outside the gunwale, moving furiously as she tried to climb.
"Thank goodness you're alright, Emilia-tan," whispered Subaru to himself, letting out a sigh of relief.
Having confirmed his rival's safety, he proceeded to look for his master gunner among the tide of combatants. It was then, toward the port bulwark, that he spotted the fearsome Garfiel lying on a pile of ropes, unconscious and sprawled out like a ragdoll.
"Oh, Garf..." muttered Subaru, quickly approaching the boy and checking his pulse. "I guess Emilia showed you no mercy when you blocked the door."
Looking for backup amidst the chaos, he turned toward the center of the deck, where swords were still clashing.
"Weitz! Come here immediately!" bellowed Subaru with urgency.
The massive sailor, who had just knocked out a cultist with the pommel of his sword, turned toward his captain.
"Tell me, Captain!"
"I need you to carry Garfiel and take him to our ship right now!"
"Right away, sir!" answered Weitz, throwing the demi-human over his shoulder with ease.
Subaru left Garfiel in good hands and advanced a few steps, climbing onto the stern rail to be in plain sight of everyone. He unsheathed his recovered sword and raised it toward the storm.
"Pleiades Battalion!" his command cry cut through the din of the battle, drawing his people's eyes. "We have done our duty! We have the loot! To the ropes, abandon ship, retreat!"
Following their leader's orders, Subaru's pirates let out roars of victory. They immediately began to break ranks and fall back toward La Patrasche. The retreat wasn't easy; some of the Fortuna's pirates were not willing to let them go so easily, launching thrusts to hold them back.
"Back, little beasts!" laughed one of Subaru's men while blocking a slash, before jumping overboard clinging to a rope.
"Good, that should be enough," said Subaru, watching his crew return home nimbly.
However, before he could join the retreat, his instincts screamed. He felt two presences slicing the wind toward him from opposite flanks.
"What the...?!" Subaru dropped backward, performing a somersault over the wet wood just in time to dodge two sharp blades that crossed in the space where his neck had been seconds before.
"Tch, I missed," clicked the tongue of a girl's voice.
"Ha! Big bro is still as slippery as ever," laughed a second voice.
Subaru jumped to his feet, dusting off his coat.
"That was way too close! Were you trying to slice my head off!?" complained Subaru, looking at the two women blocking his path.
"I just wanted to immobilize you, Big bro," replied Felt, a blonde girl with intense crimson eyes. She nimbly rested her dagger on her shoulder, sporting a mocking smile. "After all, if I were to leave even a scratch on you, Big sis would get very mad at me."
"From you I believe it, Felt," Subaru replied, relieved, before turning to the other assailant. "But as for you, Sylphy... why do you look so disappointed that you missed?"
The second woman, a fierce warrior with a sharp gaze, growled while aiming the tip of her saber directly at Subaru's chest again.
"Only because I lost the chance to get rid of my captain's main headache," Sylphy said with obvious disdain. "Besides, we know you're taking something that belongs to her."
"What do you mean, 'headache'?" Subaru placed a hand on his chest, deeply offended. "When my sole purpose in life is to ensure that Emilia-tan is utterly incapable of stopping thinking about me!"
"Exactly because of that!" roared Sylphy, tightening her grip on her weapon, ready to charge. "But I don't care what you say. You won't escape from here until the captain comes up and deals with you personally."
"Sylphy is right about that, Big bro," added Felt, lowering her center of gravity and getting into a combat stance, blocking the route to the railing. "I'm very sorry, but orders are orders."
Subaru was cornered. Two of the deadliest pirate maidens on the seas obstructed his escape. Sylphy was a swordswoman with flawless technique, while Felt was so fast the eye could barely follow her. If he tried to fight his way through, he would end up with more holes than a strainer.
Fortunately, Captain Natsuki had a weapon much sharper than his sword.
"Alright, alright. You ladies have two options," said Subaru, raising his hands in surrender, though his smile betrayed him. "You can pick a fight with me and waste your precious time... or you could go help your beloved captain, who right now must be swallowing saltwater and fighting not to sink to the bottom of the ocean."
