Kraken VI: You Look Like You’ve Seen a Ghost

As Barbarossa shielded Lina and Skayla with his body, a thunderous war cry echoed across the sea.

“FIRE!” a woman’s voice commanded.

Hundreds of cannonballs rained down upon the Kraken, striking its enormous body.

The unexpected barrage knocked the Kraken backward and sent it crashing into the sea. The compressed-air blast flew harmlessly past the Flying Crimson and disappeared beyond the distant horizon.

Barbarossa slowly lowered his arms as tears rolled down his wrinkled face.

Lina and Skayla peeked out from behind him, equally confused.

A magnificent ship sailed alongside the Flying Crimson, its name painted across the hull: The Southern Flame.

A gorgeous orange-haired pirate woman stood proudly on the deck, watching the Kraken to make sure it remained down.

“Whoa... she’s gorgeous,” Skayla muttered in awe. “Isn’t she, Lina?”

Skayla tapped Lina on the shoulder, then turned around when she received no response.

Lina’s face had gone completely pale, and her body began to tremble.

“What’s wrong with you?” Skayla asked.

“OPEN YOUR BLOODY EYES!” Lina shouted, pointing toward the passing ship. “DON’T YOU SEE HOW FAINT THAT PIRATE AND HER SHIP ARE?!”

Skayla paused and squinted before her eyes began twinkling with excitement.

“IT’S A GHOST SHIP!” she shouted.

“N-N-No... it’s not just a Ghost Ship,” Lina stuttered.

Lina grabbed Skayla by the shoulders and forcefully turned her toward the horizon. Skayla’s eyes grew even brighter when she saw what was waiting in the distance.

Hundreds of faint ships were spread across the sea, sailing through the storm.

“IT’S A GHOST SHIP ARMADA!” Skayla shouted with overwhelming joy.

One after another, ghost ships sailed past the powerless Flying Crimson. Each captain silently turned toward Barbarossa and gave him a respectful nod before continuing toward the Kraken.

Barbarossa stood completely still, with tears continuing to run down his face.

He knew those ships. He knew those captains.

And most importantly, he knew the woman leading them into battle.

The Kraken recoiled in fear at the sudden appearance of the massive fleet.

Several tentacles struck the approaching vessels, but every attack passed harmlessly through the ghost ships.

The Kraken’s five yellow eyes widened.

“WHAT’S WRONG, YOU SLIPPERY BASTARD?!” the orange-haired pirate shouted. “YOU LOOK LIKE YOU’VE JUST SEEN A GHOST!”

She immediately burst into hysterical laughter.

The other ghost captains and their crews joined in, causing their laughter to echo across the stormy sea.

Barbarossa couldn’t help but laugh along with them. Skayla quickly joined in while Lina simply shook her head.

“I like that woman,” Skayla said with a grin. “She has a great sense of humor.”

“She sure does,” Barbarossa chuckled.

“Alright, ladies! We’ll take it from here!” the orange-haired pirate called out to Lina and Skayla. “I already know what you two have been planning, and honestly... it’s such an insane idea that I’m starting to wonder if either of you is right in the head.”

She pointed at her temple.

Lina quietly looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Skayla, meanwhile, could barely contain her excitement at being acknowledged by a ghost, especially a gorgeous female pirate captain.

“BUT! I DON’T DISLIKE IT!” the orange-haired pirate declared with a wide grin. “It’s pretty damn pirate-like, if you ask me!”

She removed her captain’s hat and tossed it toward Skayla, who caught it with both hands.

“Consider that a little investment in case you ever decide to become a pirate,” the orange-haired pirate said with a wink.

“SHE’S NOT BECOMING A PIRATE AS LONG AS I’M ALIVE!” Lina shouted toward the orange-haired pirate.

She immediately reached for the hat, only for Skayla to swiftly pull it away.

The orange-haired pirate stared at Lina for a moment, taken aback by the declaration.

“BWAHAHAHAHA!” she laughed. “Well, in that case, I hope the two of you live long lives!”

Skayla proudly placed the oversized pirate hat on her head.

“What’s your name?” she asked eagerly.

The orange-haired pirate smirked.

“MY NAME IS ANNE REED, CAPTAIN OF THE SOUTHERN FLAME!” she proudly announced.

Lina and Skayla blinked several times.

“I’M ALSO THE LATE WIFE OF THAT MORON OVER THERE!” Anne cackled.

