Rondo of the Raging Sea

According to my father, my great-grandfather was once considered the most notorious pirate across the Seven Seas. It was said that he became the richest man in the world almost overnight after taking down two of the most feared pirate crews of his time, the Blue Thunder and the Crimson Jaws. After that, his name became known throughout the seas, and he was eventually given the title of Walnut the Great, a renowned and fearsome pirate whose name was enough to make other sailors tremble.

Despite such a reputation, my great-grandfather eventually abandoned the life of piracy and chose to live a much quieter and more private life. From what my father told me, the reason was that he had already gained more than enough wealth to retire, especially for a man who was still so young. My father always said that he had been extraordinarily lucky, and perhaps he was right. Still, I may be his great-grandson, but honestly, I think it was a rather foolish decision. Why stop there when there was still more treasure waiting to be found? If I had been in his place, I would have kept sailing until there was nothing left for me to discover.

I came across the answer while reading through my great-grandfather’s diaries, which had been written almost a hundred years ago. Among all his stories of the sea, I discovered the tale of an artifact that had played a great part in making him wealthy. It was known as the Dutchman’s Compass, a mysterious relic said to possess a power unlike any ordinary compass. At first, I thought I had finally discovered the secret behind his fortune. But as I continued reading, I found something I never expected. My great-grandfather had thrown the compass back into the sea.

I could hardly believe it. I never imagined that my great-grandfather could be so crazy. According to what he wrote in his diary, the Dutchman’s Compass was extremely dangerous, especially during the Quaternary Wrathtide, a terrible phenomenon that occurred once every four years. And as I read those words, I realized something that made the whole thing even more interesting.

The next Quaternary Wrathtide was going to begin the following year.

My great-grandfather claimed that the compass was dangerous because it brought out the greed within people and drove them to pursue treasure at any cost. He believed that it could make people forget everything else in their lives once they became obsessed with what it promised them. I found that difficult to understand. After all, treasure was treasure. What could possibly be so dangerous about wanting to become rich?

What surprised me most, however, was the way my great-grandfather described himself in those old diaries. Everyone knew him as Walnut the Great, the most fearsome pirate of his time, yet the man I found in those pages seemed completely different. He wrote about fear, regret, and the dangers of the sea as though he had been some weak and frightened sailor who barely managed to survive.

It was difficult for me to believe that he was the same man whose name had once terrified entire crews.

But I am different from him. I may be his descendant, but I refuse to make the same mistake. If he had been foolish enough to give up such an opportunity, then I would not do the same. So, together with a crew of my own, we decided to begin our journey as pirates. Our first goal was simple, find the Dutchman’s Compass.

A year has passed since then, and the Quaternary Wrathtide has finally begun. The seas have become as dangerous as my great-grandfather described them, but fortune was on our side. After searching for so long, we finally managed to find the compass.

I remember the moment I first held it in my hands. For a moment, I thought nothing would happen. Then the needle began to move.

Not slowly, as I had expected, but violently and with such force that I nearly dropped the compass from my hand.

I stared at it in disbelief.

“So this is the legendary Dutchman’s Compass.”

The compass continued to shake in my hand, its needle moving wildly as though it had a will of its own.

I could not help but smile.

After all the years of searching, I had finally found it.

Now, all that remained was to see where it would lead me.

Get ready, everyone. In this new generation, I am Nottingham Godfrey, and I’m going to surpass my great-grandfather. I will become the world’s most fearless pirate and live the true pirate dream!