She remained silent for a long time.
Reid didn't rush her. This was not something that could be forced.
The sea breeze brushed through her hair. A faint light flickered in her ice-blue eyes as if she were thinking, carefully piecing together her words.
At last, she lifted her head and looked at him. Her voice was soft, but her tone was firm.
"Where you are… that's where I'll be."
There was no grand declaration, no lofty ambition. Just the simplest, most direct answer.
Ever since he had taken her away from Piruka, her entire world had narrowed and anchored itself to him. Wherever he went became her home. His direction became hers.
Reid paused when he heard that.
Then he sighed lightly. "Hey, hey… you should have a life of your own too."
The little one simply looked at him, completely unmoved.
Reid leaned down slightly, studying her.
She was already grown now, no longer the tiny child she once was.
"That way of thinking is dangerous. A little twisted too." He scratched his head. "What if one day I die? Are you still going to follow me?"
This time, she nodded without hesitation.
Thud!
She clutched her head, looking at Reid in confusion after he knocked her lightly. Her expression practically said: I've already decided. I'll follow no matter what.
"Use that smart little brain of yours." Reid clicked his tongue. "If I die and you don't avenge me, wouldn't that mean I died for nothing?"
"Mm!" She nodded again.
Reid stared at her, then rubbed his temples. "Why are you agreeing so confidently? Do you even understand what I'm saying?"
"Mm!" Another nod.
"…Fine. As long as you're happy."
He laughed, helpless but warm.
"Then it's settled. My first mate."
He straightened up, turned toward the sea, took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"From this day forward, I hereby declare the official founding of the Crimson Pirate Crew!"
Then he turned back to her, his expression more serious than ever before.
"I, Reid, Captain of the Crimson Pirates, the Mist Lord, hereby appoint you as my first mate!"
He spoke each word like an oath.
"This will be a crew of two. Just you and me."
"Our journey will span the entire ocean."
The girl looked up at him.
She only truly caught one part.
Just you and me.
She nodded gently.
A faint curve appeared at the corner of her lips.
It was not a bright smile. It was stiff, unfamiliar, almost clumsy. But it was real. A soft, genuine smile.
Reid was still immersed in his grand declaration when he suddenly noticed it.
His new first mate… smiling at him.
It was so faint it was easy to miss, yet on her usually expressionless face, it stood out vividly.
"…Hey?"
He waved a finger in front of her eyes, snapping her out of it. "What are you so happy about? That excited about forming a pirate crew?"
She snapped back instantly. The smile vanished without a trace.
Blinking, she returned to her usual calm expression, tilting her head slightly in confusion as if she didn't understand what he meant.
Reid couldn't help but laugh.
She had just taken a small step forward… then immediately retreated again.
But he didn't push her. Instead, he simply ruffled her hair.
"Alright, alright. Do whatever you want. My first mate gets special treatment."
His tone was relaxed, indulgent.
"Staying calm isn't bad anyway. Makes it harder for people to read you."
Across the vast blue sea, the small single-mast boat carried its newly formed two-person crew steadily toward an unknown horizon filled with freedom.
Reid understood something clearly.
As his future first mate, she needed to be someone who could carry things forward. With her by his side, he could remain completely unrestrained. As long as she grew strong enough to stand as his right hand in the future Crimson Dawn Pirates, that would be enough.
So Reid allowed himself to stay free. After all, he belonged to the future, and even he didn't know how long this vitality of his would last.
As long as he didn't recklessly recruit more crew members, there would be no division.
Later that day, another ship appeared.
It was a worn-looking single-mast vessel flying an unfamiliar skull flag as it approached from behind.
At the bow stood a burly man with a scarred face. He narrowed his eyes as he sized up Reid's ship.
A new ship. A strange flag.
His gaze swept over Reid, filled with open disdain and killing intent.
A rookie who had just gone to sea… and already flying a pirate flag?
As a so-called veteran who had been sailing for years, he looked down on this kind of greenhorn.
But then his eyes landed on the quiet girl in Reid's arms.
In an instant, his expression turned crude, filled with naked greed and vile intent.
Being a pirate really was convenient.
"Hey! You brat over there!" he shouted. "Hand over the girl in your arms! If I'm in a good mood, I might spare your life and let you join us!"
His crew burst into rough, vulgar laughter behind him.
Reid's eyes turned cold.
Scarlet intent surged within them.
Just as he was about to act and turn the entire ship into fuel for his blood mist…
A small, cool hand gently tapped his chest.
Reid looked down.
The girl met his gaze. The usual confusion in her eyes was gone, replaced by an unsettling calm.
She pointed lightly at his chest, then gestured for him to put her down.
Reid raised an eyebrow but complied, setting her gently onto the deck.
Ignoring the shouting pirates, she stepped forward to the edge of the ship.
She raised her hands.
A surge of icy blue energy burst forth.
But she didn't aim at the enemy ship.
She aimed at the sea.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
A chilling sound echoed across the water.
From where she stood, freezing cold spread violently outward. The ocean surface began to solidify at a visible speed.
In the blink of an eye, the sea between the two ships froze completely.
The pirates' laughter stopped abruptly.
"What is this?!"
"The ocean… it's freezing?!"
"That girl did it?!"
But it wasn't over.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
She pressed her hands against the ice and released her power again.
A deep hum filled the air.
From the frozen sea, countless ice-blue vines erupted.
They twisted and grew wildly, covered in sharp, gleaming thorns, like a forest of frozen roses.
In moments, they surged forward and wrapped tightly around the pirate ship.
Within seconds, the once-arrogant vessel had been transformed into a massive sculpture of ice, bound in layers of frozen thorned vines.
The girl turned back.
She tugged lightly at Reid's sleeve, then pointed ahead at the now-cleared path.
The meaning was simple.
The obstacle… had been removed.