Location: Deck of Francis Drake's Ship, at Dawn
The sky began to be tinged with shades of orange and gold as Francis Drake's ship prepared to set sail. Her men ran back and forth, hoisting sails, securing ropes, and organizing provisions. The pirate, with her classic confident smile, gave orders from the helm.
"Come on, slackers! I want to feel the wind on my face before the sun is high! And don't forget to bring more rum this time!"
Meanwhile, Leonel, accompanied by Tezcatlipoca in his spectral form, was conversing with the other Servants in a more private circle near the bow.
"We don't have any solid leads on this Singularity," Leonel commented, looking at the map spread over a barrel. "So, we propose exploring the nearby islands. There might be some anomaly or point of magical distortion."
Tezcatlipoca, with a feline smile, nodded.
"In the absence of clear signs, the wise hunter moves and observes. Waiting is for the lazy. We will hunt for clues on the horizon."
Nero stepped forward without hesitation, placing her hand on her chest.
"If it is my Emperor's decision, then it is the right path. Forward, glory awaits us!"
Jeanne nodded serenely, her eyes shining with determination.
"I agree. Exploring may reveal the intentions behind this Singularity. Besides, we will be doing good."
Artoria, as always, was firm.
"I have no objections. As long as I am required, I will fulfill my duty."
Mash, faithful as ever, simply smiled and said:
"I'm ready to support you, Senpai."
It was then that, staggering from the stairs leading to the hold, Tamamo no Mae appeared, wrapped in a blanket, her hair slightly disheveled and an empty bottle in her hand.
"Nnnnnnnnngh... why do I feel like an elephant stepped on me...?" she murmured, rubbing her head. Seeing the group gathered and Leonel in the center, between Jeanne, Artoria, and Nero, she frowned.
"...What did I miss?"
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Drake, from the helm, laughed heartily.
"Oh, you missed the part where I offered my entire being to your dear Master~!"
"WHAAAT?!" Tamamo let out a sharp shriek that made a nearby seagull jump. Then she turned towards Leonel and quickly wrapped her arms around him, hugging him from behind and clinging to him like a koala. "Mine! This adorable human is mine! You can't just give your heart, body, and spirit to a drunken pirate, what the hell?!"
Leonel stammered.
"It's not like that! She was just joking! Or so I think!"
Nero narrowed her eyes with a somewhat annoyed expression, watching Tamamo with a mix of judgment and discomfort.
"Hmpf... a literal and figurative vixen. But... your passion is not fake. Perhaps you could compete for a place in the Emperor's heart... perhaps."
Tamamo looked at her with a challenging smile.
"Compete? Only if he needs it. I am already his spiritual wife. He just needs to accept it, nyan~."
"Don't you dare talk as if you're already the empress!" Nero snapped, a tic in her brow.
Jeanne, visibly red, averted her gaze.
Mash was already back in "statue mode."
Tezcatlipoca, amused, commented quietly to Leonel:
"And you wondered if you could keep a cool head on a mission... how naive."
Leonel just sighed.
"...Let's set sail before someone jumps overboard."
Location: Aboard Francis Drake's Ship, on the Open Sea
The sails creaked softly under the wind's push, and the sun reflected like liquid gold on the infinite waters. The ship cut through the ocean with force, leaving a white wake in its path. The atmosphere was lively: laughter, sailors' songs, the rhythmic beating of the waves, and the occasional squawk of a lone seagull.
On the bow, Francis Drake crossed her arms while gazing at the horizon. Her expression was serious for the first time since joining the group.
"There's an island... somewhat distant, but not impossible to reach. They call it 'Thunder Island.' It's a nest of pirates, smugglers, and all kinds of sea scum," she explained, turning her head towards Leonel. "But if there are rumors, secrets, or any valuable information, that's where you'll find it. Scoundrels always know more than they should."
Leonel nodded after a brief moment of reflection.
"Then let's go there. If it's an important gathering point, there are bound to be clues about what's causing this distortion."
Tezcatlipoca appeared with his crooked smile, leaning against the mast as if he were part of the ship itself.
