Time Travel? Rebirth? I Win This Time!

Chapter Excerpt: The Shipwreck

Since leaving the port of Akka, today marked the fifth day on board the ship. Mike Bai let out a bored yawn.

The first two days had been rough for Mike Bai. He'd been seasick and had spent most of his time sprawled out in his cabin, losing what little he'd eaten. Afterward, he'd managed to come out for a bit of fresh air, but after staring at the endless expanse of ocean day in and day out, even that became tiresome.

"Lord Mike Bai, do you feel better today?" The captain, noticing Mike Bai's restless demeanor, approached with enthusiasm.

"One of the lads caught a big fish today. Would you like to try?" he asked with a grin.

The memory of the wild way they ate their catch made Mike Bai shake his head quickly.

The captain sighed, a mock disappointment on his face. He moved to the side, grabbed a piece of raw fish from a sailor, and devoured it with a look of pure satisfaction.

"By the way, Captain, how long until we reach Genova?"

"We're close, only another day or so, by morning at the latest," the captain mumbled through another mouthful of fish.

"Good," Mike Bai replied, taking a sip from his water flask. The unease in his chest eased slightly.

"But my lord, it might be a good idea to stay below deck today. There could be a storm coming," the captain added casually.

Mike Bai frowned. Something on the horizon caught his attention—a few black specks on the edge of the sea.

"Dammit! Those damn Venetians!" The captain spat out his fish and cursed loudly. "You lot, raise the sails! Rowers, to your positions, quick!"

Mike Bai, still puzzled, asked, "Captain, is the relationship between Genova and Venice really that bad?"

"'Bad' doesn't even begin to describe it. It's a rivalry to the death," the captain shrugged. "When you block someone's livelihood, it's like killing their family."

Mike Bai tried to calm himself, but his mind was racing. "Don't worry, Lord Mike Bai, my ship is fast!" the captain boasted with a wink.

Three hours later, the rowers were almost exhausted, and yet the black specks were getting closer by the minute. Mike Bai could even make out the figures on the enemy ship's deck.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, it's fast…" He was starting to doubt the captain's claim.

The captain, now visibly embarrassed, stammered, "Well... normally, yes. But this time, we took on a bit more cargo than usual. Just a little more. Really, just a tiny bit."

Mike Bai had no words for that. That "tiny bit" was clearly a massive overload.

"Don't worry, my lord! My crew are seasoned sailors—every one of them a wolf of the sea, fierce and battle-hardened!" The captain slapped his chest with pride, flexing his emaciated muscles.

Mike Bai glanced at the surrounding sailors—most of them were as thin as he was—and wasn't exactly reassured. But with 20 bodyguards and 30 sailors on board, dealing with the boarding pirates shouldn't be a problem.

The enemy ship was getting closer. Mike Bai estimated they had about 40 or 50 men on board—no match for them.

"I've got the advantage," Mike Bai reassured himself. But just in case, he needed to let Anna know, so she wouldn't worry. He turned to head below deck.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle sliced through the air, followed by a loud splash as a stone shot into the water near their ship.

Mike Bai froze. "Damn it! They've got a ballista on board!"

His heart sank. Their overburdened ship couldn't take much more punishment.

"Don't worry, my lord!" the captain boasted again. "This ship's sailed for over a decade without ever being hit!"

Maybe it was tempting fate to boast like that.

As Mike Bai was about to speak, a powerful gust of wind altered the trajectory of the stone, sending it hurtling toward him. It crashed just in front of him, creating a large hole in the ship's hull. Water began to pour in, fast.

Mike Bai looked down at the gaping hole in disbelief. He turned toward the captain with a strained smile, "Captain, maybe you could tell me again how your ship can withstand hits?"

The captain's bravado quickly melted away. He looked awkwardly at the damage. "Uh… don't worry, my lord. The Venetians usually prefer to capture prisoners, not sink ships."

The damage, however, was already done. Despite attempts to patch the hole, the ship's progress slowed further.

The sky darkened as ominous clouds loomed overhead. Within moments, torrential rain began to pour down, turning the previously calm sea into a storm-tossed battlefield. The Venetian ship, with its sails billowing full, surged forward toward them.

Mike Bai's eyes widened. "They've equipped their ship with a ram!" he realized with dread.

"Hold on!" the captain shouted.

The impact came with such force that Mike Bai nearly lost his grip on the wooden railing. He looked up just in time to see the Venetian ship's sharp prow, gleaming in the storm, ram into their ship's hull with terrifying precision. The ship's bow was impaled as easily as a knife cutting through butter.

Before Mike Bai could give any orders, the Venetian ship quickly pulled back, retracting its sails and oars, leaving their vessel sinking in its wake.

"They're not even interested in taking prisoners—they just want to sink us," Mike Bai thought grimly.

As he watched their once-proud ship begin to break apart, the lower decks exposed to the open sea, and cargo spilling into the water, a sense of helplessness washed over him.

"Captain, after all your years at sea, what do we do now?" Mike Bai asked, clinging to a flicker of hope.

"Don't worry, my lord," the captain replied with a forced grin, thumping his chest again. "The wood on this ship is light!"

Mike Bai stared at him. "So?"

"So, if you can grab a piece of debris, you should float for a while."

The ship's hull creaked under the strain, and with a loud crack, the ship split in two. The front and rear sections pitched up sharply before crashing into the water.

"Mike Bai!" Anna's frantic voice reached him.

Mike Bai looked across the gap. On the broken remains of the ship, Anna was clinging desperately to a piece of debris, her small figure swaying dangerously in the waves.

"Don't worry! I'm coming!" Mike Bai shouted.

With his heart pounding, he threw himself towards the gap in the ship, running across the slanted deck. The seconds felt like hours, but Mike Bai managed to reach the highest point of the shattered ship.

He took a deep breath and leaped.

"Mike Bai!" Anna gasped as she saw him arc through the air before disappearing from view.

"Anna!" Mike Bai barely caught hold of the wreckage just in time, his heart racing. He managed to climb back up, pulling Anna with him.

"Give me your hand!" he shouted. Anna reached out, her fingers trembling, and their hands finally locked in a desperate grip.

In that instant, the sea surged with fury, swallowing the ship's remains, leaving only debris scattered across the waves.

It took a long while before a piece of wood surfaced, with two heads barely visible above the water.

"Ha!" Mike Bai gasped for air, his lungs aching. A massive wave surged forward, sending the fragile board toward the horizon.

As the wreckage drifted farther away, and the Venetian warship faded from sight, Mike Bai made a vow, his eyes burning with determination.

"I'll make sure you Venetians pay for this. Sooner or later, I'll hang every one of you."