Edward brought Lilith back to the deserted island. Red-Hair and the other pirates were obediently sitting around a campfire on the beach, waiting patiently.
He hadn't sent that black trench coat-wearing guy back to the nearby islands—not out of malice, but because if that guy got to send out that telegram, the military would also become aware of what was happening on Tiana Island.
And right now, Edward had no idea what exactly was going on over there. If the navy ended up dispatching a full fleet—perhaps along with that demigod governor—it was entirely possible they'd flatten the island before he could take advantage of the chaos.
As soon as the pirates saw Edward, they quickly stood up.
"Mr. Sparrow!"
Edward nodded.
"Do you know what your Sea God cult is planning to do on Tiana Island?"
Red-Hair shook his head. "No idea."
Edward then took out several ceremonial items and tossed them onto the ground.
"Pray to your Sea God."
"Huh?"
Edward's tone was calm.
"Tell your god that the Sea God cult members on Tiana Island have betrayed him, and they're plotting to stab him in the back with someone else's help."
Red-Hair was visibly shocked.
"No—that's impossible! The inner circle of the Sea God Church is absolutely loyal to the Sea God! There's no way they'd betray "Him"!"
Edward looked at him steadily.
"Really? And what about you? Are you still loyal to the Sea God?"
Red-Hair didn't hesitate for even a second. "Of course!"
"Interesting." Edward smiled. "In that case, you should be even more eager to pray. I'm telling you the truth—an actual ritual is happening on Tiana Island, one that could threaten your god."
"As for whether or not it's true, well...your mighty Sea God can decide that for himself."
Red-Hair thought about it and realised this did make some sense. So he knelt down, clasped his hands together, and began to pray devoutly:
"Blessed of the sea and spirit world;
Guardian of the Rorsted Archipelago;
Ruler of the Undersea Creatures;
Master of Tsunamis and Storms;
The Great Kalvetua..."
He looked over his shoulder at Edward, who said in an even voice, "The Sea God cultists on Tiana Island have formed an alliance with the Numinous Episcopate. They intend to use the cult's power to kill the Sea God and take "His" place."
Red-Hair clenched his teeth and added, "Your devout follower has discovered that the believers on Tiana Island have betrayed "You". They've joined hands with the Numinous Episcopate and plan to do "You" harm."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the flame on the candle rapidly expanded, transforming into an illusory gate, its surface inscribed with all manner of mystical symbols and sigils. From within came the sound of surging waves—and a deep, rumbling growl.
Behind the gate, an immense presence began to stir, radiating a dangerous and terrifying aura.
Red-Hair was startled.
"W-What's going on?! I just prayed to the Sea God! Why…why would "He" open the gate of sacrifice?!"
Lilith's eyes went wide.
"Wow! That's a huge snake!"
Edward immediately swept Lilith into his arms and activated the Emperor's New Clothes.
ROAR!!!
The furious bellow became louder and clearer by the second. Behind the illusory gate, that enormous form writhed in rage, and the oppressive sense of danger intensified.
BOOM!
The shimmering gate burst open, and a near-tangible hurricane surged forth from within.
A split-second later, a gaping maw—like a massive, bloodstained basin—rammed against the gate.
Its teeth, longer than a human arm and slightly curved, gleamed with a sickly pale white as it violently tried to tear through into the material world.
A shrill howl followed, so loud and piercing it shattered the senses.
Red-Hair, being closest, was struck hardest—blood poured from his ears, nose, and eyes, and he was hurled backwards like a ragdoll, slamming into the ground.
Edward teleported far away just in time, but even then, a lightning bolt shot from the gate and struck him. Fortunately, the Emperor's New Clothes absorbed the hit completely.
Edward raised his voice, "Kalvetua! Instead of raging at me, why don't you go check on Tiana Island? If you wait any longer, your own followers might succeed in helping outsiders kill you."
ROOOOAR!!!
The massive figure grew even more agitated.
Its mouth opened wider, and seawater surged inward from all directions, collapsing into a terrifying vortex inside its throat that radiated tremendous suction.
The surrounding pirates had no chance to resist.
One by one, they were sucked in and swallowed by that gaping maw.
Soon, it was Red-Hair's turn.
He clawed at the ground with his fingers, desperately trying to resist the suction—but it was sand, and completely useless.
"Save me! Save me, Mr. Sparrow!!"
Red-Hair's body was lifted into the air and drawn toward the vortex.
His last hope was to plead with the only person still standing: Edward.
I can't die! I'm not supposed to die!
I've memorised so many potion formulas and supernatural secrets! I'm the future hope of the Sea God Church! I'm the hope of the Rorsted Archipelago's people!
Truth be told, Edward hadn't expected any of this.
He'd only meant to test the waters—to see how the Sea Serpent would respond to a sacrificial warning. If it caused the Numinous Episcopate some trouble, even better.
But he never imagined the Sea God would react this violently.
He had watched Red-Hair pray once before—asking the Sea God to help transmit a message—and back then, the god had been coldly professional, like a bureaucrat doing a paid job.
So why was it so angry now?
Could it be…that it had already sensed something?