"Ah, dens of criminals... such beautiful places where truths and knives cross paths. I like it."
Mash was consulting Chaldea's portable radar, although there were no anomalous readings at the moment.
"There are still no direct signs of magical distortion, but those kinds of places are often strategic points in Singularities. It could fit."
Jeanne approached the helm, her hair waving in the wind.
"May God guide us through safe waters... though it doesn't seem like this is that kind of journey," she said with a slight smile, resigned to the adventure.
Nero settled on a nearby barrel, taking a sip of wine Drake had offered her before departure.
"Oh, how exciting! Pirates, taverns, and hidden secrets! My Emperor will shine even among thieves!" she proclaimed proudly, throwing a challenging look at Tamamo.
Tamamo, hugging Leonel's arm, pursed her lips.
"Just make sure you don't shine too much... I don't want a pirate to stash you in her hold like a lost treasure, understood, Master~?"
Artoria, standing by the main mast, watched the horizon with serenity.
"I will remain vigilant. A place like that can become dangerous in an instant."
Drake laughed at the warning.
"Don't worry, guys. As long as I'm in command, no one will touch this ship... nor its passengers. Though I can't guarantee they won't try to swindle you on dry land."
With a loud whistle, Drake gave the order.
"Set course for Thunder Island! And may the seas bless us with steady wind!"
The sails billowed with force and the ship turned slightly, marking a new course. Hearts beat with strength and expectation. The salty breeze, the promise of danger and discoveries... everything indicated that the real adventure was just beginning.
Location: Aboard Drake's Ship, Mid-Afternoon
The sea wind was warm and salty, and the sky began to be tinged with soft orange hues as the sun slowly descended. On the ship's deck, Leonel, Nero Claudius, and Tamamo no Mae walked calmly while observing the ship's structure.
Nero walked beside Leonel, her hand firmly intertwined with his. She wore a haughty but gentle smile and kept looking at her "Emperor" with tenderness. Her fingers played with his almost instinctively.
"Ah, what a magnificent stroll. The sea, the wind, and you, my dear Emperor!" she said, turning to give him a slight pull and move a bit closer. "Isn't this a scene worthy of a painting?"
Leonel let out a soft laugh, already quite accustomed to the empress's spontaneous affection.
"I won't deny it, Nero. It's... pleasant," he replied sincerely, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.
A few steps behind them, Tamamo watched them with an expression that shifted from surprise to growing annoyance. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes with evident jealousy.
"But what is this...? An official romantic walk and I'm not invited?" she complained in a dramatic voice, quickening her pace to catch up with both. "Master! That's not fair!"
Leonel turned towards her, a bit confused by her sudden annoyance.
"Huh? What thing?"
Tamamo crossed her arms.
"I want to walk hand in hand with you too! It's not fair that this exhibitionist empress gets special privileges!"
Leonel became visibly nervous. He glanced sideways at Nero, expecting a possessive comment, a rejection... any sign of drama.
But to his surprise, Nero simply smiled with superiority... and confidence.
"Fufu~. Why not? If she wishes to take the Emperor's hand, so be it," she said with an air of royalty, glancing sideways at Tamamo. "Though, of course, don't expect to take first place so easily, little fox."
Tamamo, far from being offended, smiled with a mix of pride and joy.
"That's enough for me for now~! Master, give me your hand, come on!"
Leonel sighed, a bit overwhelmed, but couldn't refuse. He extended his other hand to Tamamo, who took it enthusiastically and squeezed it as if she never wanted to let go. The expression of happiness on her face was pure.
"Eeeeeh~ ♥ How warm! Now I see why Nero is so hooked on you, Master~!"
Leonel, now trapped between both, could only look ahead while feeling the warmth of both hands and the weight of two hearts beating strongly on either side. He tried not to think too much about what would come later.
"This is going to get complicated... isn't it?" he murmured to himself, though not with displeasure.
The two girls, an empress and a kitsune, simply laughed softly as they continued their stroll. The sunset enveloped the scene with golden tones, as if the world approved of this new, chaotic harmony.
