"Finally finished!" Vulcan cheered.
He had finally completed the repairs on the Leo from their battle against the Pirate Lord, Madame Cheng. The ship took quite a blow from the now-ex-Pirate Lord's attacks, but nothing was compared to what the first mate Alex had taken to protect his captain.
Vulcan remembered the fight as clear as day. The crew was minding their own business at a tavern bar on the neighbouring island, waiting for a storm to pass when out of nowhere, the Pirate Lord, Madame Cheng, attacked Levi. It wasn't too much of a surprise. Pirates were fighting with each other all the time, but a Pirate Lord never wasted their time on a rookie pirate. The battle was unusual from the start. After the first blow, a fight commenced for the next couple of days and resulted in them being chased out at sea by the Pirate Lord and her crew.
It was clear Madame Cheng was after Levi for reasons the crew still did not know. Except Levi, but he either would not tell, or he did not know. Madame Cheng was a formidable pirate, and so were the members of her crew. Levi and the crew were barely grasping on to life.
All who were left standing were Vulcan, Levi, and Alex. The rest had been knocked out or were too injured to fight any longer. Madame Cheng's cursed soul did not help the situation they were in. She had the ability to make people feel pain in the form of energetic blasts, pain that was far worse then one could possibly imagine.
Levi had already taken most of Madame Cheng's demonic blasts. If another one hit him, he would have died. The Pirate Lord aimed another one of her blasts towards Levi, but it was obvious this one was more powerful than the previous blasts. At the last second, Alex pushed Levi overboard and took the full force of the blast. The screams to this day still haunted Vulcan. Oh, the pain Alex must have gone through and all for the sake of his captain.
Without hesitation, Vulcan dove into the water after his captain. It was then, as he was swimming back over to the ship, that a bright blinding light exploded above the deck of the Leo, followed by the terrified screams of Madame Cheng's crew as they abandoned their crusade and went back to their own ship.
As Vulcan climbed back up the ladder, his unconscious captain thrown over his shoulder, he saw Alex from between the wooden railings. A powerful gold aura surrounded his body, and his black katana sword, Kurome, the sword he never dared to use, was held tightly in his right hand. It was a blade so sharp that it could cut through diamond.
Alex's eyes had frightened Vulcan the most, and not much scared the engineer. They were jet black, no white or the natural grassy green colour they usually were, just complete darkness. Vulcan could only presume the black spirit within Alex's sword had possessed the first mate, and he no longer had control of his actions. Alex struck down Madame Cheng with one mighty blow from his black sword that created another blinding explosion. The Pirate Lord crumpled to the ground, defeated but not dead.
The last of Madame Cheng's crew that were still on the Leo trembled in fear as they grabbed their captain and took her back to their barely-floating ship and sailed away with what little dignity they had left.
Was Alex a cursed soul?
If so, it was like no power he had seen before. Alex's power was something new, something extremely powerful and dark. As Vulcan finally came back on deck with Levi still over his shoulder, he stared at Alex, not knowing what to do, scared that his possessed friend might kill him.
Alex tilted his head in Vulcan's direction and raised his black sword, ready to attack him when a voice from the winds called out over the sea, a soft female voice.
"Kurome, let him go. We don't want Alexander's power to consume him. We don't want him to hurt his friends now."
"Yes, Morgana," Alex replied, but it was not his voice that spoke.
Alex's black eyes swirled back into his normal green ones, and he breathed in like it was his last dying breath, and he collapsed back on to the deck.
It was a day Vulcan would never forget, and he had been wary of Alex ever since. He told no one of what he saw. Who would believe him anyway? He was the only one that saw what had happened that day. Not even Alex knew what he had done other than taking the blow for Levi. Everyone thought Levi defeated Madame Cheng. Even Levi was starting to believe himself he had, but he would always scratch his head, trying to remember how.
Vulcan shook his head, trying to forget the memory. Instead, to distract himself, he wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm and placed his hands on his hips, admiring his own craftsmanship and nodding in approval.
