Chương 18: Water Assassin, The Captain of White Serpent Pirates, and Luck at two extremities
Taken aback by Kai's murderous charge, the water blade at the end of 5th-floor Contestant's sword, Ensui, exploded, becoming scalding hot steam.
A sheet of water exploded in between Kai and the other Contestant, letting him dash away with unprecedented urgency.
Kai ignored the bubbling hot water and was about to chase his opponent when his eyes suddenly narrowed. He came to a sudden break and seemed to undergo a struggle of emotions, his thoughts unknown.
Then, he turned around, collected 20000 Mission Credits from the two corpses of Order's Contestants, and returned to Jolly Mon.
Kai's feet landed on the prow of the boat gracefully, where he kept standing, seemingly catching his breath after a strenuous fight. For the boat to count as his Artifact, Kai must maintain contact with it for 1 minute.
It was then it happened.
A hand made of water rippled inches behind Kai's head, becoming a dagger. There was no warning or notion to this hand's appearance. It was as if the seawater itself had generated a hand, hoping to kill Kai off because of some past grudge.
Its appearance, and the speed at which it thrust itself toward Kai, was so fast that there was no avoiding it, even if Kai had felt it coming now.
This dagger brought absolute death with it. And even a low-level 6th-floor Contestant could have never hoped to survive this blow.
It was just that… this dagger's target was Kai Stormborn.
The moment the tip of the water dagger was about to kiss Kai's hair, his head twisted to the right as if it was the most basic motion. There was no unnecessary force behind this twist of the head. Nor was there any reason for it.
It was almost like… Kai had always known this dagger would come for him, and this too that it would come from this direction.
The moment this water dagger's momentum carried it past Kai's head, a silver mist burst out of his back and froze everything in a meter radius behind him.
As Kai looked over his shoulder with his dead eyes, a figure took form slowly.
He was the same Contestant who had emerged out of the sea in water form during the milestone related to Jack Sparrow, paying respect to hanged pirates.
-/I've been waiting for you,/- Kai said telepathically, recalling the feeling he had experienced just before chasing the Ensui's user. -/You aren't a water clone, and you were patient enough to wait it out as well. If it wasn't for your murderous thought lingering in the sea, I wouldn't have found you out./-
There was such disbelief written in the Contestant's eyes that he looked like a statue. And then he became one.
Soul Chill, at 100% output, froze the Contestant's soul instantaneously. His eyes lost all hint of life, and a hint of frost could be seen welling up on his body like death itself was crawling in pleasure.
Kai frowned as he didn't get to know what absurd power this Contestant had. Then his frown deepened as no notification appeared. In displeasure, Kai decided to use this Contestant as an emergency food source and threw his body into MRB after chopping it up.
It was also then the notification appeared.
[
Congratulations Kai Stormborn on finding an Artifact…
Artifact: Jolly Mon
Analyzing Pirate Blood Demon's Stats…
Analyzation Complete
Contestant Kai Stormborn, you fulfill the conditions to merge the Artifact Jolly Mon with your ship
Do you accept the merging?
]
Kai nodded.
Suddenly, a teleportation vortex appeared in front of Kai, and the entire boat under his feet thrummed. In the very next moment, the entire dory became globules of energy and entered the vortex.
Through the portal, Kai could see a ship rolling and pitching on the mighty waves; sailing the narrow sea in solitude.
Kai's heart suddenly trembled, then. He could perceive a connection, growing stronger as he looked into the portal. This was the same connection he shared with Selene, Item-M, Item-S, and the three characters of his Book. The same connection he shared with Andrik and… Shinobu; from heart to heart, from mind to mind, and from soul to soul.
Kai could feel it… He could hear it… a call.
'Captain!' It was saying; screaming. 'Command me, Captain! Sail me to the end of the seas. Let me see your voice. Let me hear your gaze. I… I don't want to sail alone.'
Kai felt as if his heart was getting torn open by an unbending will.
'I am a member of the White Serpent Pirates, Captain!' Actaea roared, pleading. 'Sail me!'
The portal disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, cutting the connection that had transcended the dimensions.
Kai closed his eyes and took several bubbly breaths to calm himself down. When he opened his eyes, they were dead and emotionless.
