They had just run into another monk-looking man from the sky islands, and—true to form—Captain Mok picked a fight with him the moment they exchanged words.
The result? Still lost.
Half of the crew was wiped out, and only about a dozen escaped with their captain.
And now, after barely reaching the next island, their captain was already itching for trouble again.
"What are you afraid of? I already checked it out. The people on this Anka Island worship peace.Everyone says this is the honest and simple Anka Island. No way any of them can fight!"
Mok growled, rousing the dozen ragged pirates around him.
"Besides… you want to keep starving?"
Grrr—No one replied—only the sound of growling stomachs.
"Then let's do it!"
The hungry subordinates gritted their teeth and decided to trust their captain one more time.
"Good. See that restaurant across the street?"
Mok stood up, straightened his tattered clothes to look a bit less like a beggar, and marched toward it with his men.
They barged inside noisily.
The interior was surprisingly refined—walls and furniture made from processed cloud that felt like animal hide.In the middle of the main hall stood a large bell for unknown purpose, similar ones scattered elsewhere in town.
Just as they were about to storm in like usual, a girl suddenly stepped in front of them.
"Heso—Blue Sea people?"
The waitress, sporting antenna-like braids and a bright smile, greeted them pleasantly. Then, realizing something, she naturally hid her hands behind her back.
"If you want to order something, please pay first. One Beli equals ten thousand Extol coins."
Behind her, a burly Sky Island man stared at them expressionlessly. The centipede-like scars across his bare chest were hard to miss.
"...Pay your grandmother!"
Mok, humiliated and furious, roared. Once, he had been a grand pirate of the Blue Sea—now he was treated like scum even by civilians.
Rip!
The sound of tearing cloth echoed as Mok's body swelled to more than twice its size. His frame expanded to nearly four meters tall, his skin sprouting coarse black-and-white fur—white along the ridge from head to tail, black covering the rest.
"Get them!"
He bellowed, extending a massive clawed hand to seize the waitress by the waist.
Her face went pale, clearly not expecting this.
"Sir… this is Anka Island. A land of peace."
The man behind the counter narrowed his eyes, voice edged with warning.
Around them, diners turned to look.
Men, women, even children—all bore, beneath their clothes, faint centipede-shaped scars.
The pirate who had first tried to warn his captain paled and instinctively stepped back a few paces.
He wanted to say something—but it was too late.
Blood boiling with violent instinct, Mok only laughed wildly.
"Peace? It's because you fools chose weak peace that I came for you! I'll kill you, eat my fill, loot this place, and rise again! Don't hate me—blame yourselves for being weak! Just like those Blue Sea trash who pretend peace makes them noble!"
"It seems… you're not guests after all. Rika, go ahead."
The man behind the counter sighed.
"Got it, Ande."
The waitress, still caught in Mok's grip, suddenly pulled a small shell from behind her back and pressed it to his chest.
Too fast—too practiced. Mok didn't even react in time.
The pink shell was dotted with tiny holes, one of which had just been pushed.
"You—"
BOOM!
The explosion tore through the hall, hurling Mok's massive body into his crew and blasting them all out into the street.
"Boss! Something's wrong!"
A surviving crewmate shouted from afar, as the bell began to toll.
The atmosphere twisted—unnerving, suffocating.
Another pirate stammered, "Boss, let's get out of here! That woman used a Sky Shell!"
"What's there to fear!?"
Mok staggered up, covered in dust, examining the singed patches of fur on his body. A hideous grin spread across his face.
"Hah! They're not like those so-called 'gods'—Anka's a peaceful island, no gods here! And they're no monks like that Urouge freak. Just two people! Boys—follow me!"
He charged toward the shattered tavern entrance.
But countless footsteps echoed from within.
The "customers" had disappeared from their seats—now they stood on balconies and rooftops all around, wearing strange smiles. There was joy in their eyes… a predatory kind of joy.
"Out of my way, or I'll paint this place in blood!"
Though a chill crawled up Mok's spine, his rage won out. He raised his claws high.
"Blue Sea man, you've made your choice. Nothing left to say."
Ande stepped forward, pulling out a long weapon wrapped in black cloth.
