Morning came with the smell of salt water and smoke still hanging in the air. Prince woke to find Kann already up, sitting on a rock near the beach and staring out at the ocean. The sun was just starting to rise, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.
He sat up slowly, his body protesting every movement. Everything hurt. Muscles sore from yesterday's fighting. Head aching from stress and lack of sleep. But he was alive, and that was more than he could say for the four slave traders whose bodies they'd dumped into the sea.
The other girls were still asleep, huddled together near the fire's remains. Mira, the girl who'd been unconscious, was awake now but staring blankly at nothing. Eyes open but empty.
Prince pulled a bottle of water from his Inventory and walked down to where Kann sat. She didn't turn when he approached, just kept staring at the horizon.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, sitting beside her.
"Slept enough," she replied quietly. "Needed to think."
He handed her the water bottle. She took it, unscrewed the cap, and took a long drink. Then she paused, staring at the bottle.
"This tastes different," she said. "Not like seawater or even stream water. Cleaner."
"Special water," Prince said vaguely. "From my supplies. It's better for washing too, if you want to clean up properly."
Kann looked down at herself. Her clothes were still stained with blood. Her hair was matted with dirt and dried blood. Her face had bruises starting to yellow at the edges.
"I'd like that," she said softly.
Prince pulled out two more bottles and handed them to her. "Use these. Sea water won't get the blood out properly."
She took the bottles and walked away, behind some rocks for privacy. Prince turned his attention back to the ocean, giving her space.
When Kann returned twenty minutes later, she looked different. The blood was gone from her face and arms. Her hair was damp but washed, hanging loose around her shoulders. Without all the grime obscuring her features, Prince could see her properly for the first time.
She was striking. Strong cheekbones, a determined jawline, eyes that had seen too much violence too young. But there was something about the way she carried herself despite everything. The way her eyes hadn't gone dead like Mira's had.
"Better?" Prince asked.
"Much better," she said, sitting back down beside him. "Thank you For the water."
She was quiet for a moment, then said, "What are your plans now, Prince? What happens next?"
That was the question, wasn't it? Prince had the System. He had points to spend. He had knowledge from four different lives and a deadline he didn't fully understand.
"I'm going to become a pirate," he said. The words came out before he'd fully thought them through, but as soon as he said them, he knew they were true.
Kann turned to look at him directly. "A pirate?"
"Not like the fake pirates who destroyed my town," Prince clarified quickly. "Not like the ones who sell innocent people as slaves. But someone who can fight back against them. Someone who can stop people like those slave traders. Someone who punishes evil instead of just running from it."
It was partially about the System's missions and rewards. But it was also true. He genuinely wanted some adventure.
"You really think you can do that?" Kann asked. Not mockingly, but genuinely curious. "One person against the entire Navy?"
"One person, no," Prince admitted.
"A crew," Kann said softly.
"Exactly. A crew." Prince looked out at the ocean.
Kann studied his face for a long moment. Then she asked, "Can I join you?"
Prince blinked. "What?"
"Can I join you?" she repeated, voice stronger now. "I have nowhere else to go. My village is gone. My family is..." She swallowed hard. "They're dead. I saw the traders bragging about it. About how they killed everyone who tried to stop them."
"Kann—"
"I'm not asking out of gratitude," she interrupted. "Or because I need protection. I'm asking because I want to fight back too. I want to make them pay for what they did. And if you're going to do that, I want to be part of it."
Prince looked at her face, at the determination burning in her eyes despite the trauma she'd just endured. She already knew what this meant. She'd made her choice the moment she'd picked up that spear to save his life.
"There will be many hardships ahead," he said, because she deserved honesty. "Bloodbath after bloodbath. We'll be hunted by the Navy. Attacked by other pirates. We might die. Probably will die."
"I know," Kann said simply. "But I'm ready. I have nowhere to go anyway. At least with you, I'll be doing something that matters."
"Alright," Prince said. "You can join me."
She smiled then, and it transformed her entire face. Not a happy smile—there was too much pain for that. But a real one. A smile that said maybe she'd found a purpose beyond just surviving.
