At the place where Leon and Arthur had agreed to meet, a lone figure stood under the shadow of an old tree — Arthur himself, nervously glancing around as if expecting trouble at any moment.
He had already completed his part of the mission. After they split up, Arthur had made his way through the bustling building filled with officers and officials — a hive of activity where secret orders and military operations were discussed behind closed doors. The place was enormous, practically a labyrinth of corridors, where voices echoed faintly against the cold stone walls.
Using his stealth skills, Arthur managed to overhear several conversations, confirming their suspicions: the duchy was indeed preparing for a large-scale offensive, and just as Leon had said, it was scheduled to begin in the coming days. Satisfied that he'd gathered enough information, Arthur decided not to linger any longer. He slipped away quietly and headed toward the meeting point, hoping Leon had also finished his part.
Twenty minutes passed.
Still no Leon.
Arthur frowned.
He couldn't have been caught… could he?
He was just about to turn back and look for him when a familiar figure suddenly appeared in the distance.
"Oh, finally," Arthur breathed in relief, "I was starting to think you—"
But his smile vanished instantly.
Leon was indeed running toward him… but there was someone slung over his shoulder — a young woman in an elegant gown, with ruby-red eyes and a look of pure rage on her face. In his other hand, Leon was dragging… a bucket. The sight alone was bizarre enough, but it got worse — from around the corner, a crowd of armed men burst out, at least a hundred of them, all shouting in unison:
"Catch him!"
"Bring back the Duchess!"
"Stop the thief!"
Arthur froze in disbelief.
"…Oh, bloody hell."
"It's time to go," he muttered through clenched teeth and took off running toward where their ship should have been waiting.
---
A few seconds later, heavy footsteps thundered behind him — Leon had caught up.
"You're running the wrong way, Arthur! Follow me!" Leon shouted, sprinting past him.
"Anywhere's fine — just as long as it's away from those lunatics!" Arthur yelled back, glancing over his shoulder at the oncoming mob. "What the hell did you do?! Why is an army chasing us?! And who's that girl on your shoulder? She looks… suspiciously familiar!"
Leon, without even turning his head, replied casually, as if discussing the weather:
"Meet Duchess Gertrude. She… caught me."
Arthur stumbled mid-run, nearly falling flat on his face. He stared at Leon, eyes wide with pure horror, as if he'd just realized that his partner was the kind of man who would take a dump under the royal balcony.
He wanted to scream, "Are you completely out of your f*ing mind?!" — but instead, he just sighed heavily and picked up the pace. There was no point arguing anymore.
"You're from Holfort, aren't you?" suddenly said Gertrude, her tone surprisingly calm despite being slung upside down over Leon's shoulder. There was even a note of curiosity in her voice.
The words sent a chill down Arthur's spine — it wasn't every day you met someone who could keep their composure while being kidnapped.
---
"I'm giving you one last chance," bellowed Garret from behind them. "Surrender now, and I might let you live a little longer. Clearly, you're skilled enough to have made it this far unnoticed."
Leon smirked, unbothered by the threat, and replied in his usual cheeky tone:
"Your threats will never break my spirit. I am Captain Jack Sparrow — the greatest scourge of the seven seas! I've personally captured the Duchess for my pirate empire, and soon I'll demand a ransom so large it'll make your head spin!"
Arthur instantly realized what Leon was doing — he was improvising, hiding their true identities under a ridiculous story. And oddly enough, it worked. That hint of control and composure made Arthur feel just a little safer.
"And this," Leon added, gesturing over his shoulder, "is my first mate — Donald Duck."
"…Who?" Arthur blurted out, dumbfounded.
Gertrude snorted, her pride clearly wounded.
"Don't feed me such nonsense! I heard you call him Arthur earlier. And there's no way you're a pirate." She wriggled in protest — only for Leon to give her another firm slap on the rear.
"Ah! Stop that, you pervert!" she cried.
Arthur nearly tripped again. Not every day you saw a supposed nobleman spanking a duchess mid-escape. His brain simply refused to process the absurdity.
"If you keep wriggling and talking nonsense," Leon muttered, "I'll keep going."
Soon, they burst out onto the edge of the floating island. Below them stretched a vast expanse of white clouds and shimmering ocean far beneath, while several of the duchy's airships hovered nearby — their cannons now aimed directly at the fugitives.
"And now what?!" Arthur demanded, breathless, eyes darting around for any sign of escape.
By that time, they were surrounded. Soldiers, nobles, and guards of the duchy closed in on all sides. Two airships drew up alongside the island's edge, broadside cannons glinting in the sunlight.
Then came Vandell — the Black Knight himself. To everyone's surprise, he was already back in his armor, standing tall and unshaken, his legendary sword raised and pointing straight at Leon.
"I don't know who you are," Vandell said evenly, "but for someone your age, you're remarkably arrogant. Surrender now and spare yourself the pain — or you'll regret it."
To his surprise, Leon only smiled. He gently set Gertrude down, though still keeping a firm grip on her wrist. His grin was the kind that carried both mockery and defiance — the kind of grin that made everyone instinctively want to punch him.
"Remember this day," Leon said calmly, "as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow."
Without another word, he gave Arthur a light shove toward the island's edge. Arthur stumbled forward, flailing his arms to keep balance.
Then Leon, still holding Gertrude close against his chest, sprinted the last few steps — and jumped clean off the floating island.
As he plummeted through the clouds, he threw his head back and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"CHELONIA!!!"