A/N : Bonus chapters for every 50 power stones, so don't hesitate to throw your power stones if you want extra chapters 😉.
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And sure enough, only a moment later, a swirling portal tore open in mid-air—
and a small purple cat shot out of it like a cannonball.
THUD!
She slammed head-first into a wooden crate overflowing with fish.
"Meow—OW!" the cat yowled, her entire body flopping onto the pile of slippery, scaly treasure. The impact sent fish bouncing everywhere.
They had landed inside a ship's cargo hold—one that was currently sailing across open ocean.
"Oh wow, Book!" the cat chirped in delight, her eyes sparkling as she peeked over the edge of the crate. "You really did bring us to a place with tons and tons of fish! Good job!"
Book, however, hovered behind her with the emotional energy of someone who desperately wished to be anywhere else. The grimoire vibrated in irritation, its corners twitching as if offended by the very scent of seafood.
Book was not happy.
Not after realizing the only reason the cat wanted to come here was because she looked hungry and wanted a fish buffet. And of course, Book hated fish—mostly because fish meant water, slime, mess, and an awful smell that clung to paper fibers for days.
"Fish… fiiishy fishy fishyyy~," the cat sang as she floated leisurely toward one of the fish flopping on the deck. She leaned in and gave it an eager lick.
But just as she opened her mouth to take a big bite—
A desperate scream echoed across the ship.
Both cat and grimoire froze.
Book reacted first. With zero hesitation, it shot upward, lifting the purple cat by the scruff like an annoyed parent removing a toddler from danger.
"Book! Hey! At least let me grab one fish! Just one! Meow!" she protested, paws reaching toward the crate as she was hoisted into the air.
Book did not care. Book did not listen.
The cat eventually gave up with a defeated sigh. She still had a chance to steal a fish later… maybe.
As Book floated them toward the source of the shouting, the cat's ears perked up. They passed through a doorway to the upper deck—and what she saw made her eyes widen.
A group of rough-looking sailors—monster hunters—were gathered around something on a tiny floating buoy tied to the ship.
No, not something.
Someone.
A small blue Yordle, bound tightly with ropes, like a piece of bait waiting to be thrown to sea.
"Nooo, please! Don't use me as bait! I'm begging you!" the little Yordle cried, tears in his eyes.
"Shut it!" snarled one of the crew, kicking the poor Yordle hard in the stomach. The little one winced in pain, curling in on himself.
The purple cat's fur bristled.
"Book… we need to help that Yordle," she said quietly, her tone serious for once. She didn't want to imagine what would happen if they did nothing. And seeing him tied up like that reminded her far too much of Nora—her beloved master—who was also a Yordle.
Yuumi had many flaws, but letting another Yordle in danger was not something she could ever ignore.
And without hesitation, Yuumi began creeping toward them—slowly, carefully—like a cat trying to sneak up on a laser pointer. But it quickly became clear she didn't have the luxury of time.
The entire ship lurched violently as something enormous slammed into its hull.
KRAAAAAASH!
The impact nearly launched Yuumi off Book's cover. Whatever hit them wasn't small. And when Yuumi peeked over the railing, her fur puffed up instantly—
A massive megalodon-like sea monster was circling the ship, its colossal fin cutting through the waves like a blade.
And the Yordle tied up on that tiny float?
He was seconds away from becoming breakfast.
Yuumi's ears shot straight up. This was officially an emergency.
Book flipped open in a panic, pages fluttering like frantic wings.
But before they could get any closer, one of the crew members finally spotted them.
"Hey! Look! Is that… a raccoon?" the first pirate shouted, squinting as if the power of eyesight alone might solve his confusion.
"No, you idiot," the second pirate snapped, still holding the tied-up Yordle over the ocean. "It's a baby bear. A weird-looking baby bear. And—wait—what's it holding? A book?"
The third pirate, who happened to be the ship's captain and possessed slightly more brain cells than the other two, stepped forward with greedy eyes.
"That's a flying cat," he declared confidently. "Catch it! A creature like that'll sell for a fortune on the black market!"
At that command, the entire group of pirates scrambled toward Yuumi like a pack of hungry hyenas, ropes and nets in hand.
Yuumi gasped dramatically.
"Book! They want to sell me! Me! Do I look like some kind of discount magical pet?!"
Book responded with a sharp flap of its cover—a firm NO—and lifted her higher into the air.
But the pirates were already climbing the rigging, leaping across crates, and sprinting across the deck to capture them.
Meanwhile, the poor blue Yordle dangling above the water was screaming,
"PLEASE DON'T FEED ME TO THAT THING! I TASTE TERRIBLE! EVERYONE SAYS SO!"
Yuumi's tail bristled in determination.
"Book! We have to save him right now before he becomes fish food!"
And with the megalodon rising again beneath the waves, jaws opening wide, Yuumi and Book prepared to dive straight into the chaos—because if they didn't act fast… that Yordle wouldn't have long left.
"Don't worry! Yuumi will save you!" the purple cat declared heroically as she sprinted across the deck—if you could call her tiny, wobbly legs sprinting.
The pirate crew, of course, immediately lunged to capture her.
But Yuumi darted through their legs like a fuzzy purple missile, slipping between boots, sliding over rope coils, and hopping onto crates with nimble grace.
Book, meanwhile, was having a full-blown paper crisis.
He shook, fluttered, and wobbled in Yuumi's grip—because not only did he have to dodge pirates, he also had to prevent Yuumi from doing anything extremely stupid.
Which, unfortunately for him, was already happening.
The blue Yordle hanging as bait was seconds away from falling into the sea below.
"HELP! I DON'T WANT TO BE SNACKS!" he screamed, kicking helplessly.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Yuumi shouted as she leapt off the deck, soaring toward him.