They sat there on the beach as the sun rose higher, two orphans bound by trauma and rage and a desperate need to make the world pay for what it had taken from them.
Behind them, the other girls were starting to wake up. Quiet voices, someone crying softly, the sounds of people trying to figure out what came next.
"What about them?" Kann asked, nodding toward the camp. "The other girls. What happens to them?"
"We give them a choice," Prince said. "Anyone who wants to go home, we help them. Give them supplies, one of the traders' boats. Anyone who wants to stay... we'll figure it out."
Kann nodded. "That's fair."
They stood up and walked back to the camp together. The girls looked up at their approach with various expressions—fear, hope, resignation, emptiness. Mira was still staring at nothing, arms wrapped around herself.
Prince took a breath and addressed them all. "The traders had two ships. I saw them docked in a cove on the other side of the island. Anyone who wants to go home can take one. I'll give you food and water for the journey. Weapons too, for protection."
One of them, a young woman maybe nineteen or twenty, asked quietly, "And if we have nowhere to go?"
Prince looked at Kann, then back at the girl. "Then you can stay with us. I'm starting a pirate crew. To fight against people like the ones who took you. Against the Navy who enables them. Against anyone who thinks they can hurt innocent people without consequences."
The girls stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
But Kann spoke up beside him, voice calm and sure. "He's serious. And I'm joining him. If any of you want revenge, if any of you want to make sure what happened to us doesn't happen to others, this is your chance."
Silence. Then the older girl said, "I'll come. My whole family is dead. I have nothing left to lose."
"What's your name?" Prince asked.
"Lyra," she said. "I was a fisher's daughter before... before all this."
Two more girls slowly raised their hands. Young ones, maybe fourteen or fifteen. Sisters, from the way they sat pressed together. "We'll come too," one of them said. "We can't go home. Our village was destroyed."
"I'm Senna," the one who spoke said. "This is my sister, Mira." She paused. "Not the Mira over there. My sister's name is also Mira. well you can also call here miri, i call her that."
The younger sister nodded, not speaking, but her eyes held the same determination as Senna's.
Three volunteers. Plus Kann. Plus Prince. Five people total for this insane venture.
The other eleven girls chose to try to go home. Prince didn't blame them. They'd suffered enough. They deserved a chance at peace.
Over the next few hours, they prepared both groups for their journeys. Prince gave the departing girls most of the traders' food supplies, clean water, and basic weapons. Helped them load everything onto the smaller ship and explained how to navigate using the stars and sun.
They left just after noon, sailing away toward their various homes. Prince watched until their ship disappeared over the horizon.
Then he turned to his new crew. All four of them. Kann, Lyra, Senna, and Miri.
"Well," he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "I guess we should figure out what we're doing."
Kann smiled that fierce smile again. "I guess we should."
Lyra stepped forward. "So what's the plan, Captain?" The title sounded strange. Prince was barely older than her, covered in dried blood and bruises, with no ship and no experience. But she said it seriously, without mockery.
"First, we need to see what the traders left behind," Prince said, falling into the role despite his uncertainty. "Weapons, supplies, anything useful. Then we take their ship and figure out where to go from here."
"And then?" Senna asked quietly.
"Then we start hunting," Kann said, her voice cold. "We find more slavers. More corrupt Navy dogs. More people who think they can hurt the innocent without consequences."
Prince nodded. "But carefully. We're not strong enough to take on the Navy directly. Not yet. We need to get stronger first. Smarter. Better equipped."
And somewhere in the back of his mind, System chimed cheerfully.
[New Quest Acquired: Build a Crew]
[Progress: 4/10 minimum members]
[Reward: 5,000 points upon completion]
[New Quest Acquired: Claim Your Ship]
[Objective: Take possession of the slave trader vessel]
[Reward: 1,000 points + Ship Registration]
Of course there were quests. Of course there were points involved. The System was turning his life into some kind of game, complete with objectives and rewards.
But if that's what it took to get strong enough to rule the world? Prince would play along.
For now.
---