Jack lifted his hand.
"Capture them. All of them."
Draken pirates swarmed our deck like hungry wolves. The Phoenix Pirates were tough—reckless, stubborn, wild—but even they froze for a heartbeat when a Draken soldier grabbed Ayesha by the arm, yanking her harshly.
She cried out.
Everything snapped.
Rinnegan was the first to move.
His blade flashed like lightning, slicing the soldier's sleeve clean off.
"Touch her again," he growled, "and I'll cut your heart out."
Paul stepped beside him, fury blazing.
"That's my daughter."
Jack smirked. "So the dogs bite."
"Dogs?" Paul spat. "We're PHOENIXES."
Chaos exploded.
Blades clashed. Cannons fired. Bodies slammed into rails. Rinnegan cut down three men instantly. Paul took on five at once, fists like sledgehammers. Nezuka leaped into the fray, carving through soldiers with pure rage.
But the Draken Pirates were overwhelming.
Their numbers swallowed the deck.
Their cannons shattered our hull.
Their ropes pulled down our sails.
Our ship screamed under the assault.
And me?
Still tied to the mast.
Watching.
A soldier ran past me, screaming. Another flew overboard. Smoke filled the air. Blood sprayed the deck. And I simply… observed.
I didn't lift a finger.
Not yet.
Paul's nose bled. Rinnegan's shirt was torn open. Jack himself was bruised and laughing.
"You Phoenix Pirates," he huffed, wiping blood from his mouth, "are surprisingly entertaining."
He raised his hand again.
From the nearest Draken ship, two new figures stepped forward:
Raze — Draken Pirates' 3rd Commander. Huge, stone-faced, dull eyes that promised violence without emotion.
Yami — 4th Commander. Thin, cold, quiet, with a cruel little smile like she enjoyed the suffering around her.
They both pointed at us.
"Capture them all," Raze ordered.
"They look better broken," Yami added softly.
Dozens of soldiers surged forward. Paul's knee finally buckled. Rinnegan's blade snapped. Nezuka was pinned by three soldiers. Ayesha and Kami were dragged across the deck.
Within minutes, the Phoenix Pirates were defeated.
Our ship was half sinking.
Two Draken ships were smoking wrecks from the wild brawl.
And I?
Still tied up. Still untouched.
Still just watching the show.
Raze grabbed Paul. Yami kicked Rinnegan in the ribs.
"Load them onto our ship," she ordered. "The Captain wants new toys."
The name carried weight.
The kind that crushes souls.
Draken.
Emperor of the West.
Ruler of four fleets.
Feared by kingdoms.
Hated by marines.
Untouchable.
And the Captain of the Draken Pirates.
As they dragged the Phoenix crew away, Jack stopped in front of me.
"You. The quiet one."
I stared back calmly.
"We'll save you for last," he said.
He cut the rope binding me—but only to shackle my wrists in iron.
"We're taking you to her," Jack said with a grin too sharp to be human.
"To Draken herself."