"Nice ship. Did you build her yourself?"
"Sure did. He's called the Leo..."
Vulcan blinked a couple of times before frowning to himself, realising he had been talking to someone other than his shipmates. He spun around on his heels, his lump hammer grasped tightly in his hands. He swung it behind his head, ready to attack the intruder.
The woman was lying casually on Penny's sun lounger, sipping away at a cold beverage she had clearly made from the kitchen of the Leo. Vulcan frowned at the dark-haired woman dressed in a black dress which was too revealing. She was too calm for his liking as she lay back. She wasn't even bothered by the hammer he was about to swing at her head.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Vulcan's arm dropped, seeing she wasn't a threat. "My name's Vul..."
"Elena Sharp," she interrupted, causing Vulcan to hiss through his teeth in annoyance.
"What are you doing here, Elena?"
The dark haired woman stood up from the lounger, her hips swinging from side to side as she walked around the deck of the Leo. Her delicate hands stroked the smooth surface of the railing Vulcan had repaired. There was a deep concentration on the woman's face as she continued to stroke and inspect his work, the fingertips of her hands tracing the carvings of the wood, expecting to find an error within his craftsmanship.
"I came to drop off my friend Jessica's belongings. She told me she's joining your crew." Elena looked back up at Vulcan and snapped her fingers. Cardboard boxes appeared on the deck stacked up neatly next to her. "You might want to set sail when the rest of your crew arrives. They seem to have caused an uproar at the temples."
"I still haven't had a chance to buy a new compass after it was destroyed with our battle against Madame Cheng."
"I wouldn't worry about that. Jessica has a Mr Compass on her. So you're all set to go when they arrive."
An excited smile picked up on Vulcan's face. He was a massive fan of Mr Compass' work, and his dream was to find the most famous Mr Compass of them all: the King's Compass.
Elena made her way back around to the ladder, an appealing seductiveness in her every movement as she started to climb off the ship. She stopped mid-way, flicking her long black hair behind her shoulder.
"I almost forgot." Her hand rummaged through her bag until she pulled out a box and threw it at Vulcan.
He immediately caught it and saw a handwritten note addressed to Alex on top of the lid.
"What's this?" Vulcan looked at the small box in his hand, admiring it with interest as to what was inside.
"A gift for Alexander. Send him my regards, and say I'll see him again soon. We have unfinished business." She smiled. "Also, Captain Bella has once again found Levi's location."
Elena pointed out over the horizon. Vulcan looked over in the direction of the setting sun and spotted the naval ship heading towards the island.
Captain Bella was a high ranking officer of the navy, also known as the Bear Claw. Her strength was on par with Levi's, and she had been chasing the Mad Man across the seas for just under a year since the foes first encountered each other. They had managed to give Captain Bella the slip ever since.
"Thanks for the warning." Vulcan faced Elena, but she had already disappeared without a trace of her existence.
What a very cryptic woman, Vulcan thought to himself.
He shrugged and prepared the ship to set sail. His captain could handle Bella, so he needn't worry too much.
☠️
The windswept Jessica's long red hair around her face as she ran along the cobbled streets of Southport. The Levon Pirates ran alongside her as they made their way towards the harbour. With Levi's super speed, it didn't take long to make it back to the port town, but now he had lost all his energy and was worn out, having run back and forth to collect everyone. Tommy was now carrying his captain on his back as they ran the last stretch to the Leo.
Alex had kindly given Jessica his white t-shirt to cover up with since she was still only wearing her bikini from the beauty contest. The shirt was far too big for her and reached as far as her knees, but she was happy with the item of clothing.
However, they couldn't celebrate their victory just yet. The Levon Pirates weren't safe. News had gotten around fast about what had happened at the temples. Now every priest and temple guard that was in on the sacrificial con was after them, making their escape from Harvest Island that much more troublesome than it needed to be.
