Squawk! Squawk!
In the dark early morning, seagulls were already flying up above, eyeing the fish caught by the fisherman piled up on the dock despite the lack of light. Their abnormally large black eyes seemed to be staring straight at their targets from far away, ready to dive and steal those lifeless fish at any time. Besides those seagulls, there didn't seem to be any other animals that were already active around the docks, save for the rats scurrying around.
Thud! Clank!
A man, muscular with layers of fat around his belly, was busy moving crates from the dock to a white motorboat anchored to its side. The man's orange mustache was glistening under the light of the dock, and his bald head reflected some of the light back. The man was sweating despite the cold Monday morning of Texel, probably because he had moved his body a lot in the past hours.
The white motorboat with the name 'Sailor Goon' slowly had its small storage area filled with wooden crates, some of which leaked out a kind of strange smell that reminded people of the ocean... and death and decay.
"What in the world is that, Mr. de Velde?" asked Graham Hymes. He tried to cover his nose with the brown coat that he was wearing.
Standing next to Graham was Luuk van der Meer, whose black circles around the eyes showed his lack of sleep. He was just standing there with his red eyes staring blankly at the distance, yawning occasionally without making a sound. He didn't even seem to notice the strange smell coming from the boat in front of him.
"Just Angus is fine. You're my customers now after all! That's our food supply and also a secret weapon! Hahaha!!" replied Angus de Verde, speaking loudly as if he was trying to break the wave with his voice. It seemed that the topless sweaty man was in an extremely good mood after working hard.
"We'll just put our trust in you, Angus. When shall we depart?" the detective asked. His right hand was resting leisurely on a wooden cane with an intricate design while his left one was holding a briefcase that looked light.
The bald man cracked the muscle of his right arm and lifted yet some more stuff before loading them onto the motorboat. Finally, he closed the door to the storage room and the pungent smell was finally gone.
"Now we're ready! Get on board!" he replied, "And wake your friend up! He's going to sleep with the fish at that rate," the man pointed at Luuk, whose eyes were slowly closing.
A cold breeze blew from behind the busy people in the port into the ocean, sending wind chill down their spines. However, the Texel islanders didn't seem fazed by it, and Graham was unaffected because of his Warm Body. Only Luuk seemed to be shivering due to the cold, now completely awake, and was hugging his own body for warmth.
Thud!
Graham took a step on the motorboat and it wobbled a little bit from his weight. Luuk followed the man closely behind after buttoning his jacket tight. The empty backpack he was carrying helped protect his body from the wind, but it was still quite a cold morning for the young medical student.
Honk!!
A big ship left the port just right at the moment Angus started his boat's engine. Propellers began rolling underwater as the boat started to drift farther apart from the dock. There were ripples created by the blades that looked like the water was being ripped apart, leaving foamy lines as the boat went.
Rrrrrrrr!!
The sound of the boat's motor engine roared through the dark. On the horizon to their right, a line of light started to form as the dawn broke. It was a thin line of almost pure white color with gradients of blue and purple, while yellow, orange and red colors began arising one after another the more time had passed.
At that moment, the world seemed to have stopped. The noise of the engine, the sounds of waves breaking as they hit the hull of the boat, and the seagulls above somewhat faded in the background, while the people's sight was occupied by the explosion of colors happening in the distance. It was the sun rising, and with it, the mark of a new day and a new adventure for them.
"Val, isn't it beautiful? If only sunrises didn't only happen at this hour, we would be watching it every day," Graham spoke in awe.
Even Luuk, who was still sleepy, was completely taken aback by the view presented before him. To the young man, it was his first time seeing the sun rise on the horizon, and it was a sight that he would remember forever in his memory.
"Beautiful, innit?" Angus said proudly, as if the sunrise was his creation, "Enjoy it while you can. The journey will be rough later on," he warned.
