A day had passed while they were onboard the Julius' ship, sailing near the coasts of Independence and towards Helia, one of the many ports of Farron.

It was dawn, and they had just arrived near the port city, only needing a few more miles in order to set anchor and take a much needed rest from hours and hours of tireless sailing, which the crew were seasoned veterans at.

Laruse had awoken early and decided to see the morning sun at the deck of the ship, where the view was the most splendid and captivating.

As he ascended the wooden stairs, there was a slight rocking from side to side, coming from the strong waves of water trying to deter the ship from its course.

Upon reaching the deck, it was silent, and there were only a handful of the ship's crew that were present, moving here and there, performing maintenance if the need for it arises, doing various tasks that Laruse has no idea of, but seems rather tedious for one with a strangely large build such as some of the sailors.

However, there was someone who did catch his sights almost immediately, standing at the helm of the deck, looking at the pristine view that is the sunrise beyond the horizon.

Her guise while standing at the deck with the sun beaming through her creates a picturesque image, almost a heavenly one as her hair long, golden hair swayed with the wind, and the white tunic she wore became somewhat brighter, as if it were made by a special thread from the heavens, with the sole purpose of being worn by a beautiful maiden.

Laruse noticed that he was dazed by what he saw, unmoving from his position. He shook his head and took a breath in; deciding to join her in watching the view.

"It's something else, isn't it?" he started, slightly startling Beatrice as she her shoulders slightly jumped in surprise, taking a glance at her side showing her half awake, half asleep face, which seemed to make his heart skip a beat at the sight of her eyes gleaming a bright blue hue.

"Oh, it was just you, Laruse. Yes, it is truly something else. I've never seen it this bright in the open," her face looked longingly through the distance, as if she remembered something that adjusted her mood.

"Something bothering you? I'll hear you out if you're alright with me. I've been taught that when you can't keep it to yourself, might as well tell someone and share the burden, if they're willing," he smiled at her, trying his best to lighten the mood around them.

"It seems that I've made you worry about me. Sorry, but it's nothing. Thank you for offering, Laruse. If I do have a problem, won't you listen to me then?" she asked as a smile appeared on her face, now becoming brighter and more cheerful.

"Of course I would. I'll help you out however I can!" he placed both hands on his sides, puffing his chest out in pride.

"Then I'll hold you to that," she giggled slightly and returned to the sight in front of them.

"Enjoying yourselves, you two?" Julius interrupted the cozy atmosphere of the two as he came up from behind them, placing his heavy hand on Laruse's shoulders, patting him repeatedly like a hammer to a nail.

"Julius?! What are you doing here?" Laruse asked, a bit disturbed by his entrance.

"Well it is my ship after all, Ha ha ha! It seems youth just can't control their urges, can't they?" Julius said as he crossed his arms, looking happily at the two.

Hearing this, Beatrice became bashful, as she stuttered, trying to clear the misunderstanding forming between them, "Ah, no, it's just, well... "

"Huh? What are you talking about, Julius? I think you're wrong about something here," Laruse told him with a puzzled face.

"Ha ha ha! Forgive me for disturbing you two. I must get back to steering the ship. We are close to the port," he pointed ahead, where a city could be seen with a focused eye amidst the clouds.

"Captain! Three other ships to out starboard! It's an unfamiliar flag with a strange symbol and a dark background. Looks like a snake coiled on to a spear. We better slow down and make sure," a man from above the ship, on the crow's nest, yelled out as he held a telescope, looking at the ship's right.

Hearing this, Julius ran to the helm with a slightly serious look to him, shouting orders as he rang a nearby bell, forcing most of his crew members to awaken and run about the ship, doing the tasks assigned to them.

"Slow down this ship and tell Atticus to do the same and prepare the cannons! I want half of you to clear the mast and the rest of you to be ready at the gun deck. I don't like the looks of this," he said, taking a telescope and looking the direction he was told to face.

Laruse came up to Julius to ask in clear concern, "What's this about, Julius? Are we under attack?"

"It might be, but I'm still trying to make sure. On the seas, an unidentifiable flag means trouble. Bring her down to the hold with the rest, then come back here with some able bodies. We might be needing your help," Julius said gravely, changing the atmosphere of the ship.

He did as he was told, gently urging Beatrice to come with him down to the hold, which she complied with calmly, unable to understand the sudden outburst around her.

however, they were unable to go down as the crew of the ship came through the entrance, blocking them.

"Captain! It's a Farronian naval flag at the point of the bowsprit! Three, no, four of them! And the unidentified ships are now heading towards us! At this rate, we'll be rammed by them," a man yelled once more from above.

"Open the mast! We'll sail towards the navy ships and ask for help. If they're indeed hostile, then I wouldn't gamble on a sea battle like this. We may be able to stand a chance, but I won't rist the lives of my crew for something like that! Secure the hull and the main mast, set our speed to its maximum and try to outrun the ship before they collide with us!

Julius frantically gave out more commands as the mysterious three frigate ships emerged fully from the fog, heading straight towards them at an unrelenting pace.

"Captain! They're coming, brace!"