Both Sylphy and Felt hesitated, lowering their weapons by a fraction. But it was Sylphy, with her almost fanatical devotion to Emilia, who swallowed the bait in a panic.
"What did you do to Emilia-sama!?" she demanded, eyes furious. "Where is she!?"
"If I were you, I'd go running to look out the stern window," replied Subaru, flashing a malicious smile.
"You... I swear you will pay for this, scum!"
Sylphy didn't hesitate for a second. She broke her stance and shot off, blowing past Subaru like a hurricane, blinded by the urgency of ensuring her beloved leader's safety.
"Wow, that was easy," sighed Subaru, watching her disappear.
"You never change, Big bro," laughed Felt, relaxing her shoulders.
"What can I say? It's part of my undeniable charm," he replied, proudly adjusting the collar of his coat.
"Heh. Well, I suppose my duty as quartermaster now is to go rescue my foolish captain," said Felt, sheathing her dagger in her thigh holster and calmly walking toward where her companion had gone. "We'll cross paths again, Big bro. Don't get overconfident."
"It's always a pleasure to see you, Felt," Subaru bid farewell, letting out a small, sincere laugh. "Make sure to take very good care of my Emilia-tan for me."
And, without wasting another second, Subaru sprinted at full speed toward the railing. With a leap, he flew over the dark abyss separating the vessels and landed with a perfect somersault on the black wooden deck of La Patrasche.
"The captain is aboard!" the lookout shouted from the crow's nest.
"What are your orders, Captain Natsuki?" asked Otto at the top of his lungs, already gripping the ship's wheel.
Subaru stood up, looked up to see his loyal crew waiting anxiously, and raised a victorious fist toward the stormy sky.
"We've got the loot! Let's get the hell out of here at full speed! Don't let even the sirens catch us!"
A unanimous, euphoric roar made the entire ship vibrate.
"You heard the captain!" ordered Otto, spinning the helm with mastery. "Full sail! Hoist the foremast, deploy the topgallant sails and the fore topsail!"
The crew moved all across the rigging. The twenty-six sails of La Patrasche caught the storm all at once, and the legendary black brigantine shot forward, cutting through the waves at breakneck speed and leaving the battling ships behind.
Meanwhile, on the shattered deck of The Fifth Finger, a desperate Sylphy and a resigned Felt pulled the ropes from the gunwale.
"Pull, girls, she's almost here!" shouted Sylphy.
"Emilia-sama!"
"Big sis!"
Joining forces with the rest of the crew, they managed to hoist their captain's soaked body onto the deck.
"Cough, cough!... Thank you, girls..." panted Emilia, spitting out saltwater and brushing a lock of silver hair stuck to her face. "Where... where is Subaru?"
Sylphy and Felt exchanged a look laden with discomfort.
"Captain Emilia... Captain Subaru escaped with his crew. La Patrasche has already vanished into the fog," informed Sylphy, gritting her teeth.
"Subaru what?!" growled Emilia, her amethyst eyes flashing with a mix of indignation and embarrassment. "And what are we waiting for!? Everyone back to the Fortuna! Hoist the sails and go after them!"
"Big sis... even if we drop all the ballast, our frigate will never be able to match the speed of La Patrasche in this wind," reminded Felt, crossing her arms.
Emilia fell silent. She grasped the situation instantly. She realized that it wasn't logic dictating her orders, but the burning frustration of her own defeat and humiliation.
"KYAAA!" she let out a muffled shriek of tantrum and stomped tremendously hard against the wooden deck. The impact of her elven strength was such that it splintered the boards, opening a huge hole that connected to the lower hold. "I know! It's just that I'm veeery upset right now!"
"I perfectly understand your frustration, Captain," tried to console her Sylphy, offering her a dry towel.
"Now, the real question is..." intervened Felt, leaning forward with an arched eyebrow. "You must inform us, Captain, what exactly caused a powerful magic user like you to end up taking a dip?"
