Gangplank

The commotion at the Blaze Wave Tavern had already drawn the attention of passersby, but clashes between two gangs were commonplace in Bilgewater.

There was no law or order here. Strength was the key to survival.

"It's simple. Find a power stronger than you, and destroy you."

Ato lounged casually on the ground as he gave Aatrox the answer he had been desperate to know.

Aatrox froze, seemingly unable to process it. He asked instinctively, "Isn't that what I've been doing all along?"

"Not quite. For the past thousand years, you've only been wasting your time. To truly destroy you, the power would have to be at least on the same level as the source of your power. And there's no one like that in Runeterra."

"The source of my power... the Sun Disc?"

"About a thousand years ago, not long after you awoke, you fought a pair of Angel Sisters."

"That's right, in the western part of Valoran."

Aatrox had grown accustomed to Ato knowing things that only he himself could know.

"I took the servants I'd created through Blood Magic and attacked a newly founded human city. Those two... no, they weren't human. I remember the feeling. They had the power of Celestials..."

At the mention of Celestials, Aatrox seemed to grit his teeth.

"They were the strongest beings you'd encountered, weren't they?"

The greatsword fell silent again. He had wandered everywhere, causing countless terrible incidents, all to lure powerful opponents into fighting him.

But almost every "strong" opponent had ultimately died beneath the Demonic Sword of the Dark. For a thousand years, Aatrox had repeated the same cycle.

"I lost that battle. The body I'd hastily cobbled together was shattered. I thought my life was about to end, but they were powerless against my true form. They could only hurl me far away. The eternal torment continued."

Ato reminded him, "At the time, they hadn't fully awakened their Celestial power. Even if they had, its level still wouldn't have been enough. The Celestials of Mount Targon aren't true Celestials."

The greatsword jolted. "What? You mean... Myisha wasn't a Celestial?"

Ato knew why he was shocked and quickly explained, "She was the Twilight Aspect of your generation, a mortal who inherited the power of a Celestial."

"True Celestials have no physical form. They exist beyond the world, observing mortals and passing their power on to those they choose. Myisha was the mortal chosen by the Twilight Aspect itself."

When Ato spoke the almost forbidden title, the red light flickering across the greatsword quickened noticeably.

"Celestial power diminishes in the process of being passed down. The source of the Sun Disc's power, however, is beyond even the Celestials."

"As for why the Shurima Empire came to possess the Sun Disc, there were special reasons. In any case, neither the Celestials of Mount Targon nor the Demigods of Freljord can destroy you completely."

The red glow of the greatsword gradually faded.

Aatrox had fought for the Shurima Empire for thousands of years, and his long life had taught him many secrets of the ancient world.

Yet in just a few minutes, he had learned an important fact from Ato. He no longer doubted that the information was true.

"You should know, then," Aatrox asked solemnly, "what powers surpass Mount Targon?"

Ato rolled over and sat up, pointing at the greatsword leaning against a pillar. "Three."

Bilgewater was a sprawling port made up of many islands. At the highest point of one of them stood a luxurious estate, the home of Bilgeport's ruler, Gangplank.

A bedroom in the center of the estate was lavishly decorated.

Unlike the rooms of other pirates, its walls were plastered with Gangplank's latest wanted posters. The bounty below his name had reached an astronomical sum, and a large basket of fresh fruit sat on the oak table.

Gangplank crossed his legs and used a sharp knife to peel an orange. Yet his eyes remained fixed on his own wanted poster, and a powerful sense of self-satisfaction welled up inside him.

A knock sounded at the door. A thin man wearing an eyepatch pushed it open and entered.

"Captain, Shack and all the crew under the second mate's command have disappeared."

"Did I tell you to come in, Andrew? My First Mate?" Gangplank, absorbed in his own world, had been interrupted. He straightened up, and a cruel glint entered his eyes as he looked at the Dreadnought's first mate.

"Sorry for the trouble, Captain. Something strange has happened. Half a day ago, Shack told me he'd found Miss Fortune's whereabouts."

"She was at our hideout in Grayport, the Blaze Wave Tavern. Miss Fortune walked into the ambush, and we had plenty of men. Under normal circumstances, Shack should have been here by now with her head in hand, but we haven't heard from him."

"I took some men to investigate, but something was wrong at the scene."

"Hmm?" Gangplank frowned. "Then tell me, what do you mean by 'something was wrong'?"

"There was nothing but overturned tables and chairs. No bloodstains. Shack and everyone else stationed at the Blaze Wave Tavern have vanished. We can't get in touch with them at all."

"Hmph. That Sarah—one day, she'll die by my blade."

Gangplank's face twisted as he viciously sliced away half the orange in his hand.

"Captain, do you mean Sarah found our hideout and ambushed our men instead?"

"In Bilgewater today, who else besides her has the ability and the nerve to oppose me?"

"Give the order. Keep searching for Miss Fortune. If you find her, report to me immediately."

"That Shack must have wanted to capture her before coming to claim a reward from me. He paid for it with his life. I don't want to see the same thing happen again."

"Yes, Captain." Andrew bowed his head in assent.

After leaving Gangplank's bedroom, Andrew still felt that something was wrong.

"There were so many men. Even if Miss Fortune had taken them all out, why wasn't there any blood?"

He shook his head. The captain could ponder such difficult questions.

Ato swaggered through the streets of Bilgeport. No one dared approach within ten meters of him.

The Demonic Sword of the Dark floated just half a finger's breadth behind Ato.

After telling Aatrox about the three kinds of power that could destroy him, Ato absorbed the corpses left behind after Miss Fortune's death and left the Blaze Wave Tavern before Andrew's men arrived.

As Runeterra's second-largest trading hub after Piltover, Bilgeport often saw all kinds of strange people come through, including nobles from kingdoms, mages, and even Yordles.

But even the well-traveled residents of Bilgeport had never seen someone with such an unmistakably eastern face, followed by a terrifying greatsword.

Ato wandered around Bilgeport all night, the corners of his mouth lifted all night.

He loved the fantastical world of swords and magic.

As sunlight spilled over Bilgewater, he arrived at the Slaughter Docks.

This was Bilgeport's hub for the seafood trade. The stench of the sea monster Leviathan and all kinds of fish filled the air. Since the useless parts of seafood were often discarded here, the docks had become a paradise for Dock Rats.

These large rats had a mouthful of sharp teeth. If someone stumbled out of a tavern at night and passed out here after a night of drinking, the Dock Rats didn't mind occasionally getting a taste of human flesh.