-Somewhere On The Waters Around Deiferus-

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The briny aroma filled the air, as it produced a very sharp and chilling effect to those who inhaled it.

The air arrived with a nostalgic and imposing majesty that could whisk one's soul away, trapping it in a labyrinth of brine.

~Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!~~

The thunderous waves moved disorderly, alongside the piercing winds, as if fighting amongst themselves.

It was a nightmare of chaos.

The waves and winds were at war!

And the light falling snow didn't make things any better.

It was cold as ice out here, making many shiver right down to the bone.

Indeed, winter was here.

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Landon placed a thick scarf around Lucy's neck before the duo stepped out of their cabin, holding their Thermo flasks of hot chocolate in their hands.

They should be arriving soon.

So they had to head the others now and get ready.

The duo met Ruby and a few others along the way and accompanied them down too.

Over the last 4 days, they had strategized and came up with all sorts of scenarios and modes of action that everyone would take when they got there.

At present, places got completely dark around 7 P.M.

And now, it was already 6:36 P.M.

The sun was already setting, and the darkness was slowly engulfing the seas.

They had left and sailed as early and fast as they could just to have this advantage up their sleeves.

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With Lucy moving alongside Ruby, Lucius looked at Landon squarely.

"Why do I feel like you're holding back on something? Or else, why have I had this bad feeling all along?"

Landon glanced at him from the side of his eyes and felt his heartbeat speed up: "Maybe because we don't know how many forces the enemy will have?"

Lucius pursed his lips and nodded at that thought.

Most of the time, they had a clear picture, or rather, they had a mole time to figure out the matter before moving in.

But this time, everything was done in a rush, and they didn't even know how many enemies they would be facing off.

Everything was a sloppy slope since the odds were stacked against them now.

Landon felt Lucius' fear too.

One should know that he had been watching the monitors of where Josh was and therefore didn't know anything about how many pirate ships were there, or how many enemies were there.

Of course, he could estimate from all the other experiences he had with pirates.

Another thing to note was that they moved in a rush, only taking 700 soldiers and marines for the job.

The Pirates could have thousands, but they were only moving in with 700.

This was also a risky situation.

That's also why he chose to use the Shaolin sector for the task.

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Even though Lucius and the rest weren't aware of the whole Hamunaptra thing, Landon had still proposed that they act as some unknown organization.

Lucius went over the plans and rubbed his elbows thoughtfully: "We have to be extra vigilant while at shore. They are still looking for this Renkin boy, so they should have several spies blended in with ordinary people living within the coastal city. So we can't show any signs that we're from Baymard."

"Hmm... That's why I suggested it. From the conservation I heard months back, this town should be riddled with pirate ships. So we can't sail forth with the battleship."

"Yes." 

The duo spoke as if reassuring their plans to themselves again.

As they say, it's never too late to notice a mistake.

So until they moved out, they would still analyze things thoroughly.

For Landon, even if they took out the pirates within the pirate ships, there might be hidden spies lurking in the dark amongst the common people that would find out that they were Baymardians.

They didn't know who was in the Order and who wasn't.

So until then, caution needed to be taken.

That's right.

Now, they had to make the enemy believe they were some secret organization.

And coupled with the fact that they would only speak English out on their missions, anyone would believe it.

As for their attires, they decided to wear the special ninja outfits that had always been catching dust in the barracks.

Those attires were made a long time ago just for situations like this

They had to keep up their appearances at all times.

The powerful forces in Morgany we're all looking for this boy.

So how dare they reveal their identities?

~Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap~~.

The heavy doorsteps of the soldiers and Marines echoed out on the deck.

For this mission, they only took a single ship.

Everyone formed straight lines while wearing tight wetsuits.

And hanging on their backs were black bags that had their gadgets and ninja uniforms in them.

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Landon calmly walked towards the very front of the lines alongside Lucius before calmly turning around and facing the crowd.

--Silence--

The chaotic sounds of the waters slapping the sides of their ship raised the tension in the air to higher degrees.

The brave men and women standing in line all felt their hearts tremble greatly as if realizing the severity of battle.

And even with the chill winds, their bodies felt a deep gush of adrenaline flow within them, making them feel alive.

Yes. That's the word.

ALIVE.

Be it an elite, veteran or anyone else, there was always a part of them that feared death itself.

And tonight's operation was undoubtedly risky.

Would they make it back alive?

Would they be able to survive and beat their chests proudly?

This was something that only time and fate could tell.

One minute they were breathing heartily, and the next, they were as cold as a log of wood.

Tension. Fear. Anxiety.

All these emotions gushed out in this brief moment of silence, causing their belly's contract into a tight ball.

The sudden stab of terror in their guy awakened them to the reality in which they found themselves.

These feelings were very natural to them, especially when about to battle.

But at this moment, it seemed greater and fierce than usual.

The odds were against them.

And tonight, they were going on blindly.