"Master Miyazaki, thank you for your teaching during this time." Fiona bowed respectfully. Her voice carried the weight of sincerity. For these past weeks, Miyazaki Michi had not hidden a single technique, passing down every principle of the Lightblade style with patience and care. His generosity was not something she would forget.
Miyazaki gave a warm laugh. "You flatter me, Miss Fiona. The truth is, your talent speaks for itself. The Lightblade Sword will surely flourish in your hands. If that happens, then I can rest knowing my family's art has found a worthy heir."
Though he and Fiona had never formally sworn the bond of master and disciple, Miyazaki's heart was at peace. He could see clearly that she would carry the style further than he had ever managed.
"Even so, I remain deeply grateful." Fiona bowed once more, her long hair falling like a silken curtain.
At her side, Eli Winters rose to his feet. "Master Miyazaki, you've already been more than generous in hosting us. It's time we stop troubling you. We should set out again."
The dojo master folded his arms, eyes crinkling with quiet pride. "Then I shall remain here, awaiting the day your names shake the seas. I've no doubt it will come."
Eli chuckled, lifting a hand in farewell. "It will. Until then, Master, goodbye."
The group turned toward the bamboo forest path. But before they could leave, a boy's voice rang out behind them.
"Fiona-sister!" Charcona, bruised but unbowed from his last spar with her, stood at the dojo steps. His face was flushed red as he shouted. "Someday I'll sail the seas too, and when I do, I'll defeat you!"
Fiona looked over her shoulder, a teasing smile tugging at her lips. "Then you'd better train hard, brat. Next time, don't start crying halfway through."
"I won't cry!" Charcona's eyes blazed with determination. "I'll become a great swordsman, you'll see!"
Eli smirked faintly, recognizing the boy's stubborn fire. He had seen the same in Fiona once.
By the time they reached the harbor, their ship, the Voyager, was already stocked with fresh supplies. Felina had arranged everything with her usual precision the day before.
Eli stepped aboard, raised his hand, and gave the command. "Set sail."
The Voyager cut across the waters once more, carrying them back into the boundless horizon.
On deck, Eli reclined in a chair with the easy grace of a man who had handed off responsibility to someone else. "Felina, where's our next stop?"
The young woman didn't bother to look up from her book. "Bromia Village. I told you that two days ago."
Eli stretched lazily. "Ah, right, right. Just slipped my mind. You mentioned something about the snow pears there… they really as good as they say?"
Felina finally closed the book, giving him a sharp look. "Of course. Nobles from Augusta Kingdom send buyers every year just to secure them. They wouldn't waste their time otherwise."
"Then how much longer until we arrive?" Eli asked with childlike impatience.
Felina sighed. "Four to five days. A storm is coming our speed will be reduced."
"What? That long? That's unbearable. I'm dying of boredom already. How about we fish to pass the time?"
"No," Felina said firmly, reopening her book. "I have more important things to do. Go bother Daipan."
Eli's eyes lit up. "Perfect idea."
He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Daipan!"
From the ship's roof, the giant bear-man poked his head over the edge. He was fiddling with his blackwood staff, muttering to himself. "What's up, big brother?"
"What are you doing up there?"
Daipan scratched his head. "This staff's starting to feel light. I was trying to figure out how to make it heavier."
Eli waved dismissively. "Forget that for now. We'll deal with it once we meet someone who knows how to forge weapons. Until then, just put up with it. Come down. Let's have a fishing contest."
Daipan's ears perked up immediately. "A contest? What's the wager?"
"Loser washes dishes for a week." Eli grinned wickedly. Normally he handled the cooking with the fishman brothers, while dishes fell to Daipan and Fiona. Felina, of course, was spared all such chores her mind was far too valuable.
"You're on!" Daipan thumped his chest, eyes blazing. "I'll make sure you scrub every plate, big brother."
"Ha! Bold words. You'd better back them up."
The two found their spots at the rail and cast their lines. Felina pretended to keep reading but peeked over the edge of her book, amused.
Minutes passed. Daipan's rod bent first. With a triumphant roar, he hauled up a fish nearly twenty pounds in weight. The deck shuddered under the flop of its body.
"Nice catch, Daipan," Felina said dryly.
"Ha! Nothing to it," Daipan preened, basking in the moment.
