Kenzo couldn’t quite see where he was as the room was mostly dark.

However, a sliver of light behind him dimly lit the room. Deciding to inspect the light, he walked past the table with the bottle and reached the back of the room. He then noticed the light was emanating from behind dark curtains covering a window.

As he slowly opened them, the sudden intensity of the light briefly blinded him. When his vision adjusted, he opened it all the way and was greeted by the warmth of sunlight.

But, Kenzo stumbled back. It was hard to believe what he just saw.

There was a vast stretch of blue on the other side of the window.

It looked like the sea.

This must be a dream, he thought. Even though it felt real, he knew this didn’t make sense. Kenzo immediately shut his eyes. He believed this was definitely not real and things would be back to normal when he opened them.

However, after a few seconds, the floor suddenly moved. He lost his balance, fell back and crashed head first into the table.

After rubbing his head, he opened his eyes.

The room did not change.

Panic began to set in. It felt too real. There was no way for him to tell if he was dreaming or not. With a racing heartbeat, he looked around as the room was now bright enough to see. A desk, bed and bookcase were among the things he saw. To him, this room did not look like a modern room. Everything was so wooden.

Opposite to the window—close to where he woke up, he noticed there was a door. He immediately rushed to it and opened it.

On the other side, he was greeted by an even larger room.

There was a large-long table that extended to the other side of this room. It was accompanied by chairs on each side.

But in front of Kenzo, was a little girl—cleaning a nearby chair. There was a pause as they looked at each other. Kenzo instinctively reached out his hand to say something but caused her to run away. She ran to two large doors at the front of the room and left after marginally opening one.

This was all too random for Kenzo to comprehend. He stopped thinking and slowly approached the door the girl had opened. When he got closer he began to hear several voices on the other side. Once he reached it, he took a deep breath and peeked through.

As the smell of sea water hit his nose, there was no mistaking it.

He was on a ship.

On the other side of the door, he saw several people walking aboard the deck of this ship. They were all eerily dressed like pirates—similar to the ones he’d seen in fiction.

For a moment, Kenzo still believed this could all be a dream. But before he could think further, the little girl from earlier appeared in front of him. This time however, she was accompanied by a large-elderly man.

He grabbed the back of Kenzo’s hoody and pulled him from behind the door. Without saying a word, he forcefully walked Kenzo across the ships deck. People onboard briefly stared, as he was brought up some stairs to the front of the ship. They then stopped behind a yellow haired woman who was discussing something with a man holding a map.

“Seems you picked up something else at the Haven,” the elderly man said.

She turned around—with one eye free and the other covered by an eye patch. Everyone Kenzo had walked passed looked rather intimidating, so the beauty of this woman caught him off guard.

“A stowaway?” the woman said, as she approached him.

Silence was Kenzo’s response as he did not know what to say.

She then looked him up and down, closely observing his clothes. Her face then lit up with a smile.

“How interesting,” she said.

Suddenly, a man had approached the group from behind. “Captain!”

She peeked past Kenzo, over to the man. “Yes?”

“We’re closing in on the island, however, it looks like there’s already a ship there,” he said.

Her attention moved away from Kenzo—as she held out her hand toward the elderly man still holding him.

“Vic. The scope,” she said.

The elderly man let go of Kenzo and pulled out a compact telescope from his jacket. She took it, went to the front of the ship and began to observe something in the distance.

“A little bit early aren’t we John?” she said.

A few seconds later, she lowered the scope. She turned toward the man who alerted her and made a circular motion with her finger.

“Circle the island!” he said, looking back and shouting at a man steering the ships wheel.

As the ship slightly turned, she looked through the scope for a few more seconds. Then, without saying a word, she closed it and walked toward the ships deck.

“What did you see?” the elderly man asked, as she walked past.

“William’s there too.” she replied. “You can let the stowaway join in on the fun.”

Upon hearing this, he followed her—bringing Kenzo with him. After reaching the centre deck, the elderly-man stopped and took a deep breath.

