The waters were calm, the sunlight dancing gently on the surface like a shower of gold.
A luxurious ship, the White Pearl, glided gracefully through the endless ocean, its white sails fluttering softly in the breeze.
Onboard, a rare mont of peace had settled over the crew. Laughter echoed from the deck where the old hands and newly recruited mbers were engrossed in a fishing competition.
Buckets of fish lined the edges, and loud cheers erupted every ti soone hauled in a big catch. Even the more stoic crew mbers were smiling, the spirit of camaraderie infectious.
anwhile, inside the Control and Information Centre—referred to as CIC by the crew—Lily was hard at work, poring over the ship’s route logs and navigation systems.
"Wow... I didn’t expect this," she muttered to herself, her eyes scanning the data. She tapped a few keys and then turned toward Tyler, who was seated across the room.
"We’ve been drifting away from our destination. Our destination is in southeast direction. Looks like we’re off the original route. According to our new crew mbers, Fun Streak Island lies in that direction."
Tyler, focused on a glowing holographic display showing images and stats of the mysterious island, nodded without looking up. "That’s probably because of the detour we took to avoid that Sea Titan half a month ago."
Lily stretched a little and glanced at another screen—a projection of a towering clown-like figure floating midair above the console. The image was generated by high-grade projection tech, rendering it as if the clown were standing right there in the room.
"I wonder if we’ll run into another one of those Titan Beasts again..." she mused.
Tyler finally looked up, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Most ships go out of their way to avoid Titan-class sea beasts. Engaging one isn’t cost-effective. Sure, a heavily ard vessel might take one down with advanced-grade cannons, but amount of Lydia they burn like paper for those canons—far outweighs the loot they’d get from a Titan carcass."
Lily nodded in agreent, quickly connecting the dots. "Right. But we’re different. We have your lucky cheat thingy and we don’t need to worry about Prana or Aura Stones. We’ve got them in excess."
"Exactly. But just because we can afford it doesn’t an we should go around provoking peaceful Titan Beasts," Tyler added with a small grin.
"Aye, aye, Captain," Lily replied with a salute and a smirk.
Tyler returned his attention to his screen, opening a file that had been recently uploaded by so of the newer recruits. A mont later, several pictures appeared—youthful cleavage shots of a few new female crew mbers in overly ’friendly’ poses. His eyes widened, and he quickly slamd the file shut.
"I’ll pretend I never saw that, Captain," Lily said flatly as she turned to leave, amusent dancing in her voice.
"It’s not what you think. They sent those—" Tyler tried to explain, but she was already gone.
After that, Tyler reopened the files.
---
Hours passed. The calm was broken.
From the upper decks, the White Pearl’s powerful cannons began to shift and lock onto a target. Bright blue runes—part of an intricate network of offensive arrays—flared to life both on the cannons and across the ship’s underside. The arrays glowed, drawing massive volus of water from the sea and condensing it into highly pressurized blasts.
"Fire the Hydro Cannons!" Mana shouted from the observation tower.
With a deep boom, the cannons unleashed torrents of water with incredible force. A nearby pirate ship that had foolishly tried to intercept them was struck squarely on its starboard side. The hull cracked under the pressure, sending splinters of wood and streams of seawater shooting into the air.
"Again!" Mana barked.
The cannons fired once more, shattering the enemy’s mast and sending crew mbers tumbling into the sea.
Seeing defeat was inevitable, several of the pirates pulled out glittering jade charms—Ten Thousand Miles Escape Charms—and crushed them. With a flash of light, they vanished, fleeing into the unknown.
Others weren’t so lucky. Dozens were left flailing in the sea, clinging to debris.
A nearby crew mber turned to Mana. "Miss Mana, should we capture the survivors?"
Mana watched the struggling pirates for a long mont. Her eyes softened slightly, though her tone remained calm. "No. Leave them. If fate’s on their side, they’ll survive. Otherwise, the sea will decide."
With that, she vanished in a swirl of mist.
---
Shortly after, the command crew gathered on the main deck—Tyler, Lily, Mathilda, Mana, and Darla—staring out at the horizon. In the distance, a thick pink fog curled and twisted above the sea like a curtain drawn across the world.
