The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly as their small boat drifted through calm waters. Xiao Yan sat examining the glass sphere they'd recovered from the wreck, its etched map glinting in the sunlight. After the morning's excitement with the pirates, even Xiaojin had settled into a peaceful doze atop the mast.
"According to this," Xiao Yan murmured, turning the sphere gently, "we should be approaching—"
"LAND!" A voice bellowed from somewhere in the distance, startling Xiaojin so badly it nearly fell from its perch.
Xiao Yan looked up, spotting another ship on the horizon – this one far larger and more impressive than the pirate vessel they'd encountered earlier. Its red sails stood out boldly against the blue sky.
"How convenient," he remarked, noting how Xiaolong had already perked up at the prospect of new people to startle. "Though perhaps we should avoid setting anyone on fire this time."
Xiaojin huffed, clearly still proud of its handiwork with the pirate captain's beard.
As their boat drew closer to the promised land, details of the larger ship became clearer. Men moved about its deck with practiced efficiency, and from the crow's nest came another shout: "Unknown vessel approaching!"
"Unknown is certainly accurate," Xiao Yan mused, watching Xiao Gui attempt to eat what might have been its seventh compass that week. "Though I question if 'vessel' properly describes our situation."
A figure appeared at the ship's railing – a man with striking red hair and an aura that made even Xiaolong pause in his usual splashing.
"Oi!" the red-haired man called out, grinning broadly. "That's quite the interesting crew you've got there!"
"Thank you," Xiao Yan replied politely. "Though I'm not sure 'crew' is the right word either."
The man laughed, a sound full of genuine amusement. "Well, whatever you call them, they seem lively! Need an escort to shore? These waters can be tricky!"
Before Xiao Yan could respond, Xiaojin had launched itself from the mast, circling the larger ship with obvious curiosity. The phoenix seemed particularly fascinated by the man's red hair, perhaps wondering if he was some distant, very tall relative.
"Careful there!" the man called to his startled crew. "That's no ordinary bird!"
"My apologies," Xiao Yan said, as Xiaojin began playing an aerial game of tag with a very confused seagull. "It gets excited around new people."
"No harm done! I'm Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates. And you're the most interesting thing we've seen in weeks!"
Xiaolong, not to be outdone by Xiaojin, chose that moment to rear up beside their boat, sending small lightning bolts dancing across the waves. Several of Shanks' crew members jumped back, though their captain just laughed harder.
"A dragon too? And is that... is your turtle eating our anchor chain?"
Xiao Yan glanced down to find that Xiao Gui had indeed paddled over to the larger ship and was contentedly gnawing on their anchor.
"Xiao Gui," he sighed, "we've discussed this. Metal is not food."
The turtle looked up at him with an expression that clearly disagreed with this assessment.
"Join us for a drink!" Shanks called out, seemingly delighted by the chaos. "We're headed to that island anyway, and you look like you've got some interesting stories to tell!"
Xiao Yan considered the offer, watching as Xiaojin continued to terrorize local seabirds and Xiaolong began making excited loops around both vessels.
"That would be acceptable," he finally replied, his calm tone contrasting sharply with his companions' obvious enthusiasm. "Though I should warn you about Xiaojin's tendency to set things on fire when excited."
"Perfect!" Shanks grinned even wider. "We're all fireproof anyway! Well, mostly!"
As ropes were thrown down to secure their small boat, Xiao Yan couldn't help but wonder if this meeting was mere chance or something more. The captain's presence felt significant, like a current in the vast ocean that could pull them toward greater adventures.
"Also," he added, as they prepared to board, "you might want to count your compasses. Xiao Gui has developed quite a taste for navigation equipment."
Shanks' laughter rang out across the waves, and even Xiao Yan allowed himself a small smile. Whatever lay ahead on that approaching island, at least it wouldn't be boring.
Not with a red-haired pirate captain who found humor in chaos, and certainly not with companions who seemed determined to cause as much of it as possible.
"Coming aboard?" Shanks called down.
"Indeed," Xiao Yan replied, gathering his rather reluctant turtle away from its metallic snack. "Though perhaps we should discuss proper guest behavior first?"
His companions' expressions suggested this was going to be a very interesting visit indeed.