As the night darkened, the crimson moon, which had become a crescent, barely lit the sea.
I, who was heading to the Pilsey Island, saw as the harbour slowly approached the ferry.
Once it'd docked, I got off the boat, and headed to a certain shop on the second street right from the main road that lead out into the town.
After receiving a certain map from a certain person, I headed out in the dark night to the far end of the small island.
Using the shadows to hide myself, I ran for a few short bursts before I reached a secret private harbour on a low cliff.
There stood a tall, 3 mast sail boat, about 80 metres in length.
There was no flag on top of the mast, out of caution, but it was obvious to anyone who'd even stepped on it once to know that it was the Black Death, the flagship of one of the seven pirate Admirals of the current era. The newest, and possibly the youngest, Vice Admiral Ailment Maiden Tracy.
I couldn't help but smile a little as the ship came into my sight. Walking faster, I reached the dock in a matter of minutes. I was immediately spotted before I could even approach the gangway.
"Young Lorenzo! You're finally here! I thought you'd have had your gun stolen by that marauder and would have died instead."
Said a man with an easy-going smile on his face.
He had medium length grey hair, and grey eyes with thin eyebrows. His sharp features were accentuated by a short goatee on his chin. He wore a linen shirt at the top, and brown trousers on the bottom, which were tucked into his long boots that reached his shins.
Above his shirt, he wore a dark blue long coat like a captain of a ship would wear, with solid shoulders and long sleeves.
He was the second* Third Mate of the Black Death, Joyful James Joyce. Even though in theory he would be the Fourth Mate, or the Fourth Boatswain, he called himself the second* Third Mate. Of course, that declaration would always get on Mithor King's nerves, as a result of which, he would always get irritated whenever James was mentioned.
With a bounty of 9000 pounds, James was a very famous pirate, who was known for killing his enemies while smiling. As a Sequence 6 Conspirator, he was rumoured to be a maniac, who'd betray you in the heat of the moment, and stab you in the back while jovially laughing and smiling. Hence, his nickname.
Isn't this the same template as the strongest Hunter of the Fog Sea, dear Anderson? Are they long-lost brothers or something?
And of course, as a Hunter, he was an impeccable Provoker. He was the type to use underhanded, and long-winded methods, but also one to not shy away from cheap insults and provocations if he felt like it.
I almost wished I could punch his face from the distance, as I heard what he'd said. Of course, I wouldn't do that, neither was I strong enough to do so, nor were we friends who were close enough to let that sort of thing pass as fun. I really wished to punch his face, though, even though he was mostly a cool person. Somehow, though, he just had a really punchable face. It was almost as if the existence of every single cell of his body was a provocation in itself.
Calming my thoughts, I sighed and continued walking towards the gangway.
"I was lucky." I said humbly.
He let out a chuckle as he watched me cross the gangway onto the port[1] side of the ship.
He continued once I was on board.
"Alright then, little bro, I won't hold you for long. It's good that you survived, or I'd have to buy flowers for your grave, if we could find your body, that is."
He said with a bright smile while dragging the gangway rope back to prepare the ship to sail.
Not responding to his jest, I sighed and moved onto the upper deck of the ship, where the captain's cabin was.
*Knock* *Knock*
"Who?"
A neutral, female voice was heard from inside.
"Captain, it's me, Lorenzo." I spoke with care in a measured and polite tone.
"Come in."
I opened the door to find it unlocked, and entered the cabin.
The relatively large room had a bed to the back, and several cupboards along the walls.
Closer to the bed was placed a table where Tracy sat on a chair, wearing her signature white linen shirt, and black pantaloons. The top two buttons of her shirt were open, letting the top of her... breasts to be in contact with open air and the eyes of the world.
As I swept my gaze across the room, my eyes landed on a particular set of red hair that was peeking out from the blanket on her bed. I, who had only recently re-read the novel for the third time before transmigration, easily remembered the person. It was Helene.
So she has yet to run away, huh?
I made sure to not let my gaze linger anywhere near the bed.
I focused back on Tracy, who'd restrained her charm to let someone like me stand there normally and look at her without drooling and sporting a hard on like a beast in heat.
Indeed, even with all her charm restrained, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in both of my lives.
And she used to be a man.
"Are you thinking something odd?" Tracy said as a corner of lip curled up.
I almost choked on my words. Clearing my throat with a cough, I started speaking.
"Captain, the mission was successfully completed. All five were assassinated without any hiccups, except for the last one, where I had a little trouble. Thankfully, Eleanor was there in time before anything could go wrong."
Tracy showed no outward surprise. Her face had morphed back into a serious and calm expression now.
Seeing her not intending to speak, I continued, "I believe the money the Swindler had stolen would have already been retrieved by Eleanor, as for their bounties, I received it before coming back. It was a total of 910 after cutting the middleman costs that Ozil had to pay."
Tracy nodded to my words. I'd guessed that she already knew everything that I was telling her, so there wasn't anything of surprise for her in that. Eleanor would have already briefed her about it all.
"Good job, you did well beyond my expectations. The bounties are yours to keep, but make sure to not waste the money on useless things. Anything else you'd like to report? How is your progress with the potion?"
Eleanor had not told her! What is she playing at? Does she want me to surprise captain?
What a mischievous senior I had!
Taking a breath, I braced myself before speaking.
"I have already digested the potion completely. It happened when I completed the last assassination. I felt something illusory inside me shatter, and I started feeling completely in tune with my abilities. I felt like I could hide into shadows without a thought, become feather-light without a thought, and morph myself into a lethal weapon for a single strike in an instant."
I honestly described the nature of what I had felt, keeping no secrets in this regard.
As I kept speaking, I saw how Tracy's eyes widened in surprise like saucers, before she controlled her expression and passively nodded while appearing deep in thought.
She looked down for a moment, and sighed, before looking up at me. She had a tiny smile on her lips, and seemed happy for some reason.
"You did well, I am really surprised. I have never heard of someone digesting Sequence 9 potion so fast, but I am glad I chose right."
As she spoke, a chuckle resounded in the room. It was a beautiful and familiar voice. Turning to my left and my back, I finally noticed a fiery orange haired woman casually sitting on the table that lied in that corner of the cabin.
It was the First Mate of Black Death.
[1] Left side of a ship in the direction of the bow. The right side is known as the 'star board'. The different names are to prevent confusion between sailors, to prevent situations like: "Your right? Or my right?"