And then she made a terrible discovery.
She looked down.
Water.
Everywhere.
Endless, horrible, splashy water.
Yuumi froze mid-air, pupils shrinking in horror.
Book trembled even harder.
But it was too late—gravity had already committed to the idea.
Yuumi landed on the Yordle's shoulder, clinging to him like a cat clinging to a curtain.
Book thumped into Yuumi's side, barely managing to stay aligned as he flipped pages frantically, preparing a spell.
But… they were a moment too slow.
The sea beneath them exploded upward.
A gigantic megalodon, nearly a third the size of the pirate ship, burst out of the water—jaws wide open, teeth like swords, roaring loudly enough to rattle every bone and whisker on deck.
Yuumi stared straight into the monster's mouth.
Her eyes sparkled.
Her jaw dropped.
Her tongue lolled out.
"Oooh… biiig fish…" she whispered, drooling on poor Book.
Book screeched internally.
THIS WAS EXACTLY WHY HE HATED FISH.
The Yordle shrieked.
Book shrieked.
Yuumi… still drooled.
The megalodon surged forward—ready to swallow all three of them whole.
Book slapped himself against Yuumi, desperately flipping through his own pages to open a portal—
but Yuumi's drool was soaking into his paper, smearing ink and completely ruining his concentration.
"AHHHHHHHH!" screamed the Yordle and Book in perfect harmony.
And then—
BOOOOOOOOM!!
A thunderous cannon blast cut through the chaos.
A massive iron cannonball tore through the fog and smashed directly into the back of the megalodon's skull, blasting scales and seawater into the air.
The monster roared in pain and dropped back into the ocean—vanishing beneath the waves with a furious splash.
Everyone—pirates, Yuumi, Book, even the traumatized Yordle—turned toward the source of the shot.
Through the rolling mist, a colossal ship emerged.
Its hull was pitch-black.
Its sails stretched wide like wings.
And at the prow, a carved figure of an angel stood with arms outstretched, guiding the vessel forward.
The ship moved with slow, crushing confidence—
like it owned the ocean.
As it came closer, the name painted on its side became visible:
The Black Pearl.
Even the pirates stopped breathing.
Yuumi blinked.
"Oooh… Book look it's a shiny boat…"
Book slapped her with a page.
.....
Previously, on Jill and the other girls' side…
Jill was currently inside her cabin, trying on several pieces of jewelry—the ones Aurelion Sol had casually gifted them before departing. Excella helped her examine each necklace and earring in the mirror, while Sarah and Abigail stood nearby, watching with hesitant curiosity.
"Hey, Jill, this one is gorgeous. You should try it," Excella said, holding up a shimmering pair of earrings shaped like tiny galaxies.
"Hm… yeah, this one is really pretty," Jill replied, lifting her hair so Excella could help her put it on.
"Well, why don't you two take something as well?" Jill said, turning toward Sarah and Abigail. "There's plenty here."
Abigail quickly shook her head. "Oh, no, Miss Jill. I don't think we're worthy of wearing something so luxurious."
"Hey—don't call me 'Miss,'" Jill scolded playfully. "And come here. Try one. Don't worry, these aren't anything precious to me. They weren't a gift from my husband—they're from a friend we helped out. So really, it's fine."
"Yeah, come on," Excella added with a grin. "Don't be shy. Sarah, you too—try this one."
Sarah turned to her mother, her eyes sparkling with barely contained excitement. "Mom… I think it's okay. And Jill said it's fine…"
Abigail hesitated for a moment, then exhaled softly and nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Jill. We'll try them."
"That's better." Jill smiled. "And feel free to take a few pieces. Think of them as gifts from me."
"R-really? We can?" Sarah asked, eyes widening.
"Of course, you silly girl," Jill chuckled, clipping an earring onto Sarah's ear—one that matched the ones she and Excella wore.
But the moment Jill secured the jewelry, she suddenly stiffened.
"Wait… did you hear that?" she asked, brows furrowing.
Excella paused as well, turning her head. "Yeah… I heard something too. Like… someone calling for help?"
None of them understood what it was, but the feeling was undeniable.
"We should ask Raviel," Excella said, already moving toward the door.
The girls followed her up to the deck, where Raviel was lounging comfortably near the helm, legs crossed, humming to herself.
"Hey, Jill, Excella, Abigail, Sarah. What's up?" Raviel asked without looking away from the horizon.
"Raviel, did you hear that?" Jill asked urgently. "It felt like… someone calling out."
"Oh—you heard it too?" Raviel blinked, then finally turned toward them. Her eyes immediately noticed the shimmering earrings they wore.
"Ohhh, that explains it," she said, snapping her fingers lightly. "Those earrings you're wearing—they're spirit-linked artifacts. They offer protection from spirits… but they also let you hear what the spirits hear."
"The spirits?" Jill echoed.
Raviel nodded. "Yes. What you heard was a cry for help. A Yordle, apparently, calling out through the Spirit Realm."
"A… Yordle?" Jill repeated, clearly confused.
Excella tilted her head. "Yeah, Raviel, what is a Yordle exactly?"
"Well," Raviel began with a playful flick of her hair, "Yordles are beings born in one of the Spirit Realm's domains—specifically Bandle City. Because they're born from a place overflowing with magic and spiritual energy, spirits are very protective of them. They're… kind of like the Spirit Realm's little darlings."
She gestured lazily toward Abigail and Sarah. "People in this world often run into Yordles from time to time. They're tiny, adorable, and very easy to recognize."
Abigail nodded. "Yes, we've met a few during our travels. They look like children—but with more unique features. Some even resemble animals."
Raviel smiled. "Exactly. Very cute. Very loud. Very magical."
She tapped her earrings.
"And right now… one of them is in trouble."
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