On the rough sea, Jis and his party were tossed around like paper.
The hems of their clothes, swept away by the gusts, rose up in the wind and fell vertically, piercing the large waves that rose high.
However, after a while, they rose again through the waves into the sky, balanced, and spread their arms to continue their flight.
The rain and wind in the storm and the thick fog above the sea obscured their view, making it hard to determine their location.
"Hehe! Wind alone is not enough... This is it, right? Well, what about lightning?"
The cold laughter of the West Sea witch echoed in the boy's ears.
As Jis's group was barely managing to stay above the water, the West Sea witch raised her index finger high into the sky, her eyes glinting with malevolence.
There was already a small flash of lightning dancing from her fingertips.
Then she recited a spell and drew her raised finger down.
Boom—
For a moment, the sky around the boy seemed to be ablaze.
Lightning flashed like a massive branch spreading through the black clouds.
Flash—
Among the lightning branches that sprouted numerous offshoots, a very thin stem touched the boy, causing his body to convulse with numbness.
"Ouch—"
"Aaaaaah!"
Chichi also screamed in pain as if set alight and disappeared somewhere.
Chichi disappeared, but the boy, believing she had managed to hide somewhere, tried his best to dodge the offshoots of lightning.
The witch, pressing her fingers down here and there as if fine-tuning a piano string with the delicate hands of a pianist, shouted with joy.
"Ah, hahaha! Perfect, I've got it!"
Quaking with delight, the witch forcefully pressed her finger down again.
Then the charge of lightning, which had been simmering at her fingertips, was transmitted, and a considerably large bolt of lightning fell vertically from the sky.
Boom—
The radiance of lightning cleaved the sky, and an eerie electric field enveloped Jis' head.
However, the target this time was Longlong, perched on Jis's back.
"This is it… it's really over now...!"
Jis closed his eyes tightly, envisioning his body charred black.
At that very moment, the blue bead in Longlong's arms slipped out as if it had a will of its own.
It then climbed over Longlong's head, bounced back the lightning like a shield, and absorbed some of it.
As the current of lightning intensified, the blue bead shone even brighter and absorbed a substantial amount of energy.
When the energy of the lightning weakened, the blue bead flashed momentarily and transferred the purified lightning energy to Longlong.
Crackle—
Although the electrical properties were still potent, the electric field, now gentle as baby food, seeped into Longlong's head.
At that moment, a clear breeze swept around the little child, and the skin slowly began to glow.
Then the light grew more intense, and in the blink of an eye, the skin transformed into shining scales, and the hair into the mane of a majestic oriental dragon.
Moreover, as the body shrunk, the body of the oriental dragon elongated, and sharp claws sprouted from the hands and feet.
Though he had no wings on his back, he balanced himself in the sky with his long stretched tail.
Finally, the light faded, and a young oriental dragon about 1m in size emerged.
Longlong, having transformed into an oriental dragon, surveyed his surroundings with confident eyes.
When the oriental dragon, with the power to control rain and wind, appeared, the rain, wind, and lightning revolved around him as if the power of nature was under his command.
A breathtaking spectacle of intense lightning and storming unfolded around his body.
As the eyes of the oriental dragon, shining like lightning, fiercely glared at the pirate ship, a storm conveying his anger struck the pirate ship.
Numerous water columns rose in the tumultuous sea, and whirlpools descending into the sea rocked the pirate ship violently.
"Ah~ Hahahaha! Even a runt like a rat is different when it's a dragon, huh? Alright, let's do this!"
The witch spat out her words with derision, but she struggled to maintain her balance on the sailboat reeling from the forceful waves and storm.
The pirates also clung to each other and screamed, trembling in the merciless waves and storm.
"Argh— Longlong, save me!"
While the formidable force of the oriental dragon assailed the pirate ship, Jis too was caught in the storm and on the brink of falling into the sea.
The oriental dragon, turning his head as if suddenly remembering something, moved toward the boy.
Longlong, now an oriental dragon, flew in the sky amidst a gentle storm, gripped the back of Jis' cape tightly in his mouth, and flew toward a lifeboat floating nearby.
As soon as Jis and Longlong arrived safely on the lifeboat, Chichi appeared and shouted.
"Phew~ It's all over now! All of this was the plan of the great Chichi! Hehehe~"
Amid Chichi's self-praise, the oriental dragon, exhausted from extreme fatigue, collapsed and transformed back into the child-like Longlong.
The pirate ship had already disappeared beyond the horizon.
Tired, Jis and Chichi also fell asleep, collapsing onto the lifeboat with sighs of relief.
* * *
Splash— Splash—
Ripples lapped against the side of the lifeboat.
As morning arrived and the sun shone warmly, yesterday's storm vanished as if it had been just a dream.
But the pirate ship was no illusion.
A pirate ship, which had been secretly tailing them, was rapidly closing in on the lifeboat through the current.
"Ugh! Chichi, wake up! It's a pirate ship!"
Startled, Jis and Longlong frantically rowed the lifeboat using their hands and feet.
However, compared to the speed of the approaching sailing ship with its large sail, the lifeboat was moving as slowly as a turtle.
"Oh, right! Longlong, transform into a dragon again!"
The boy looked at Longlong with an expectant face as if he had just remembered, but Longlong shook his head, pointing to the sky.
"Oh, it needs to rain...."
Chichi, who was fluttering around Longlong, interjected.
