Pirate King Hornigold
[Clear Mind]. One of the first skills I got from the constellations. I'd always relied on it. Without it, I couldn't even imagine how I'd react. Our clipper ship had been rammed and capsized by a pirate vessel that suddenly emerged from beneath the waves, and now it was sinking into the sea. Through a detached view, as if it weren't my problem at all—as if I weren't suffocating—I calmly assessed the situation with the serene detachment of watching a movie on a massive theater screen.
'It came from inside.' After we'd distanced ourselves from Circe's kraken, did they wait for an opportunity to strike? Or were they tracking the Holy Eagle Kingdom's warship? Either way, if things continued like this, we'd be crushed under the ship and drown for sure.
The massive dinosaur called the pliosaur, dubbed the largest in history—I manifested it with my [Luminous Dinosaur] skill and pushed with all my might to forcibly right the ship vertically. I stabbed the underside with my spirit sword, and with a whoosh, the oxygen trapped inside burst out. After deploying several luminous dinosaurs, the clipper finally resurfaced and barely flipped back over.
"Cough, cough—"
Mortis, who'd been holding her breath, spat water from her mouth. Her body, hacking apologies for soiling my clothes, wasn't visible on the deck—regrettably. I followed the severed rope's end to check on my comrades. Kidd and Prince Castella were in the water, treading to stay afloat. 'Circe'—if I hadn't been mistaken when we fell overboard, she was gathering the crew. I caught shadows of people darting swiftly below the surface, then caught my breath.
The only one secured on deck with a rope tied to his arm was Hyacinth. The captain gripping the helm and the two navigators—veterans who'd battled the sea for decades—had endured the sudden crisis with their aged bodies.
"Up we go!"
Then Riko kicked off the water's surface and tumbled onto the deck. Soaked in saltwater, he flailed on the deck, coughing uncontrollably.
"Kyahaha... Who's this? Unbelievable! It's Zan!"
From the pirate ship surging out of the sea came a middle-aged Deynos in a red pirate coat, hair slicked back, golden eyes fierce, sharp features savage. The sturdy man, looking mid-40s, waved not an arm but a hook-hand, calling the captain by name familiarly. Gazing at him, I frowned—did he really drink from the Fountain of Youth? He should've been over 90, yet he looked so young.
"...Hornigold... Damn you. You haven't changed a bit."
"And you've gotten old, Zan. Thought I'd never see you again."
Pirates disembarked behind Hornigold onto the deck. It was a hopeless situation—I was the only one who could fight properly here. Kidd and Prince Castella struggled to climb aboard, but the prince's wet wings kept him from flying, turning him into dead weight and wasting time.
I silently drew my spirit sword from my waist and glared. He raised a brow—"Ho?"—grinning as he chuckled, "Didn't expect to see another human punk like this."
"Don't blame the kid. Some white-haired human brat's been screwing everything up lately."
"That human... white-haired?"
"Pfft! What, you too? Hilarious. Tsk, stay put if you wanna live long. Long time no—ho?"
Hornigold grinned seeing Mortis in my arms. "Where'd you ditch your body, Mortis?"
"...Still the same ugly mug. Thrilled to see you."
"Hah... Zan and Mortis? Old faces... First time since that day? What brings you to my sea? Here for my head, Zan? Mortis?"
Mortis, unable to fight, stayed silent. The captain, strained by age, clutched his chest, panting. Hornigold burst laughing at the poignant sight—"Time makes fools of us all!" He pondered leisurely, then declared he'd plunder the treasure but spare us out of sentiment—a "merciful" offer with no choice.
"...Can you tell me what deal you made with that white-haired human?"
"Why should I bother with worthless gossip?"
"Because of it, the evil god broke its seal and rampages."
"Thanks to that, I earned the title [Godslayer]! Pirate King who slew a god! Kyahaha!! Fits the ruler of these seas, right?"
Grinning slyly, waving his arms like dancing, he scowled—"What do I care?"—glaring at me. Thinking of losses from that human's mess still boiled his blood; he mimed throttling a neck with his hook.
Then, locking eyes with the captain—coughing, gripping the rail, forcing himself down with sword drawn—his face hardened. Gone was the jovial tone; his voice sank heavy, scraping like cave walls.
"Changed my mind. Zan, Mortis—both coming to my Pirate Kingdom... Or I won't stomach the pity stabbing my heart at your pathetic state, Zan."
"Damn bastard...! Urk."
"Zan!"
Grinding her teeth, sword raised to charge—but coughing, she dropped to one knee. Mortis urgently called the captain's name, but bodiless, she could only watch from my arms.
Pirates eyed greedily, awaiting the captain's signal. The Pirate King lounged with the leisure of a sea-conquering monarch. No openings—I couldn't visualize attacking him. And if we fought, I'd kill. —Then bear it straight. The weight of taking life. Monsters and humans weigh the same in life; their value differs only by my measure—engraving that resolve, I gripped my spirit sword and took stance.
"Eyes changed... Not just some punk?"
"Kill you, and I'm Pirate King!!!"
That instant, with a surging water pillar, Bartholomew Kidd hurled his harpoon, dumping Prince Castella overboard. Pirates didn't flinch even as it aimed for the captain—like it was nothing. Puzzled, I saw Hornigold's shocked face, like seeing a ghost. Resembling the captain he'd killed—lost in memory?—the frozen Pirate King's throat and heart targeted, Kidd's harpoon slashed diagonally.