Graham soaked up the view for a little bit longer, taking a deep breath and letting in the fresh sea air to his lungs. The cold, crisp air filled his body with its saltiness.
"Why did you say so?" he turned around.
Angus was in the cabin, steering the boat. Seeing that Graham had walked up to him, he looked at the detective with brown eyes.
"Pirates are rampant around the route to the island, especially once we get out of the common routes protected by the Sea Cops. I hope you guys are not just all talk and no action," the bald middle-aged man gave the two young people a meaningful glance.
Graham sent some energy into the ring that he was wearing on his left middle finger, and at the same time, a thread connected to an oversized needle that began floating on its own. With a command from him, the needle quickly dove into the ocean.
Splash!
The sound of the needle going into the water startled Luuk, who quickly looked at the source of the sound. A few seconds later, a medium-sized fish was seen struggling as it was being pulled out of the cold water. The needle had punctured the fish and acted as a hook while Graham pulled it back to his side.
"How about this? Is this convincing enough for you?" asked the detective, dropping the fish down on the boat floor.
Angus took a glance at the still-struggling fish and nodded in approval. It was the size of his forearm and looked very meaty.
"Hahaha! That's a good catch! That means food won't be an issue for you guys!" he said merrily and then quickly returned to steering the boat.
Controlling the needle to carry a weight like that was honestly tiresome for Graham, but he didn't show it on his face. His stamina had been drained a lot, and doing the same action three more times would probably exhaust him completely.
Stab!
With Valentine's dagger, he picked up the fish that was now fully dead. He carried the dead thing away from the cabin to the back of the boat and began descaling it.
"Catch your own fish if you want breakfast," Graham said to Luuk casually.
Once the fish's scales had been removed, Graham took out his lighter and used Order to cause the flame to float by his side. That way, he didn't have to keep moving it since his body moved along with the boat.
"I order you to burn bigger!"
Whoosh!
By his side, there was now a fireball the size of a watermelon, floating calmly and flickering gently in the wind without signs of yielding. Using the manipulated flame, he began roasting the fish that he had caught and descaled.
The smell of the fish being roasted filled Luuk's nose and filled him with appetite. He also wanted to eat fish, but he didn't know how to catch one using his abilities. Since the fish were living beings, he couldn't just steal them directly.
He wanted to ask his neighbor for help since the man had more than one ability that could be used to easily catch a fish. However, he didn't want to keep relying on him, so he had to think of his own way.
Looking down at the sea below, he turned on his night vision to see better since it was still relatively dark. His attention was then locked onto a fish that was swimming just near him.
"Your intention of staying underwater is mine!"
Luuk made a swiping motion with his left hand and suddenly, a glowing orb appeared there. With the help of his enhanced equipment, he managed to steal something important from the fish.
With its intention of staying underwater stolen, the fish suddenly had a strong urge to jump up despite lacking the ability to do so. The most it could do was swim very close to the surface.
Since the boat was still moving, Luuk only had one chance of catching his prey. He focused all of his power on his right hand that was now holding a knife that had a yellow gemstone embedded into it and got ready to strike.
Stab!
He managed to catch the fish! His dexterity and agility as a Thief helped him a lot, and the gemstone on his knife also increased his striking speed, leaving the fish no chance of dodging.
"Can I... cook this on your flame?" asked the young man. His heart was still beating fast from the adrenaline.
The fish that he had caught was a little bigger than what Graham had caught, and it was his first-ever catching his own fish, so Luuk was very excited.
"Sure, go ahead," Graham replied while munching on the grilled fish. It was unseasoned, but it was good enough for a quick breakfast on a boat.
He finished his fish quickly and then took out a bottle of water from his briefcase and drank the content a little.
"How is the fish?" asked Graham, stuffing the water back.
"It's good, Mr. Hymes!" replied Luuk. His sleepy face was filled with joy from eating the fish.