Julius relayed this with urgency upon hearing it, "Damn this. Everyone, brace yourselves!"

Those that heard the warning took hold of whatever they could, gripping it tightly.

Laruse and Beatrice were unable to go down in time, forced to grab on to a nearby part of the ship as to not be swept away by the strong ramming force of the impact upon them.

A large ship decimated the right side of Julius' flagship as it rammed it, blowing almost everyone away from their position.

Smoke and dust filled the air, preventing them from seeing clearly through the chaos.

Just then, a roaring cheer sounded from that area, as if an army had just arrived from sea and are attempting to seize control of the ship, that has become immobile, tilting to the side, nearly being sunk with just the impact alone.

Appearing from the smoke and dust are a rowdy bunch of people wielding swords and other types of weapons, where most of them are wearing only leggings, leaving their torso bare with their muscle.

They started boarding the ship, fighting and killing the crew that were fazed on the ground, unable to regain their consciousness on time.

Julius, on the other hand, had recovered from what happened and is fighting back the mass of hostile sailors with his fists, caving their faces into their skulls as he roared out in anger with every strike, doing his best to fight them alone and to prevent his crew from being massacred without a fight.

"Stand up, my brothers in arms! Fight these fools back and show them no mercy!" Julius' voice echoed through the area, with enough power to be heard by his allies and crew members, which gave them the motivation to get up and fight back.

The chaos ensued further as another ship came into view, stopping from the left side of the ship, boarding it quickly as they ran with their swords recklessly, slashing and hacking like possessed madmen.

At this time, the others had come up the deck to check what was happening, unknown to them that they were being boarded by pirates.

"What's happening?!" Remuil said, unarmed and clearly dazed as he was fully awake, disturbed from his slumber.

"The hold of the ship is being breached by water! Quickly, get out of there, now!" Claire helped out in making sure that the rest of the crew down in the ship safely made it out, though she did not have an idea as to why the hull was breached and currently being submerged in the water.

"Beatrice! Where are you? Are you safe?" Julia frantically looked around her, trying to find Beatrice, her sister, amidst the chaos taking place on the ship.

"Shit. We everyone's equipment's down there. Don't go down. You're just asking yourself to be drowned," Zafra cursed, taking a fighting stance as he was well accustomed to fighting with his fists, but with plated gauntlets.

Soon, the invading pirates noticed their presence, howling as they ran towards them in a frenzy.

"Ahh! Stay away!" Cecil shrieked, launching the poor man towards the sea as she unleashed a powerful spell of pressurized air at him, clearing the dust and smoke in the process.

Now that the view was clear, they could see what was transpiring; a bloody massacre of the ship's crew fighting men wielding bladed and blunt edged weapons with their fists, clearly at a disadvantage.

Some of them already lay dead with various scars and wounds on their bodies, bleeding profusely on the deck of the ship.

"Where's Laruse?!" Cecil panicked as she started searching for him as well while the pirate's numbers were increasing drastically as more and more of then boarded the half-wrecked ship.

"Geh, get away from me, fool!" Zafra responded cracking a pirate's jaw with a powerful uppercut, sending him flying towards another approaching group, "We're getting overrun. Any plans?"

"For now, keep them at bay. I'm trying to think of something. And Julia, please keep an eye out for Beatrice, Julius, and Laruse," Claire responded, unable to do anything like Andersen and Robin, helplessly looking at the carnage.

"Cecil!" suddenly, a shout from their side could be heard, turning heads and filling them with relief.

"Laruse! Everyone, it's them!" Cecil pointed towards Laruse, who carried Beatrice in his arms, avoiding the pirates that were preoccupied with fighting the crew members.

Almost after the initial crash, another disaster was on its way as a large burly man stood on the enemy's main bowsprit while carrying a cannon in his arms, aiming it at the main deck.

At loud booming noise sounded, then followed by a crash on the main deck's floor, causing a tremor and yet another cloud of smoke to envelop the ship.

The group were unable to brace themselves as the pirates approached them with a certain gust, snatching away the women without them noticing, then retreating back to their ship, which magically backed away, as if it was being carried off by something, sending it back on its way along with the three other ships, disappearing into a dense fog to the east of them.

The mist cleared up, and a mess was unveiled from it; casualties on a massive scale, where it seems like most of the crew had died due to the attack, taken down like flies despite their strong bodily constitutions, which should have given them the edge to triumph against such unskilled and unorganized opponents.

Laruse pushed himself up, clearing his head as he shook it from side to side, slowly adjusting to the view now in front of him.

"What the hell happened?!" he became astonished at the sight, seeing only a few who were still breathing.

He stood up, looking around until he found his allies, Remuil, Zafra, and Andersen, who were all down on the broken deck's floor, getting up steadily.

As soon as they got up and were able to see, they all had the same reactions as everyone else, unable to believe what had happened in such a short amount of time, and in that time they were made helpless, as if it was organized to be that way.

"Everyone, are you alright?" Laruse approached them, ignoring the creaking sound of wood, and the sound of water washing away the broken pieces of wood along the sea.

