Fate stood aboard the Koruzan ship with the freed slaves as they watched the island sink into the ocean. The roar of collapsing earth echoed across the sea, waves crashing violently against the ship's hull. The deck shook as if the ocean itself shared the pain of the fallen land.
Fate's eyes searched the horizon anxiously. Then, there they were Kate and Shingo running toward the ship, Yamato still unconscious on Shingo's back. Relief flooded his chest.
"They're here!" Fate shouted.
Shingo leapt onto the ship's deck with Kate close behind, laying Yamato gently down near the bow.
"Let's go!" Shingo ordered, his voice rough from exhaustion.
One of the former slaves, who had once been forced to pilot ships for the Koruzans, grabbed the controls and set course away from the collapsing island. Behind them, the once-feared island, where they had been imprisoned for more than two decades, crumbled and vanished beneath the waves.
Cheers erupted from the slaves. Tears streamed down faces that had forgotten the taste of freedom. Some fell to their knees, clutching the rails as if afraid it was all just a dream.
But the celebration was short-lived.
Fate and Shingo both collapsed at the same time, falling to the deck with heavy thuds.
"Shingo! Fate!" Kate yelled, rushing to them. She turned to the others, her voice trembling but firm. "Find any medical supplies, quick! Bring them to the sick bay!"
The slaves hurried, carrying Yamato, Shingo, and Fate to the ship's small infirmary. Skilled slaves who once served as medics tended to their wounds, cleaning burns, wrapping bandages, and checking pulses.
Hours passed before silence fell. Only the hum of the ship and the gentle waves could be heard.
Then, Yamato dreamed.
He found himself standing in a dark, endless void. Mist swirled around him. In the distance stood a man wearing a mask, motionless.
"Who are you?" Yamato called out, his voice echoing in the emptiness.
The masked man tilted his head slightly and smiled beneath the mask. "I'm you… young man."
Yamato's eyes widened. He reached out instinctively, his hand trembling. "Wait.... !"
But before he could reach him, the man faded away into the mist. Yamato screamed, his voice lost in the void,
and his eyes snapped open.
He was breathing hard, tears streaming down his face. He was back on the ship, lying in a bed. Shingo and Fate were beside him, awake but weak, staring at him curiously.
One of the medics who had been tending to their wounds gasped when she saw Yamato sit up. She quickly ran out, shouting, "Everyone! Yamato and his crew, their saviors, are awake!"
The sound of footsteps thundered down the hall as the freed slaves and Kate rushed in, their faces glowing with joy.
Kate stepped forward, eyes soft with relief. "Thanks to you and your squad, all our lives have been spared."
But Yamato's face didn't share their happiness. He looked away, his thoughts darkened by Draken's final words.
Shingo, rubbing his head, asked groggily, "How long… have we been out?"
One of the slaves replied, "It's been two days."
"Two days?!" Yamato, Shingo, and Fate exclaimed in unison.
Kate giggled quietly, covering her mouth with her hand. "Yeah… two whole days."
"Damn it, can't believe we were that tired," Shingo muttered, rubbing his temple.
A little girl, five, maybe seven, toddled in with a small woven bouquet and held it out to Yamato. At first he looked surprised. Then his face softened; he took the flowers gently and rested a hand on her head.
"Thanks so much," he said, smiling. The girl grinned and ran back to her mother.
"All right, everyone, head out," Kate called, guiding the freed slaves toward the ship. A few young women slipped shyly forward, pressing folded love letters into Yamato, Shingo, and Fate's hands as they passed. Kate smiled, but the weight behind her eyes never left. Still, she kept moving.
Yamato lingered near the doorway as the last of the crowd climbed aboard. He called out before Kate could walk away.
"Thanks for taking care of us when we were in bad shape," he said. "I want you to join us, be a bounty hunter."
Kate froze with her hand on the door and turned slowly. Her expression was unreadable.
Shingo barked, "Are you insane? You trying to send her to her grave or what?!" Fate nodded sharply beside him.
Kate blinked, confused. "Really?" she asked, searching Yamato's face.
