Slowly, they approached the house.

The closer they got, the stronger the sense of unease within the crew became. This didn’t seem to be a result of the house, but rather a result of the small lake in front of it.

Once they arrived, they found that the lake seemed... strange. There were no problems with the way it looked, all Roseus knew was that standing at the foot of the lake gave him a strange feeling in his stomach.

The members of the crew were not sticking close together, but rather were spaced out around the house and the lake, examining things.

There’s no windows on this house, only a wooden door.

This place seems abandoned... What was it like when my father was here?

Roseus was about to open the door to the house, but before he could get there, it was pushed open from the inside.

Everybody froze and turned towards the entrance.

There, a man was standing. A man unlike any the Redflower Pirates had seen in their lives.

He was of towering height, standing roughly 6’8" tall, and with a muscular build that was covered in countless scars of varying lengths and severities. He wore no shirt or shoes, only loose-fitting black pants that were mottled in dirt.

Draped across the man’s back was the flayed hide of a black shark, its rough skin hanging from his body like a cloak. The creature’s massive head rested over his shoulder, jaws parted just enough to see rows of jagged teeth, as though the beast still lived and snarled at anyone who dared approach.

The man’s hair was green, long, and knotted due to how unwell it had been kept, however his beard was shaved down to stubble, giving sight to a sharp, scarred jaw and chapped lips.

His green eyes scanned across the field, eyeing the pirates that were spaced about the place. He was like a shark himself, seeking which prey to strike first.

Many of the crew members instinctively took steps back, and their bodies shivered involuntarily. Kruger’s hand reached for his revolver, but it was like an unseen force was preventing him from drawing it.

Captain Roseus sensed the fear in everyone’s hearts, even though they were all in complete silence.

He forced himself to remain strong as he stared up into the face of the giant man.

He knew this man.

"Blodwen the Green..." he spoke with as much confidence as he could muster.

The man looked far different from how he had in the memories. It was as though he had shed the skin of a civilised, handsome man, and had now become a primitive animal.

Blodwen scrutinised the young man in front of him. Then, a smile spread across his scarred face.

"Prophecy Child. Thought I’d rot away on this island before seeing you. Guess your old man was right." His voice was rough and hoarse, as though he hadn’t used it in years.

Roseus could only stand there in disbelief. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Blodwen’s green eyes then landed on Dawn, who lingered further behind Roseus, as though hiding behind him. She felt as though at any moment, the shark would leap from the man’s shoulder, coming back to life to devour her.

The primitive man tilted his head sideways. "Is that young Dawn? You’re a beauty just like your mother. She always thought you would stay on land and become a civilian of the empire. Hehe, guess she was wrong."

Dawn’s eyes suddenly lit up as she heard the man speak about her mother, Stellar.

Blodwen’s eyes scanned the rest of the Redflower Pirates then. His eyes were not as kind to those whom he did not know.

Lavender, Jackson, Kruger, Silius, Petyr, Adriana... All of them cowered under the man’s gaze, too scared to even speak to him. It was as though simply being in front of the man told them that he was in an entirely different league from them in all ways of life.

"This your crew, eh? Weak, but they’ll get stronger. As did we." He looked back at Roseus, then Dawn. "As did your father, and your mother."

Roseus was finally brought out of his daze after hearing his father being mentioned again. It was as though only then did he realise the gravity of the situation.

This man in front of him was not only a member of the great Redeye Pirates, and an ally to his father, but he had also been left there, supposedly to help Roseus in some sort of way.

"Sir Blodwen..." Roseus’s voice trailed off. "I have so many questions..."

Blodwen smiled again and nodded his head. "And I’ll give you your answers. But first, come inside. Your wounds are gonna kill you."

The crew sat in silence inside the hut owned by Blodwen the Green with their wounds showing, waiting to be treated.

They expected more from the hut, however the main room itself had hardly anything inside it, just the standard furniture you would expect from a hut on an island.

However, there was a trap door leading to a basement that Blodwen entered alone before emerging again. When he emerged, the man was still dressed the same as before, except he wore an amulet.

This amulet was the symbol of a hand, with spirals running around its palm. The spirals glowed green with a faint magic.

As he wore the amulet, those same spirals appeared on the palms of Blodwen’s hands.

They all watched as the man placed his hand over the gunshot wound that had grazed Jackson. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Suddenly, the spirals glowed brighter, emitting a green ray of light that was cast upon Jackson’s wound. The young man winced in pain, but at the same time, the wound on his shoulder began to mend itself.

After one minute, the wound had been healed, leaving behind only a scar.

All the crew members looked at Jackson in disbelief, as the young man circled his arm, testing it. It seemed to be working just as well as before.

Just what is that amulet? Roseus gawked.

As though she could hear the thoughts of her captain, Lavender finally spoke. It was the first time she had spoken since her sister was captured.

"That amulet... It’s a Treasure belonging to the Church of Healing, one of the five denominations who worship the orthodox gods."