The boat kept on moving forward while the sun rose higher and higher. Finally, the day had completely taken over the night and the sky was all lit up. All around them was now the ocean, without an island in sight. The big ships that were previously sailing alongside them were also now nowhere to be seen, as they had gone their own routes to the other islands.
The day became warmer and warmer as the sun shone brighter. The sea was calm, but somehow, it also gave off a threatening vibe. If not for Angus de Velde's navigating skill and experience, they wouldn't know where to go as there was completely nothing to guide them.
"How long still 'till Raas, Angus?!" shouted Graham from the back. He had taken off his coat and was enjoying the morning sunlight on his skin.
"We're still halfway there! We've yet to pass the Misery Rocks, so be patient back there!" shouted the man back.
"What are the Misery Rocks, Mr. de Velde?!" asked Luuk curiously. The young man had also taken off his jacket since it was getting warmer.
"That's where pirates hang out! I'd need your skills out there, righty?! Otherwise, we'll sink together to the bottom!"
"As long as they're not too strong or too many, we can deal with them, so don't you worry!" shouted Graham, and then looked over his shoulder, "Val, do you think it's better for you or for me to fight those pirates? My abilities are more suitable since yours require preparation, but your physical abilities are better," he began pondering.
"How far are the Misery Rocks, Mr. de Velde?!" asked Luuk. He was strangely calm despite the possibility of being attacked by pirates.
"We're almost there! See those spikes up ahead?! Those are the tips of the rocks!" Angus pointed in a direction.
Up ahead, there were tiny spikes coming out of the horizon, slightly covered in a haze so it was difficult to see. The closer they got, the bigger and taller the spikes became.
"Oh, and I forgot to mention, they have guns!" Angus added.
"Shit! Why didn't you say so earlier?!" Graham protested.
From their position, they now could see the spikes that were actually rock formations protruding up high in the distance. The rocks that looked sharp were cluttering together in one spot of the ocean, forming a kind of rocky island that was not even half the size of Texel. Among the rocks, Graham, with his Supersight, could see motorboats and ships docked on one part of the island.
"Pirates up ahead! Angus, please alert me for every fifty meters we get closer to the Misery Rocks!"
"But we don't use meters on the ocean!!" protested Angus.
"You'd better make it work if you want to live!" retorted Graham.
"Alright, alright. You'd better keep my boat safe, boy!" the captain commanded.
The boat didn't slow down and got closer and closer to the rocky island, now looked majestic in front of them. The pillars of rock spikes stood menacingly high, their sturdiness appeared unbreakable.
Noticing their presence, the pirates had seemed to start moving out to 'greet' their guests.
"300 meters!" Angus shouted.
The boat kept on moving, and the pirates had boarded their own vessels.
"200 meters!"
The pirates' ships and boats started leaving the dock, their anchors having been pulled up prior.
"150 meters!"
"100 meters!"
Graham and Luuk waited in anticipation. Their weapons were at the ready. Meanwhile, the pirates' ships were getting closer and closer. The detective could even see their grinning faces as they approached the helpless prey.
There were a total of one pirate ship and four pirate boats, all of which were motor-powered. On the vessels, countless men and women in rough clothes were carrying weapons, their faces full of greed and anticipation.
Among the pirates, there was one that looked particularly dangerous, standing tall on the big ship, looking down upon the three men on the small boat. The man was wearing a maroon coat and a feathered hat. On his right waist, a curved sword was hanging while his left one was home to a gun holster. Graham felt that he had to be careful of the man.
"50 meters!"
"I hereby declare this whole boat a secret!" Graham shouted, his hand was holding the belt that he was wearing.
"I hereby declare the people on this boat a secret!" he added.
A mysterious yellowish mist quickly descended upon the boat, engulfing it completely. The mist floated around the boat gently, staying calm despite the strong sea breeze. It covered both the boat and its passengers like a strange blanket. At the same time, the pirates' expressions sunk.
"The boat is gone! It's a ghost!!"