As Klee soothed it, the red light on the bomb's casing stopped flashing so frantically. It settled into a slow, rhythmic pulse, as if her words really had calmed it down.
"..."
Anya and Himawari stared, dumbfounded. Was this how the Spark Knight dealt with bombs?!
Klee pulled the bomb free of its slot and cradled it like a rather unusual toy. "There! I found all the 'bad things' that make scary noises!"
She had barely finished speaking when—
"Pirates! Pirates are here!!"
"It's Blackbeard!!"
"They're sending boats over!!"
"Prepare for battle! Everyone to the deck!!"
Shrill alarms and panicked shouts rang out from the upper deck, shattering the brief calm.
"Pirates?" Klee's eyes lit up—not with fear, but with the excitement of finding a new toy.
Anya and Himawari tensed.
The three girls raced through the passageway to the upper deck. When they emerged, the sight took their breath away:
The menacing steel pirate ship had closed to within a few hundred meters. Several speedboats had been lowered from its side, each packed with vicious-looking pirates brandishing weapons and howling as they charged toward the Peace Tour!
Farther away, cannons on the pirate ship's deck were adjusting their aim, their dark muzzles pointed straight at them.
"Wow! That's a big fish!" Far from frightened, Klee bounced with delight. She looked at the bomb nestled in her arms, then at the approaching pirate boats. Her big eyes shifted, and she smiled as an idea struck her.
"Anya, Himawari, watch this!" Klee stepped back and began to spin. "Special delivery from the Spark Knight!"
She put all her strength into the throw, hurling the bomb toward the densest cluster of pirate boats like a hammer thrower.
"Go, Jumpy Dumpty!"
The metal bomb traced a graceful arc through the air, struck the