"So, what ye say our next course o' action be, boyo?" Cap'n Severedlocks asked Kokichi. Kokichi pursed his lips in thought.
"Hm...well, I can't exactly come up with a plan until I know exactly what we're up against," he replied. "Is it just Captain BloodRed Himiko that we have to worry about?"
"Ah, fair point," Cap'n Severedlocks replied, tapping her chin in thought. "No, she has help from her crew aboard The Black Magic."
"Aye, a wee crew o' three, but a fearsome one it be," Sea Shanty Sayaka added grimly.
"The captain of the crew is BloodRed Himiko, o' course," Peko Peko-PegLeg said, holding up one finger.
"Aye, BloodRed Himiko be the fiercest pirate we have ever faced," Cap'n Severedlocks said with a nod. "As a young'un, everyone always called her 'Half-Pint Himiko' cuz o' her size, but she resented that. She became one o' the most bloodthirsty pirates that would make e'en the burliest man quiver in 'is boots upon hearin' 'er name. She called herself 'BloodRed Himiko,' a name that would strike fear into the very hearts o' every sailor and their mothers, aye!"
"Then ye have Angie the Chiseler," Taeko the Taker said, holding up two fingers.
"Why is she called that?" Kokichi asked.
"She likes to sculpt as a hobby," Hiyoko the Hooker replied. "But tha' chisel she uses ain't just fer sculptin' stone, me bucko."
"Nyeh...that's horrible," Himiko said with a shudder.
"Aye, she's a mad one, she is!" Naptime Nanami exclaimed. "Don't e'en stop to fink, she don't! She chisels the 'eads off o' any bloke or blokette she sets 'er sights on! Nearly chiseled me 'ead off one time when I was takin' a li'l nap on me 'ammock when all o' a sudd'n, she came swoopin' in like a ba' outta 'ell, presses 'er chisel 'gainst me fore'ead, an' right when she was 'bout to swing 'er 'ammer down on the bloody chisel, Swashbucklin' Sonia comes in, an' saves me blinkin' life!" Kokichi and Himiko merely stared in confusion at Naptime Nanami, who had fallen back to sleep as soon as she finished talking.
"Uhhhh..." they both mumbled in unison.
"Hahahahaaaa...long story short, Naptime Nanami had a near-death experience dealin' wit' Angie the Chiseler," Swashbucklin' Sonia explained. "I was the one who ended up savin' 'er in the end!"
"Ooohhhhh..." Kokichi and Himiko replied, nodding.
"An' last, but not least, Tenko TunaBreath!" One-Eye Ibuki said, holding up three fingers.
"Ugghh...she be the worst!" Keelhaulin' Hina exclaimed.
"Aye, get too close, an' the last thing you'll be smellin' is that foul breath o' 'ers!" Jolly Roger Kaede agreed, crinkling her nose in disgust.
"A-hahahahahaaaa!! Cannae be worse than smellin' Stinkypants Tsumugi's arse!" Milky Miu cackled.
"Might I remind ye that I be the one mendin' yer clothes, matey," Stinkypants Tsumugi warned. "Ye don't want ter end up pissin' off a tailor, or ye'll be wakin' up wit' a bunch o' needles all o'er yer body, arrgghhh."
"Aaahhh...shaddap, Spyglass-Fer-Eyes! I ain't scared o' ye!" Milky Miu sneered.
"Arrgghh!! Yer jus' askin' to be prodded, aren't ye?!" Stinkypants Tsumugi growled, brandishing her needles at Milky Miu.
"You two best be shuttin' yer yaps if ye know what's good for ye!" Cap'n Severedlocks ordered Milky Miu and Stinkypants Tsumugi.
"Aye, cap'n," they both mumbled sheepishly.
"Arrr, now that playtime's over, we can get back to business," Cap'n Severedlocks growled. She turned to Kokichi. "So, what say ye?"
"Hm...if you guys outnumber the crew of The Black Magic, how come you haven't defeated it, yet?" Kokichi asked.
"Cuz BloodRed's got tha' blasted Ring o' Despair!" Swashbucklin' Sonia replied.
"I see," Kokichi said. "But what about before she had it?"
"Not e'en before that," Kirumi the Cleaner sighed sadly. "She's always used her magic to o'ercome us. But now...she's become unstoppable cuz o' that Ring."
"Aye," the other pirates agreed forlornly. They became silent for a few moments as they paused to ponder their wretched situation.