"Longlong is still a young dragon, so I don't think he has enough energy to transform again."
Contrary to the boy's hopes, the sailboat was drawing closer and closer.
Jis and his companions rowed their lifeboat desperately to avoid being captured by the pirate ship.
"Ah~ Hahahaha! Row harder! Think you can escape from us?"
The pirate ship neared, and the voice of the Witch of the West rang out more clearly.
The desperate group, Jis and his companions, darted about in the small boat, unsure of what to do.
The pirate ship was preparing a bow and cannon in case Jis and Longlong took flight.
"Hey! Try transforming again! We'll blast you out of the sky with a cannon. Ah~ Hahahaha!"
The witch shook with excitement and laughed maniacally.
Woo— Woo— Woo—
The sea elephant-shaped sailors, who were still irate from last night's storm, also raised their arms high, looking eager with their weapons at the ready.
The pirate ship was almost upon them now.
"Longlong, let's give it another try. Maybe it's possible."
The boy grasped Longlong's hand and said emphatically.
Longlong also nodded vigorously, his eyes shining. Then the little boy closed his eyes tightly and stretched his whole body!
Splash—
Suddenly, like an island rising between the pirate ship and the lifeboat, a massive hill-like figure soared upwards.
Soon after, the hill transformed into a shell covered with sturdy coral and dense seaweed, and a girl of about 10 years old sat on it with a contented expression.
"Hi! We meet again!"
An Asian girl with a serene and elegant aura greeted Jis with a smile and a unique voice.
The little mermaid princess, Rylie, flapped her tail fins as she sat on its massive shell, causing the giant dragon turtle beneath her to reveal itself.
It was an odd creature, a giant turtle the size of a small island, resembling a magnificent dragon.
At this moment, an unspoken tension filled the air between the pirates and those on the lifeboat.
"Oh? Who is that?"
As Jis carefully observed the girl and the dragon turtle, as if he had never seen them before, the witch, in a state of panic, shouted out.
"Why has my grandfather emerged from there?"
However, the Dragon Turtle did not respond and glared at the pirate ship with a sour expression.
Its huge green eyes blinked a few times before taking a deep breath.
Soon after, the long scales on its neck, bearing the same might as a violent, wave-swept sea, writhed, and a gush of hot, steamy breath erupted from between its formidable teeth.
"Argh! Captain Ozma, turn the ship around!"
The West Sea witch's scream was drowned out by the force of the dragon turtle's breath.
However, the pirate ship was already executing a sharp turn, following the captain's instructions, who had foreseen the emergency.
Whooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—
The dragon turtle's powerful breath narrowly missed the pirate ship, as if merely grazing its side.
The intense, hot steam boiled the sea around the pirate ship.
Pirates, their faces slick with sweat, trembled in awe.
At that moment, the giant dragon turtle and the mermaid princess, Rylie, seemed to form an insurmountable barrier between the lifeboat and the pirate ship.
"Well, what shall we do, witch? I think it's better to wrap it up here...."
"tut-tut, I'm retreating because I'm busy, not because of you. I know you guys got lucky!"
As the witch returned to the ship's cabin, Captain Ozma urgently ordered the ship to turn around.
As the pirate ship began to pivot and retreat, the dragon turtle kept a wary eye on them.
"Thank you, Uncle Turtle~!"
Rylie, expressing her gratitude loudly, slid down from the dragon turtle's shell.
As she descended onto the boat, her tail fins transformed into human legs, and she was suddenly clad in a short sleeveless shirt and skirt made of shells.
The Dragon Turtle, having confirmed that the pirate ship had retreated, turned its head.
After exchanging glances with Rylie, it slowly submerged below the surface.
"Uh… But who are you?"
"Huh? I guess you don't remember me?"
Rylie asked, puzzled, as she noticed the boy's confusion.
"Hey! Who are you to just board our boat? You haven't received my permission yet!"
Chichi fumed at Rylie, who had just boarded their boat. Rylie, looking at the fairy as big as a palm, couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you for the meal!"
With those words, she quickly grabbed Chichi and popped her into her mouth, beginning to chew!
"Uh...? Wait! Chichi isn't food, she's a friend! Spit her out, spit her out now!"
"Aw! But it's so tasty...."
Rylie looked regretful as she was forced to spit out the delectable 'meal'.
Chichi's tiny body, rescued from Rylie's mouth, was full of bite marks, and her limbs were severely mangled.
As Chichi, who had fallen onto the floor of the lifeboat, began to tremble and convulse, a halo of bright light swelled around her body.
Soon, there was a crackling sound, and her broken limbs miraculously began to mend.
Fortunately, all the wounds inflicted by Rylie's teeth on Chichi healed up.
"Hahaha! This Chichi is immortal! No one can kill me!"
But not long after her boast, Chichi collapsed backwards, a gush of blood spurting from her mouth.
"Ah~ Chichi, are you okay?"
A concerned Jis looked down at the fallen Chichi, blood oozing from her mouth.
"I think she'll live? Her heart is still beating~"
"Really? Chichi can use healing magic, so she'll be okay."
Jis tried to comfort Longlong, who was anxiously looking at Chichi.
After such a traumatic experience, it took a full day for Chichi to finally come to her senses.
Chichi, still a bit wobbly, seemed to have shrunk a little, apparently still feeling weak.
While Chichi was recuperating, their lifeboat finally reached the shore of a nearby island.