The sun was at its peak, laying a warm orange-golden blanket over the deck. The boards beneath our feet radiated pleasant heat, a light breeze barely stirred the sails, and the silence of the sea felt almost tangible — only the clash of weapons broke the calm, echoing rhythmically in the chest of every fighter.
— When will this torment finally end? — Karina snorted, parrying another strike from Gin.
His sword was heavy and confident, as if he was trying to transfer his tonfa techniques onto this long blade. Karina dodged sideways, spun, and tried to kick his thigh, but Gin managed to block with the pommel and shove her back, nearly knocking her off balance.
— I'm supposed to be training with a sword, not fending off your gymnastics, — he panted, blocking her thrust and pushing Karina a step back, barely holding his footing.
The sparring gradually turned into a struggle for control: Karina enthusiastically tried to tag Gin with her staff, while he in turn aimed to knock the weapon from her hands. A sudden strike — and a fragment of the staff clattered onto the deck.
— AAAAAAAAAAAH! — Karina screamed, staring at the broken piece. — That's the third time already! I'll be left without any weapon at all!
— That's progress, — Gin said a little boastfully, raising his sword. — Now I can cut with precision.
— You're just hacking with force, not technique, — she huffed, shaking off her irritation.
— Still, you should think about how to reinforce your staff, — he noted, watching Karina carefully.
Meanwhile, I observed them while adjusting the strap on my wrist. To the left, on the mast, Auger aimed his rifle from a distance, watching my every move and shouting advice:
— Captain, your accuracy is lacking! Control the recoil and keep your shoulder steady when you shoot!
I chuckled, slipping my hand into my pocket and pulling out a round bullet. My finger turned into a tight metallic spring that snapped forward with a sharp click, firing at an empty tin can perched on the railing. The can trembled, flipped over, and fell overboard with a metallic clang.
— Hit it? — I grinned.
— That was your tenth try, what's there to be happy about? — Auger grumbled, flipping a coin in the air with his rifle. It spun, then dropped down with a neat hole right through the center.
— Shooting cannonballs is way easier than these tiny bullets, — I complained, eyeing the result.
Auger tilted his head, resting the rifle on his shoulder, and took a small technical breath:
— Good thing I'm the sniper on this crew, so there won't be any problems with that.
— Yeah, yeah, — I replied, returning my hand to its normal state.
Just then a familiar shout came from the bow of the ship:
— Turning left! Entering island range! — Sabo was already waiting for the order, pointing toward the outline of a green island approaching the horizon.
The wind picked up, the ship rocked slightly — time to wrap up training and move on to a real test of our skills.
Half an hour later we reached the shore, and Sabo shouted:
— Entering the river mouth! — confidently steering the helm.
— Lucky us, — Karina repeated, peering into the calm surface of the water. — This is already the second island, and again we sail straight into its heart through a river mouth.
— Yeah, yeah… but the island itself looks creepy, — Gin muttered, scanning the surroundings. Huge, almost prehistoric plants with leaves the size of sails concealed everything around, making it feel like we'd stepped into another time.
— What are these plants? — Karina asked in wonder. — I've never seen anything like them… they must be millions of years old.
"Hey, hey, Captain!" Auger was about to call out, but instead a gunshot rang out from his weapon.
At that same moment, something massive splashed into the river with a heavy thud, sending water flying everywhere.
— What was that?! — someone shouted.
— It was flying right at me! — Auger yelled at once, peering into the murky water where a dark-red stream began to spread. — We need to take it down!
I stared at the river in confusion: A dinosaur? That was strange — the blood was pouring out in such amounts it didn't seem possible. The carcass that had fallen into the water was turning the river into a thick red current, tinting everything around with a disturbing hue.
Gin turned, gripping his sword handle tightly:
— Do you feel that? This isn't just an animal… there's something else here. Something ancient.
Karina, making her way to the side, peered into the thick undergrowth, trying to make out the source of the movement. The leaves swayed, but nothing clear could be seen — only shadows hinting at enormous shapes.
— We'll have to be extremely careful, — I said, scanning the river with my eyes. — On this island, even nature feels hostile.
The next moment a strange vibration shook through the ship, and it lurched violently.
— What is that?! — Karina cried out, nearly losing her balance and falling onto the deck.
— Let's get out of here, fast! — she muttered tensely, scanning the horizon.
— Too late to retreat now, — Gin said, dropping the anchor at the same time.
— I'm staying here! — Karina declared firmly, brushing herself off. — I'm not going anywhere.
— Fine then… — I took a step back, assessing the situation. — Either way, someone needs to guard the ship.
I looked at the others:
— And what about you guys?
— I want to study the local plants, — Gin replied, already mapping a route through the thickets and noting the unusual shapes of the leaves.
— I'm more interested in the beasts here… I want to shoot them, — Auger added, checking his weapon and listening to the jungle's sounds.
— I'll go with you, — Sabo said, steadying the ship and moving toward me.
— Well then, it's decided, — I said, looking at the crew. — Let's head out.
— Forwaaaaaaaard! — I shouted, rushing ahead. After days of sailing, feeling soft ground underfoot and hearing the rustle of leaves was simply amazing.
I ran deeper into the island, savoring every breath of humid air, filled with the scent of damp earth and giant plants. My heart raced, adrenaline surged through my veins: it truly felt like meeting characters I'd only ever seen on a screen, now alive in reality.
— Dorri and Brogy, right?
The next moment, a tremor rolled through the island, followed by a sound like a loud, drawn-out kettle whistle echoing across the land.
— That's a volcanic eruption, right? — Sabo asked, finally catching up as I pushed forward.
— We'll find out soon enough, — I replied, turning my legs into springs. Hop! I grabbed Sabo quickly and launched us upward.
— Hah… never thought of that before, — I mused, soaring hundreds of meters above the ground. The air whistled in my ears, vines and branches flashing beneath us as if we were flying through a massive green tunnel.
— Bane-bane-no-mi! Spring Jump! — I shouted, leaping even higher, latching onto invisible lines of branches and air.
The next moment, an astonishing view of the island opened before us. Vast forests and giant trees stretched to the horizon, while in the background several massive volcanoes loomed, their peaks smoking lightly and sending occasional plumes of ash skyward.
But then my gaze caught on something unusual — two enormous shadows, slowly moving through the forest. My heart pounded faster as I tried to focus, but in the very next instant, something grabbed us...