Anne was running at full speed, the water flooding the village more and more as she screamed with bloodlust,
"Now I can crush you... while using the full power of my Mythikos attribute!"
Jack let out a deafening roar, his singular eye blazing with fire. His rage boiled over as he bellowed,
"You really think that's going to be enough?"
With a furious cry, he fired a beam of light directly toward her. But Anne leapt to the right, dodging the attack. She hit the ground with a roll, quickly rising to her feet and continuing her charge. Her wicked laughter echoed across the battlefield.
"Not laughing now, are you?!"
Reaching the rising water, she plunged her blade into it, the serpent coiling around the handle as if alive. She aimed the serpent's open mouth toward Jack and screamed,
"Liquid Piercing Arc!"
A torrent of water projectiles shot out of the serpent's mouth, cutting through the air with deadly precision. The first pierced Jack's leg. The second tore through his hand. The third struck his shoulder.
Jack snarled in pain as the fourth projectile approached. With gritted teeth, he grabbed his massive axe and swung it wildly, deflecting the final shot. Water splashed violently around him as he steadied himself, his blood dripping into the flood beneath his feet.
But Anne was relentless. Her crimson eyes gleamed with savage determination as she pointed her blade at him once more.
"This time... you won't get back up!"
Jack's singular eye began to glow once again, his voice dripping with rage as he spat,
"You village whore!"
Suddenly, something sharp whizzed toward his head. Jack barely managed to dodge, the projectile slicing past him. His eye darted to the ground, spotting an arrow made entirely of water.
A feminine voice, laced with arrogance and disdain, echoed through the flooded village.
"You've got a lot of nerve to forget about me, envahisseur. I'm also part of this fight. Malevolent men like you will never be allowed to set foot on this island as long as I live!"
It was Sophia, the naiad from Freshstar Island. She stood with regal defiance, wielding a bow crafted from flowing water, droplets shimmering like jewels in the light.
Jack's gaze shifted between the two women—Anne Bonny, bloodied and relentless, and Sophia, serene yet imposing. His hand drifted to the X-shaped scar carved across his face, fingers tightening as venom dripped from his voice.
"The weak... should die by the strong."
Suddenly, his singular pupil turned pure white, and veins bulged grotesquely across his body. Jack let out a guttural scream, his rage unrelenting. The floodwaters around him surged and twisted violently, spiraling into chaotic currents as he charged toward them like a maddened beast.
Anne licked the blood from her face, her crimson eyes gleaming with murderous resolve.
"You better not slow me down, naiad."
Sophia, unfazed by the insult, transformed her bow into a spear of water. Gripping her long, beautiful brown hair to push it back from her face, she responded coldly,
"You talk a lot for someone who was beaten and humiliated by that man three months ago. Worry about yourself, you bloodthirsty rabbit."
Without another word, the two women locked eyes briefly in silent agreement before turning into blurs of motion.
With a feral roar, Jack barreled toward them, water crashing violently around his movements.
Anne and Sophia, both consumed by resolve, dashed forward to meet him head-on.
Satō sprinted through the rising floodwaters, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
"Anne! Sophia! Now's the time!"
Anne dashed forward at an incredible speed, her serpent slithering through the water beside her. She thrust its head downward and pointed toward Jack, screaming,
"Slashing Aquatic Wheel!"
A spinning wheel of pure water erupted from the serpent's mouth, slicing through the flood as it rushed toward Booze Beard Jack.
Jack's singular eye flared with fiery light, and he unleashed a searing beam that vaporized the water wheel in an instant. Steam billowed around him, shrouding his sight in a thick, hot mist.
But within the haze, something moved.
Sophia darted through the steam with lethal precision, her water-forged spear aimed straight for Jack's exposed side. In a flash, the blade pierced through his flesh.
Jack roared in pain, but his rage-fueled reflexes were swift. His massive hand shot out and clamped around Sophia's arm.
Snap!
The sickening sound of bone breaking rang out as Jack twisted her arm mercilessly. Sophia cried out in agony before he hurled her through the air like a ragdoll. Her body crashed into the water, sending ripples across the flooded village as she tumbled to a stop.
Anne skidded to a halt, her eyes wide with fury as she saw Sophia lying motionless in the rising flood. Her serpent hissed angrily, curling protectively around its master's feet.
