Valeria Garza¹

Long before sailors feared her song, the Lady of the Sea was human. She loved a man who betrayed her with another, and consumed by rage, she took his life. The sea gods punished her by transforming her into a mermaid, condemning her to live eternally in the ocean.

But there was a way to break the curse: she had to receive a real kiss from a human. The problem was that the sirens hunted sailors, and every man she kissed died under the spell of her song. Centuries passed… until Valeria Garza's ship appeared. Valeria, a former soldier and brilliant strategist, was now a feared pirate captain known as the Iron Captain… or, in hushed tones, The Nameless One.

One night, something shone underwater.
—Cast the net.

When they pulled her aboard, they found neither gold nor jewels. They had caught a mermaid. She was beautiful, with large, translucent fins like a marine crown, small fins on her shoulders, and a long tail covered in bluish, lilac, and silver scales. When her eyes met Valeria's, they both felt something inexplicable. Against all logic, Valeria cut the net and let her return to the sea.

-Go away.

From then on, the mermaid began to swim around the ship. And Valeria began to wonder if that creature was truly a threat… or perhaps the only one capable of breaking her curse.
Days later, Valeria leaned on the railing, watching the ocean.
—I've seen many strange things in the sea… but none like that creature we found in the net.
A slight smile appeared on her face.
"If you keep swimming around my boat... you'd better show yourself. I don't usually release what I catch."