The sky was a soft orange, as the sun set over the sea. King Altos stood on wooden port, an army of 500 soldiers right behind him; eyes fixed on the horizon. Aiko came up behind her father, “Father, shouldn’t you head inside now?”

“No, I’ll have to be ready when the Ambassador returns.” Aiko frowned slightly, “Even then, there’s no need for you to personally wait for him. He might even return tomorrow.”

King Altos glanced his daughter, “It will be fine.” Aiko sighed and stood next to Altos, staring at the sea as well. “You know that ambassador is around you age.” Aiko turned to her father, eyebrows raised quite adorably, “And you’re saying?” King Altos eyed his daughter, “I’m saying… you’re still looking for a husband right?”

Aiko rolled her eyes, “Please, you see how strong he is, I don’t have any chance with him.” King Altos stared at his daughter, catching the sharp intake of breath, her eyes darting to the sight, pulling her hair behind her ear. “Hmph, well either way, I want you to go back with him, as a representative of the Wave Kingdom.”

The princess stared at her father is disbelief, “I can go? Really???” “I don’t see a reason not, we’re now official allies with Jiron, its good for a princess to visit an ally’s country.” A beautiful, happy smile bloomed on her pretty face, her hands opened and close, not knowing whether to hug her father or not. King Altos sighed, opening his arms to which Aiko buried herself into.

And then…

“It seems you two have waited a while, I apologize for that.”

The father and daughter looked up, flinching to see the teen standing right in front of them. “A-Ambassador? When did you arrive?” “Just now.” “But we didn’t see your ship.”

Han Ling flashed a grin, snapping his finger.

Like a chameleon changing colours, the stealth Elusive Haze appeared right beside the port, stunning the soldiers waiting on the docks. “W-What kind of ship is this?!” “When was it here?!” “It was right in front of us, yet we didn’t know!”

King Altos gazed at the magnificent ship with a sense of awe, strange, magical blue wooden planks, a flowing white sail, and dozens of cannons lining the side and front of the ship. “This was the pirate’s ship?!” He inwardly winced; we would have never been able to catch them with a ship like this.

The platform fell down, allowing the barely clothed captives to step out, most of them crying into the crook of their arms. “Take care of them!” King Altos ordered the soldiers to move, each of them carrying the women down gently. Han Ling himself helped the little girls down, gently carrying the black haired one in his arms. He slowly propped her on the ground, nodded as she stood, her eyes staring at Han Ling’s face.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to take this ship King Altos.” Han Ling spoke as he gazed at King Altos, his eyes fixed on his. One of the ministers stood up, “I-I’m afraid that’ll be difficult, the ship naturally belongs with the Wave Kingdom.” The handsome teen turned to the minister, purple eyes boring into his soul, the man flinched but held his ground. Han Ling sighed before laughing out loud, “Alright! Then I propose a trade.” “A-A trade sir?”

Han Ling swiped his hand to the side, opening a purple rift before reaching in, yanking a parchment from the space. He threw it to King Altos, “This is the schematic for the Sea Skipper. Have a good look.”

King Altos opened it, “Huh!”

Sea Skipper (Silent Silver)

Type: Schematic

Details:

The blueprint for crafting the Sea Skipper, a ship capable of superb speeds on water as well as evasive manoeuvring skills.

King Altos’s eyes bulged, “T-This is a Silent Silver ship! Where did you get something like this?” “I got it a long time ago, just never got to use it.”

One of the ministers pointed an accusing finger at Han Ling, “Lies! Those belong to the pirates! You’re just pretending it to be yours!” Han Ling frowned, and King Altos immediately roared at the top of his lungs, “YOU IDIOT! DO YOU HAVE ANY CLUE WHO’S IN FRONT OF YOU!”

The minister shrunk back, pale at the fury of his king, “This man here has defeated the pirates! Without his help we wouldn’t even be able to find them, let alone defeat them! And you dare accuse this man of lying!” King Altos stomped up to the minister, “Don’t let your damn greed cloud your judgement, Minister Ratten!”

Han Ling mused silently, “So, that’s Basil’s father huh?” King Altos sighed, turning back to Han Ling, “I’m sorry sir Ambassador, we are willing to trade for the pirate ship for the Sea Skipper Schematic, thank you for your generosity.” Han ling returned the bow, “Thank you as well. You have your soldiers ready right?”

King Altos smiled, “Of course, and a few of my generals and trusted people will go along with you, my daughter included.” Aiko glanced at her father with a strange gaze but said nothing.

“Alright I’ll see you all in the morning.” Han Ling kneeled down, gently placing his hand on the little girl’s head, patting her gently before flashing in a purple light.

>>>

Aiko shivered in the cold morning, an army of 500 soldiers boarded the ships, 100 soldiers per warship. The princess stood on the deck of the Elusive Haze, breathing out slowly as her tense figured tightened. “You don’t have to worry princess, I’ll protect you.” Aiko turned to find Basil standing there with his arrogant grin, “I won’t let anyone touch you.”

The pale princess snapped, “I don’t need your protection!” Then a grin formed on her face, “I see your face is fine now, must have hurt after being shoved to the ground.” It was Basil’s turn to snap, “Damn that man! How dare he do that to me!” he scowled an ugly expression but didn’t dare do anything.

Aiko smiled smugly, “Even if you don’t like it, there’s nothing you can do.”

“Hmph! We’ll see about that.” He leaped back onto his own ship, quietly speaking to his assistant, “Are the preparations ready?” “Yes, sir a kraken has been baited towards the Blasted Islands.”

“Hehehe! Let’s see that ambassador take on a kraken! I can’t wait to see the despair on his face as he realizes how terrifying the sea is!”

Not long after, Han Ling appeared on the Elusive Haze with a flash of purple. “We greet the captain!” the one hundred soldiers roared. “I expect you all to work hard today, we’ll be attempting to capture the Blasted Islands in just 3 days.”

A few soldiers whispered amongst one another, “What? Three days?” “That’s insane!”

“Silence!”

The ship was silent.

“The reason I need the warships is to secure the fleeing monsters, you’ll understand when we get there.”

He concentrated and the ship moved, followed behind by the 4 other Bold Bronze warships.

“We sail for the Blasted Islands!”

“GUWOOOH!!!”