"Sometimes, I feel like our souls will ne'er be free from this blasted curse," Keelhaulin' Hina muttered sorrowfully. "An' we'll be doomed to the confines o' this fog...fer eternity." Naptime Nanami sniffed, and the other pirates turned to her.
"Ye know why I sleep all the time?" she asked as tears fell from her eyes. "Because each time I wake up, I 'ope all o' this is jus' a nightmare. Then I go back to sleep...'opin' I'll wake up in a better place!" She began to sob into her hands as One-Eye Ibuki patted her shoulder comfortingly.
"There, there, lassie. Don't be cryin' now," she said in a low, soothing voice. She wrapped her arms around Naptime Nanami and gently rocked her like an older sister comforting her younger one. Some of the other pirates began to weep, as well.
"I've always dreamed o' bein' in a place where I don't 'ave 'ooks fer 'ands," Hiyoko the Hooker sniffed. "I've always wanted me fingernails to be painted, just like I've seen me other friends 'ad when I was a wee lass. A bonnie pink, y'know? Like the corals of the sea." She looked up to the foggy sky through her teary eyes. "Now...I'll...I'll ne'er 'ave that' opportunity!" She wailed as she wrapped her arms around Jolly Roger Kaede, who hugged her back as tears filled her own eyes.
"An' I was hopin' to see me mum again," Swashbucklin' Sonia said in a shaky, quiet voice. "I was a princess before I became a pirate. I ran away from home fer a better, more excitin' life. But, then, I found out me mum fell ill. Before I 'ad a chance to go back an' see 'er, I was bound to this fog. I...I never got to say...goodbye to me mum!" Swashbucklin' Sonia broke down in tears as she fell to her knees, wailing in sorrow and anguish. "It 'urts tha' I never got to tell 'er sorry fer runnin' away! An' now she's gone without knowin' how much I loved 'er! I...I'm so sorry, mummy!" She sobbed as Sea Shanty Sayaka knelt down next to her to comfort her. The pirates began to cry as each of their worries weighed heavily on their shoulders. Even Cap'n Severedlocks had shed a few tears. Himiko held her hand in comfort and even cried with her. Through her tears, Cap'n Severedlocks smiled gratefully at her. Kokichi watched in somber silence as the girls cried. He let them weep until they couldn't anymore before finally speaking.
"Listen, you guys," he began. "You've been defeated each time before, but that doesn't mean there's no hope."
"Wh-What do ye mean?" Keelhaulin' Hina sniffed as she wiped away her tears.
"BloodRed Himiko has an advantage, which is her magic," Kokichi explained. "But you guys have two advantages."
"We do? Wha' is it?" Naptime Nanami asked hopefully.
"Well, for one, BloodRed Himiko doesn't know that you have the other Himiko here, who can also wield magic," Kokichi said. 'You guys have the element of surprise." The other pirates murmured in agreement.
"An' the other?" Kirumi the Cleaner asked.
"Me!" Kokichi replied confidently. "BloodRed Himiko may have her magic, but with my help, we can outsmart her."
"Can...Can you really 'elp us do that?" One-Eye Ibuki asked. Kokichi turned to Himiko and smiled as he took her hand in his.
"Yeah," he said. "I've done it before, I can do it again." Himiko smiled back at him and kissed his cheek. Kokichi turned back to the pirates. "Listen to me, there's hope, okay? We just need a plan. If we can come up with one, then we might have a chance of defeating BloodRed Himiko and breaking this curse." The pirates stared silently at him, their eyes filling with hope.
"I've...never felt so 'opeful as I do now," Taeko the Taker said. She looked up at the sky as the fog slowly shifted, and could see the beautiful glow of the sunrise shining through. "I've always wondered what it'd be like up there in 'Eaven. An' to know we're one step closer to it fills me with a powerful 'ope that I've never felt before." The other pirates looked up at the sunrise in silent agreement.
"Aye, hope rises with the day today," Cap'n Severedlocks murmured with a small, hopeful smile. She turned to Kokichi. "So, what do ye have in mind?" Before Kokichi could answer, however, the peaceful silence was shattered when a thunderous boom echoed across the sky. Everyone screamed in surprise and fear as a cannonball crashed into the side of The Scurvy Lass.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!!" One-Eye Ibuki screamed. Across from the ship, they could see another ship looming out of the fog. Cap'n Severedlocks gasped in fear as it inched closer. Written on the side of the ship in large, black letters were the words "Black Magic."
"It be her...Cap'n BloodRed Himiko," she whispered fearfully.