chapter: 4 The Pirate with No Chains

“Miss, we are on The Shadow Reaper,” Kamazu said gently. “And this is our captain.”




“You’re the captain?” she said, turning her fearful eyes to Dante.




“That’s me,” Dante confirmed.




“How did I come to be here?” she asked, her confusion mounting.




“Miss, you were floating on a piece of wood in the middle of the sea,” Kamazu explained. “The captain rescued you. He performed first aid.”




The girl looked at Dante, her fear softening into gratitude. “Mr. Captain… thank you for saving me. But I have no time to waste! I have to save my sister!” She made to get out of bed, her movements frantic.




“Whoa, try to calm down, Princess,” Dante said, holding up a hand.
“Kamazu, give her some water.”




Kamazu quickly fetched a glass of water, which she drank gratefully.




“Now,” Dante said, his tone gentle but firm. “Tell us the story from the start.”




The princess looked at him, a spark of defiance in her eyes. “How do you know that I’m a princess?”




Dante smiled. “I’ll tell you when you finish your story.”
She hesitated for a moment, then gave a reluctant nod. “Okay,” she said in a low voice. “It started on my island, far to the east. It is ruled by my father, the King, Haziro Harito only daughter”




Kamazu looked surprised. “So you’re a princess, huh? Well, that’s a shock.”




Akiro shot him a glare. “Moron, did you not hear what Dante said? He called her ‘Princess’.”




“Well, I didn’t hear it!” Kamazu mumbled.




“You may continue your story,” Dante said to the princess, ignoring his crewmates’ bickering.




“Yes,” she said, her voice growing stronger. “I lived in the royal palace with my father and my cousin, Fumira Haniko.




Her parents were killed by assassins when she was five, so we grew up together. She was like my best friend and the sister I always cherished.” A shadow passed over her face.




“Six months ago, a group called the ‘Chain’s of Slaves’ attacked my kingdom. They killed my father, the king, and destroyed everything. My sister and I are the only survivors of that attack.”




“I’m sorry for asking your story,” Dante said softly.




“No, it’s fine, sir,” she replied, her gaze hardening as she fought to keep her voice steady. “I… I must overcome it. For my sister.”




“Can I ask you something?” Dante asked. “Yes.” “Are you running from someone?”




The princess looked surprised that he had guessed. “Yes,” she admitted. “We are. From the pirate, Igirin Rantaro.”




He is the leader of the Chain’s of Slaves.”




“What does he want from you?” Dante asked.




“He thought that he had killed everyone in my kingdom, but there are survivors,” she explained, her voice laced with a grim determination. “So now he’s trying to hunt us down and kill us all.”




“Well, that’s plenty of information, Princess,” Dante said, his tone shifting from gentle to something more formal. He gave a slight, theatrical bow. “I’m Dante Ichiro. The man over there is Akiro Tenson, and the man near you is Kamazu Yidorin. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?”




Akiro rolled his eyes. “Cut that out. It doesn’t suit you.”




“Akirooo!” Dante whined.




Kamazu just chuckled. “They’ve started it again.”




The princess couldn’t help but smile, a genuine warmth finally breaking through her fear. “I’m Hinata Harito,” she said. “You’re a funny crew for a group of pirates.”




“Princess Hinata, how did you know we’re pirates?” Kamazu asked, his curiosity piqued.




“Just call me Hinata,” she corrected him gently. “And I saw your flag. A skull with a scar over its left eye and two grim reaper swords crossed behind it.”




Dante looked at Akiro, confused. “Do we have a flag?”




“Yeah,” Akiro said with a smirk. “I drew it this morning.”




Before their conversation could continue, a deafening BOOM rocked the entire ship, sending them stumbling. It was the sound of a cannon firing. Kamazu, Dante, Akiro, and Hinata all rushed outside to see what was happening.




Kamazu was the first to spot it, his eyes wide with terror. “Captain!” he yelled, pointing off the port side. “There’s a ship at two o’clock! They’re the ones attacking us!”








Akiro’s face was a mask of calm calculation. “What should we do, Captain?”




Hinata looked horrified. “It’s all because of me,” she whispered, her voice filled with guilt. “I’m the reason they’re attacking your ship.”




“Kamazu!” Dante yelled, ignoring her. “Turn the ship toward them! Full speed!” He grinned, a wild, excited light in his eyes. “Why are they so happy about coming to their doom?”




“Roger, Captain!” Kamazu shouted, spinning the ship’s wheel with practiced ease.




“Akiro, come with me,” Dante said, drawing his legendary sword, Oromin. “We need to test our new blades. Are you with me?”




“Yes,” Akiro replied, drawing his own twin swords, Zinito and Shinto. “I will always cover your back.”




“No, Sir Dante!” Hinata cried out, grabbing his arm. “They are too powerful for you!”




Dante gently removed her hand. “Hinata, just sit back and watch the show,” he said with a reassuring smile. “And don’t call me Sir Dante. Dante is good.”