The fury on Emilia's face evaporated in a second. She swallowed loudly, averting her gaze toward the broken floorboards.
"I-It was Subaru... He... He set a very cowardly trap for me," stuttered Emilia, as an intense scarlet blush spread from her cheeks to the tips of her pointed ears.
Sylphy and Felt observed her with completely blank expressions. Getting a good idea of what might have happened.
"Ah, I see..." murmured Felt, dragging out her words with apathy. "So Big bro kissed you again to distract you."
Emilia covered her face with both hands, curling into a ball of embarrassment.
"I-I let my guard down!" she squeaked from behind her fingers.
"Oh, please, Big sis, don't think I'm that naive," attacked Felt, losing her patience. "I've seen you drunk in the worst taverns in Nassau. Tough men, pirates, and drunken nobles have tried to cross the line with you, and you've sent them all flying out the window with a single punch before they could even blink."
Felt stepped forward, grabbed Emilia's wrists, and firmly pulled her hands away, forcing her to look her in the eyes.
"And yet, magically, every time you lock yourself alone with Big bro, he ends up kissing you with ease." Felt's gaze was sharp and judging. "It's crystal clear that you let him kiss you on purpose because you like it!"
Her quartermaster's brutal honesty was the final blow. Emilia's eyes filled with thick tears of genuine embarrassment. She yanked herself free from the grip.
"That's not true! I would never be capable of something so shameless! You're wrong, Felt!" screamed Emilia at the top of her lungs, hiding her blushing face again, refusing to accept reality.
Felt let out a long sigh of resignation, although a tiny, complicit smile formed at the corner of her lips.
The one who wasn't happy at all was Sylphy. The warrior gritted her teeth with such fury that it seemed she was going to break them. She clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned pale, giving off a murderous, dark aura that instinctively made the rest of the crew step back.
"I... swear on my life and on the seas..." whispered Sylphy with a guttural voice. "That you will pay dearly for corrupting my captain's purity like this! NATSUKI SUBARUUUU!"
Sylphy's hysterical, spite-filled scream echoed like thunder over the raging sea, fading into the distance of that chaotic battlefield.
†††
"I'm so sorry, Captain. I couldn't fulfill your order to hold the door," was the heartfelt apology of the blond boy, who kept his forehead pressed against the deck boards, prostrating himself in a sign of repentance.
"Don't blame yourself too much, Garf. It's not like you could do much in hand-to-hand combat against Captain Emilia's monstrous strength," Otto consoled him, gently patting his shoulder.
"But, Otto-bro, I failed..."
"Let it go, Garf," interrupted Subaru, leaning back relaxedly on the ship's wheel. "The important thing is that you held out as long as you could and you're still in one piece."
"Captain..." whispered Garfiel, looking up with admiration.
"You're complaining for nothing, I suppose," added Beatrice, sitting on a nearby barrel, swinging her legs.
"Besides, no one ended up at the bottom of the sea and, most importantly, we got our loot!" added Subaru with a blinding smile.
"A... alright, sir."
A few hours had passed since the fierce battle. The relentless rain had become a memory, the thick fog had cleared, and now, La Patrasche sailed serenely as the first warm, golden rays of dawn broke on the horizon.
"By the way, Captain Natsuki," spoke Otto. "May we know what exactly it was that you obtained?"
"I'm glad you asked, my astute friend," replied Subaru.
With a dramatic motion, he pulled the leather-wrapped package from inside his coat and handed it to his second in command.
"It seems we hit the jackpot tonight."
Otto broke the seal and unrolled the parchment. Garfiel jumped to his feet and peered over the merchant's shoulder to snoop. As their eyes scanned the intricate routes, both men's jaws dropped to the floor.
"Captain Natsuki, is this...!?"
"Captain, is this what I think it is!?"
"Hmph, you certainly are easy to impress, in fact," murmured Beatrice, crossing her arms, though she too was peeking out of curiosity.