"Looks like we’re almost there," Lily said.
Tyler tapped his communicator. "Tuman, activate the defensive arrays."
A deep hum reverberated through the ship as glowing symbols lit up across its surface. A translucent barrier shimred to life, encasing the White Pearl in a do of protective energy.
Darla narrowed her eyes at the fog. "That mist... It’s not natural. It has traces of illusion magic."
"Expected," Mathilda murmured. "Fun Streak Island is run by a bunch of eccentric pirates. The Circus Crew. Trickery and illusions are their style."
Tyler smiled faintly. "We are just here for trade."
Tyler then glanced at Darla, who stepped forward and produced a small, polished wooden box from the folds of her coat. Then she opened it.
Tyler reached in and took out the card – Seven of Diamonds.
The White Pearl sailed steadily, and without hesitation, the ship passed through it, and the pink fog swallowed them whole.
Instantly, everything changed.
The familiar sounds of wind and water against hull vanished. The only sound that remained was the crew’s breath—shallow, quiet, cautious.
They felt like they are inside so sort of Pink Image Filter.
"The sea water..." Su Fei’s voice broke the silence, barely above a whisper. "It’s turned pink."
"Ahhh! Ghost!" Mana squealed and leapt onto Tyler, wrapping her arms around him in a sudden panic. She hadn’t seen Su Fei standing near the railing and had mistaken her sudden voice as sothing supernatural.
"You’re the ghost here!" Tyler grunted and peeled her off. With a quick flick, he tossed her aside.
Mana phased through the ship, then her head just popped out and pouted.
The sky had vanished, the sea was no longer blue, and above the ship, even the sun had disappeared. Everything was soaked in pink.
As the White Pearl glided forward cautiously, strange sights began to erge.
Gigantic skeletal remains floated on the water’s surface. So looked like the remnants of massive Titan Beasts—skulls larger than the ship itself, cracked ribs like broken pillars, and spinal columns twisted into pink seaweed-covered knots.
Suddenly, Su Fei’s fox ears perked up.
"Sothing’s coming," she whispered, eyes narrowing as she stared into the shifting mist.
All heads turned toward the direction she indicated. A shadow moved—huge, serpentine, and unnaturally quiet. Deep in the pink fog, the outline of a massive body twisted and slithered.
"That’s..." Tyler’s voice trailed off. "That’s a serpent?"
The serpent’s silhouette continued to grow until it encircled the ship. Its long, scaly body coiled around the White Pearl with an eerie grace, forming a living wall of muscle and mystery. Then, with a slow and deliberate motion, it raised its head above the deck.
No—heads.
Two massive heads erged from the mist, their fanged maws dripping with pink sea water. Their glowing pink eyes stared directly at the crew.
"It’s a Twin-Headed Sea Serpent," Lily said, her voice calm but tight.
The creature lood higher than the masts of the White Pearl, and its presence cast a shadow that made the fog feel colder.
The mont stretched. No one moved.
Then the card in Tyler’s hand—the Seven of Diamonds—began to glow. The light pulsed like a heartbeat, sending ripples of energy through the air.
The Twin-Headed Sea Serpent paused. Both heads tilted, as it they were sensing the card.
A low rumble escaped its throats—a sound neither aggressive nor friendly.
Then, without warning, the serpent turned.
With a swift motion of its enormous tail, it whipped the pink fog aside, parting it like a curtain.
A narrow path ford—straight and lined with clear, shimring light. It was like a door had been opened in the fog, revealing the sea beyond.
Tyler narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Tuman," he called into his communication device, "move the ship forward—follow the light."
"Aye, Captain." Tuman quickly replied.
Slowly, cautiously, the White Pearl moved forward. The light path shimred with every inch they crossed, and the fog around them pulsed as if resisting the intrusion. Behind them, the Twin-Headed Sea Serpent watched in silence.
As the ship neared the edge of the fog, the pink mist began to coil and twist. With a sudden whoosh, the parted fog closed behind the ship. The last thing the crew saw was the serpent diving into the fog again, vanishing like a phantom, swimming through it as though it were water.
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