Chapter 95: JACOBS POV.

"Captain, maybe it’s time we returned," I called out to Priscilla, raising my voice so she could hear me over the sound of the splashing water.

Hearing my words, she clicked her tongue loudly, clearly unhappy with my suggestion.

She gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter, her claws digging slightly into the wood.

"There’s still plenty of light left, just a few more moments," she said, her voice reluctant.

She didn’t turn around to look at me, keeping her eyes glued to the empty horizon.

Clearly, she didn’t want today to be another failure. Moreover, going back empty-handed for another day would be hurting her pride.

’She’s really about to reach her limits, isn’t she,’ I thought, watching her tense shoulders.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for suggesting the idea in the first place.

Perhaps we would’ve found a ship by now if we had used the Queen, but doing so would but the crew in danger which I didn’t want.

She had all this energy and power built up inside her, and she had nowhere to put it.

’Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to run into just one pirate ship?’ I said to myself, changing my mind for a second.

Even though a fight meant danger, a small battle might be exactly what she needed to blow off steam.

If that could stop the built-up stress in her from exploding, it might actually make my life easier in the long run.

"Finally!"

Her sudden, loud exclamation startled me, sounding like a thunderclap.

’What? She found one?’ I blinked my eyes in surprise, my body instantly tensing up.

I glanced around quickly, following the direction she was pointing. Though it was faint due to the diminishing vision brought by the setting sun, I was able to see it.

Far off in the distance, right where the orange sky met the dark water, there was a thin, black trace of smoke rising into the sky. It was dark, thick smoke, which only came from something burning fiercely.

"Someone’s in trouble!" I shouted, a bit worried.

"Gosh darn they are! Pull down the sails! We’re going full throttle!" Priscilla hollered at the top of her lungs.

After so many days of absolutely nothing, her pent-up frustrations were finally spewing out at once.

She spun the steering wheel with force, turning the nose of the First Hornet directly toward the distant smoke.

"Aye Aye, Captain!" I chuckled a bit seeing her acting like a child who’d found her favourite toy.

I gave her a quick salute before rushing across the deck.

I grabbed the ropes and began pulling down the remaining sails, unleashing the full canvas to catch the strong evening wind.

The sails snapped open with a loud crack, catching the breeze perfectly.

The First Hornet tilted slightly to the side and quickly gained speed, its wooden hull cutting through the water much faster than before.

The wind whistling through the ropes as we raced toward the target.

As our ship grew closer and closer to the plume of smoke in the distance, the reality of the situation started to settle in my mind.

Would that sign of distress belong to innocent merchants who had been attacked, or would it be vile pirates in need of help because their own crimes had caught up to them?

If it were the latter, if we found a bunch of wicked raiders bleeding on a burning deck, what would I do?

My rules said we only hunt the bad guys and save the good ones, but the sea was a messy place.

As the distance between us and the smoke closed, I braced myself for whatever was waiting for us in the dark.

"Wow..." I was surprised the moment our ship finally came close enough to see the scene that had drawn us here.

I gripped the wooden railing of our small vessel, my eyes wide as I took in the destruction stretching out before us.

The sea’s surface was covered in the scattered remains of a burning ship. Large pieces of charred planks, torn sails, and broken barrels floated aimlessly on the water.

Flames were still licking at the larger pieces of the wreck, crackling loudly and sending bright orange sparks flying into the sky. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

It was a complete disaster area, a black stain on the beautiful blue ocean.

"First mate," Priscilla said, her deep voice snapping me out of my shock.

Her expression was turning incredibly excited.

Her large golden eyes were locked onto the water ahead, glowing with a dangerous light, and her ears were pointed straight forward.

Her white tail was swishing so fast against the deck it sounded like a small fan.

"Yes, captain," I replied with a stern look on my face. My jaw clenched as I looked past the smoke to see exactly what had caught her eye.

The reason for her excitement was because of one reason. It was the exact opportunity we had been talking about just an hour ago.

Around the edge of the burning wreckage, the both of us saw several pirate ships.

There were three of them in total, forming a loose circle around the destruction they had caused.

They were medium-sized vessels, built for speed and aggression, with dark sails and sharp prows.

From such a great distance, I could still make out the jolly, cruel looks on the faces of the men standing on the decks.

I could hear their rough, booming laughter echoing across the water, mixed with the sound of cheering.

They were celebrating their victory, completely unbothered by the horror they had just unleashed.

There was no doubt about it, these three pirate ships were the ones behind this hellish scene.

The fact that they weren’t opening fire on one another, showed that they must belong to the same group or the same pirate fleet, working together like a pack of hungry wolves to hunt down prey that didn’t stand a chance.

Glancing at the dreadful remains of the burning wreckage, I knew that there was no way this could be a pirate ship.

Real pirate ships usually carried lots of weapons, cannons, and defensive structures, but the broken pieces floating in the water looked thin and built for carrying cargo.

’These bastards! How could they do something like this?’ I thought to myself, a wave of cold anger washing over me.

Since it wasn’t some pirate ship, it must be a merchant ship or one belonging to some random, innocent people who were just trying to cross the Blueberry Sea.

They were probably just transporting spices, clothes, or simple goods from one continent to another, hoping to make an honest living.

Instead, they had crossed paths with these monsters and lost everything.

Though there was no way to say for sure what the ship’s original purpose was, these barbaric pirates who were busy celebrating the ship’s downfall got me feeling highly irritated.

Seeing them drink, dance, and point at the fire like it was some kind of entertainment made my stomach turn.

They had probably killed innocent sailors and stolen everything of value before lighting the whole thing on fire just for fun.

It was exactly the kind of wicked behavior I couldn’t stand to watch with a clear conscience.

"You know what to do," Priscilla said, her voice dropping into a low, predatory growl.

She reached down and gripped the hilt of her massive sword, her muscles tensing up beneath coat.

She looked like a spring that was coiled tightly, ready to launch herself across the water at any moment.

"Leave it to me, captain," I replied without a single second of hesitation. I stepped up onto the edge of our boat, taking one last deep breath of the salty air. Then, I dived straight down into the cool water.

SPLASH!

The sea swallowed me whole, the noise of the burning fire and the shouting pirates quickly turning muffled.

We’d already discussed this on our way here.

The moment we arrived at a scene like this, I was to go and search for survivors beneath the surface or among the floating debris, while she would be tasked with dealing with the troublemakers.

It was a division of labor that worked perfectly for both of us. I could use my unique abilities to move safely through the water and save lives, while she was given a task she no doubt wanted nothing more than to do herself.

She wanted to smash some heads, and I was more than happy to let her have at it.

As I dived into the water, swimming deeper into the blue shadows to begin my search, I couldn’t help pitying these poor fools who had no idea what was about to befall them.

They thought they were the kings of this part of the ocean. People who believed they could just burn, steal, and kill without anyone ever stopping them.

Too bad they were completely blind to the fact that a giant, furious white tigress captain was currently sailing straight toward them.

By the time they realized she wasn’t some random, it would be far too late to run.

AN: Umm I noticed less and less of you guys are reading day by day, does that mean I should stop updating more daily and stick to 1 Chapter daily?