Eli's jaw tightened. He focused on his line, silently swearing his turn would come.
But moments later, Daipan caught another, even larger, fish. Then a third. Soon he was pulling them up one after another, even hooking a small sea beast that thrashed wildly before collapsing unconscious.
Meanwhile, Eli's bucket remained painfully empty.
His temper flared. He was about to cheat just a little Haki, nothing major when a shout came from the crow's nest.
"Captain!" Simon's voice carried on the wind. "Pirate ship approaching!"
The contest was immediately forgotten. Eli leapt to his feet. "All hands, battle stations!"
Daipan narrowed his eyes. He strongly suspected his brother had just used this as an excuse to escape the bet. But with no proof, he could only groan and grip his staff tighter.
"Felina," Eli said, "recognize their flag?"
She pulled a thick binder from her satchel, flipping through bounty posters. Eli had taken the book, along with a transponder snail camera, during a covert raid on a Marine outpost. He hadn't been caught, of course he prided himself on subtlety when it suited him.
At last she found a match. "Ironhand Pirates. Captain Ironhand Dori, bounty fifteen million. His first mate, Savage Bartos, bounty eight million."
Eli exhaled in disappointment. "That's all? Barely worth the effort."
The sea answered for him: cannons boomed, black smoke staining the horizon as iron balls screamed toward the Voyager.
Daipan swung his staff with casual strength, batting each cannonball aside. They exploded in midair, raining fire and smoke back down over the enemy ship.
On the Ironhand deck, Captain Dori bared his teeth in a cruel grin. Their target ship gleamed with aristocratic polish, the work of a nobleman's purse. "That vessel will fetch a fine prize. Kill the men, take the women, strip the gold!"
His first mate, Bartos, leered at the sight of Fiona standing on the Voyager's deck. "Leave that one for me, Captain. I'll make her mine."
Dori snickered. "Have your fun. The rest are mine."
But before the Ironhand crew could even lower the boarding planks, two figures streaked across the waves Fiona and Daipan.
They landed with a crash on the enemy deck.
"Well, well," Bartos sneered, licking his lips. "So eager to be captured? Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll be gentle."
He swung his massive axe sideways, clearly intending to capture her alive.
But Fiona had no intention of playing along. Her blade, Snowdrinker, sang as it left its sheath. A silver arc cut the air, and in the next instant, Bartos's right hand still clutching his axe fell to the deck with a wet thud.
The pirate screamed, dropping to his knees as blood sprayed from the stump.
Dori's expression hardened. He had underestimated them. Bartos was his strongest fighter after himself, and he had been maimed in a single stroke. Worse, four more figures still stood waiting on the Voyager.
He opened his mouth to parley, but Daipan gave him no chance. The bear-man's staff crashed down like a hammer of judgment.
Dori managed to cross his iron claws in defense, but the force blasted him to the deck, bones shattering under the impact. His pleas for mercy died with the next strike.
What followed was slaughter. The Ironhand crew screamed and begged, but Fiona and Daipan carved through them like a storm until only silence remained.
When it was over, Eli arrived with a camera snail, snapping photos of the fallen captain and his flag. A tidy bounty awaited. He grinned at the sight of their loot: three hundred thousand berries, scattered jewels, and a handful of trinkets.
"Not much," Eli muttered, pocketing the cash. "But it will do."
That night, back on the Voyager, the mood shifted. "To another victory!" Eli raised a bottle high. "And to a full fish feast tonight!"
The crew roared in agreement. Daipan was the loudest, though his enthusiasm was clearly more about food than glory. Even the stoic fishman brothers cracked rare smiles, pouring drinks with Simon.
Eli's cooking filled the deck with fragrant steam, every dish a memory of the fishing village where he had once studied under an eccentric chef. The flavors weren't quite perfect, but they carried warmth, and the laughter of his companions made up for any flaw.
Rain began to fall midway through the feast, heavy drops pelting the deck. The celebration ended in a scramble, laughter echoing as they hauled the dishes below.
The storm raged outside, the ship tossing like a toy in the waves. But Felina had steered them safely out of the worst of it, her foresight once again proving invaluable.
Only Daipan groaned miserably, clutching his stomach. For all his strength, he still hadn't conquered seasickness.
And so the Voyager pressed on, battered but unbroken, carrying its crew toward the next island, the next battle, and the next dream.
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