Nido was probably already doomed, yet the Pirate King intensified the gale instead, driving the entire main fleet swiftly through the wind and waves. The red dot representing the Wish-Granting Pot had not moved. It was still trapped where it had been.
As the Pirate King's main fleet drew closer, Mulan could feel the sea around him growing more violent. The storm was practically a projection of the Pirate King's mood.
In a sense, the Pirate King was already powerful enough for the ignorant to worship him as a god.
Rumble!
Lightning illuminated the sea. Bronski suddenly sensed something, rushed out of the cabin, and leaped onto the rim of the tallest steam funnel to gaze into the distance.
In the glare of the lightning, a lone pirate ship sailed across the sea, heading straight toward Bronski's detachment.
For some reason, the sight of that pirate ship sent a chill down Bronski's spine.
Although he could make out what seemed to be sailors working aboard it, Bronski, a nature-type Supernatural Being, could not sense even a trace of life.
Rumble-!
Lightning flashed again, and for a hazy instant, Bronski thought he saw an insubstantial, ghostly face above the pirate ship.
Crack.
The sound of something shattering came from Bronski's chest. He froze briefly, then reached down and pulled up his pendant by its cord. Carved into the pendant was a condemned prisoner bound to a post, and it was now covered in cracks.
This precious alchemical treasure, fashioned after the Holy Relic known as the Misfortune Puppet, was called the Misfortune Pendant. It could bear a certain amount of misfortune in its owner's stead. Though far inferior to the Holy Relic, at least part of its price had already been paid during the alchemical process.
At the sight of the