GINKEN: Sea Storm

The air started to become hotter, the colors became warmer, and the water flowed flawlessly while the Sanguine Rose sailed over it with an island up ahead in the distance. Everybody on the Sanguine Rose changed into bedouin clothing.

"I don't get it. Why do we need these clothes if the 'Golden Wasakona' has a hot climate? Won't that just going to make our situation worse because of the increased warmth?"

"These garments are needed for the 'Golden Wasakona.' Traveling in shorter clothing in the sun is difficult since it heats our bodies and can even induce illness, such as desert fever. We'll have an easier time getting around if we dress in these clothing."

"This is ridiculous. What will the ladies think of me if they see me dressed like this? I'm just going to humiliate myself in front of them, and then I won't be able to find love again."

Elliott collapsed to the floor onto his knees and turned him depressed with the others looking at him uneasy.

"Nina. How's Ayuka doing?"

"I'm not sure. Her injuries at the Oxfell Arton were severe and could have been deadly. I managed to put bandages around her chest and stomach, but I'm not sure how long they'll keep her alive. She's also incredibly hot inside, and her wounds aren't healing. If we want to spend another year with her, we need to find a doctor as soon as possible."

"Poor Ayuka. All she did was protect me, and then she was injured by the spikes of the girl."

"How did the two of you get away in the first place? Karisa, weren't you and your friend locked in the front with no way out?"

They each stared at Karisa with discomfort and worrisome thoughts, which continued to produce the stress.

"We should be thanking Natan for that. He came to our rescue the very last second and managed to pause Naeve in her tracks, which gave us enough time to escape and reach the ship, but the doctors would be helpless in that town, as we're wanted criminals. Just take a look at this."

Karisa grabbed a paper scroll from her rucksack and unwrapped it, revealing a poster of Tim's bounty, which stunned the entire group.

"Tim now has a bounty?! But why did he receive it, and how did he get it?! He spent the majority of his time in the kitchen!"

"I'm not sure. Maybe someone informed the world government about his workplace and specified his appearance to the point where he was seen as threat and gave him a bounty of $45,000,000."

Tim stood silently at the front row and had his arms crossed together, keeping a very mysterious face surrounded by darkness. It provoked him to lift his head with a serious face and started to shake for others to believe that he would shout.

"That is... AWESOME!"

Everyone on the board collapsed to the floor for the ship to bounce on the wave of water with their voice echoing into the air. "WHAT?!"

"I got bounty of $45,000,000 for doing absolutely nothing?! That's the greatest gift I ever got! Now I don't need to feel worthless in life, I can finally accept the worthiness of my existence! It's like a wish come true!"

"Are you stupid, Tim?! You're a wanted person! You're basically seen as a criminal to the world government! If you're excited to have such a high bounty on your head, you're actually crazy! Don't you get it? Other criminals will start hunting you down and you'll be putting us all in danger!"

Tim started to hop on one of his legs as he clapped with his hands above his head and sang in happiness of receiving the bounty.

"I got a bounty! Bounty! Bounty! Bounty! Woohoo!"

Others stared at him with dotted eyes as he continued to repeat the same remarks, and the others were concerned.

"To be honest, Natan had a bounty before. So, we were pretty much criminals earlier too."

"Yeah, but now that there's two people on board with high bounties, we may as well be dunk into water and drown! That's how it feels to be hunted by the world government and the other criminals!"

"A beautiful music of being hunted."

Natan exclaimed, standing at the rear with crossed arms and a bored expression obvious to the others, who whirled around in rage and yelled loudly.

"You're not helping!"

Codey interrupted everybody who leaned over the fence and face down at them with his chin being leaned onto his palm.

"Why are we rejoicing over having a bounty when we have a sick member who urgently requires medical attention? We'll need to find a doctor to help Ayuka once we arrive to the 'Golden Wasakona.'"

Tim came to a halt in his celebrations and exchanged glances with Codey, immediately becoming solemn, before taking a step forward and demonstrating no fear about approaching another island.

"Regret for the delay. We'll head towards the nearest town with the doctor as soon as we land on the 'Golden Wasakona.' I'm confident we'll be able to locate someone who can offer us directions. I'll carry Ayuka through the desert, and once we've found her a doctor, we'll see if anyone can assist us in opening the "Multi-Reality Gate" so Ellie can return to his dimension."

"Before we proceed any further, you should know that the 'Golden Wasakona' is ruled by Byron, one of the 'Sea Nobles.' Because he's a pirate with a $75,000,000 bounty on his head, the world government regards him as a threat to their justice. With that pirate commanding the island, it may be difficult to gain access."

"A "Sea Noble"? You seem to know more about this world than we anticipated, Natan."

"I found a wanted picture of Byron with his bounty on it and realized that he could be a threat to the world, particularly the 'Golden Wasakona.' I studied numerous old newspapers and discovered that he has been subjecting folks to torturous trials that have forced them to go into the desert with hand chains. It's like a game to him, and if they make it through the testing, they are treated as slaves who must obey his orders. These people don't have a say in the matter. He simply takes a random citizen and forces them to complete a task. Either he threatens them or he determines to murder a member of their family."

"That guy is completely insane! And no one has ever stopped him before? This is virtually a people's loss! What is a "Sea Noble" meant to be?"

"The "Sea Nobles" are a group of eight pirates who are regarded as the lords of the "Vast Expanse." They are regarded as nobility by the global government and are required to follow their rules, but many of them ignore the commands, and the world government has no recourse. Unless the "Sea Nobles" choose to relinquish their title, they are considered one of them, regardless of what they do for the planet. The majority of them are horrible people, and I've seen or heard some of their names from others."

"Tell us."

"I only know three of them, so I'll share it with the rest of you if it helps. The first is Simmons 'One-Tooth' Darby, who has a $145,000,000 bounty on his head. He's a pirate with a fish body who spends the majority of his time on the 'Onocour Reef,' an underwater island populated by creatures known as the 'Fish Travelers.'"

"The next one I've heard about and seen on the news is Beaumont 'Braveheart' Royston, who has a $505,000,000 bounty on his head and whose whereabouts are unknown even to the world government, so I can't tell you much about him. But I am aware that he is regarded as one of the world's most powerful "Sea Nobles."

"Finally, there's Isa 'Vamp' Bentley, a wandering vampire with a reward of $200,000,000 who has been accused of torturing individuals in order to suck their blood and build her power for her own gain. She's usually spotted on The Decayed Island, but she's traveled a lot and has been seen by a lot of people."

"These people sound horrible. Let's hope we don't encounter them any time soon."

"Everybody! Prepare to land and drop the anchor! We're getting close to the 'Golden Wasakona,' so hurry up and claim your spots!"

As they took their posture and prepared to land near the island's rocks, Codey's warning prepared others to land.

"There doesn't appear to be a town nearby, so we'll have to land on the hill! Make sure you're ready for a challenging voyage! We have no idea what this island has in store for us!"

"It appears that I'm not returning home anytime soon, preferring instead to journey through a scorching and silent island covered with sand. What has become of my life?"

With Ayuka severely injured, and after a long journey across the "Vast Expanse," our young pirates arrive at their next objective, the 'Golden Wasakona,' a sand-filled island with a probable menace lurking there, known as one of the "Sea Noble," Byron the 'Cruel' Artemis!

Their journey continues.