'Time to get the compass,' Kai thought, rushing up to take a lungful of air. 'Time… Time is of the essence.'
There was no fluctuation in his thoughts.
In his mind, though, a distinct call lingered for quite some time, fainting into the distance as it sailed over the waves of a foggy yellow sea.
*
*
Just as Kai disappeared after letting Actaea devour Jolly Mon, Jack Sparrow appeared near the military dock and spied on the ship, HMS Interceptor. [Image 1]
It was this ship he wanted to commandeer.
Most of the marines were gathered at Fort Charles for the promotion ceremony of Captain Norrington to Commodore. This left the security at the military dock lacking in strength. [Image 2]
The best time to try out one's luck.
Dozens of powerful gazes were concentrated on this scene; at this moment. The incoming progression was the key to the beginning, and there were countless missions based on it.
If someone wanted to prevent Barbossa's arrival at the Port Royal, then it was the most appropriate time for them to take action.
The sea around the general docking area had already dyed red; courtesy of Kai and other pirates. Now, even the streets were getting painted red, murder after murder, and assassination after assassination, taking place here and there.
Moraine had nothing to do with this. She had one job, to look after Mullroy and Murtogg. Murtogg had already gone, his whereabouts unknown. She couldn't afford anything to happen to Mullroy. Not now. With her privilege to keep herself hidden from all Characters, major or minor, she was just standing some hundred meters away from Mullroy, clad in her Mark V Iron Man armor.
Even the armor failed to hide her plump breasts and seductive curves, though.
And her presence, so open and upright, said only one thing — Approach Mullroy within these 100 meters, and die!
But just before Jack Sparrow could come, as he had in countless timelines according to the main storyline's plot, someone dared to approach the sentry post.
Someone who Moraine had never expected to see here.
Murtogg!
Moraine's eyes flashed with a curious glint behind the slits of the helmet. If Murtogg had come here, then she could conclude that it was related to the Blood Demon. He might be around, perhaps.
This thought alone made the 6th-floor Contestant raise her alertness to a never-known degree.
Moraine had personally tasted Blood Demon's strength. And her inquisitiveness toward this Contestant had become even higher after the events that had taken place during the Night of Truce. She hadn't gotten to understand how Blood Demon had scared Hadoken so much that even after the event's end, the Nen-user had refused to utter a single word.
Not only she but even Blade Singer and Aloof had also failed to see through the mystery.
It did let them know that Blade Demon wasn't as ordinary as they had thought of him before.
For him to be around here meant nothing good for her, Moraine knew.
But it was also true that if he meant to kill Mullroy or Murtogg, then he would have already.
'What does he want to accomplish?' Moraine contemplated, frowning. 'Blood Demon… Blood Demon… Sigh! It seems I must take the Temple's help in this matter after returning to the Tower. Tch!'
A pure disgust flashed across her face as she thought of Temple as if she abhorred its very existence. But there was also helplessness mixed in her disgust, like a damn parasite.
As Moraine was going through the upheaval in her thoughts, Murtogg had already rushed to the post he had been commanding to a day before.
The sun was showering with pure heat, and at the beach, its might was even greater. Everything was glistening under the scalding, rising temperature; sweat and seawater seemed alike, both salty, to begin with.
"Why are you here?" Mullroy asked, his expression full of shock. "They told me you had gone to some voodoo healer."
"Well," Murtogg said, smacking his lips, "I got healed."
"Ah!" Mullroy drew a knowing breath, but then he immediately frowned. "They did something to you, didn't they? There's no such thing as Voodoo Healers. I think they fooled you, mate."
Murtogg frowned. "Voodoo Healers are real!" he retaliated with a shout.
"Are they?!" Mullroy asked, throwing the rifle from one shoulder to another. "I've never seen them."
Murtogg snorted, flicking the sweat drops off his forehead. "Dogshit!" he cursed, poking Mullroy's rifle. "You haven't seen London, have you? It doesn't mean it's not real."
"London is real," Mullroy snapped. "There are maps of London."
"Well," Murtogg said, leaning forward, "there are drawings of Voodoo Healers, too."