"You bastard…" Anne muttered, her voice trembling with rage. Blood dripped from her face, mixing with the water around her boots.
Jack turned toward her, his breath ragged and labored but his murderous intent unwavering. The veins across his body pulsed with unnatural strength, his singular eye glowing with malice.
"Is that all you've got, village trash? You think you can kill me with tricks and water?!"
Anne clenched her jaw, her serpent coiling tighter as if feeding off her rising bloodlust.
"We're far from finished."
Anne dashed forward with bloodthirsty determination, her serpent slithering at her side. Sophia followed closely behind, but instead of charging directly at Booze Beard Jack, Anne flung her serpent into the air.
The creature soared above them, twisting in midair before snapping its massive jaws open. In one swift motion, Anne leapt into its maw, allowing the serpent to swallow her whole.
Jack's one eye widened as he watched the serpent land back in the water. But this time, the creature moved with terrifying speed, circling him like a predator stalking its prey. Its elongated neck, now fused with a cutlass blade at the end, carved through the floodwaters, creating a whirlpool that spiraled around him.
The vortex intensified, pulling Jack toward its center. He roared in frustration, firing beams of fiery light in all directions, trying to hit the serpent. Steam hissed as his beams struck the water, but the serpent was too fast.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, village trash?!" Jack bellowed, his voice echoing through the swirling chaos.
Anne's voice rang out from within the whirlpool.
"Sophia!"
Sophia, still sprinting along the edge of the whirlpool, grinned and muttered to herself.
"So… you're not just running on blind rage after all."
Without hesitation, Sophia dove into the whirlpool. Her body sliced through the water with graceful precision, following the serpent's path. The combined movement of both women caused the whirlpool to rise higher, spiraling into the air like a massive tornado of water.
Satō skidded to a halt, staring in awe at the scene before him. The whirlwind of water towered above the village, twisting toward the sky. The powerful winds whipped at his hair, and rain poured down in heavy sheets.
His nerves kicked in as he muttered to himself,
"It's cool and all… but how the hell am I supposed to get close?!"
Booze Beard Jack, now caught within the rising vortex, was pulled higher and higher into the air. He thrashed against the current, screaming in frustration.
"What the hell is this madness?!"
Anne's voice echoed through the whirlwind, filled with pride and venom.
"This is my most powerful technique! Something I invented myself — not a part of my Mythikos attribute, but pure creativity!"
Her serpent swirled faster, the whirlpool tightening its grip on Jack.
"I call it Sea Serpent Fusion! By entering the maw of my sword, I gain complete freedom of movement in the water!"
Sophia, still circling the whirlpool, shouted with a smirk,
"Didn't you say you needed an opening, Specter? Here it is! Your one and only chance — Jump and poison that bastard!"
Satō took a deep breath. Below his feet, another whirlpool began to form, swirling rapidly and pulling him upward.
"What the hell is that?!" he shouted as the water carried him into the air in zigzagging motions.
The current twisted and turned, finally aligning Satō directly above Booze Beard Jack. The giant pirate thrashed beneath him, his singular eye burning with rage.
"You goddamn wretch!" Jack bellowed as he struggled against the vortex.
Satō reached into his satchel, pulling out bags of poisonous flowers. With one swift motion, he tore them open and began tossing the blossoms down toward Jack.
One after another, he emptied the bags, the petals falling like rain into the swirling water below.
Satō clenched his teeth, pointing the last open bag downward. His heart pounded as he watched the poison-laden flowers fall straight toward Jack's enraged, struggling form.
The poisonous flowers rained down onto Booze Beard Jack's towering form, clinging to his skin and soaking into the water swirling around him. Satō's whirlpool lost its momentum, dissolving into droplets as the young man plummeted from the sky, falling straight toward his target.
As the ground rushed toward him, Satō dug one last flower from his satchel, gripping it tightly in his right hand. His heart pounded in his chest, his thoughts a chaotic storm of doubt and resolve.
With a desperate, defiant scream, he shouted,
"You thought I wouldn't win! You thought this unfair trial would be enough to stop me?!"
He clenched his teeth, his voice filled with both anger and self-loathing.
"But who said I was ever going to pass this trial the fair way?! After all—"
Tears mingled with the rain as he fell closer to Jack's monstrous face.
"I am the most mediocre and pathetic big brother that ever existed!"