Location: Aboard Drake's Ship – Several Days After Setting Sail
The sea journey had been relatively calm, though the atmosphere aboard Francis Drake's ship was anything but quiet. The legendary pirate kept everyone lively, and her men were not far behind. Food, rum, and laughter were the daily bread.
Leonel, however, had begun to understand what it meant to be the center of attention... but not by his own will.
"And I tell you, no man has been more worthy than my beloved Emperor~!" Nero exclaimed, a glass in one hand and a rose in the other, standing on a wooden crate as if it were an improvised stage. Her theatrical voice echoed across the deck before a dozen pirates who were already half-drunk.
Leonel, sitting in the back, covered his face with a hand.
"Why again...?"
"He is noble, handsome, brave, and so strong that even the gods would envy his gallantry! And his smile! Ah, that smile could conquer empires!"
The pirates roared with laughter as they pointed at him.
"Hey, Leonel! We didn't know you were the 'Emperor of Love'!"
"So you conquer hearts as well as enemies, huh?!"
"Tell us, lad! How many wives do you have already?"
Leonel raised his voice, somewhat embarrassed.
"They're not wives! And I'm not conquering anything either!"
"Oh, but you should~!" interrupted a seductive voice.
It was Tamamo no Mae, who approached wagging her tail coquettishly, her ears trembling with joy. With a mischievous smile, she approached from behind Leonel, sliding her arms over his shoulders and resting her chin on his head.
"I'm available too, you know. If you treated me like Nero... you could have an adorable, sweet, and very... dedicated~ wife."
Leonel swallowed. The pirates burst into even more scandalous laughter.
"Another one?! This guy is a real casanova!"
"Drake, it's not your ship anymore, it's Leonel's harem!"
Drake, who was drinking with the men, simply raised her jug.
"As long as they don't break anything, let them have their romantic comedy in peace! Hahaha!"
Mash, sitting nearby, pretended to read some documents about the ship's course with Jeanne, though her eyes kept drifting towards Leonel every few minutes. She watched him laugh nervously, reluctantly accepting Tamamo's affection, and how his expression softened a bit each time she approached him.
Mash pressed her lips together, her expression hardening. She had been about to approach several times during the journey... but every time she thought of saying something, someone else beat her to it.
"Tsk..." she muttered to herself. "Why are they always clinging to him...?"
Beside her, Jeanne d'Arc remained silent, but her fingers gripped the cross around her neck tighter than usual. Her gaze had also been on Leonel. On how he smiled. On how he listened. On how his presence was warm, comforting... too comforting.
"No... I shouldn't be feeling this..." she thought to herself, with a tremor in her heart. "It's impure... it's not right..."
She tried to ignore that inexplicable warmth in her chest, but it was getting harder each time.
Meanwhile, Leonel, amidst laughter and friendly shoves from the pirates, was beginning to accept the inevitable. Tamamo was not just a fun girl. She was sweet, sincere, and... as much as he tried to deny it, he was starting to like her. Sometimes he caught himself looking at her when he shouldn't and found himself responding with small gestures: a caress, a smile, a gaze that lasted a bit longer.
But it wasn't the time to make decisions. Not yet.
Thus, under a starry sky and the constant sway of the waves, Leonel walked the deck accompanied by two spirits as different as they were passionate. And though his heart hadn't decided yet... it was beginning to beat stronger than ever.
And meanwhile, Artoria, serious and firm, kept her turn at the helm, watching the horizon, oblivious to the entanglements of the heart burning on the rest of the ship.
Location: Deck of Drake's Ship – Dawn
The morning mist began to dissipate as the sun slowly rose on the horizon. The sky, tinged with shades of orange and gold, offered a dazzling view... but not as striking as the figure emerging ahead.
There, like a floating bastion of chaos and freedom, rose a huge island-port, surrounded by ships of all types and sizes. Armed galleons, frigates covered in nets, strange vessels with impossible masts, and even floating structures that couldn't be classified as mere ships. The sound of the bustle reached them even at that distance: voices, shouts, music, and occasional cannon blasts echoing among the nearby cliffs.
