Renato voluntarily dispelled Dakoul's Blessing. The black smoke swirling around him slowly receded like an ebbing tide, seeping back through the gaps in his armor until it vanished completely.
After a cautious exchange in which both sides probed each other with words, Renato learned who the other man was and what had happened.
The warrior in half plate, wielding a Wheellock Pistol and an Enchanted Saber, was named Ponce de León. He was the captain of this Three-Masted Warship.
The chain of events that had led to this scene was simple enough. The ship had planned to stop at an island to replenish its fresh water before entering the Storm Sea, and the pirates disguised as sailors had launched a mutiny during the stop, hoping to seize De Leon's ship.
The Storm Sea? Hearing a familiar geographical name, the swordsman quietly filed it away.
That raging ocean stretching beyond the continent on the map... I actually teleported somewhere this far away!
At least he had not been caught up in some unmanageable disaster. The sunlight and sea breeze lifted Renato's spirits considerably.
Although he had slaughtered every armed sailor on deck, the captain said there were apparently another seven or eight pirates below.
Yet when those thugs returned to the deck, the horrifying scene of slaughter frightened them into dropping their weapons and surrendering. They raised their hands and fell to their knees, allowing De Leon's few remaining men to bind them.
Now they huddled beside the base of the mast, their hands tied behind their backs and their faces ashen, awaiting judgment.
Renato politely declined the cup of hot tea the captain offered him. He glanced at the tightly bound pirates behind him and asked:
"Captain De Leon, how do you intend to deal with these pirates?" His gaze