Chapter 14 "A Swift Victory"

A few hours pass, and we can see the sun rise slowly. That was our signal to attack. The members of each team went to their designated areas for the attack. At the eastern front, your uncle suggests we fight honorably, facing the enemy head-on. Normally, your old man would agree. After all, I am a warrior. However, I'm not trying to lose any of my crewmen. I turn down the idea, stating, "We are warriors, Mil, but sometimes even the bravest warrior must stray from the path of honor and become a shadow, striking when the time is right and when the enemy least expects it. If you want to stay on the path of honor, you can do a stand-off with the guards. I'll make sure the ones that are resting won't be joining our battle."

He makes a swift reply, "I hope you know I am not fond of your choice to strike when the enemy is at his most vulnerable, but if it means keeping our crew, no, our family safe, then so be it. Lilly, come with me. Hana, give the captain here a hand. He could use a stealthy partner like you." Hana and Lilly follow the orders given to them.

I make my way to a group of sleeping pirates, stabbing their stomachs one by one with my sword's sheath. Getting Hana to tie them up while she ties up the newly captured, I make my way to the storage room, setting aside anything that could be of use to our little band of fighters. I follow it up by taking all their armor out of the armory with their stands so we can move them to the ship later.

Your uncle was less merciful. He drew the sword I gave him for his birthday a few years back. He shouts at the pirates guarding the western area, "Send your strongest and have them fight me! I'll make quick work of you all!" Just as he finishes his taunt, a large pirate comes forward and laughs at him, calling him tiny and weak. They stare each other down, and only a few seconds later, the sound of a sword clattering followed by a bang! The honorable warrior drops his sword and shoots at the enemy using a cork bullet, rendering him unconscious from the pain. I notice his honor dies out when he fights alongside me. It seems like I have a strange aura to me, I guess. He orders Lilly to mass heal him, he rushes the enemy, and makes a quick mess of them. Unfortunately, not all of the pirates he fought survived. A real sword will kill you if it cuts your throat, but we capture anyone we can. We move on to the center of the island where we see cages, but only one is occupied. There stands a monk with his eyes closed, but he is standing with his hands in a prayer position. Seems he's had his fair share of combat. I reluctantly let the man out, and surprise, he doesn't attack me. He grabs a spear and two swords that were on top of another cage. The swords seem to be made of bamboo. He rushes the enemies coming towards us with such speed that it shocks us. He's a well-fed man, yet he moves as fast as Hana. He uses his spear to tie the hostiles up using a rope he tied to one end of it.

After the second team arrives, he bows and thanks us for freeing him. He introduces himself when all of us were at the center of the island, except Jiro and Kinny. "I am Nori, a monk who specializes in combat and medical aid. I can also pray over the dead if you'd like." I pat his back, thanking him for the assistance, but our good vibes came to a swift end as the outpost leader came out and finally revealed himself. He was a masked man wearing monk's garbs. Nori looks confused. Why would an enemy of the island wear the uniform of the monks, is probably what he was thinking. But there was no time for thought. The mysterious monk dashed at us faster than Nori could have. Jey used a bit of new magic; she blew the man away using a strong gust of wind she had summoned. Just then, I remembered something Jiro gave me when we beat him in our first-ever boss fight. It was a blank core. I threw it at the fairly strong gust of wind and came forth an Elemental Knight (Wind). The knight stood by me as I dashed at the same speed as the mysterious man, eager to try out a feature Hana added to my armor.

I pressed a single clip on my armor, and it all fell off, boosting my speed even more. Not to mention, I had a speed boost from the elemental knight. The mysterious monk looked stunned, even though I couldn't see his face. My assumptions were proven correct when he lost his footing, providing the Ishikawa Siblings a golden opportunity to show off their new move.

I called over Zeth, and we both activated rage mode, focusing it specifically on one part of our body, our hands. With our combined power, a single punch was enough to take out the mysterious monk, causing his mask to crack and crumble into dust. Nori was at a loss for words. We all looked at him as if he'd seen a ghost.

"My Brother… how could you be here… much less as our enemy…! You died months ago while trying to combat our oppressors! I saw you die with my own two eyes, so explain to me how you've magically returned as our enemy!" He's talking as if he's a part of our crew now, and he'd be right to assume that because I have a job opening for him. But before I could think of anything else, the Monk spoke up.

"Nori, I never died. It was all a trick, an illusion. It was simple; we had someone who looked like me sacrifice themselves unwillingly so that I could go ghost and work for the pirates secretly. In this world, we have to side with the stronger party, and it seems you've done just that. So what now, Nori? Are you going to cut your own brother down, set it right, make it so I'm actually dead?"

Nori, obviously shaken, stabs the ground next to his brother. "Jo, you are to redeem yourself by joining these pirates with me. They're the good guys, and as you said, the stronger party. You've done wrong in this world, but our god says, 'One must forgive before he can learn,' so you're going to join these people with me and reclaim our home and the homes of other people after that!"

His brother laughs a little, punching the ground. "You've always had a soft spot for me, huh, brother? Very well, I shall repent for my sins and join this pirate crew. What do you people call yourselves, anyway?"

"Us? We're just a bunch of nobodies, isn't that right?" the crew laughs. Jey continues the banter towards our crew, "Yep, just a bunch of nobodies who liberated an island and saved the lives of thousands."

Joy smacks us both on the head, telling us off. "The man is asking a serious question. Answer them properly." Me and Jey apologize for our jokes and properly introduce the crew. "You see, I didn't lie when I said we were just a couple of nobodies from different walks of life, but this bunch of nobodies calls themselves the Black Stone Pirates."

Jey says in a softer voice, "Order of the Black Stone sounds sick too." I hit her on the head but agree. Jo laughs louder this time. "What an interesting group of people! It seems me and my brother will have quite the time with you bunch of nobodies, as you say."

Nori bows towards me a little. "Will you let us join you in your adventures? If trust is a problem, I swear I'll keep Jo on a tight leash and make sure he behaves well." Embarrassed at the sight of someone bowing down to me, I reply in haste, "Raise your head! I'm not a royal. Come on, I'm just another guy, and we'd be happy to have you. You don't have to keep an eye on your brother all the time. You have your own life, go live it, Nori, and as for you, Jo, behave yourself, please." The brothers nod in acknowledgement.

Hours later, the sun had fully risen. The crew, which had now grown by two, started to move the treasures we found in the outpost. I still have some of the treasures we found in the port if you want to see them upstairs. The treasures we had included Custom Weapons, Uniformed Armor, Customized Armor, Commander's Armor, Minerals, and Money. They also had tamed animals which we decided to care for – Bears, Big Dogs, a few Cats, and, oddly enough, a crocodile. But that's enough story for today, kids. Let's continue this tomorrow.

(Ghost of Tsushima references: This chapter heavily references Ghost of Tsushima. Nori is akin to Norio, the Combat Monk in the game, while Jo represents Enjo, his brother in the said game. The face-down feature of the game also plays a prominent role in this chapter.)