Yamato smiled softly, closing his eyes for a moment. "Come on, Kate. You'll be fine. Besides…" He paused, looking down at his hands. "Your dad put you under my care." Then he looked back up, his grin sharpening. "And your lightning, you've already awakened it."
Shingo and Fate practically exploded in unison. "W–WHAT?!" Their voices echoed off the deck's rails.
"Remember when you screamed and passed out?" Yamato said. "Lightning tore across the whole island. I thought I was hallucinating, but it was real. You have your sister's lightning ability. I'll train you to use it with Senkai."
His grin turned teasing as he jabbed a finger toward Shingo. "And I'm doing it for Shingo's sake too, seems like he's into you."
Kate's face turned scarlet. The blush spread all the way down her neck before she dropped to her knees, speechless and flustered.
Shingo leapt at Yamato, kicking him straight off the bed. "Hey! Don't drag me into this, you bastard!" he shouted, face burning with embarrassment.
Yamato only laughed, a soft, amused sound as he rolled away. Fate and Kate broke into laughter too, the tension melting into sunlight and laughter.
Kate glanced at Shingo, still smiling, and for a brief, quiet moment the worry in her chest eased. The air between them felt warm, like the calm after a storm.
Back on the already destroyed island, a Koruzan warship cut through the mist and anchored at the edge of the sinking land. From it, five Super Tag Force officers stepped out, three from the Second Core, and two from the Third.
Among them was Asami, captain of the Third Core, and Yamato's former classmate from the Academy of the Gifted. Her sharp eyes scanned the desolate horizon; the once-proud island was now nothing but broken stone and drifting ash.
She turned to her lieutenant. "Mr. Muri… are you certain this destruction was caused by the Six Eyes and Draken?"
"Yes, Captain," Muri said, bowing deeply. "Every trace of energy and residual force matches their signatures. The devastation is far beyond what anyone else could cause."
The wind howled across the wasteland, tugging at their cloaks. Muri lifted his head, his expression grim. "Each part of the island is scattered… some sections may have already sunk beneath the ocean."
Asami's gaze lingered on the ruins. A flicker of sadness crossed her face as her hand rose to the small necklace hanging around her neck, the one Yamato had given her years ago.
"Yamato…" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind. "Are you really this strong now?"
After a long silence, she straightened, her composure returning. "Spread the news to every Koruzan headquarters across the world," she ordered firmly.
Within minutes, information reached the Global Publishing Division of the Koruzan. Inside a towering office, the director slammed a folder on the desk. "Everyone, start writing! Get this out to the public immediately!"
One of the editors hesitated. "Sir, what do we say about the Six Eyes? If the public learns he's been reborn… it could cause panic."
The director adjusted his glasses, his tone cold but sharp. "Then don't mention the Six Eyes. Report him as Yamato Ishida! not as a figure of fear, but as a man."
At the same time, the story spread through bounty hunter headquarters across the continents. By nightfall, every news outlet in the world was carrying the same headline:
Draken defeated - the rise of Yamato Ishida.
Far away, beneath the quiet glow of the stars, the old Shaman stood on a cliffside, the wind whipping through his robes. A small smile touched his lips.
"Finally," he murmured, looking to the horizon. "Some real action."
Meanwhile, aboard the ship drifting gently across the dark sea, Yamato and his crew rested peacefully, unaware that the entire world was now speaking his name.
Inside the Koruzan ship where Yamato, his crew, and the freed slaves rested, the air was alive with preparation. The slaves searched every corner of the ship rooms, storerooms, and visitor inns gathering drinks and food to celebrate their long-awaited victory. By evening, laughter echoed through the halls as they began cooking and setting up a feast.
Meanwhile, Yamato and his crew; Shingo, Fate, and Kate, were still in the recovery room, bandaged but alert, their conversation turning serious.
"Draken's power…" Shingo began, leaning back on his chair. "What do you think of it, Yamato? Is it some kind of natural-type ability? I mean, he used muscle and raw strength like a beast."
Yamato shook his head. "I don't think so. He mentioned Titan's Vein. That sounds like a beast-type ability, maybe something far beyond human limits."
