At the pier of a random island in the Sea King’s territory, two children were dipping their feet in the cool water of the ocean.
They were playing with a small boat, laughing and splashing each other.
One child was creating miniature waves, while the other child used the ship to sail through the miniature waves.
The child then screamed in a playful tone and acted as if the ship got capsized by the miniature wave and fell into the water.
“Ah, watch it.” The yellow-shirted child quickly caught the ship from the water and placed it back on the pier, between the two.
“Hehe, I had it all planned!” The blue-shirted child said smugly. He had a fishing net lying beside him and planned to use it to “rescue” the ship.
He chuckled to himself, feeling proud of his cleverness.
The yellow-shirted child rolled his eyes and believed that his friend would have failed, as they had already lost three of their toy ships. This was the last one they could afford with their small budget.
After they finished playing around, they noticed one of the townfolks running to the pier with a spyglass in hand.
“Hey, Grandpa Max, what is it?” The blue-shirt child asked.
Grandpa Max didn’t answer and instead focused the spyglass towards the fog on the horizon. He watched in silence and then saw a pirate flag flapping against the wind.
“My god…” Grandpa Max whispered in shock. “Black Heart Pirates… I just read about them in the newspaper yesterday. The culprits of the Borneo Town massacre.”
He put the spyglass away and looked at the two children. “Hurry up and go home. Tell your parents to stay inside and lock all the doors and windows.”
As soon as he finished giving his warnings, Grandpa Max left, running away from the town, planning to warn others of the incoming doom.
The two children looked towards the fog, and their eyes brightened with childish excitement.
“It’s pirates!” They looked at each other and giggled.
They had met a few pirate crews before, belonging to Sea King’s fleet, so they weren’t too afraid of them but instead excited, as they had heard crazy tales about pirates and their grand adventures.
In the eyes of many young people in Pirate Battleground, pirates were to be idolized and emulated.
Without heeding Grandpa Max’s warning, they sat and watched as the pirate ship approached the pier.
Soon, with their eyes sparkling with excitement, the ship docked near them, and the gangplank was lowered by someone on the deck.
The pirates on the ship disembarked and walked along the pier.
In the eyes of the children, they looked mighty and powerful. They seemed to be the most feared and respected beings in the world.
The two children wanted one day to be like them and journey across the Dark Waters with a powerful crew on their side. They dreamed of becoming brave and powerful warriors, just like the pirates they had seen.
Mars glanced at the two children, who were almost drooling at the sight of them, and then scoffed and looked away.
“Do what you want. I have a contact who can help me get information about the heart of the Nymn Tree. Keep your eyes out; this is the Sea King’s territory, and there might be his henchmen lurking about.”
“Aye.” Apollo said and nodded at others. “You all are free to do what you want. Don’t bother the townspeople too much.”
Ambrose walked by and then noticed the two children, who were staring at them with wide eyes.
“Keep an eye on our ship, will’ya? Thanks.”
“Yes, sir…” The two children nodded with shocked expressions and watched as Ambrose and the others left towards the town.
As soon as they were out of sight, the two children turned towards the enormous ship and began screaming in awe.
…
At a random alleyway in the town, Mars approached a store that was tucked away like a forbidden secret.
The windows around him were closed in a hurry, and the curtains shut tightly. It was clear that he wasn’t very welcomed in the town.
However, he didn’t care and entered the store without caring about the closed sign on the front door.
“We’re closed!” A drunken man shouted from the room on the back, sitting on a rugged reclining chair while watching the logs burn on the fireplace.
“Even for an old friend?” Mars leaned on the door and looked inside at the man sitting on the chair.
“Uh?” The drunken man turned around, and his eyes bulged with shock. “M-Mars, the hell are you doin’ here?”
“Heh.” Mars grinned maliciously. “So, this is where you’ve been.”
“Urgh, you bastard…” The drunken man gritted his teeth and stood up, but almost fell sideways on the fireplace.
At the last moment, he managed to catch a hold of the wall.
Mars looked down at the drunken man’s legs. Both were missing, replaced by a pair of wooden stumps.
“Why are you here?” The drunken man asked with a tired voice. “Wait, I have a better question. How have you found me?”
“A string of fate connects us, it seems.” Mars rubbed his star-pupil eye as he felt some itchiness. “It is very thin, almost nonexistent, but string nonetheless, which led me to you.”
“Ugh, what the fuck are you talking about?” The drunken man tossed the bottle of alcohol towards Mars, wishing that it would strike him in the face and that the broken glass fragments would destroy his eyes.
However, Mars efforlessly caught it and put it gently on the table.
“I need you for something.” Mars said and turned the bottle around to see the small amount of liquid left inside. “I am searching for something, and I think you’ll have the means to help me.”
“I haven’t worked in that business for a long time.” The drunken man said and sat down with a defeated look. “I don’t have the stamina or means to smuggle anything anymore. I can thank you for that…”
“You must still have some connections.” Mars said and peeked back inside the store. “I think I saw your little ol’ transmitter. Contact someone, anyone.”
“I can’t.” The drunken man said and closed his eyes as he was about to sleep off his drunkenness. “Your “string of fate” brought you here for nothing.”
“It’s never wrong.” Mars narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low, menacing tone. “You’ll have ways of helping me, and you will.”
“And if I don’t?” The drunken man chuckled and opened his left eye. “You’ll kill me? Too bad; that is what I wish. If my last act in this world is fucking you over, I am glad as fuck when I arrive at the gates of hell.”
“You think I don’t know you?” Mars chuckled. “You are a sentimental old fool. You might not care if I torture or kill you, but you must care about this town. Heard of Borneo Town? I’ll repeat the same here.”
“You haven’t changed…” The drunken man opened both his eyes and stared at Mars hatefully. “I’ll help you, but I can’t guarantee they know either.”
“It’s fine if you don’t find the correct one.” Mars chuckled. “Find the Heart of the Nymn Tree. Someone must have it.”
“Hah, that is one rare fucking thing.” The drunken man shook his head and stood up from the chair. “I have never seen one.”
“Just ask.” Mars crossed his arms. “As long as you show me a path forward, I’ll be satisfied enough to spare this town.”