"There it is," murmured Drake, leaning on the railing with a confident smile. "Freedom Island, the floating city where no one rules... and everyone rules."
Leonel, leaning beside her, squinted his eyes with caution.
"That's our destination?"
"The first of many." Drake turned to him and the rest of the company. "Listen up, boys. This island is not like any place you've seen before. Only pirates can set foot on it. That means while you're with me, you have free access... but if you separate, you'd better act as if you've been in the trade for years."
Mash raised her hand, worried.
"What kind of things happen there?"
Drake laughed with a hoarse, amused chuckle.
"Do you want the soft version or the real one? Here's the real one. On this island, you can find everything from shipyards repairing cursed ships to workshops selling cannons capable of blowing a dragon in two. There are bars and taverns to get drunk enough to forget your name, and houses... well, pleasure establishments for every taste and orientation."
Jeanne frowned with disgust, while Mash lowered her gaze, visibly uncomfortable. Leonel let out a low whistle, both fascinated and disturbed.
"Wow... that sounds like... everything my mom told me to avoid."
"And yet, I'm sure you'll love it," added Nero, taking his arm with a smile. "A place full of chaos, lust, and fire. Perfect for a romantic adventure with my emperor!"
Tamamo, not wanting to be left behind, clung to Leonel's other arm with a playful look.
"Oh, yes~! We could 'get lost' for a while there, don't you think, Leonel-sama~?"
Leonel, trapped between them, almost tripped from the shock.
"Now is not the time for that!"
Drake burst out laughing.
"You all are quite a spectacle. But hurry up. Once we dock, it's best not to stay still for too long. You can get information, maps, equipment... and maybe hear rumors about anomalies in the sea. And be careful: rumors travel faster than bullets."
As they approached, the island revealed more details: improvised cranes made from sea creature bones, trading posts, pirates armed to the teeth, mermaids trapped in golden cages singing sad melodies, and a huge sign nailed to a giant mast that read in faded letters:
"Welcome to Thunder Island. Here, the only law is survival."
Leonel swallowed.
"This is going to be crazy..."
"And that's why it'll be unforgettable," whispered Tamamo, hugging him tighter.
"A madness worthy of the stage of Rome!" added Nero, excited.
Mash only glanced at them sideways, her chest tight with something she didn't know how to express.
Jeanne crossed her arms, murmuring quietly:
"This isn't right... but then, why do I feel like I want to stay close to him?"
Meanwhile, from atop the mast, Artoria watched silently, the wind waving her cape. Her expression was serious, determined. She knew that within that island, something would test them. All of them.
Location: Main Harbor of Freedom Island – Noon
The dock's wood creaked as Leonel's boots touched solid ground. After several days at sea, the sensation was strange... but not as strange as what was before his eyes.
The main harbor was living chaos.
People of all classes, races, and species walked disorderly across the docks. Pirates with tattoos covering their entire bodies, women in extravagant outfits or barely any clothing, merchants shouting impossible prices, and drunken sailors sleeping on barrels. The air smelled of salt, gunpowder, alcohol... and sin.
Behind him, Mash, Jeanne, and the other girls watched with discomfort. Tamamo smiled with feline amusement, while Nero looked at everything with the enthusiasm of an empress facing a new empire to conquer.
"Welcome to Thunder Island," Drake said, stepping off her ship as if she were a queen without a crown. "Here, everything is permitted... as long as you have the power or the gold to pay for it."
They had barely taken a few steps along the dock when a dry shot was heard.
"BANG!"
Everyone turned instantly.
About twenty meters away, a man fell to his knees with a hole in his chest, his blood staining the wooden planks of the floor. Around him, a group of rough pirates applauded and whistled, while another man proudly raised his pistol into the air.
"I said it was mine, damn it!" the killer yelled, cleaning his pistol with his coat. "Whoever argues with me ends up the same!"