"You people sure stick together," Mok sneered, barely holding in his impatience.
"Wrong again, Blue Sea man."
An old man by the window spoke softly.
"You said it yourself—Anka is a land of peace, so we deserve to suffer?"
"Isn't that true?" Mok growled.
"Then you must have heard everyone call this place 'the honest and simple Anka Island.'"
The old man chuckled, lifting a weapon identical to Ande's.
"But they never told you the second half of that saying."
He tore away the black cloth—revealing a bizarre gun-like device. His loose, veined finger rested on the trigger.
At once, every "customer" in the room pulled out similar weapons, black muzzles leveling at the stunned pirates.
Their smiles matched Ande's and the old man's—twisted, exultant.
"The honest and simple Anka Island—home of the warm-hearted Sky Pirates!"
The tolling bell thundered through the clouds as if to punctuate the phrase.
BOOM!
The mixed Flame Shells and Wind Shells roared to life, pillars of fire shooting from every cloud building.
In an instant, the peaceful street turned into a burning battlefield. The explosions swallowed several pirates before they could even scream.
Mok, covered in flammable fur, barely dodged through the inferno, rolling and leaping madly.
But the relentless flames caught him anyway, blasting him through a cloud house.
Excited Anka residents poured out of the tavern, gripping their flame-guns. The bell tolled like a judgment, whispering to every ear on the island:
The appointed time has come. Forget peace—remember the bloodshed of the past!
A moment later—
Mok was hurled back out of the ruins. From within stepped a mother and child—both Anka residents, both baring savage smiles, both wielding shock-shell weapons.
They looked at Mok the way hunters look at prey.
"Damn you… your fame is impressive, but you'll never kill me! You'll lose plenty of people before that! There's no god here to protect you!"
Mok snarled, body scorched and smoking, scanning for an opening.
Dozens of enemies—no more than that. As long as they weren't those divine Sky Warriors, he still had a chance.
"Is that how you see us?"
Ande smiled broadly, eyes alight.
"Then why don't you look behind you?"
The sound of footsteps crashed like waves.
Crowds of Anka residents filled the streets, rooftops, and windows—each one with the same sharp, predatory gaze.
"Y-you… you all—!"
A shiver ran up Mok's spine, terror snuffing out his fighting spirit.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
What was this place?
He couldn't think—his Honey Badger form had little reason left, only rage.
Once again, instinct won.
"I'll kill you all!"
He lunged, a black-and-white blur tearing down the street—
Only to be swallowed by another tidal wave of flame.
BOOM!
The explosion lit the clouds.
Through the blaze, the honey-badger monster roared, ripping through the firestorm to swing his claws down—
"Die, all of you!"
"Karma—"
A massive, muscular figure burst through the crowd. His thick arm caught Mok's claws head-on.
The power made his bones creak; blood splattered from torn flesh.
"You—Urouge!"
Mok's eyes widened, his pupils reflecting the monk whose body suddenly swelled in size.
"—Retribution!"
The booming punch crushed Mok's skull inward.
Ande rushed in, ramming his flame-gun into Mok's gaping jaws and pulling the trigger.
BOOM!
The scent of roasted meat filled the air. The half-charred beast collapsed with a heavy thud.
"Thanks, Heretical Monk."
Ande exhaled in relief—though his eyes betrayed no fear.
"No need. You people… probably don't care about life or death anyway."
Urouge looked around at Ande and the others, smiling gently.
Most Sky Islands had their so-called "Gods." His own home had been a temple devoted to one.
But there were exceptions—like Anka.
This island hadn't always existed; it was formed later.
All of its inhabitants were retired Sky Pirates.
Just as sea criminals in the Blue Sea were called pirates, so were the raiders of the sky—Sky Pirates.
Men and women, young and old, once made their living by plunder. They had long since abandoned faith.
No god would ever shelter those who defied order.
Thus, Anka Island was born.
Every resident signed an agreement: they could only fight when challenged, and when the bell tolled, every soul on the island would join the battle.
When the bell rang—it was their call to arms.
Urouge didn't dislike these people.
After all, he too was a monk who had broken his vows—one who abandoned the gods and sought battle instead.
(End of Chapter)