"…" Mullroy opened his mouth to retort, but couldn't find a word to say. Then, he mulled over it more, which gave him a headache, especially when his temper had already gone bad because of it.
"Why are you standing over the dock?" Murtogg asked, astonished. "We can stand under it as well."
This truly stumped the foolish character, especially when it had come from Murtogg, who was no less a fool than Mullroy himself.
Both Characters stomped their way to the underside of the dock and leaned against the wooden pillars for shade.
It was then Jack Sparrow arrived.
It was then the theme music buzzed in the Contestants' minds once again inadvertently. [Image 3]
Jack Sparrow saw the two marines, ignored them, and kept walking as if the entire world belonged to him.
Mullroy and Murtogg spotted the stranger, picked up their rifles, and rushed to catch up to him.
"This dock is off-limits to civilians," Murtogg shouted, as he put a pause on his momentum, coming to a stop by Mullroy's side.
According to the main storyline, and as expected by Moraine and other Contestants who were monitoring the situation, Jack Sparrow was supposed to reply with, "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't know. If I see one, I shall inform you immediately."
Something unexpected happened, however.
Murtogg had already turned around to face Jack Sparrow, but then his left leg slipped suddenly. The momentum, that had all but gone, gained vitality, and pulled the marine along with it.
Murtogg, astonished and bewildered, stumbled to catch his footing, but then fell into the sea behind him with a splash.
Unknown to everyone, this was Acting. The sudden slippage of footing had shocked Kai the most, but it didn't mean he could use his capabilities to keep standing, either. He was Murtogg, and Murtogg must fall humorously upon losing his balance.
Mullroy hopped to his fellow marine and pushed Murtogg up to his feet. The seawater had drenched his red uniform entirely, and mud had covered his hands and nose.
Jack Sparrow sniggered at them. "It is a terrible thing to be drunk on duty, mate," he jested in a hushed tone. "But I can understand the temptation."
Murtogg adjusted his hat and came to stand in front of Jack Sparrow, with Mullroy to his right.
"You are… drunk!" Murtogg said, stammering.
"Well, of course," Jack Sparrow laughed, raising his hands. "As guilty as a maiden wench, meself."
Then the captain turned around and began staggering toward the Interceptor.
Mullroy and Murtogg rushed like rabbits to intercept him.
Jack Sparrow paused and eyed them as if he was looking at two idiots. [Image 4] "Apparently, there's some sort of high-toned and fancy to do up the fort, eh?" he commented. "How could it be that two upstanding gentlemen, such as yourselves, did not merit an invitation?"
As the Contestants heard these words, their expressions relaxed. Even Moraine's frown lightened at the end of Jack Sparrow's words, for these words were according to the storyline progression. It wasn't like they feared divergences, but for them to have an idea about the timeline, and to gain as many benefits as possible, it was better to let things progress normally.
The entire world sighed at these thoughts, however.
Things had just started to deviate, and just as everyone took solace in Jack's comment, another unexpected thing happened.
"Someone has to…" Murtogg had just begun uttering the dialogue as per the storyline when Mullroy cut him off.
"It's because of him," he said, pointing at Murtogg. "He ate too much and then went to a Voodoo Healer. Heh! Like they really exist."
Jack Sparrow raised an eyebrow. "They apparently do, my round friend," he said sluggishly.
Murtogg got stumped as if for a moment he didn't know what was going on. But the Act must go on. "See!" he shouted, grinning. "I told you they are real enough. Next, you would say that Black Pearl is not real as well."
Mullroy frowned. "No, it isn't."
"Yes, it is," Murtogg retaliated. "I've seen it."
"You've seen it?" Mullroy mocked. "You've seen a black ship…"
As the two marines entered a bout of a scuffle, Jack Sparrow slipped away and boarded the Interceptor.
When Mullroy and Murtogg paused for a moment to get Jack's reaction to their argument, they noticed he had already gone. As they looked all over, they found him playing with the boat's wheel.
The Marines burst out into a run, with Murtogg leading the way. "Hey! Hey!" they shouted.
And as they climbed down the stairs to the ship's deck, Murtogg fell again.
Revamped Fanfic
Please donate Power Stones to Chaos and Order only
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực