Captain Roseus stood on the dockyard beach of RedSand Island, along with four different crews.

The sun was beating down hard, signalling that it was a new day. The day that Admiral Grace’s Fleet was to set sail to meet with the Templars.

As for Roseus’ own crew, they were now twenty-five strong. More than what was required.

Since their last recruitment two weeks ago, the Redflowers had managed to recruit seven new crewmates.

Roseus had done his best to learn each of their names.

Alfie.

Alexander.

Quinn.

Ilaine.

Victory.

Brooklyn.

Abigail.

Roseus let out a sigh as he recalled each and every one of their names. Most of them had been recruited from merchant ships, as they wished to make a name for themselves out at sea as a pirate, rather than a merchant.

They had each met the captain and explained their stories.

There were even a few more, but Roseus had to turn them down. Either because he felt that they had only chosen to sail due to the opportunity to be a part of Admiral Grace’s Fleet, or because they simply weren’t a good fit.

As for the other requirement, which was to have a captain that was at least a Salt Blood, Roseus was not there yet.

During the two weeks, he had managed to reach 65% through the Deckhand Rank. However, Admiral Grace had made an exception for him, as he had two priests on board, as well as a Drowned.

Admiral Grace stood before her own galleon ship with her crew already on board. Her half-black, half-white hair and red overcoat made her stand out amongst everyone else.

"Captains, you have all been made aware of the sail route. If you’ve forgotten, then stick close to my ship. Any decent Tier II ship should be able to stay close."

Zaliah had been left in charge of ship upgrades. At the moment, they had four Tier III Mods in their ship modifications. Six more and they would become a galleon.

The Tier III Mods currently equipped were mostly upgraded versions of their previous skills:

...

Freedom of Religion (Tier III Mod) → significant divine defence increase.

Fleetbreaker (Tier III Mod) → significant ramming and cannon fire strength.

Elements Onboard (Tier III Mod) → significant elemental defence increase.

Thieved Vessel (Tier III Mod) → significant stealth increase.

...

At the moment, their biggest ship weakness was its actual physical design. However, Zaliah had installed true cannons onto the ship, now giving them four. The bow had also been strengthened and would safely be able to perform rams.

As for ceremonies, Zaliah explained that, as a priest of Yazu, she had created three ceremonies for the ship.

One was a sacrifice of animal blood that granted slightly increased wound-healing speed on the ship.

One was a sacrifice of her own sobriety, making it so that the alcohol on the ship significantly boosted the morale of everyone during battle. However, this left her in a constant, slightly intoxicated state.

Finally, there was a flame ceremony. With the help of Kailani, they had erupted numerous torches with fires that couldn’t spread. These fires would grant the cannons flame elemental damage.

Admiral Grace continued her speech.

"By the time we meet with the Templars, the gates should be opening in only a week. That time will be used to sail towards the safe route into the Third Ocean. Once the gates open, we travel through. Expect minor danger, but nothing like what you would face on any other route."

The three captains, one of whom was Roseus, all gave grunts of approval.

After that, they stepped foot onto their ships and set sail.

Manning the ship with twenty-five crewmates was completely different from having just ten. There were so many tasks that once had to be done by a single sailor. Now, the tasks could be evenly distributed throughout the crew.

Captain Roseus and First-Mate Dawn found this strangest of all, as they found themselves with nothing to do but stand at the helm and stare out at sea.

The four ships fell into their subsequent places. Admiral Grace’s large galleon was up front, and the three brigantines belonging to each of the following crews sailed behind, creating a diamond formation.

...

On the Halo Continent...

Claire, once the wife of Captain Redeye, sat in a café drinking tea with a group of her friends. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Ever since selling out her son to the authorities, she had been offered healthy compensation. In her eyes, she had suffered a lot, yet was still willing to cooperate with the navy.

Not to mention, she had produced a fine navy executive officer, even if his future was currently looking a bit shaky...

As she sat with her friends drinking tea and other beverages, one of them suddenly furrowed her brows at the newspaper she was reading.

This newspaper was the Second Ocean Weekly. It brought news from the Second Ocean straight to the mainland.

"Have you guys seen this? They say that one of the largest pirate expeditions has been sighted in the Second Ocean."

The others had their interest piqued, and the newspaper was passed around.

When Claire got hold of it, she scanned its contents.

---

Largest Second Ocean Pirate Fleet Sighted!

The largest pirate expedition in the Second Ocean has been sighted, with five brigantines and two galleons sailing together towards a safe route to the Third Ocean created by the Emperor himself.

Among the fleet are Admiral Grace, Captain Bonnflammé, Captain Lionheart, Captain Roseus, Captain Bullseye, Captain Blind, Captain Oak, and Captain Leonard. The combined bounties of these captains alone exceed 500,000 Halos, making this one of the most formidable pirate forces seen in recent memory.

Currently, the navy is unsure of how to respond. More news will follow soon...

...

"Claire, that name... Isn’t this..."

The women all looked over at Claire, who was still staring at the newspaper article with wide eyes.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Not because of sadness, but rather because of anger.

This boy... He’s just like his father.

...

"We can only pray for their failure," she eventually said.