Mash shuddered and instinctively moved closer to Leonel. Jeanne frowned with disapproval.
"Is no one going to arrest him?" the saint whispered.
Drake huffed.
"Arrest him? Here, if you can't defend your point with a sword or a bullet, you're worthless."
A few steps ahead, a woman dressed like a bunny, with fake ears and torn stockings, was being dragged with laughter by a muscular man towards a building with red lights and a marquee that read "The Burrow of Sin." No one intervened. In fact, some applauded.
"Is that...?" Leonel asked, with a mix of anger and shock.
"Yes," Drake confirmed without looking at him. "Pleasure houses. Some girls are there by choice... others, not so much. And no, boy, we can't change that. There's only one rule on this island: the strongest rules. And those who aren't... survive as they can."
Tamamo lowered her gaze for an instant, serious. Even Nero stopped smiling for a few seconds.
"Let's go," Drake continued, more firmly. "Our contact is further in, in a house where information is the most valuable currency. Don't speak unless asked. And watch your pockets... and your throats."
The crew advanced along a dusty, crooked street, surrounded by buildings that seemed to stay upright only by divine will. Some were taverns filled with shouts and laughter; others, dark shops selling weapons, talismans, cursed objects, or worse things.
Every now and then, a laugh turned into a fight. An insult into a duel. And always, death was part of the landscape.
At the end of the street, a discreet house with no signs awaited them.
A black wooden door. Windows with closed curtains. Guards at the entrance with rifles and cold gazes.
"Here it is," Drake announced, crossing her arms in front of the door. "Get ready to hear things you won't want to know... but that you need to."
Leonel swallowed.
He knew he was entering a world without rules... but nothing had prepared him for this.
And it was only the beginning.
Location: Inner District of Freedom Island – Information House
The group walked in silence, their senses on high alert. Leonel, Drake, and company had already witnessed more horrors than they expected in such a short time.
A corpse thrown in an alley, its blood still fresh; a man sleeping face down in a barrel with a broken bottle between his fingers; muffled cries of pleasure and pain could be heard from nearby pavilions, where red lights flickered like fireflies of hell.
"This place is like a lawless purgatory..." murmured Mash, pressing her shield to her chest.
Drake said nothing. She walked with a firm step, accustomed to this kind of environment, without turning to look at the horrors. Nero simply frowned, and Tamamo had stopped smiling. Even Jeanne had her lips pressed in silent piety.
Finally, they stopped in front of a discreet building, with a gray facade and no windows. A sign hung crookedly over the entrance, with blurred letters that read:
"What you know is worth gold. What you ask costs double."
Drake pushed the door open.
Inside, the light was dim, the atmosphere thick with smoke and the smell of old paper. In the back, behind a desk piled with maps, notes, and coins of various types, a thin, bald man with round glasses and a cynical smile greeted them.
"Drake... Always a pleasure," the man said, without getting up. "Do you bring gold or just hopes?"
"I bring gold and a question, Ludger," Drake replied with that mix of authority and cunning. "We're looking for information about strange phenomena. Sightings, inexplicable events... things that don't have an explanation even in this madhouse."
Ludger laughed softly, a hollow laugh like bones clattering.
"I've heard things, yes. Seen some others. There are islands, a small archipelago two weeks from here, to the east-northeast. People talk about lights in the sky, ships appearing and disappearing, monsters that shouldn't exist..."
He stopped and extended his hand.
"But that's all I can say... without the corresponding payment."
Leonel frowned, but Drake raised her hand to calm him.
"You know how things work, Ludger," she said firmly. "Information first, then payment. We're not fools."
The informant sighed, knowing arguing with Drake wasn't worth it. When he saw her pull out a bag of coins, his smile returned.
"Alright, alright..."
—he pulled out a wrinkled map from one of the drawers and spread it on the table—. "These islands, here," he pointed with an ink-stained finger. "They don't appear on official maps. And if you sail carelessly, you might never leave. The currents are treacherous, and what lives there... well, that's another story."
Before they left, Ludger raised an eyebrow and added, as if thinking of it at the last moment:
"One last gift, in the name of old times, Drake...