Lina and Skayla slowly turned toward Barbarossa as he tried to avoid their gaze.

“Anyway, take care of yourselves, ladies!” Anne shouted as The Southern Flame began sailing ahead.

She suddenly pointed directly at Barbarossa.

“AND YOU! IF YOU DARE LAY A HAND ON EITHER OF THEM, I’LL MAKE SURE YOU REGRET IT!”

Barbarossa immediately stood straight.

“AYE, MA’AM!” he shouted as he watched his late wife enter the battle.

Anne laughed as The Southern Flame sailed toward the Kraken, with the rest of the Ghost Armada following behind her.

What happened next felt less like a battle and more like watching an old legend being brought back to life.

From aboard the Flying Crimson, everyone watched as cannons roared nonstop across the sea. Sailors shouted, captains barked orders, and above it all echoed the hysterical laughter of Anne Reed herself.

The ghost ships fired harpoons into the Kraken’s tentacles and began dragging it farther away from the powerless Flying Crimson. The Kraken tried pulling the ships toward its body, hoping to sink them, but every attack passed harmlessly through the vessels.

The Kraken opened its beak and began compressing another blast of air. This time, it prepared a smaller attack aimed directly at the Flying Crimson, seemingly convinced that sinking the ship would make the Ghost Armada disappear.

“YOU BETTER SHUT THAT GODDAMN MOUTH OF YOURS!” Anne shouted as the Southern Flame fired a volley of cannonballs directly into the Kraken’s beak.

The cannonballs caused the compressed air inside the Kraken’s beak to explode before it could be released. Smoke poured from its mouth, leaving the creature stunned and floating helplessly upon the waves.

“HOW DARE YOU AIM THAT STINKY BREATH AT MY HUSBAND!” Anne shouted as she leaped onto the Kraken’s body and stared directly into its central yellow eye. “THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO BARK ORDERS AT HIM IS ME!”

Anne drove her right boot into the Kraken’s eye, causing the creature to wince in pain.

Back aboard the Flying Crimson, Barbarossa felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

Anne began climbing the Kraken’s body and eventually reached her old cutlass, which remained lodged deep within its flesh.

She looked toward the storm clouds and noticed sparks of light flashing more frequently above her.

Anne gazed toward the Flying Crimson, her eyes settling on Barbarossa one last time.

“See you later,” she muttered softly.

Anne smiled and lightly flicked the hilt of her cutlass with her right index finger. A small metallic ring echoed through the storm as Anne and the entire Ghost Armada slowly faded away.

The Kraken reared up triumphantly, believing the strange enemies were finally gone. The creature’s five yellow eyes immediately turned back toward the Flying Crimson.

This time, the Kraken abandoned any thought of attacking with its tentacles or compressed air. Instead, it decided to crush the Flying Crimson beneath its sheer size and weight.

The Kraken raised its colossal body higher and higher above the sea, towering hundreds of meters into the stormy sky.

Just as its massive body began descending, a bolt of lightning struck Anne’s cutlass.

The Kraken immediately writhed in pain as electricity surged through its body.

Lightning traveled down the Kraken, jumping from one enchanted spear tip to the next.

Within seconds, all one hundred thirty-six enchanted spear tips were connected to Anne’s cutlass. They shimmered like stars in the night sky as lines of electricity formed a massive constellation shaped like a lightning bolt across the Kraken’s body.

The storm clouds erupted as a colossal pillar of yellow lightning tore through the sky and crashed down upon the Kraken. A blinding surge of electricity engulfed the monster from its head to the tips of its tentacles.

The lightning strike shook the ocean, sending large waves surging away from the strike zone.

The flash illuminated the night sky so brightly that it could be seen from the Port of Cremonia, the Port of Piraeus, and even the distant Kingdom of Eldoria.

As lightning continued to engulf the monster, Lina and Skayla smiled.

“Extreme Lightning Magic...” Lina began.

“Keraunos!” they shouted together.

The two turned toward Barbarossa and the crew members, who remained completely frozen in shock.

“That was our real plan,” they said, flashing cheerful grins.

Far away at the Port of Piraeus, a tall naval officer stood atop the mast of his ship, watching the brilliant pillar of lightning on the distant horizon.

He released a long whistle as a smile spread across his face.

“That’s Keraunos, isn’t it?” he muttered. “I wonder who pissed in your late-night cup of tea, Zenos?”

The naval officer chuckled as he continued admiring the incredible sight.