Although the Beluse warship lagged behind the newly launched ironclads in terms of technology, it was still far more advanced than most pirate ships, which were still primarily made of wood. Equipped with a massive steam engine, it cruised at a current speed of about twelve knots—faster than the vast majority of standard pirate vessels.
In addition, the warship boasted dozens of cannons. A single broadside was enough to blast anything apart—except perhaps for some of the ghost ships with mystical abilities.
After the initial panic and apprehension wore off, Danitz and the others gradually grew excited.
They had actually hijacked a warship!
And not just any ship—but one taken straight from the naval harbour of Bayam, right under the noses of rows upon rows of coastal artillery. They had sailed a fully intact military ironclad out of there.
This was something countless pirates may have fantasised about, but none had ever dared attempt.
After tonight, their names would surely spread across the seas. Pirate Admirals, even the Four Kings—they would all be beneath them!
"But…what if no one knows it was us who did it?" muttered One-Eyed Cage, suddenly sounding worried.
Danitz took a swig from the fine wine he'd swiped from the captain's quarters and laughed heartily. "You think others are as dumb as you? A group of pirates just got sent to the Governor's Mansion, and right after that, a warship gets stolen. You don't need a genius to figure out those two events are connected." He paused, then suddenly added, "Oh, but I guess you guys might really not get recognised. You never showed your faces the whole time."
Cage and the others immediately looked dejected.
Edward stood at the bow, gazing out at the endless dark sea. He held a gold coin in hand, flipping it into the air every few minutes.
Clink.
He flipped it again. This time, it landed heads-up.
He turned back to the others and said, "You're all so eager to leave your names on the sea…but have you thought about how much your bounties are going to rise after this?"
Danitz burst out laughing. "Who cares? I'm already Fire Fist Ace."
Cage and the others exchanged glances, then chuckled sheepishly. "Well, nobody knows we were involved anyway."
At that moment, Edward pulled out two stones from his pouch and placed them on the table.
"The one on the left takes you to Backlund. The one on the right takes you back to Bayam. Pick one."
Everyone froze. "Huh? Why would we go back?"
Edward shrugged with a grin. "Come on, my friends. You didn't really think we've already succeeded in stealing a warship, did you?"
"???"
"That's right—we've had about an hour's head start. Normally, no other ship would be able to catch up. But what if the one chasing us isn't a ship? What if it's a Saint? A Sequence 3 Saint of the Sailor pathway."
Danitz's expression stiffened. "M-Mr. Sparrow…you're joking, right?"
"Bayam is the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago. On the surface, it's under the control of the Loen military. But in the Beyonder world, the true ruler is the Church of the Lord of Storms—more specifically, the Sequence 3 Saint and Archbishop, Sea King Jahn Kottman. Normally, the church and military don't interfere with one another, but after what we just did…do you really think he'll just stand by?"
"…."
Danitz thought for a moment, then asked, "What about you? Where are you going?"
"Bayam," Edward replied without hesitation.
"Then I'm going to Bayam too," Danitz said immediately.
One-Eyed Cage quickly followed suit, making the same choice.
But Danitz added, "If you value your lives, I suggest you go to Backlund. Maybe you didn't show your faces tonight, but you were the ones responsible for recruiting people last time."
"Then…we'll go to Backlund," the others reluctantly agreed.
Once everyone had made their choice, Edward enchanted the two stones with Portus to Backlund and Bayam. One-Eyed Cage and the rest touched the left-hand stone and quickly vanished.
Danitz was just about to touch the right-hand one when he suddenly turned to Edward. "You…don't look like you're planning to leave right away."
"That's right," Edward said.
"You're not seriously planning to challenge that Saint, are you?"
Edward burst into laughter. "Hahaha! I haven't lived enough to do something that stupid. I just want to…say hello before I go."
"…I have a feeling that might be even worse than challenging him."
With that, Danitz slapped his hand on the stone and disappeared with a pained yell.
Edward stretched lazily and sighed.
"It's not like I want to stir up trouble…It's just that—right now, this is the only way I can think of to play my role."
———
On the pitch-black, boundless sea, a massive ironclad warship was sailing at full speed. However, the entire vessel remained cloaked in darkness, resembling a ghost ship drifting through the night.
BOOM—!
In the eerie silence, a thunderous crack exploded from the sky, splitting the thick clouds above at lightning speed.
It was a terrifying sonic boom—accompanied by the mournful howl of a wind domain.
The Sea King, Jahn Kottman, had arrived!
Though his body had not yet appeared, the sonic boom alone stirred up towering waves and howling winds. Any ordinary pirate ship would likely have capsized from the first shockwave alone.
But this immense warship held firm amidst the churning sea, maintaining its rapid pace as if unaffected.
BOOM!