Fate snorted with a small laugh. "Ha ha… that makes sense. His strength was insane, I'll give him that."
Yamato looked down, eyes fixed on his legs. He stayed quiet for a while until Kate asked softly, "What's wrong, Captain?"
His gaze sharpened. "But… Soske Chichu gave him that power. How is that even possible? I thought only Sakamoto could do that."
Fate folded his arms. "Well, we'll find out when we meet him in person."
"Yeah, right…" Yamato muttered, forcing a smile as he scratched his hair, but deep down, his mind wandered to the dream of the masked man.
Shingo frowned. "Do you have any connection to Soske? Because when Draken mentioned his name, you screamed like someone who's been betrayed before."
"Ohh, right," Yamato said slowly. "Soske was my history teacher at the School of the Gifted."
"What?!" Shingo and Fate yelled at once.
"Yeah," Yamato said again, scratching his head awkwardly. "He was the closest teacher I had. But the last time I saw him, he showed up dressed as a bounty hunter and destroyed our entire school." Yamato's voice hardened. "He sent assassins to kill, kidnap, and torture us. It was that same day my Blue Eyes awakened."
Silence filled the room. Shingo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… I don't think any of this is coincidence. As a Super Tag Force investigator, my gut says this is a setup, a big one."
Yamato sighed. "There's more. He goes by a new name now, The Unknown."
The room froze. Shingo and Fate's eyes widened; even Kate trembled.
"No way… that guy?" Shingo muttered.
Fate clenched his fists. "The 30-million bounty hunter who kills just for fun?!"
Kate's hands shook uncontrollably, her breathing shallow. "My father told me stories about him. When he was young, ten Adams couldn't stop The Unknown, even with a Koruzan Core backing them. I heard his power exceeds Draken's… fivefold."
Yamato's heart sank as he looked at their reactions. His eyes dimmed, faintly glowing blue in the quiet.
After a long pause, Kate raised her trembling hand. "Umm… Captain Yamato, why did you build this crew in the first place?"
Yamato exhaled deeply. "That's a long story," he said, and after a few minutes of explanation, Kate finally understood everything.
She frowned. "If we're going after Sakamoto, the creator of this new era… isn't that going against the law?"
Yamato smiled faintly. "Maybe. But that's what bounty hunters do. We chase the truth, even when the world calls it rebellion. I'll bring this world to its senses, one way or another."
He scratched his neck, eyes softening. "Honestly, I didn't have the motivation before. I just wanted to enjoy my power… be famous, the strongest bounty hunter alive. But after saving you all from that island, and seeing the betrayal that Shingo and Fate suffered, I realized something. I can't just live for myself anymore. I have to help change this world."
Shingo smiled, eyes closed, a quiet tear escaping. Kate's own tears welled up before falling, her heart warm with pride.
Then, a small sniff came from beside them.
Fate was crying, loudly. "That… that was a beautiful speech, fam. I'm sorry, I can't help it!" He kept wiping his face dramatically.
Yamato, Shingo, and Kate all turned to him with the same deadpan look.
"Yea… whatever," Fate sniffed, then suddenly brightened. "So! What should our group name be? You know.... every bounty crew needs one!" He raised his hands excitedly. "I suggest The Steel!"
Shingo groaned, looking away. "Tsk… that's lame, dude. I say The Demons."
Fate shot up instantly. "Yours is lamer than lame! 'Demons'? You just said that because your powers look demonic!"
They both slammed foreheads together, growling like kids.
Yamato chuckled softly. "Ha ha… alright, enough. Let our newest member decide." He looked at Kate with a teasing grin.
Kate blinked, blushing. "If you insist… then I'll say The Legendary. To prove a legend once lost to the world."
The room fell quiet for a moment, then Shingo and Fate grinned.
"I'm good with that," Shingo said.
"Same here," Fate added.
Yamato smiled, his blue eyes gleaming faintly. "Then it's settled. With this name… we'll conquer the world."
Shingo, Fate, and Kate raised their fists and shouted together, "Right!"