The Moonlight Swordsman



The fleet of ships, each flying its own flag in the breeze, caught Aizel's attention as he examined the horizon. 

As the ship's crew sprung into action, the resonant toll of bells echoed through the air like a clarion call to alert everyone on board.

"SEA BANDITS ARE HERE"

*RING*

What sea bandits! They are fucking pirates!" Aizel thought.

[Master, do you think they are also finding the treasure just like that rubber boy?]

His eyebrows twitched after hearing that.

Meanwhile, on the other side,

"Boss, this ship looks like it belongs to the royals."

"Hehe boss, this is a golden goose."

The mysterious boss, who stood at least eight feet tall, was a towering presence. His demeanor radiated malice and authority, aided by the expensive long hat they wore. 

His beard was long and unruly, a swath of blackness framing a soiled mouth with sharp, pointy teeth. They smiled maliciously, drawing lines of malice across their wrinkled faces. 

"ZEHEHAHAHAHA"

"Get ready, everyone; we have a golden bird trapped."

"YEAH!"

*****

Everyone gathered on the deck as the sea bandits' ships got closer, their expressions a strange mix of indifference and boredom. Their eyes looked at the approaching danger without any sign of alarm or heightened emotion.

Meanwhile, Aizel was glancing at Daisy from the corner of his eye.

Damn, that was close." he thought.

[Master, you were this close to having a smooch with her. This fucking pirates ruined it]

[Let's fucking kill them all]

No, it's okay. Daisy would have felt uncomfortable if I had suddenly kissed her." Aizel replied.

"Who is going to get rid of them? We can't waste time on them," Zareena said with a small yawn escaping from her mouth.

Every member of the crew turned to watch as Soren walked slowly to the front area of the deck. Everyone looked at him with interest.

His right hand rose slowly and deliberately, but the intent of the gesture was clear. A dance of gravitational strength was released upon the ocean as his palm made contact with the wooden surface. 

The air felt heavy as if the very laws of nature were yielding to Soren's command. 

Once formidable and menacing, the enemy fleet crumbled under the invisible hand of relentless power. In a catastrophic display, the attackers' ships were annihilated one after another in a couple of seconds.

The sea turned into a graveyard of broken wood and dead bodies as a result of the sea robbers' doomed mission. 

Through the chaos, the royal ship calmly sailed, as the threat was now over.

[Master, look at that person]

Aizel's gaze fell over a corpse of a giant pirate with half-broken and dirty teeth.

[That is definitely blackbeard. His search for treasure seems over, master]

[Do you think now that the rubber boy can easily get the treasure?]

Shut up Sekki, please."

"Why did they not try to sail away from us even after seeing the royal ship?" Raven asked.

She couldn't understand the foolish behavior of the sea bandits.

"Greed sometimes makes a person stupid," Edumont replied.

"Fucking pest, trying to block the King's way," Soren commented.

"I am going to sleep," Aizel said and left.

After all that had happened, the group went back to their rooms.

The ship sailed on through the night, and the next morning arrived without any other threat.

Emerging from his sleep, Aizel roused himself from his room and made his way towards the open expanse of the deck.

He noticed Daisy was already chatting with Princess and Seraphine. 

I am happy she is enjoying herself, but I don't like her getting close to them."

[Definetly, that bitch princess is trying to coax her]

"Did you have a good sleep?" Suddenly, Soren slapped his back as he joined him on the walk.

"Don't fucking do that again," Aizel replied.

"Why are you always so cranky? It will fog your mind and eyes. 

"You won't be able to see or grasp even the simple things."

What is this idiot babbling?" Aizel thought.

"Everyone, let's have breakfast first. It will take us one more day to reach the borders of the Beast Kingdom," Zareena said. 

Hmm, so the kingdoms are already that close to each other. Only an ocean separated them; even the distance is not too far." Aizel thought after hearing that.

As soon as everyone was together with the Princess, they went to a large room at the back of the ship. 

The hardworking crew had already put together a huge breakfast spread with a variety of tasty foods for the group.

The tantalizing aroma of freshly cooked meat wafted through the air, enticing their senses and stirring their appetites.

Breads that were both hard and soft were on the tables. Each loaf showed how good the ship's cooks were at making food. 

Aizel looked curiously at the various types of meat spread out before him. 

"What type of meat is this?" he asked.

"It belonged to a sea monster known as the Barbarian Crackadle." One of the crew members replied.

A member of the team approached Aizel's side with a platter of that exotic sea monster meat.

They were clearly well-trained professionals, as their motions were smooth and deliberate. They served Aizel a delicious cut of that meat with great care.

It might be a crab-type monster." He thought.

Aizel's skillful knifework cut cleanly through the delicious flesh. When he took his first bite, a symphony of delectable notes came forth and danced on his tongue.

He could taste the freshness of the meat in the luscious juices that rushed onto his tongue. 

The crab-like flavor surprised him by exceeding his expectations and moving far beyond the area of mere similarity.

This is so delicious, I am feeling bad you can't taste it, Sekki."

[Fufu, I love blood more than meat]

"Are you eating this for the first time?" Zareena asked as she looked at how happy Aizel seemed to enjoy the meat.

"Ahemm.. yes, and it is cooked really well," Aizel replied.

"I wanted to ask something, princess," Edumont spoke suddenly.

"Speak,"

"How are we actually going to land on the kingdom? If we have to keep our identity hidden, we can't dock the ship at their harbor." He asked.

"The ship will drop us just at the border of the kingdom, and then they will sail back home.

"In the meantime, we will fly high in the sky, and with the help of Raven's abilities, we will be able to sneak past easily without anyone noticing us," Zareena replied.

"Can Raven's ability help us sneak past even the high-grade mages?" Edumont asked again.

"Only till Grade IV; above that, we can get noticed," Raven replied.

"And my sources have already confirmed that at the harbor, there is not a single Grade V mage present," Zareena further added.