Roseus was up earliest the next morning, and he wasted no time leaving Dawn fast asleep in the bed.

Before he left the room, he took a glance at her. The messy blonde hair fell over her face, covering her one good eye, allowing him to see only the scarred one.

He found himself staring at her like that for a few moments before finally getting dressed and heading downstairs. Since he had eaten enough food for five men the night before, he didn’t feel hungry in the morning and skipped breakfast.

Instead, he used the opportunity to question the tavern keeper. He was a brown-skinned man with a thick oily beard and a shiny bald head.

Roseus ordered himself a glass of water and downed it as he sat around the bar with the tavern keeper.

"Yesterday night I saw a large ship on the horizon."

He then said, leaving the statement open so that the man could provide more information.

The tavern keeper nodded his head.

"Aye, the ship docked at sunrise. This is big news for the Alzabe pirates."

"Hm? How so?"

The man shot Roseus a shocked look before taking a look at his skin tone and remembering that he was not a native here.

Afterwards, he said with a smile on his face,

"Admiral Grace has returned, and she says she’s discovered a new route into the Third Ocean. She claims there is none safer."

...

While the rest of the Redflower crew were eating breakfast, Roseus came to fetch them, telling them that something important was happening on the beach.

They all looked at him and the two newcomers, Stanislava and Lencho, wondering when he was going to have that talk with them to determine whether they could truly join the crew.

It would have to wait for the time being, as the Captain felt that this matter at the beach was of most importance.

When they arrived there, they saw the sands were packed with at least two hundred people. They were all facing a ship which had docked itself on the beach.

It was that same ship from before, and now it looked even more imposing.

The ship was a staggering 40 meters long, lined with enough cannons to wound a sea god. The wooden hull had been reinforced with steel, as though it was trying to mimic the design of a navy destroyer. It had four masts where the sails hung, and the crow’s nest was almost 20 meters high in the air.

A long bridge had been sent down from the deck, and standing right at the bottom was a woman, with ten men lined up beside her.

This woman’s skin was like caramel, and she had straight black hair, half of which was black and the other half white. She wore a white blouse that was cut short just above the knees, and a red overcoat with golden linings on it.

On her back was a sledgehammer equally as tall as her body. Its handle seemed to be made from black wood, but the hammer head was red as rubies.

The attractive woman stood there with a hand on one hip, easily gaining the attention of everyone who stood on the beach at that moment.

Roseus heard Lencho mumble beneath his breath.

"Admiral Grace."

Admiral Grace. The Admiral of the Alzabe pirates.

She’s a woman?

Roseus struggled to contain his surprise.

He knew well that the seas did not discriminate, and cared nothing for one’s gender, face, or sexual orientation, but it was clear that most admirals were men.

The pirate life was simply more attractive to them.

Yet here, standing before him, was a woman who had managed to climb her way to the top of one of the most dominant pirate crews of the Second Ocean.

Dawn’s eyes were fixed on the woman, and a smile curled at her lips. She found her inspiring, just from looking at her.

Eventually, the woman cleared her throat, and the chatter on the beach fell silent as they waited for her to speak.

She wore a sly smile on her face the entire time that she addressed the crowd.

"I assume you are all here because you’re wondering whether the rumours are true. Well, I’m here to confirm that they are! With the help of our new allies, the Templars, we have found a new safe route into the Third Ocean. Soon, I will be setting sail on a joint expedition with them!"

The crowd couldn’t help but burst into chatter. This did not fit with the history of the Alzabe pirates.

Since the Southern Confederation Pirates set sail two decades ago, no Alzabe pirates had dared to try and enter the Third Ocean. Instead, they were more focused on establishing new trade routes within the Second Ocean, whilst avoiding threats such as the Templars and other pirates that might harm them.

The southern island pirates stayed amongst themselves, not usually bothering to mingle with outsiders.

Yet here Admiral Grace was, changing everything.

"It’s true, at least somewhat," Dawn said to Roseus from the side. "Before we left the Templars, they said that they were sailing into the Third Ocean to report back to their Admiral with the news of their battle against the navy."

Roseus rubbed at his chin and considered the situation. He didn’t have anything to say until Admiral Grace finished talking.

The sledgehammer wielder spoke again.

"As you can see, we currently sail with one ship. Heh, a big one... That leaves room for other ships to join our fleet. Those that wish to sail into the Third Ocean and dare to be great! I will need allies by my side if I hope to sail with the Templars."

More chatter spread throughout the crowd, and suddenly, Roseus’ attention was piqued.

"This Templar-Alzabe alliance doesn’t make sense... The Alzabe do not believe in the God of Knowledge..." Roseus pointed out.

However, Zaliah pointed something out. With a raised finger, she spoke.

"Sea God Yazu falls under the domain of Knowledge. Although she is a sea god, she humbles herself and often pays her respect to the God of Knowledge."