“ALRIGHT MEN! LINE UP THE NEW CARGO!” he shouted.

The woman continued to walk until she reached the ships wheel. She then took over and started steering the ship herself.

“Get ready for some fun boys!” she yelled.

The elderly man turned toward Kenzo. “You’ll be joining us,” he said.

Kenzo had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal. He was in a state of shock, and had began to passively watch things develop.

Time passed, and they had soon reached the outskirts of the island. Since it was covered with tree’s, the ship was now circling the land as the crew carefully observed it’s surroundings.

They had lined up at one side of the ship with large wooden crates at their feet. Kenzo was also among them, watching, as a small man next to him grinned with excitement. Nothing was really explained, so he had no idea what was about to happen and why they had brought out such large boxes.

He however noticed the woman steering the ship was frequently called ‘captain’. This surprised him, as it was hard to imagine someone like her could be leading these dangerous looking people.

They soon passed the first ship that the captain was first informed about. Kenzo gazed upward as it was much larger compared to the ship he was on. With cannons lined across the deck and a large flag at the top of the sail, it strongly resembled a pirate ship.

A distorted sense of relief filled Kenzo. The ridiculousness of being among pirates—in this day and age—reinforced his idea that this was a dream.

Soon, they had circled more of the island and came across a second ship. It was at a similar scale to the previous one, but had a sleeker and less grittier look. This one seemed well looked after.

As soon as the crew saw this second ship, they immediately opened the crates. The excited small man next to Kenzo tapped him on the shoulder.

“You hear it kid?” he said.

Faraway sounds began to slowly fade into Kenzo’s ears. Through the distant trees, the clashing of metal and frenzied voices could be heard. The hairs on his neck stood up as the sounds got louder.

There was a feeling of violence in the air.

“Prepare the Blinders!” The captain shouted.

The crew pulled out small circular objects from the crates. Kenzo was signalled to take one out by the man next to him. So he reluctantly reached inside and grabbed one. Up close, it reminded him of a dynamite, or one of those round cartoon bombs that could be lit from the top.

As he looked back up, he noticed they had sailed past all the trees. They had now reached the islands beach.

This was when he saw it, the source of the noises.

Off in the distance—along the sand, a violent skirmish was taking place. Swords and fists could be seen swinging through the air as dozens of fighters battled one another. There were a few engagements that caught Kenzo’s attention.

One was an extremely large man that could tower over even him. Two men—now purple in the face were being squeezed by his bulging arms. This wasn’t the only battle where such a clear difference between the combatants could be seen.

Further away, was a woman—fighting three different opponents. Even though she was surrounded, each attack missed her with ease. Her agile movement was unique compared to the more brute focused fighting styles the majority of the other battles displayed.

But through all the battles was one that drew the most attention. It was also the one the crew had been closely watching. There was a large space between these two fighters and the others. Each swing they threw led to an echo of metal that reached even the ship. Their frantic exchange made it clear to Kenzo that their battle was of a higher and more equal level.

While he was watching, the ship had come to a stop.

“Alright! Get ready to light your Blinders!” The captain shouted.

Still distracted by the battle, Kenzo began to feel a warmth around his palm. He looked at his hand and realised the tip of the ball he picked up had been lit.

The small man next to him giggled.

“When the Cap gives her signal, you’re gonna want to throw that over there,” he said, pointing at the battle.

With the flame slowly closing in, Kenzo started to panic. Even though he heard the captain call them Blinders, he assumed they were just bombs. When he looked at the others, he noticed someone with a torch was lighting all of theirs too.

“Ready!” the captain shouted.

The crewman all tightened their grip.

“Aim!”

They all pulled their arms back and aimed at the people still fighting. Kenzo’s arm was then pulled back by the small man.

“The Caps giving a special prize to whoever hits those two in the middle—plus extra for that girl over there.” he said.

The girl he was referring too was the woman who had been fighting three men—one of which was now face first in the sand.

A thought then emerged in Kenzo’s mind. If he throws this, will it explode? And if it does, could he end up killing someone? Kenzo instinctively looked at the captain as if for reassurance since his flame had almost reached the ball.