With that, Dante and Akiro jumped into action. As another cannonball screamed toward their ship, Akiro moved to intercept it. A black aura surrounded his twin blades as he slashed upwards, a blur of motion. There was a deafening clang of metal on metal, and the cannonball was deflected, splashing harmlessly into the sea.




Meanwhile, Dante used the recoil of the cannon fire to his advantage. As the two ships drew closer, he took a running leap, easily clearing the gap and landing on the deck of the attacking vessel. A group of pirates rushed him, their swords drawn.




“Hey, guys!” Dante said cheerfully, not even bothering to raise his sword. “I just want to talk with your captain. I have no reason to fight you.”




He easily overpowered the first few soldiers with his bare hands, disarming them with a series of quick, powerful strikes.




A loud, angry voice boomed from the ship’s quarterdeck. “Then why in the hell did you attack my men?!”




A large, imposing man with a cruel scar across his face stomped down onto the main deck. He glared at Dante, his hand resting on the hilt of a massive cutlass.




“I assume that you’re the captain of this ship?” Dante asked, his smile never wavering.
“Yes, I’m the captain of this ship,” the man snarled. “The name’s Bakr. And I’m the second-in-command of the Security Squad.”
Dante’s smile faded, replaced by a cold seriousness. “Did you give the order to attack my ship?”
“I’m the one who gave the order to destroy any pirate ship I see,” Bakr boasted.
“Well then,” Dante said, his voice dangerously low. “You are the one.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a faint, desperate cry from a cabin below the enemy deck. “Is somebody there? Please, help me get out of this ship!”




It was a female voice, and it was filled with terror. Dante’s head snapped toward the sound, his focus shifting instantly. He started to move toward the cabin door.




“Hey! Don’t you move any further!” Bakiro roared, raising his cutlass.
From the deck of the Shadow Reaper, Akiro’s voice cut through the air, cold and sharp. “And what will you do if he moves?”




“I’ll kill him!” Bakr bellowed.




“Try it, if you can,” Akiro replied, his twin blades held at the ready. “That’s not going to happen on my watch.” he jumped to the bakiro ship




“Akiro, leave him,” Dante called back, his attention now fixed on the cabin door.




As Dante neared the door, Bakiro, seeing his chance, drew a pistol and fired. But Dante, anticipating the move, was already in motion.
He drew Oromin, and the blade was instantly enveloped in the same brilliant, golden aura from the sword shop. In a single, fluid motion, he swung the sword. The blade sliced clean through the lead bullet, and with its momentum, continued on, cutting a deep gash into the deck of the enemy ship.




Dante looked at the clean cut his sword had made, then back at the stunned Bakiro. “Akiro,” he called out, a grin returning to his face. “This sword is fine. Now, we should test it with some other stronger target.”




Bakiro stared in disbelief at the deep gash in his ship’s deck. “Why did you cut the ship? Do you know whose ship this is?”




“I don’t care whose ship it is,” Dante said, his voice cold. “You tried to hurt my friends who was my family . You’re paying the price for it. Now, move aside, Bakiro. Or else I’ll cut you, just like the ship.”




Ignoring the sputtering captain, Dante kicked open the cabin door. Inside, a young girl with her hands and legs tied up was struggling on the floor.




“Ma’am, are you okay?” Dante asked, rushing to her side.




“No, I’m not fine, you moron!” she snapped, glaring up at him. “Do I look fine to you?”




Dante blinked, then a wide grin spread across his face. “Wow! You talk just like Akiro.” He knelt down and used Oromin to slice through her ropes in a single, clean cut.




“Jeez, thanks,” the girl muttered, rubbing her wrists.




Dante then called out to his friend. “Akiro! Take this girl to our ship and tell Hinata to treat her wounds. I’ll have a small talk with the captain.”




“Roger that,” Akiro replied, leaping across to the enemy deck.




“Wait, what did he just say?” the girl asked, her eyes widening as Akiro helped her up. “Did he say Hinata?” She looked at Akiro, her expression a mix of suspicion and hope. “By the way, who are you?”




“Will you shut your mouth for a few moments?” Akiro said, his patience already wearing thin.




“No, I won’t!” the girl retorted, and then let out a piercing scream directly into Akiro’s ear.




“Jeez!” Akiro winced, covering his ear. “Shut your mouth for once!”








Meanwhile, Dante was talking to Bakiro. “I forgot to tell you my name. I’m Dante Ichiro, a pirate.” He looked the security captain in the eye. “Bakiro, I have a thing to say to you. Not all pirates are as bad as you think.” With a final, confident smile, he said, “Farewell, Bakiro.”




Dante then leaped from the noble’s ship, landing gracefully back on the deck of the Shadow Reaper.




On the other ship, a soldier rushed to his commander. “Sir! What happened?”




Bakiro, still staring at the gash in his deck, finally found his voice. “The pirate’s name… is Dante Ichiro.”




The soldier’s report flew through the ranks, describing the attack and the strange power of the new pirate. Sensing the danger, the higher-ups of the Security Squad assigned the case top priority. By nightfall, they had designed a wanted poster.
They didn’t have an image, but they had a name and a crime. A bounty of 20,000 was placed on the head of the pirate, Dante Ichiro.