Jack's singular eye burned brighter, its light charging with deadly energy. The veins across his body pulsed like molten rivers, and he roared as a concentrated beam of light fired directly toward Satō.
But Satō twisted in midair, narrowly avoiding the searing blast. The beam scorched past him, turning the falling raindrops into steam.
Before Jack could fire again, Satō struck.
With all his strength, he forced the poisonous flower into Jack's mouth, shoving it down his throat. Jack's eye widened in shock, the glow flickering and dimming as the poison spread. His grotesque expression twisted into one of fear and confusion, his monstrous features fading away.
For the first time, Booze Beard Jack's face looked… human.
The whirlpool collapsed, turning into countless raindrops that fell gently from the sky. The storm of battle was over. But the fighters who had been caught in the vortex were now falling, their bodies hurtling toward the flooded village below.
Satō braced for impact, the water rushing up to meet him—
But a hand grabbed him mid-fall.
It was Anne.
Bursting from the maw of her sea serpent, she held Satō by the wrist, pulling him out of the sky with ease. Her cutlass had returned to its normal form, glinting in the fading light.
Anne landed gracefully on the water's surface, as if the flood beneath her feet was solid ground. Her wild, bloodied grin stretched from ear to ear, her eyes blazing with excitement.
The water rose to her stomach as she carried Satō to the surface, her laughter echoing across the ruined village.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" she said with exhilaration. "We did it! We killed the bastard!"
Satō coughed and sputtered, water dripping from his hair as he tried to steady his breathing. His hands trembled as he looked down at them—at the hands that had just delivered the final blow.
Anne, still holding his wrist, leaned in closer with a wild smirk.
"You really pulled it off, Specter. Gotta say—" She grinned even wider. "I'm impressed."
Satō let out a shaky laugh, his voice hoarse.
"Yeah… we did it."
As the floodwaters slowly retreated back to where they had come from, Satō and Anne stood in silence, catching their breath. The air smelled of rain and salt, and the once-violent storm had given way to a peaceful drizzle.
Through the misty air, a figure approached them—a beautiful woman with long, flowing brown hair and a white dress that shimmered like water in the fading light. Her dress was almost transparent, blending seamlessly with the surroundings as if she were part of the sea itself.
It was Sophia, the naiad of Freshstar Island.
She walked toward them gracefully, each step causing ripples in the shallow water beneath her feet. For the first time since they had met, her expression softened into a gentle smile.
Sophia stopped a few paces from Satō and Anne, her serene gaze resting on the both of them. Her voice, calm and soothing like a gentle stream, carried a tone of deep respect.
"I must say… it was a beautiful plan. One that only the wisest of men could come up with."
Satō, still dripping wet, tried in vain to wring the water from his soaked clothes. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he tried to compose himself.
"It's nothing, really," he said with a nervous chuckle. "The whole whirlpool thing was completely unexpected. I just hoped you two would find me an opportunity to get close to Jack. You both did most of the work."
Anne raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet, watching the exchange with mild amusement.
Sophia sighed softly, her smile unwavering. "You truly underestimate your worth in all of this, Satō. Thanks to you, this island is finally back at peace."
Satō opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, a voice echoed through his mind—a deep, monotone voice that sounded neither human nor spirit, yet resonated within his very soul.
{Quest to Unlock Offensive Abilities:}
Defeat Booze Beard Jack and his pirate crew, who have taken over the peaceful island of Freshstar for three months. You have one week to complete this quest. Failure to do so will result in dire consequences.
Satō's eyes widened as he heard the mechanical voice continue.
{Quest to unlock offensive abilities: SUCCESS.}
{Offensive Ability of the First Rank of the First Tier: LOADING… LOADING…}
{Ability successfully loaded.}
{Offensive Ability of the First Rank of the First Tier: Furnace Bullets.}
{Description: You can fire bullets made of pure flame from your fingers. The number of bullets depends on your Phoenix Essence capacity.}
Satō's heart dropped as he heard the robotic voice in his head again, this time louder, more aggressive, almost angry
{ERROR… ERROR… Book Trial Challenger: Hyoudou Satō… CHEATED the trial quest to unlock offensive abilities.}
{Offensive ability shall be revoked. In consequence of the challenger cheating during the quest, dire consequences shall be made…}