What Noah intended to do, Commodore Norrington had no idea.
He had already ordered the ship to accelerate and close the distance.
In truth, there was no real need for Noah to get closer.
The moment he sighted the Black Pearl, he could have boarded it directly with magic.
But he didn't.
His primary purpose was simple.
He was taking Hermione out for some leisure.
Dealing with pirates was incidental.
Since they had crossed paths, he would handle it.
But there was no reason to waste extra effort.
The Interceptor was fast.
Very fast.
Before long, the distance between the two ships shrank noticeably.
As the Black Pearl drew closer, Norrington felt a headache coming on.
They had found the target.
But now they were stuck.
Was he really supposed to let this young noble rush over alone and fight pirates?
Leaving aside whether boarding was even feasible, Norrington glanced at Noah's build.
Slim.
Smooth hands.
No visible signs of combat training.
From Norrington's perspective, this man had no fighting capability at all.
If he led his men personally, there might be a chance.
But they still needed to get close enough.
After weighing the options, Norrington made a decision.
They would use a decoy boat to draw attention.
Then find an opportunity to board.
The decoy would likely be sunk.
But if it meant destroying the Black Pearl, it was worth the cost.
While Norrington was busy sorting out these plans, Jack Sparrow quietly sidled up to Noah.
"What exactly are you planning?" Jack whispered. "I'm telling you, the people on that ship-"
"That's enough, Captain Sparrow," Noah cut him off with a faint smile.
"I know exactly what's on that ship."
"Even from here, I can smell the rot."
And he wasn't exaggerating.
A stench so thick it bordered on ulceration drifted from the Black Pearl.
It made his stomach churn.
There was no avoiding it.
After sealing the Prism fragment in his eye, Noah had inherited certain traits of the Holy Light.
His will was unaffected.
But his senses were not.
He had become extremely sensitive to undead and necrotic beings.
In a way, it was another kind of radar.
Once, he had used his hands to search for the Light.
Now, his right eye could seek out corruption.
Tilting his head, Noah watched the Black Pearl approach.
Then he walked toward Norrington.
He placed a hand on the Commodore's shoulder.
"Maintain this speed," Noah said calmly.
"Leave the rest to me."
"Leave it to you?" Norrington stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.
Then he frowned.
"And what exactly does Your Lordship intend to do?"
"Swim over?"
Nearby sailors turned to look.
Everyone wanted to know what this mysterious young noble planned.
Noah laughed.
At this point, he had no intention of keeping a low profile.
The Black Pearl was right there.
Distance meant nothing to him.
Once it had been found, escape was no longer an option.
Letting the ships get closer had been partly laziness.
Partly preparation.
The navy needed to be ready to receive prisoners.
Assuming there were any left.
At that thought, Noah's right eye flared.
Golden light erupted.
Brilliant.
Radiant.
Like the sun itself.
In the next instant, the looks of disbelief replaced the looks of contempt on the officers' faces.
Even Norrington froze.
He instinctively took a step back.
Hermione and Elizabeth stood nearby, eyes wide.
Elizabeth was completely stunned.
Hermione, by contrast, remained relatively calm.
She knew Noah was different.
Though she didn't know when he'd gained this ability, it only surprised her slightly.
Elizabeth, however, was shaken to her core.
The man she'd spent days with.
Half of a perfect couple.
Was clearly not human.
At least, not anymore.
Noah's features softened dramatically.
His pale gold hair lengthened into silver strands.
His eyes became divine gold.
Then came the final blow.
The back of his robes ignited.
Golden flames roared outward, unfurling into massive wings of light.
Holy.
Blinding.
At that moment, even Jack Sparrow's jaw dropped.
He finally understood why Noah had always acted with absolute confidence.
A violent surge of air exploded outward.
The Interceptor lurched hard, as if pressed down by an invisible force.
People were thrown to the deck.
Some were injured.
No one cared.
All eyes were locked on Noah as he rose into the sky.
"Lord!" someone shouted.
"Have you sent an emissary to punish these wicked pirates?"
Crosses were drawn.
Some sailors knelt outright.
The image before them made misunderstanding inevitable.
Even Norrington, educated and rational, felt doubt creep into his mind.
The being before him looked more like a divine messenger than anything he'd ever read about.
Jack Sparrow swallowed.
He knew gods existed.
And now he understood.
This man wasn't just a mage.
He was something far closer to a god.
As Noah spread his wings and shot forward, leaving a blazing trail through the sky, Jack knew one thing.
The Black Pearl was coming back.
Barbossa was finished.
And indeed, Barbossa was finished.
Noah had no intention of sparing him.
Whether captured for research or handed over later, the outcome was the same.
Death.
In stories, Barbossa was charismatic.
In reality, he was a monster.
Cruel.
Cunning.
If his crimes were listed, it would take half a day to read them aloud.
Noah felt no guilt.
Using men like this as experimental material-or bargaining chips-carried no burden.
Noah flew fast.
Terrifyingly fast.
Even without space magic, his speed defied comprehension.
In just a few breaths, he crossed the entire distance.
On the Black Pearl, panic spread.
Even Barbossa froze.
By the time he snapped out of it and tried to issue orders, it was already too late.
"Prepare for battle!" he roared, kicking a stunned subordinate.
"Prepare for battle! You are immortal! You have nothing to fear!"
That was their final crutch.
Immortality.
As long as they had it, they believed themselves invincible.
But the sight of that descending figure crushed their nerves.
One pirate stammered, "Cap... Captain... does immortality work against angels?"
Barbossa nearly exploded.
If he could, he would have killed the man himself.
Drawing his sword, he bellowed, "Whether it works or not, do you want to die standing or cowering? Pick up your weapons!"
His roar restored a shred of morale.
It vanished instantly.
Noah landed atop the Black Pearl with crushing force, sending pirates flying like debris.
He hovered above the deck, looking down.
The stench hit him again.
Not energy.
Filth.
The smell of men who hadn't bathed in months.
It made him gag.
He had no intention of speaking.
Light erupted from his body.
Unbearable.
As Noah raised his hand, daylight swallowed the sea.
Brilliance poured outward.
And the Black Pearl disappeared beneath the holy glow.