There have been sightings of ships believed destroyed, some with flags that were burned by the Government years ago.
One of them... they say bore the mark of Blackbeard."
Leonel stopped.
"Blackbeard? The one executed years ago?"
"So they say." Ludger smiled with that twisted smirk. "Of course, they could be imitators, ghosts... or just rumors. But around here, rumors tend to kill more than cannons."
Drake gave a nod, without thanking. She already had what she wanted.
"Let's go," she ordered.
Leonel took one last look at the map, engraving the information in his mind. Then, he followed the others, leaving behind the stench of smoke, death, and secrets.
One thing was certain: what they were about to face was unlike anything they had seen before.
Location: Port of Freedom Island – Just Before Setting Sail
The air in the harbor was heavy with salty humidity and the distant echo of out-of-tune songs from the taverns. Drake and her crew already had everything ready to set sail, the sails unfurled and the cargo secured. All that was left was for everyone to board.
But before taking the first step onto the gangway, a raspy voice interrupted.
"Halt right there, pretty ones!" a man shouted from atop a pile of crates.
A group of pirates, at least twenty of them, now stood between them and their ship. They looked filthy, armed with rusty machetes, flintlock pistols, and smiles rotten from cheap rum.
"That ship looks very nice... and you ladies, even nicer," laughed the one who seemed to be the leader, a huge man with a hat stolen from some captain of better reputation. "Hand over everything and no one gets hurt... though some, heh, will get special treatment..."
Drake sighed, not even feigning concern.
"Idiots. You have ten seconds to run."
Nero clicked her tongue, drawing her sword with theatrical grace.
"Really? They interrupt our departure for this? They have such a poor sense of drama!"
Artoria stepped forward, her sword already ready.
Mash raised her shield, firm.
Tamamo sharpened her claws with a disturbing expression.
Leonel simply adjusted his gloves.
And then, without a single further word, the fight erupted.
The pirates didn't stand a chance.
In less than two minutes, the dock was a field of chaos.
Nero moved like a dancing flame, her laughter mixing with screams.
Drake fired her custom musket while hitting with an empty bottle anyone who dared approach.
Tamamo used her spells to put several to sleep with a wave of pink energy that smelled of flowers, though with devastating effects.
Mash repelled attacks with perfect precision, while Leonel covered the flanks with movements learned from his companions.
Artoria, impassive, struck down her opponents with each blow as if they weighed nothing.
Minutes later, all the pirates were unconscious, bruised, and piled up by the crates as if they were merely defective cargo.
Drake, laughing, crouched to check the pockets of the defeated.
"Rule number one at sea: if you lose, you lose everything."
—She pulled out a good bag of coins, some ornamental pistols, and even an old map she kept for later—. "Thanks for the contribution, gentlemen."
And without further delay, they boarded and set sail, leaving behind Freedom Island and its nightmares of flesh, desire, and blood.
["Shared Repose"]
Location: Leonel's Cabin – Night, on the Open Sea
That night, the wind was gentle and the ship rocked peacefully under a starry sky. But the calm of the sea couldn't erase the images they had witnessed on solid ground.
Nero was the first to seek him out.
She entered without permission, as was her custom, though her expression was different. Less vanity, more vulnerability.
"That place... was a reflection of what men can be at their lowest form," she said, as she let the light armor she wore on top fall.
Tamamo appeared shortly after, in silence. She slipped in like a soft shadow, hugging Leonel from behind without a word.
He didn't ask anything, simply wrapped both of them in his arms.
There was no need for words.
The wounds of the soul aren't always healed with swords or spells.
Sometimes, only the warmth of another body, the closeness, the shared sigh, could bring comfort.
Nero rested her head on his chest, seeking security.
Tamamo played with Leonel's fingers, entwining them with hers, seeking calm.
There was no excessive desire, no wild passion that night.
Only tenderness, restraint, and companionship.
And so, the three slept together, sharing the warmth of a cabin where, for a few hours, the outside world couldn't reach them.