"It's a map detailing the possible patrol route taken by the legendary vessel that the Lugunica armada is searching so hard for," explained Subaru, his eyes shining with ambition. "A real, first-hand clue to finding the mythical Man-O'-War, Volcanica."
"This information is invaluable! Many would pay an obscene fortune just to take a look at it!" exclaimed Otto, rubbing his hands together. "What's your immediate plan, Captain? Do we set sail for the coordinates?"
"Right now? Our plan is to rest," decreed Subaru. "The boys deserve a huge celebration and a barrel of rum after their hard work. Besides, my adorable Beako has spent a lot of mana and needs to regain her strength before we get into any more trouble."
Both Otto and Garfiel nodded, relaxing their shoulders at their leader's sensible and empathetic response.
"It's good that you keep your priorities straight and give Betty the attention she deserves, I suppose," said the little spirit, trying to hide a flattered smile.
"Heh. I guess because of things like this, he's our captain, after all," confirmed Garfiel, bumping his fists.
"You're quite a case, Natsuki-san," added Otto, rolling up the map and stowing it away carefully. "Well then, to go celebrate... Where do we set our course?"
Subaru looked out toward the open sea, bathed in the glow of the dawn, and with a smile that defied the whole world, he shouted:
"Set course for Great Inagua!"
The entire crew erupted in cheers upon hearing the destination; the promise of gold, rest, and cantinas filled them with renewed energy. They happily set to work, tightening lines and swabbing the deck.
"Boys, a loot like this and a victory over the Cult call for a sea shanty!" shouted Garfiel at the top of his lungs, tapping his foot to the beat.
Soon, the deep, out-of-tune but brotherhood-filled voices of the Pleiades Battalion pirates rose over the sound of the waves crashing against the hull.
Now we are ready to sail for the Horn
Weigh hey, roll and go!
Our boots and our clothes, boys, are all in the pawn
To be rollicking, randy dandy-O!
Heave a pawl, oh heave away!
Weigh hey, roll and go!
The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!
Soon we'll be warping her out through the locks
Weigh hey, roll and go!
Where the pretty young girls all come down in their frocks
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!
Heave a pawl, oh heave away!
Weigh hey, roll and go!
The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!
Come breast the bars, bullies, heave her away
Weigh hey, roll and go!
Soon we'll be rolling her down through the Bay
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!
Heave a pawl, oh heave away!
Weigh hey, roll and go!
The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored
To be rollicking randy dandy-O!
While Subaru manned the helm, lulled by such a wonderful and energetic melody, feeling the salty breeze and the warm rays of the dawn caressing his face, he couldn't help but be overcome by a deep sense of nostalgia.
He thought about how, quite a long time ago, he had arrived in this chaotic world of seas and magic. He thought of the invaluable friends he had forged through crossfire, blood, and storms—the unbreakable bonds born of adversity.
He remembered how he arrived believing he was destined to be the invincible hero of the tale, and how the harsh, cruel reality proved to him in the worst possible way that he wasn't. He remembered the day he was saved by a certain silver-haired half-elf... and the terrifying moment he experienced his horrifying, monstrous, yet vital ability for the first time.
Return by Death.
∆∆∆∆∆∆
Subaru blinked over and over, disoriented by the sudden change in lighting.
Just a moment ago, he was walking peacefully with a bag of chips outside a convenience store in the dark Japanese night. But now, under a scorching sun, he stood in the middle of a noisy, dusty stone plaza.
The sound of cars had been replaced by the shouting of merchants and the cawing of seagulls. A humid breeze, heavy with the unmistakable smell of fish, rum, and sea salt, hit his face.
Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the light, and he began to notice the strange figures walking around him.
Beastmen, women with cat ears, and burly guys carrying cutlasses.
That was when the shock vanished, replaced by a gleam of absolute fascination in his brown eyes. He dropped his shopping bag, raised both fists to the sky, and shouted with all his might.
"HAVE I BEEN SUMMONED TO A PARALLEL WORLD?!"