Despite this, the crew members all had the biggest grins on their face as they knocked over every guard that came into their path. Alex had a demon's smirk on his lips as he slashed anyone in his way. Even Penny and Mirella enjoyed themselves as they fought effortlessly against the guards.
Jessica had a feeling she was going to enjoy being a member of Levi's crew.
"There's the Leo!" Levi sprung into the air from Tommy's back, punching the sky with delight.
"Hey, were you faking being tired this entire time?" Tommy yelled in outrage. "I just had to carry you for half a mile!"
"What if I did?"
Levi cheekily grinned and punched a temple guard to the ground and ran off. A trail of dust followed behind him as he ran to the ship, laughing his head off like a madman.
"I'm going to kill you!" Tommy shouted after him as he, too, sprinted off.
"That's why he's called the Mad Man. Because of his laugh." Jessica chuckled.
"That and because he's downright crazy." Penny smiled. "He's taken quite a shine to you, Jess."
Jessica blushed from the comment and could feel a warm fuzzy feeling within her. She finally felt like she belonged to something. A family, people who truly cared for her and didn't want to use her.
"Get to the ship!" Alex growled. "I can't hold back all of these guards much longer!"
Immediately, both Penny and Jessica followed the others back onto the ship. Once Alex was finally on board, the anchor was raised, and the Leo set sail on towards its next adventure.
"Levi!" Vulcan shouted from the helm. "Bella's here!"
Levi sprang to his feet, the biggest grin on his face that Jessica had ever seen in her lifetime. He punched his hand into his open palm, and his eyes shrouded over with a menacing gleam. The Mad Man had awoken.
"This ought to be fun!" Tommy smirked knowingly.
"I wonder how long the fight will last this time," Mirella hummed softly as she leaned against Vulcan.
"Betting time!" Penny cheered as she took out her notepad and pen.
In a swarm, the crew surrounded Penny and placed bets on how long Captain Bella would last against Levi. Jessica was highly confused. Why were they so relaxed about the whole situation? They were about to be attacked by a high ranking naval ship, and they were taking bets.
As the two boats approached one another, Jessica reached for Aculeus, only for Alex to place a hand on her sword. She felt her blade hum angrily in defence, and she looked up at the first mate. He, too, had a knowing look on his face as he watched his captain.
"Levi's got this." Alex sat down at the base of the mainmast and placed his hands behind his head and leaned back, preparing to watch the show.
How could he act so casual at a time like this?
Jessica's heart jolted with unnerved energy when Levi jumped across to the naval ship and started his battle against the naval officer, Captain Bella.
Bella was a tall, beautiful woman with long, curly brown hair, which reached as far as her waist. She held a sharp, bear claw-like device in her right hand that could easily shred a person's body in two with one blow. She wore the usual officer uniform, consisting of the white sailor outfit and the blue beret. However, being a captain, she wore the high-ranking officer jacket in navy blue.
She, too, had a big grin on her face as she threw the first punch against Levi. He easily dodged her bear claw with his super speed and threw a powerful punch back, sending the captain flying backwards into her foremast and snapping it in half.
The battle had started, and both the pirates and the navy were cheering on their respective captains but dared not to intervene.
Jessica lost sight of the battle at one point but could still hear the powerful punches and the wood splintering across the naval ship as their mainmast snapped in half.
The battle seemed to go on for some time across the decks of the two ships, and the crew was now getting on with their own things, or they were playing a game of poker with a few naval officers who had joined them on the deck of the Leo.
Alex couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Jessica in a state of confusion.
"Sit down and stop worrying." Alex grabbed her hand and pulled her down next to him by the mast.
Jessica blushed, as her body collided with his bare chest. She was still wearing his t-shirt, and the situation reminded her of the time when Alex had tickled her as a pig right near the mast.
"Why are pirates playing poker with the navy? I'm so confused."