While Edward pondered this, Red-Hair was finally swallowed whole by the vortex.
With a final scream, his body was torn to shreds, vanishing into the Sea Serpent's monstrous maw in a cloud of blood.
Strictly speaking, Red-Hair had real potential. Over the past two days, he'd actually been quite helpful to Edward—enough to be considered someone who had "turned over a new leaf."
But that didn't change the fact that he'd once burned, looted, and murdered—as a devout follower of the Sea God, he had merely obeyed orders from above, becoming a pirate to fulfil his faith. Yet for those whom he had robbed or slaughtered, he was nothing but an irredeemable demon.
So now, being devoured by the Sea God…you could say he "died as he deserved."
Just then, the vortex inside that gaping maw began to sparkle with streaks of lightning, quickly condensing into a brilliant, silvery-white thunderball, densely intertwined with arcs of crackling electricity.
BOOM!!!
The beast spat it out.
The thunderball exploded into dazzling lightning bolts that rapidly spread outward, forming a sea of lightning that painted the entire island in a wash of silver-white brilliance.
By now, Edward had already teleported to a spot far from the island. From his vantage point, he could clearly see how that silvery ocean of lightning swallowed half the island in one sweeping blast.
"Tsk. Say what you want about the Sailor pathway, but after becoming a demigod, their special effects are really something else…"
Half a minute later—
The lightning dispersed, and the distant island was once again swallowed by darkness.
Edward tossed a gold coin to confirm safety, then returned to the island.
What greeted him was scorched earth, as if the land had been ploughed by divine wrath. Trees still burned from the residual lightning.
That illusory gate—along with the Sea God Kalvetua behind it—was long gone.
"I wonder if that Sea Serpent will throw a similar fit on Tiana Island…"
Edward grinned.
"Time to uphold the eternal spirit of our Tarot Club."
———
[Bayam, City of Generosity—Cathedral of Waves]
This was the largest Storm Cathedral in the entire Rorsted Archipelago. Its architecture was classical—tall stone columns, sweeping arches, and a massive dome flanked by twin bell towers.
It was the residence of Sea King Jahn Kottman and other core members. Their duties included spreading the faith throughout the region, and more importantly—suppressing the Sea God cult still followed by the archipelago's natives.
Lately, though, the Sea God cult had been keeping a low profile after a string of defeats. But just as things began to quiet down, the seas suddenly swarmed with pirates claiming to be Gehrman Sparrow and Fire Fist Ace.
This enraged Sea King Kottman beyond reason. He barely paid attention to the Sea God cult anymore—spending every day flying around in fury, hunting down this so-called Gehrman Sparrow.
CRASH.
The silence of the night was suddenly shattered by the sound of breaking glass.
Seconds later, lights lit up inside Waves Cathedral. Bishop Jayce hurriedly rushed in and followed the trail of broken glass to find a stone-wrapped note lying on the floor.
"To Lord Jahn Kottman:
Our last battle was far from satisfying.
I'll be waiting for you at Tiana Island.
Show up if you are a man!"
—Gehrman Sparrow
Jayce stared at the note, his expression turning strange.
This thing…really looked like a letter from a kid picking a fight on the playground.
Was this Gehrman Sparrow for real? Did he really think a single scrap of paper would be enough to provoke the mighty Sea King, the true ruler of the Rorsted Archipelago's Beyonder world—
Two minutes later—
With a deafening boom, Sea King Jahn Kottman soared into the skies, a streak of wind and lightning headed straight for Tiana Island.
Bishop Jayce watched as his lord disappeared into the horizon, and only after a long pause did he mutter under his breath, "…Hmm. I suppose…you could call that…sincerity."
———
Tiana Island.
Danitz lay on a soft bed, the crimson moonlight seeping through a small ventilation slit above, tinting the room a glowing red.
He tossed and turned—completely unable to sleep.
Tomorrow was the final day.
The sacrificial ritual—organised by the Sea God cult and presided over by the Numinous Episcopate—was about to begin. The entire island was now under strict lockdown, with absolutely no margin for error allowed.
Two days ago, the Numinous Episcopate had discovered an undercover agent hiding in one of the sub-chapels. Danitz had nearly pissed himself, thinking he'd been exposed.
Then their demigod had gone off to chase that spy, leaving the place in temporary chaos.
Danitz realised this might be his one and only chance to escape. He didn't even pack—just bolted for his life.
But as he snuck out of the cult's perimeter, he discovered…he wasn't the only one with that idea.
Right in front of him, he watched as one of the escapees suddenly grew feathers covered in yellow oil stains, then shrivelled into a dried corpse in just under thirty seconds.
Danitz had no choice but to quietly return the way he came, putting on the face of a calm bishop, and successfully quelling the chaos—earning yet another compliment from the archbishop.
Then he went straight back to his room.
And he had stayed there ever since.
Suddenly, he sat up in bed, pulled out a sheet of parchment and a steel pen, and began to write:
"Dear Captain,
By the time you read this letter, I'll probably be dead.
But I wanted to tell you how I truly feel before I go…"
It was a farewell letter.
But more than that, it was a love letter to Edwina.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.