An Interrupted Feast

Four hours later, the Crested Triceratops began departing. Escorting them were six ships. Five of them were with captains, while the last one was a ragtag group of people who hadn't yet proven themselves.

On the canal banks, onlookers were gaping at the massive ship, the Crested Triceratops. Compared to it, the vessels surrounding it were small.

Slowly, the sun descended behind them. The usual spectacle of the warm, golden glow cast on the surface of the sea was blocked by their colossal vessel.

In its place, the main crew and the vessel crew got to look at peddlers who were passing by with their camels.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar could be heard throughout the bridge. Ahmed admitted that it was his stomach and that he was hungry.

"Hmm, invite the captains aboard, Amina," Raul instructed as he held the helm.

When all the captains of the vessels, along with the ragtag ship, came aboard, they were greeted by a dazzling array of food laid across a giant tarp.

Isabella didn't hold back and dove into the food. Her favorite seemed to be the dumpling from the Far East.

Delighted, she munched away at every dumpling she could scavenge. She savored the flavors and enjoyed them, and it brought her to tears.

"These are so delicious!" she sobbed as she continued devouring the dumplings.

"You!" she called out to Raul while still having food in her mouth.

"Yes?" Raul responded and pointed at himself.

"You have my allegiance!" she declared in front of the other captains.

"Haha, sure," Raul chuckled and crossed his arms.

Meanwhile, Xavier, who sat next to her, was eating away at a bowl of Mediterranean seafood stew. He silently ate the food, but the expression he occasionally showed revealed his joy.

"How's the soup?" Amina approached Xavier and asked.

"It's delicious, ma'am. I want the chef who made this," Xavier commented as he gulped away the broth.

"My, what do I do? I'm married," Amina said playfully.

"Oh," Xavier felt awkward and continued eating in silence.

Contrary to his neat appearance, Tiberius chose to eat the sloppiest food on the platter. The African Curry.

Unlike the others, he ate the curry with an unexpected grace. Every movement to eat the curry seemed to be calculated.

The flamboyant Seraphina seized a plate of Ethiopian injera that was equipped with various colors and aromatic stews.

An obnoxious grin appeared as she took her first bite. She couldn't hold back her enthusiasm, which bothered the workers by her side.

"Try this! The spices that are in this dish were an explosion!" she exclaimed to the worker.

"Spice? No thanks. I have a very low tolerance," the worker denied Seraphina's advances.

At first, she was dejected she couldn't share it with anyone. But then a thought came into her mind.

"Huh! More for me!" she said.

Then there was Eraphim, the ghostbuster, who was assigned to the ragtag group. He grabbed a few falafels and started eating them.

"Oh, no… this dish is haunted!" thought Eraphim.

"By deliciousness!" he chuckled as he continued enjoying them.

While everyone was enjoying their food, their eyes panned to Gourmand, the once-food critic turned into a mercenary.

He took hold of an Indian goat curry and stared at it with judgmental eyes. But when he took a bite, his eyes closed in bliss.

He chuckled and exclaimed, "This curry is top-tier!"

"The complexity, along with the depth! It's a masterpiece!" he added.

Everyone who stared laughed at Gourmand's expressions. The captains, along with the workers, filled the air with joy as the feast went on. Every dish served was slowly diminishing.

Meanwhile, Ahmed and Layla finished their meal and were feeding the dinosaurs below deck.

Even below the deck, Ahmed and Layla could smell the aromas emanating from the dishes above.

At the cheerful sight in front of him, Raul leaned back in his chair, showing a contented smile on his face. All the while enjoying his Mediterranean wine.

Satisfied by the sight in front of him, Raul raised a glass. "Cheers!" he shouted at the mass.

Everyone involved in the feast raised their glasses in unison and cheered together. The atmosphere was at its peak, and it felt like nothing could dampen their spirits.

"Boom!" an explosion could be heard the moment they left the gulf.

The deafening boom echoed throughout the ship, prompting Raul to sound the emergency alarm.

"We are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack!" Raul shouted at the intercom.

Chaos ensued the moment Raul announced the attack. Plates of food flew everywhere as everyone headed to their stations.

Not everyone felt a sense of urgency. Before leaving the Crested Triceratops, Gourmand stuffed his mouth full.

Before long, another thunderous boom followed. However, this time, a dark smoke emerged right after the boom. Indicating major damage to the hull.

Mayhem prospered on the deck as the workers were still on their way to their stations. Amid the chaos, the worker in charge of the telescope noticed something in the distance.

"Captain! Bad news!" screamed the worker at Raul.

"What now?" Raul replied as he tried to retain the balance of the ship.

"Starboard! Malao pirates! They're here!" the worker continued yelling at Raul.

"So be it then," Raul said with a fiery gaze as he turned the Crested Triceratops starboard.

Raul's confidence came from the fact that everyone around him was capable, and he believed he had an advantage in numbers.

All of a sudden, multiple more ships appeared from the mist, appearing to be backing up the Malao pirates. It was too late to turn back, and he charged full speed at them, hoping to sink a few.

Nevertheless, the pirates didn't back out of the confrontation. As the Crested Triceratops charged into them, they weaved and fired their cannons at the Crested Triceratops.

Raul clinched his face with resolve and ordered his workers to man the cannons and prepare for a confrontation.

"All hands on deck! Get ready for war!" he shouted at the intercom.

Meanwhile, the six vessels that were supposed to guard the Crested Triceratops fell behind. Unlike the Crested Triceratops, their crew had to get down from the massive ship and get to theirs.

The mercenaries, who had not long ago enjoyed a feast, had to don their war faces as they headed into battle to face the Malao pirates and their allies.

"Sorry about my tardiness," said Tiberius through the intercom on his ship.

"It's fine," Ral responded through the intercom, indifferent to the situation at hand.

However, when Raul furrowed his brows, he noticed a group of shadows approaching the bridge.

Before he noticed it, a voice came banging at the door. "Seize them!" they yelled out.

The battle for the dinosaurs began. The fate of every worker and the mercenaries hangs in the battle with the Malao pirates.