High above the bow of the ship, a ripple of air burst forth with another sonic boom, and a tall, broad-shouldered man in storm priest's robes abruptly appeared. He stood suspended in the air, looking down at the shadowy warship below.
"Escaped?"
He let out a cold snort and began descending slowly on a stream of wind—had it not been for the military's repeated pleas, he would have unleashed his storm and lightning the moment he arrived.
Clack!
Suddenly, all the lights on the warship lit up at once.
Jahn Kottman halted mid-air, eyes sharp as a hawk as he swept his gaze over the deck, searching for the source.
"Good evening, Your Grace."
A voice rang out from an unknown direction, yet it was so loud that it carried clearly over hundreds of meters.
"I've been waiting for you for quite a while now."
Jahn Kottman's brow furrowed. "Gehrman Sparrow?"
"Oh? What a surprise. I didn't expect a Saint would remember my name—how flattering! To welcome Your Grace's arrival, I've prepared a most grand ceremony especially for you."
"Please enjoy the show."
The next second, a barrage of cannonballs shot into the sky, all aimed directly at Jahn Kottman.
He didn't even dodge. With a sweep of wind, he deflected all incoming projectiles. White lightning flickered in his eyes as ominous clouds gathered rapidly above.
Raising a hand sparking with silver-white lightning, he summoned storm clouds that crackled with writhing bolts of electricity.
BOOM!
Thunder, wind, and torrential rain came crashing down in an instant, lighting up the entire night sky as though it were midday.
CRACK!
A second thunderclap followed—
Silver lightning coiled around the entire warship, instantly frying its electrical systems and steam engine, reducing the mighty vessel to a dead hulk of iron.
"Is that all, Your Grace? I have to say, this level doesn't even scratch the itch."
Edward's voice rang out once more.
Jahn Kottman's beard and hair bristled, crackling with electricity. For several kilometres around, the sky was now covered in thick clouds, raining down lightning bolts that briefly turned night into day.
There was no doubt—this was a once-in-a-decade superstorm!
"Final step—completed."
Hidden in a temporary, magically expanded, undetectable space, Edward pulled out a small vial containing a drop of blood-red potion.
The Animagus Potion.
And the final step to becoming an Animagus…was to wait for a thunderstorm like this, and in the exact moment lightning split the sky, drink the potion, now turned blood-red.
"Hahahaha, I must be a madman at heart!"
Edward pointed the tip of his wand at his chest and chanted:
"Amato, Animo, Animato, Animagus."
Then he downed the potion in one gulp.
The very next instant, a wave of searing pain and two violently different heartbeats exploded in his chest. Gritting his teeth, he began mentally repeating his transformation mantra—Become a bird…Become a bird…Become a bird…
Even though he knew the mental suggestion didn't actually help, it was all he could do in this moment.
A few seconds later, an image began to emerge in his mind.
No scales, no claws, no fangs—
Only a mass of shadowy mist, formed by countless translucent black wisps entwined together.
It was…an Obscurus!
In the Animagus transformation, the image of the creature one would become always appeared in the mind beforehand—and the image in Edward's mind was unmistakably an Obscurus!
So…my Animagus form is an Obscurus?
But Animagi are only supposed to be able to turn into ordinary animals…aren't they?
Before he could think further, an unbearable pain surged across every inch of his body. Looking down, he saw his skin begin to crack and tear, then ignite as if set aflame, turning to black ash.
It spread rapidly from his limbs to his torso, and finally—
Bang!
A wave of magical distortion pulsed through the air.
Edward vanished.
In his place, a floating, black, smoky Obscurus appeared.
Seemingly bereft of reason, the creature rampaged within the small, magically concealed space. It unleashed a storm of magic that tore through the protective shell, bursting out into the warship's interior in a frenzy.
The magic storm it carried shredded the ship's steel bulkheads like paper. Everything in its path was laid to waste. Then, like a bullet, it shot out through a ruptured hole in the hull and soared into the sky.
It circled aimlessly for a moment, then caught sight of the Sea King floating mid-air—
And without hesitation, charged straight toward him.
"Hmm?"
Jahn Kottman was still puzzled—he hadn't even gone all out, so how had the warship already fallen apart?
Then he saw the black mist surge into the air with terrifying destructive force, aiming directly at him.
He didn't know what it was, but he sneered coldly, his hair flaring out unnaturally, each strand brimming with lightning.
This strike will erase this insolent clown from existence.
Whoosh!
A lightning bolt streaked forth—
Like a beam of silver-white light, it engulfed the Obscurus and trailed straight toward the already crippled ship.
BOOM!
With an ear-splitting crash, the ironclad warship was split clean in two and began rapidly sinking into the sea.
The black mist vanished without a trace.
"Dead? No…it escaped."
Jahn Kottman stared at the sinking wreckage in silence for a moment, then murmured, "This was Gehrman Sparrow's doing."
With that, he turned into a storm of wind and lightning and vanished into the night.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.