She was behind the wheel—smiling—and looking straight at him with a lit Blinder of her own.

“THROW!” she shouted.

With a synchronised swing of the arms, the beach below was quickly covered with the shadows of the Blinders. Kenzo had also thrown his but could not tell where too.

When they landed, the Blinders didn’t explode like Kenzo thought they would. Instead, they erupted with a red smoke. Within seconds, the beach was covered in a red mist. The sounds of combat was soon replaced by tortured coughs and groans.

This was not what Kenzo was expecting.

As time passed, things got a lot quieter as most of the mist had faded.

With their ship anchored, Kenzo and most of the crew had taken boats to reach the island. The elderly man from the ship was now watching over him. He had learnt that this mans name was ‘Vic’.

Now on the beach, Kenzo and Vic walked across the sand. They however didn’t travel far and remained close to their boat.

The fighting on the beach had stopped and the captain had an ointment of some kind be passed around. It seemed the red mist created by the Blinders had stung the eyes of the ones affected. The ointment was being applied to the skin around their eyes.

Further down the beach—sitting on the sand—were the two most prominent fighters in the battle.

On the boat ride, it was revealed to Kenzo that these two carried the title of captain. He found out when a crew-mate had congratulated him on hitting them with his first—and only throw of the Blinder. Being captains explained why Kenzo had felt a distinct aura from them when compared to the rest.

The two captains were approached by the female captain Kenzo had met on the ship. He noticed that apart from ‘captain’, the crew—especially Vic, referred to her by a stranger name.

Lady Social.

With the skin around their eyes now red, they struggled to look up as Lady Social stood in front of them.

“Really, who starts a negotiation with a fight?” she said.

“You took too long, so we were just warming up,” the captain on the left said.

The captain on the right looked at her. “You seemed plenty prepared anyhow, and it’s obvious you enjoyed this. You’re grinning like a child,” he said.

Lady Social reached into her pockets and threw them two small capsules. They both immediately popped open the top, revealing an ointment inside which they rubbed around their eyes.

“Please, you think too bad of me. I’m just happy to meet my old friends again,” she said.

The captain to the left stood up. “Ha! Please. I’m more friends with the drink on my belt, and it’s only half full.”

“Well, I’d hope for the next few days we were friends John,” she replied, with a serious but still friendly tone.

The captain to the right also stood up. “Considering what you have people call you, it’s ironic you still show such a lack of respect for titles.”

“Come on William, why so formal?” she asked. “It hasn’t been that long has it?”

“It’s ‘Captain’ William,” he replied.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a scream of rage coming from further along the beach. It was the woman fighter who had been fighting three opponents.

“YOU SELF OBSESSED, ATTENTION SEEKING WENCH!” she screamed.

The woman struggled as she was being subdued by two of her subordinates. One was holding her from behind while the other, a younger male, was in front—pushing her back.

“Jet. Calm down. At least get angry after I help you with your eyes,” the young man said.

“I SAW HER! SHE HAD HER MEN THROW MORE AT ME! SHE’S DEAD!” she shouted.

Lady Social smiled and waved at her.

The woman's struggling intensified.

“JETTA!” Captain William shouted. “Do you really want to get emotional right now?”

Alongside a look of realisation—the woman's tone suddenly changed. It was as if she had remembered something important. She soon stopped struggling and her colleague began applying the ointment.

Captain John started to dust the sand off his clothes.

“Surprised to still see her with you,” he said.

“Surprised to still see you with a ship,” Captain William replied.

As anger filled his eyes, Captain John grabbed him by the collar.

“ENOUGH!” Lady Social shouted. “And you call me a child.”

His arm was then smacked away by Captain William—who also started to dust himself off.

Lady Social walked in-between them. “Three days. For three days you two will be aboard my ship. If you still wish for my services in this negotiation of yours, then it is within your best interest to do as I say from now on.”

She passed a serious look to both of them.

