"Captain!"
"Where did the captain go?"
The pirates went into a state of disarray as they looked around for the captain. Some began to leave the mast, wandering towards the edge of the ship, directly on the deep gashes.
Harley had a calm expression on his face, looking towards the door where Jin used to stand at all times.
The dark-haired young man was still there, holding onto a rope. He also had a look of confusion, looking towards the place the captain vanished.
'Wait and see.' Harley let out a breath.
He didn't mind if the captain died now or later. But if he did, that meant that the shark would destroy the ship.
Feeling restless, Harley looked up at the mast, jumping up and grabbing it. He climbed way higher to get a view of the waters around them.
Whoosh!
The winds blew hard in Harley's direction, fluttering his hair. His purple eyes calmly scanned the waters for any signs of life.
Right on the side that was broken, the waters were bubbling, and the water rolled once in a while.
Harley could see a person swimming inside the water, but it was just a faint silhouette.
"He's still alive?" He mumbled, looking down to the pirates that were already nearing the edge of the boat.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions happened all over the area where the drake dove in. The waters began to change into a deep red colour.
The water soon began to bubble, releasing steam into the air. The ship sailed passed the area, and behind them, they could tell it was a fierce battle.
All of a sudden, a large fish tail broke out of the waters, seemingly cut from the main body.
It landed on the ship with a thud, shaking the entire structure. Few of the pirates that were close to the edge of the ship fell overboard.
The tail looked big, with scales that released a chilling breeze. The scales were made of ice. And the part where it was cut off...
"Oh my god." Harley couldn't help but look in horror as it looked like the tail was ripped off the main body with force.
Soon, the drake surfaced again, and a large structure floated beside it.
It was the dead body of the shark. It had scratches all over it, and the back seemed to have been cooked as it melted into the water. Just then, another thing floated to the top of the water.
It was one of the legs of the drake. It floated, bleeding and colouring the water red.
The drake raised its second front leg, dropping the captain on the ship.
Ragnar was only drenched himself, making him just walk towards his room with a deep frown.
The drake growled, breathing steam out of its mouth that made all the water on the ship evaporate, including the ones on the pirates.
"Arghh."
"C—captain!"
Many of the pirates immediately hugged their bodies. Harley immediately knew that it was not cold air that the drake breathed out.
In an instant, the drake turned into a ball of light, flying towards the captain's room.
Harley looked at the five-metre long shark tail on the deck, which bled into the deep gashes left by the same shark, in turn letting it all flow into the ocean.
"Tsk." He clicked his tongue, not in dissatisfaction. He felt disappointed by the outcome of the events.
'I kind of hoped he would just drown. But whatever.' Harley slid down the mast, landing on the deck with a soft thud.
As he was about to let go of the mast, he frowned, looking at the thick trunk that was almost 30 centimetres in diameter.
'How the hell did I climb this thing?' He wondered, clenching his fists.
Ever since he subjugated those story fragments, his strength increased enough for him to notice it. His arms were skinny, which made him believe that it wasn't his muscles letting him do all these things.
Harley walked past the fish tail. He could see the muscles spasming and some of the meat bubbling, releasing gases that smelled terrible.
"Harley!" A familiar voice called his name, making him turn around.
He looked back to see Jin still standing beside the same door he had been at ever since.
Making his way to the front of the door, Harley sat beside it, looking at the fish tail.
Jin was all smiles, looking at the same thing, but with more fascination than Harley.
"Creatures rarely reach the fifth scheme. That's what made the ice shark dangerous. Both the captain and the shark are attuned with the elements; the captain is attuned with water, and the shark is attuned with ice." Jin explained like a child expressing his love for candy.
"Imagine attaining that, being able to bend water or even fire and lightning with your own hands!"
At this point, Harley was worried about the young man beside him. But more than that, he was interested in the door that Jin was supposed to protect.
"You sure know a lot about these... sorcerers. Say, do you think we'll—anyone here—can beat the captain?" Harley asked, resting his chin on an arm.
Jin raised a brow, looking at the captain's cabin before looking back at him.
"You didn't hear what I just said? The captain is almost at the pinnacle of power. The difference in sorcery from that rank is way different from us people." He shook his head.
Harley immediately felt discouraged.
'There goes my shot of killing the bastard myself.' He let out a breath.
"You know, I want to become a real sorcerer one day. I want to strive to rise to be one of the great heroes of this world."
Jin's words caught Harley by surprise. He looked up to see the young man staring into the ocean.
"Why the hell would you want that?" Harley asked, his lips raising on one edge.
Jin sighed, looking at him with his dark brown eyes.
"I want to help people. I want to stop this war, so that we can have peace again, one day. It seems like a joke, but my family was taken in this war, and I'll do whatever it takes to stop it and restore peace." He said with a wishful tone, making Harley nod with a smile.
"Yeah, keep at it, buddy." Harley's response was short, but Jin smiled, taking it as words of encouragement.
"Thank you for your support, friend."
Harley flinched, hearing some words he had not heard in a long time. He gazed back at Jin, who was still staring at the waters in the distance.
'What a fucking hypocrite.' Harley shook his head.
He wasn't going to blame the guy for having such a big ambition; after all, he also wanted to be one of the greats.
But conflicting morals is something that disgusted him about people.
Jin participated in wiping out an entire village of people because they served a certain god, and he was smiling through it. Yet he was here claiming that he wanted to bring about world peace.
A strong wind suddenly blew, pushing the sails a little and rattling the ship.
Harley's hair was blown to cover his face, and he parted it to the side with his hands.
"Seems like it's going to rain." Jin alerted the pirates, making Harley stand up and stretch.
"The storm would come late! The captain wants to have a toast to celebrate his kill!" The bald pirate that rough-handled Harley the first day he was imprisoned stood and spoke, making Harley frown.
"We would have a toast, with fine beer in the basement! Long live the captain!"
"Long live the captain!"
"Long live the captain!"
Harley, hearing the pirates cheering and being happy, smiled, seeing a final opportunity that was presented to him.
'Tonight, it happens!' He whistled, sitting down on the bare ground and began playing with an awfully long splinter.