"It seems that we are, but only barely," Andersen examined himself, seeing no scars nor wounds.

"Wait, where's everyone else?" Remuil looked around him, seeing less of the familiar faces that they were with.

"Tch, they must have been taken away," Zafra strongly smacked the ground with an irritating glare, gritting his teeth as he rested his back on a nearby wall, still feeling a slight dizziness in his head as he continued, "I think I saw them being snatched up by those bastards after someone fired a cannon at us."

Though they were gone, Laruse kept a calm mind, assessing the situation of the ship and those still living and breathing.

He noticed that the second ship that they were sailing with was approaching them, slowing down as they closed the distance meter by meter.

Finally, he noticed Julius, who was mourning his fallen crew members in a moment of silence, kneeling down before them and saying something that only he could hear.

After it looked like he was finished, Laruse went up to Julius to inform him and get those that were still alright to safety.

"Ah, Laruse. This was truly a tragedy. I simply could not do anything to protect my own crew," he continued to lament with a stern gaze pointed to the eastern horizon, the place where the mysterious ships came from.

"We'll mourn them together later. But first, we have to get those that are still here to safety, that's the most important task we have to do now. There's no telling what else might come after us," he patted his back, trying to lift his spirits.

"You're right. I nearly lost myself there. Thank you once again, Laruse. You truly are a great companion," Julius stood up, regaining his vigor after taking a deep breath in and shouting out loud with his strong voice saying, "Get up, everyone! We'll avenge our brothers that fell here! If you want to sit here and die, then go ahead. Those of you that want to join me, stand and step forward. Discard your pain for there is no stronger pain than losing a brother in arms!"

His inspiring speech called the attention of many remaining soldiers, whom of which were bleeding from various wounds, looking to be intensely pained.

Yet after hearing their captain's words, they could not stand by and sit there to die like dogs. They stood up, bearing the pain, almost ignoring it and replacing it with anger and vengeance.

One by one they stood, staggering towards Julius as the ship they were on continued to sink slowly, but inevitably.

"Good. Come. Let us heal our wounds and gather out strength. Only then will we be able to avenge our brothers," he looked around him, sternly gazing into their eyes, showing his determination.

After having helped each other, they boarded the second ship, unharmed but were aware of what had happened, enraged that they couldn't do anything in time.

"Captain! Forgive us! If only we could've gotten to you sooner, many would still be here," some of them wept, while the others stood strong, trying to hold in their emotions.

"Steel yourself, man! Be strong for them and convert your anger into strength. Use that to fuel your intent, and then avenge them. We will all have our chance. I will guarantee that myself," Julius reasserted his beliefs.

Laruse and the others listened, but were a bit exhausted, mostly mentally as they were worried, thinking about those that were captured by enemies who disappeared like a mist.

Their ship sailed forth the city, but thinking that the worst was past them, another obstacle stood in their way, this time with a much firm power and ability to decimate them if they were to turn hostile to each other.

One ship anchored in front of them, its left side facing the bowsprit, and the other on the ship's left side, cannons pointed and ready, as well as its numerous, experienced-looking passengers, armed with reliable looking equipment.

The third ship came closely to the side, quickly placing planks that they could cross, while some jumped over using ropes, skillfully landing in numbers as they drew their weapons and stood ready. In an instant, much of the uniformed soldiers had boarded Julius's second ship, possessing much more efficiency than the pirates that first attacked them.

The crew of the second ship prepared themselves as well, not letting another tragedy strike twice as they faced off with soldiers, who outnumbered them two to one.

Laruse and the others found themselves face to face with armed men while they had nothing to fight with, forcing them to assume battle stances with their fists, thinking that they might need to fight for their lives.

Julius stood firmly, approaching the plank and ignoring the hostile soldiers that pointed their weapons at the tall and sturdy man, who towered above them, making them gulp in anxiousness.

A man with a regal disposition walked along the plank, possessing a faint-blue, wavy hair, and a fair complexion to go with his round glasses.

Wearing a more intimidating looking armor with a cape, he boarded the ship in silence, looking at those around him as if he were judging them at every turn.

Once onboard, he came face to face with Julius, who also stood his ground, standing tall and firm amidst the silence.

"I am Lieutenant Felix Morgan of the Farronian naval army. I have orders to detain all of you for questioning under the suspicion of piracy. Resist and you will only make matters worse. I suggest that you comply," the man said with a clean, loud voice that was backed by an aura of absolute order.

No one responded, but their minds kept yelling out in outrage, and all that they could do was grit their teeth and clench their fists.

"You must be the Captain of this ship? I won't delay this process. Please order your men to board my ship and resign peacefully for now," the man spoke to Julius, who didn't respond as his eyes were closed, down in a deep state of thought.

"Very well. Brothers, heed the man. Nothing will douse the fire in our hearts, but for now, calm yourselves and wait," he said, walking on the plank and on to the ship of the Naval officer.

His men followed him begrudgingly, walking in an orderly line as they were made to do so by the armed men.

Laruse and his companions followed along, exhausted, but thought that Julius's decision was best for now.