“So how about it friends? We ARE friends right?” she asked.

They both looked and scoffed at one another.

“Whatever.”

“Fine.”

She smiled and clapped twice, “Good good. Now. Since my ship has gotten rather packed lately, you are both only allowed to bring a handful of people including yourselves onboard. And do try to hurry, I think I’ve got sand in my boots.”

Captain William called over the young man who was attending to the woman he called ‘Jetta’. He told him they were departing soon and to bring himself, as well as Jetta, onto Lady Social’s ship.

“Bring two others with you,” he also said, before sending him off.

A burly man who was listening nearby approached Captain John.

“Need me there boss?” he asked.

“No. I need you to watch the crew. I’m not losing another ship Briggs.”

“Yes Boss, of course,” he replied.

A heavy hand then tapped Captain John on his shoulder. It was the extremely large man from the battle.

“What is it Bron? You want to come?” Captain John asked.

The large man nodded and looked over at the young man Captain William had just spoken too.

“Ah, I see. We’re leaving now, go find three extra men to bring. And go bring the chest from the ship,” Captain John said.

Before he went, Bron looked over at Lady Social. She smiled and waved at him.

“Hi Bron,” she said.

There was no obvious change in his stern face at first. However, his cheeks began to glow.

He was sternly blushing.

The burly man who talked to Captain John hit him on the head. “Bron! Pay more attention to the Boss than her,” he yelled.

Bron stopped blushing and walked off.

All of the remaining people on the beach started to return to their respective ships.

“The boys sure have grown since I last saw them,” Lady Social said, as she walked to the boats alongside Captain John.

“And so has your company it seems. It’s hard to not notice all these high profiles you’ve brought with you,” Captain John said. “What’s someone like you need them for?”

Before she could answer, Captain William walked up from behind her.

“It is well known that lately, you’ve been seen travelling around a lot more,” he said. “Even a few of my crewmen have come across you in several towns playing your usual songs.”

He then looked over at some of the men she brought.

“But what’s interesting is, most of these people you’ve recently gathered are known for their professional rivalry,” he said, as he then looked at her.

“How did you manage to get them all under a single ship?”

“They just happen to really like the songs I played,” Lady Social replied, as she laughed and walked off to the boats.

Both Captains looked at each other with suspicion, but then looked away just as fast.

When Captain John arrived to the boats, he noticed Kenzo—who stood out even with all the unique characters around.

“Hmm, you I don’t know,” he said.

Kenzo didn’t know what to say. At this point it felt like he had been watching a movie—but in person. He had been standing there quietly for so long that someone suddenly talking to him caught him off guard. It didn’t help that there was an incredibly strong smell of alcohol radiating from the man.

However, Vic who was still keeping an eye on Kenzo, emerged from the side.

Captain Johns eyes suddenly lit up.

“Oh ho, now you I know!” he said. “The one and only Victor Dayne. Even after seeing it, it’s still hard to believe you're working for little miss ‘Social’ over there. Is this some kind of retirement plan?”

The captain started to laugh, clearly amused by himself.

Vic looked up and scanned Captain John’s crew who were now walking back to their ship.

“I don’t recognise most of those men,” he said, as he looked back at the captain. “Did the drunk misplace his crew again?”

Captain John’s smile dropped.

“Why does everyone here got to be so annoying,” he replied, as he walked off to one of the boats and took a swig from the bottle on his belt.

Vic smirked. However, it soon vanished as he saw Captain William approach.

“Good to see you again sir,” the captain said.

“Captain William.” Vic replied with a slight nod.

The captain walked on.

Jetta, the woman who had been making a scene—followed from behind as she was being escorted by her subordinates. Vic watched as she walked past but did not acknowledge his presence.

Once enough people had made it back to the ship, it was now Kenzo’s turn. Vic guided him onto the boat and they set off. On the way, Vic began to stare at Kenzo.

“If it was up to me, I would of left you on that island. But the Lady seems to want a word with you.” he said.

Vic leaned closer.

“You better tell her how you got on her ship.”