Alex laughed. "Bella and Levi have a complicated history. They are always battling with one another. They enjoy fighting it out and competing with one another. They're mortal enemies, but truth be told, in their hearts, they're friends."
"So it's a mutual fight?"
He nodded. "So enjoy the show and place a bet."
In the blur of the chaos, Levi pulled back his fist, and with all his strength, he punched Bella square in the face, sending her crashing through the naval deck, wood splintering in all directions. A blast of energy soared across the sea from his powerful blow.
The fight was over, and the naval officers immediately returned to their ship after swapping they earnings they had won when betting with Penny and saying goodbye to other members of the crew.
Levi landed lightly on the deck of the Leo out of breath, bloodied and bruised. The fight this time with Bella was much harder than usual. His opponent was getting stronger with each battle they fought. If Levi didn't build his own strength up, Bella would one day be able to defeat him, and that was not a day Levi ever wanted to live to see.
Immediately, Oberon came flying over and with his fairy magic and started to work on healing Levi's injuries.
Levi looked down into the palm of his bloodied hand. Like always during his fight with the naval captain, she had slipped him a piece of paper from someone very important to him.
Levon,
I'm sorry I haven't sent word to you in some time. Things have started to become complicated, and I fear my position may soon be compromised if I'm not careful. This letter will, therefore, be my last handwritten message to you.
However, I will see you again in the near future. But like always, we have to pretend neither of us knows the other on a personal level so as to maintain my cover.
As you asked, I managed to gather more information for you regarding the Golden Eye. Just as you suspected, the legendary treasure cannot be found without the other eyes. There are five altogether: white, black, red, blue, and green.
I was able to work out the location of the Black Eye. It's believed to be on a government-sanctioned island where the notorious Dr Vaughn Killian resides. Supposedly, the Black Eye has given him some magical ability to control the dead. The island is more infamously known as Monster Island, and if you wish to continue to find the Golden Eye, you have to retrieve the Black Eye and the other Eyes first.
I've left you coordinates on where to find Monster Island, but it shouldn't be too far from your current location if you're still on the right track.
Everything is going according to plan with me. I hope everything is going according to plan with you.
Best regards, FJ.
PS: King Mordred has set sail in search of someone, so watch your back. You of all people should know how deceptive he can be.
Also, there is word of a spy hidden amongst the pirate ranks. Keep your eyes open. It could be someone on your crew.
Levi half smiled. He was glad to hear word from his shipmate FJ; it had been a long time since he sent him off on his secret mission. However, he was not happy. He crumpled the note within his hand.
A spy amongst the pirate ranks. He looked amongst his own crew. Could one of them be the spy?
He shook his head. He trusted his crew; they would never betray him. Morgana had handpicked every single one of them for him, and he trusted the Sea Witch with his life. He threw the paper overboard in anguish. The spy had to be someone amongst his father's crew.
Levi's attention was soon brought back to the present by his frenemy.
"I won't let you get away next time, Mad Man," Bella yelled as her ship sailed away.
"I look forward to it!" Levi cheered back, punching the air.
What an unusual pirate captain Levi is, Jessica thought.
She couldn't help but chuckle, a soft, cute laugh that had the first mate smiling. He was slowly starting to accept that Jessica was going to be a part of the crew. However, despite connecting with her as a pig, something in his heart told him not to trust her, that she would only bring trouble to the crew.
Sometime later, Jessica found her belongings, thanks to Elena. She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to her friend, but she knew she would see her again and the tavern, too.
Soon enough, as the Leo sailed away, the island disappeared from view. It was the island she had called her home for two years. In some ways, she would miss Harvest Island, but she was glad to be going.
Finally, she could fulfil her dream and start her adventurous life as a pirate, and maybe one day, she would be able to find the man who once saved her life.
His words resonated within her memories. 'Take my hand!' It was a calm and soft-sounding voice which could be trusted. She only wished she had seen his face. She would find him, no matter what!
Her adventure was about to begin.
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