Lycas

I stood on the corner of the deck, looking at the ship a few kilometers away. The Scarlet Waves pirates were frolicking there. Their leader, Kim Lien, laughingly pushed her friend into the water—they both burst into laughter. Then she jumped in after them; the girls splashed and thrashed around like children.

I couldn't help but smile, captivated by their carefree joy. But as soon as the pirates noticed me, the smile faded.

I turned abruptly to my men. My comrades, as usual, were eager to fight: we were enemies. "Raise sails," I said dully. "We're heading past." For some reason, my chest tightened.

We met the Scarlet Waves again, but before we could exchange a word, the Black Claws—the ocean's most ruthless pirates—emerged from behind a rocky cape. Their cannons fired simultaneously at both ships.

Chaos erupted: cannonballs blew up the decks, Black Claw corsairs leaped from ship to ship. I fought back, searching for Kim Lien in the melee. I saw her too late: two thugs were dragging her toward their side. She resisted, but the third struck her on the head with the butt of his pistol, and she went limp in their arms.

The Black Claws retreated, carrying off their loot. I gritted my teeth: Kim Lien was captured.

We spent two days tracking them. My pirates exchanged sullen glances—we had previously been enemies with the Scarlet Waves, but now our shared grief had united us. We knew where the Black Claws were based: on a rocky island with a single bay.

At dawn, we attacked. Under cover of fog, we approached and threw out grappling hooks. The fight was short and merciless—fury gave us strength. We cleared deck after deck, cabin after cabin.

I found Kim Lien in the hold, pale, with a bleeding wound on her leg. She was barely breathing.

“I’ve come,” I whispered, carefully lifting her into my arms.

She opened her eyes, recognized me and smiled weakly.

• Oh, you little devil...you came after all.

We returned to the ship. The island behind us was ablaze—not a single living soul of the Black Claws remained.