Only when everything was in place did Rakuya finally lower his hands. He was satisfied with his work. Days of planning had taken shape. What came next would be how to run it.
Hovering in the water, he used the sea itself to carry his voice to every resident of Fish-Man Island. "From now on, you will address me only as Flowing Cloud. Forget the name you knew before. And you are not to speak of it before outsiders. If anyone does, I will kill them."
The sound rolled through the currents into the ears of Fish-Man Island's people, but not a single soul aboard the three hundred pirate ships heard a thing.
Less trouble that way. One Flowing Cloud was enough. As for Rakuya, that name would remain hidden for now.
The islanders glanced at one another, then nodded in agreement.
Rakuya turned his gaze to the pirate flotilla. "You may enter. But if you cause trouble on Fish-Man Island, I will erase you."
The pirates bobbed their heads as if their lives depended on it. Rakuya flicked his hand. An indescribable power hooked into all three hundred ships at once. Captains and crews stared, dumbstruck.
"He's hauling three hundred ships with a gesture?"
"Flowing Cloud is this scary? He must be above a fleet admiral."
"Fleet admiral? Please. He crushed the Five Elders. Flowing Cloud is on another level."
"The Elders are still men. Flowing Cloud is a god."
Under the eyes of Fish-Man Island's residents, the armada slid neatly into the island's approach. The ships anchored along the outer ring like a seafloor wharf. Pirates whooped and hollered, giddy.
Some children shrank back. They had seen too many vicious crews, and fear carved deep takes time to fade. Rakuya was not worried. He had already staked the name Flowing Cloud on this promise. Anyone who still dared to act up on Fish-Man Island had chosen death.
"Hold," Rakuya said from the air above the island. He intended to lay down the law.
"Flowing Cloud?" Some pirates froze mid-cheer, faces tightening.
"Did he change his mind?"
"Flowing Cloud, sir, what do you need? Want me in your crew? I consent with both hands. I can even handle massages and back pats."
Serious faces and clueless grins mixed across the decks. All waited to hear his terms.
"You set foot on Fish-Man Island, you follow its rules," Rakuya said, voice even and implacable. "This is not a marketplace to wreck as you please. Break the order here and you will be punished. Treat my words like a breeze at your ear, and you will pay dearly."
He raised his right hand. Threads of golden light wove through the water. A boulder rose out of the seabed at his call, and on it he carved three lines.
"First: within Fish-Man Island, you do not start fights. Any violation will be punished severely.
"Second: outsiders may not insult or discriminate against the residents of Fish-Man Island. Any violation will be punished severely.
"Third: if you dare kidnap a single person from Fish-Man Island, Flowing Cloud will tear your crew apart and execute you."
The letters gleamed. Rakuya lifted the stone and set it in the most prominent place on the island.
No one would miss the iron law.
The rules were simple: protect the islanders, and turn visitors into tourists and paying customers. In return, Rakuya would take all the Sun Tree sap.
Then, before the entire crowd, he opened a gate of darkness and threw out ten of the Celestial Dragons he had captured at Mary Geoise.
In the blink of an eye, ten bedraggled Celestial Dragons were sprawled at everyone's feet.
"Neptune," Rakuya said, "bind these ten to public stakes on Fish-Man Island. Let the world spit on them. Do not kill them. Let them live with the shame."
He loathed the Celestial Dragons. A clean death would be too kind. The pain they had dealt the world would be repaid with interest.
The sight of them sent a shock through the pirate ranks.
"Am I seeing things? Celestial Dragons?"
"Flowing Cloud actually bagged them and worked them over that badly?"
"Unreal. Aren't you afraid the Five Elders will… pfft, who am I kidding. There are no Five Elders anymore."
"Ha! Who would have thought those arrogant tyrants would end up like this."
The Celestial Dragons groaned awake. When they realized they were trussed up from head to toe, they erupted like rabid dogs.
"Filthy slaves, who gave you the guts to bind a Celestial Dragon? Do you want your entire race erased?"
"Bastards, release me or I will shoot you dead."
"Who struck me? I will take your life."
Arrogance ran in their marrow. Even tied and helpless, they sneered and threatened.
The pirates roared with laughter.
"Did you hear that? He wants to wipe us out."
"He says he'll shoot me. I might die laughing."
"You want our lives? You are not qualified."
The World Government had fallen, the power behind the Celestial Dragons buried beneath a meteor. The pirates knew. The Celestial Dragons did not.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to add this story to your Library, drop a review, and leave a Power Stone if you enjoyed it!
"Want to stay ahead of the game? Advanced chapters are up on my Patron. If you're enjoying the ride, swing by and check them out."
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"