But oddly, it only scraped and splintered the deck. The Pirate King hadn't moved a step.
'What?' Like my [Friend☆ship] skill—result without process.
Gazing at the embedded harpoon, then the young black-haired Deynos in tricorn hat, Hornigold narrowed eyes, grinning crimson-gummed.
"Young, spitting image! Kyahaha!! Wanna be Pirate King? Plenty aimed for my neck... But you, I'll handle personally."
"Kidd!!"
The captain tossed Mortis's head to navigator Nesil Geitor and shouted his name as I charged. He lightly parried Kidd's harpoon with a cutlass drawn one-handed, indulgent like humoring a child—then smirked, flicking his wrist.
"Over."
Kidd's chest split diagonally, blood spraying. As his halved harpoon and body toppled, I flung a potion, shattered a dagger into it. Forcing another vial into his mouth, I hurled him back; Hyacinth gritted teeth, rose, and caught him.
"Potions saved you this time—kyahaha!"
Laughing at Kidd downed in one blow—like seeing someone overlap—Kidd vomited blood in silent rage. Ignoring me, I regripped my spirit sword, lunging at the laughing, exposed Pirate King. What attack—Deynos breath? Or parry like before? I'd counter next. Hook device? Special [skill]? Aiming for throat, mana-clad blade neared skin—yet he neither swung nor dodged, just met my killing eyes earnestly.
Thinking my sword sliced his throat—it whistled past, barely missing. Impossible. I'd closed distance perfectly, mid-blade aimed true—no hand extended. He hadn't budged; I'd retreated steps.
"Gutsy, but weak."
I dropped sword, seized his hand in handshake. Yanked, swept leg to unbalance—but I spun like a top, slamming deck-back-first. Before recovering, he charged, kicked me down stairs. Light kick shattered Circe's defensive runes—heavy blow.
"......"
Hornigold, who'd crushed me, looked oddly perplexed.
"Kicked to kill, yet form remains...? Protection magic? No... Different. Not your magic... Only that girl holds a staff..."
His eyes turned to Riko. Shadowed gaze gleamed golden ferociously. Grinning treasure-found, pirate-like ear-to-ear, he pointed at Riko eerily.
"You, a witch?"
"Ugh...!"
Riko tried denying, but ropes bound him before swinging staff—he toppled. Resisting yielded nothing; Hornigold circled wrist, and whoosh—he floated into his arms.
"Let go, you perv! Get off!"
Legs flailing futilely, shrimp-in-fry-batter, Riko glared desperately, thrashing wilder. Pirates had raided the captain's cabin, smashed safe, hauling treasure.
"Radamu-sama!!!"
At his cry for help, I rose panting. No [Transformation]. Hornigold knew me. His crown—likely [Sea God's Crown], ancient relic of fallen kingdom... Or Epic Chronicle, divine realm? Protected by it? Unknown. [Hero Arrival!] no trigger—"arrival" unmet? [Abyss of Hatred] inert. Summoned [Cursed Die] to throw—but before hitting deck, his drawn pistol pulverized it.
"Obvious tricks don't work."
Even tossed behind unseen, he shot through my legs. Ridiculous marksmanship terrified even Hyacinth. Memorized spellbook same issue. Circe exposed—no. [Transformation] too risky. Holding Riko—no [Gaze of the Watcher].
...Only one way. I rolled sleeves, revealing azure-glowing armguard. It morphed instantly to trident in grip.
"[Triton of the Sea]!"
Vast mana—no, sheer presence—blacked vision from Hornigold. Hyacinth collapsed knees buckling. Riko frothed, fainted in arms. Subordinates clutched chests, fell. Air quaked around him—but [Clear Mind] immune.
"Hand over that treasure!!"
One swing. Hornigold dropped Riko, hurled back by waves shoving his ship. He lunged again from his deck—but horizon split: the sea parted. No crossing. Second swing raised water wall between us, but Riko's ropes yanked him skyward, vanishing beyond.
"Damn—!"
Reached, but dizziness felled me vomiting. Head injured? Thoughts fragmented. Each Triton swing drained utterly. Must move, save Riko, pursue—using as cane to rise, Mortis hugged restraining.
Circe had reloaded crew, robed, watching worriedly.
"No, we must withdraw now."
"Hah... hah..."
Glancing at Mortis in Nesil Geitor's arms, deck near-empty, I shut eyes tight. Treasure safe; Hornigold's fainted crew bound by late-rising Prince Castella, Hyacinth, jailed below. Gripping [Triton of the Sea], I pushed currents, fleeing broken-engined, torn-sail clipper farthest possible.
Sleepless two days vigilant, we fled unknowing destination. Unconscious captain overexerted, feverish moaning Kidd wounded, kidnapped Riko hostage—worst.
Overthought—should've all-out charged. But—swung Triton to "kill." Yet missed. Useless without uncovering secret.
"...Mortis, why stop pursuit?"
Third day, all safe, I asked.
"—He searched lifelong for sea witch Circe. Same for her... Likely treated as guest."
Certain oddly, she'd watched ten years—knew. Trust Mortis then. Pirate King would come himself. With [Triton of the Sea] revealed, Hornigold would hunt relentlessly. Even to continent—inevitably.