Chapter 1 - Pirate

The ship was bustling amidst torrential rain. Dark shadows danced silently, exchanging incomprehensible gestures like a deaf person’s dance. The sounds of rainfall, waves crashing against the hull, and the mournful cries of whales filled the world around them.

Lightning struck the sea. For a fleeting moment, white blades reflected on pale faces as darkness retreated only to return immediately afterward. A poor soul’s final scream was drowned out by thunder and vanished without a trace.

The drunken captain witnessed the rain, the ocean, the wind, and that damned mutiny aboard his ^[1] vessel. He yelled, but no one heard him. The frenzied dance intensified, swords clashing fiercely. Lightning struck again.

-Traitor!

A desperate cry pierced his heart and extracted his soul. The pirate captain swore that those who betrayed him would suffer eternally at the bottom of the sea, ensuring this mutiny would inevitably fail.

The sharp blade severed the traitor’s neck and artery with ease. Despite their rage, the deckhands’ futile attempts were no match for the captain’s sobered swordsmanship—precise and deadly even amidst pitch-black darkness.

-The boats…

With the third strike of lightning, the sea lit up brightly, revealing two small vessels struggling against the rough waves.

-Captain?

The one-legged pirate dropped his bloodied knife. It wasn’t a question but rather a request for permission. Swearing by all seven demons of the seas, he knew betrayal could never be forgiven. The captain’s fury reverberated across the vast expanse beyond the deck.

***

The term pioneer sounds noble, and settler respectable, but in reality, they were murderers, fugitives, debtors, and ne’er-do-wells. A new guest entered an unnamed tavern by Kepala Sea.

Drunkards intoxicated with cheap rum, pickpockets targeting their pockets, and keen-eyed gamblers observing the nimble fingers—all turned to look at the entrance.

Despite being somewhat disheveled from the rough sea winds, this newcomer wore a well-defined tricorne hat, a frock coat that looked decent save for the scarf stuffed carelessly beneath it, tights tailored perfectly to his legs, and sleek leather boots. Overall, he appeared quite dapper.

“What? It’s a woman?”

Although tall and dressed like a sailor with a lean face and clean-shaven chin, they were unmistakably a woman. The drunkard and his equally intoxicated friend squinted at her. Unfazed by their attention, she took a seat at the bar.

“Whiskey.”

As her coat flared open, a sleek cutlass sword and two neatly holstered flintlock pistols came into view. Half of the rowdy customers quickly settled back down. Despite appearances, this wasn’t some low-ranking seaman who used the tropical sun as an excuse to strut around half-naked. Although she possessed the rough demeanor typical of Third Continent dwellers, she clearly knew how to take care of herself and wasn’t a buccaneer.

“We’re out of whiskey and only have rum left.”

“A bar without any alcohol?”

It was an embarrassing question that made him doubt his business acumen. The owner frowned and spat back at her:

“It’s because of those Buccaneers!”

The female customer’s eyes curved like a sextant. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a small mole below the corner of her left eye. He thought she looked familiar but quickly dismissed it.

“So, pirates frequent this area too?”

“Half the sailors around here are pirates, so no surprise there.”

“Well, we can still tell them apart from honest seafarers, right? I’m looking for Jake.”

“A person?”

“He may not act human, but he certainly looks the part.”

The barkeep poured a shot of rum instead of whiskey for her. Was he trying to lift her spirits?

“I don’t get many customers who reveal their names and drink here.”

“He’s not that quiet a guy, especially when he’s drunk. Please think hard about this. He was from the Sea Serpent—tall with—”

Both the bartender and the sober customers flinched at the mention of the ‘Sea Serpent’.

“You mean the cursed sea monster?”

“A curse?”

The atmosphere inside the tavern heated up like a mast on a hot summer day.

“They say it causes storms, trapping merchant ships off course, then hunts them down one by one!”

“The horrifying beast enslaves young men and feeds old ones to sharks!”

The female customer sighed quietly. “Does any of that make sense? It’s obviously just rumors.”

“You call it nonsense? It’s all true! My friend was on board the Sea Serpent when they were attacked and barely survived by hiding in the ballast hold. He said the captain of the Sea Serpent is a nine-foot-tall monster, and his crew members are demonic minions with blackened faces.”

“They aren’t that big. The blackened faces are just due to sunburn,” explained the female customer, causing an awkward silence. One oblivious drunkard took offense at her explanation, but his drinking buddies calmly restrained him. The atmosphere felt strange as the customer, who braved pirate blockades to visit their tavern, defended the notorious pirate group. Before tensions escalated further, the bar owner discreetly cleared his throat to draw attention away from the situation.

“One out of every three trading ships coming here encounters the Sea Serpent. That’s why everyone is sensitive.”

The female customer waved her hand impatiently. “I don’t care about that. Think again about what you said earlier. He was this tall, with arms this long, and had a knife scar on his cheek…”

At that moment, a new customer entered, their backlit silhouette against the noon sun. It was impossible to see their face due to the glare, but they matched the description – the same height and arm length. The woman turned in her chair and spoke to them.

“Didn’t I mention he loves drinking and frequents bars? Really don’t recognize him?”

“T-That’s because…” The bar owner looked uneasy. He’d never seen this tall customer enter his establishment before and sensed something was off about him. His sun-tanned skin with scars from cuts now appeared unnaturally pale.

“How did you get—?!” Jake spun around to bolt out of the tavern, but the woman beat him to it. She swiftly drew her flintlock pistol and fired without hesitation.

Bang!

The bar owner ducked under the counter, and one sleeping customer fell off their chair onto the floor, but the braver customers leaped up. With her left hand, the woman pulled out a second pistol.

“Don’t move!”

It was impossible not to heed such a request backed by loaded guns. Nearly ten customers froze on the spot as she approached Jake, who was whimpering while clutching his thigh wound.

“It’s been a while. How’ve you been?”

Jake turned around and crawled backward as if he’d seen the devil itself. Blood flowed freely from his leg, forming small rivulets on the floor, but there was no attempt to staunch the flow.

“C-Captain…”

“Captain? I kicked you off my ship already, remember? We’re even now. You mean nothing to me.”

Her words sounded like a death sentence to Jake, who desperately tried to defend himself.

“N-No, that’s not it! I-I…!”

“Yes, yes, I know. You did what you were told, right? And you had no intention of betraying anyone, correct? Where is Goodman? Just tell me where he is, and I’ll let you go.”

“R-Really? You’ll really spare me?”

The woman smiled softly, looking almost like a kind neighbor, save for the gun still smoking in her hand. Jake swallowed hard, feeling hopeful again.

“He went to Kingsdom Island. It was part of the deal with the navy—”

Bang!

A second pistol spat flames. A hole appeared dead center on Jake’s forehead as he crumpled to the floor of the bar without a sound or movement.

“I did say I would send him to the afterlife. Just so there’s no misunderstanding, I never mentioned sparing his life, did I?”

The woman holstered both pistols and turned around. The owner of the tavern peeked over the counter at her.

“…Captain of the Sea Serpent?”

The captain of the Sea Serpent, the most notorious female pirate sailing the Kepala Sea, removed her tricorne hat and greeted the owner and customers with a bright smile that belied the fact she had just taken a life moments ago.

“It seems it’s time for me to leave. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but make sure you have some whiskey stocked up then.”

Everyone secretly hoped she wouldn’t return if she truly was the captain of the Sea Serpent, but naturally, nobody dared voice their thoughts aloud.