"Rayleigh, sir!" The girl stumbled across the deck, nearly collapsing as she reached the railing. Her voice was hoarse, broken by panic. "Please, you must save that man! I saw him once at God Valley I can never forget those eyes!"
Rayleigh lifted his sake bottle and took a lazy sip, not even bothering to look up. "Oh? So that brat sent you here to find me?"
Ginny froze, stunned by his nonchalance. "He… he said you'd come to meet him. That you'd help."
A soft laugh drifted from the cabin door. Shakky emerged, a thin trail of smoke curling from the cigarette between her fingers. She leaned casually against the frame, lips curving in a knowing smile. "Little Ritter hasn't changed a bit, has he?"
Ginny blinked at her, bewildered. "Aren't you… worried at all? Mary Geoise is swarming with CP0 agents right now!"
Rayleigh suddenly chuckled, the sound deep and careless. "You said you saw us at God Valley. Then you should know better than anyone if Ritter is still alive after that, you can trust his strength."
Ginny's words caught in her throat.
Patting her shoulder lightly, Rayleigh added, "Don't worry. That kid values his own skin more than anyone else. If he wants to escape, he'll find a way."
At that moment, Ritter appeared, carrying the three young sisters in his arms as he pushed through the last of the battlefield's smoke and fire.
The harbor lay just ahead. A coated vessel waited in the shadows, its bow shrouded in a thin veil of mist. It was Rayleigh's ship, their promised means of escape.
"We're here," Ritter said softly. With a single, effortless leap, he landed on the deck.
The sisters' feet touched wood for the first time since their capture, yet Hancock hesitated. She turned back toward the distant silhouette of the Holy Land, her small hand clutching tightly at Ritter's sleeve. "Brother Ritter… what about Big Brother Tiger?"
Ritter ruffled her hair, his tone calm, almost playful. "Relax. That guy's too stubborn to die. He'll make it."
Shakky crouched in front of the trembling girl, brushing away the dirt smudged across her cheek. "Little Hancock. It's been a long time."
"Shakky!" Hancock's tears burst forth as she threw herself into the woman's arms.
Sandersonia and Marigold clung to her as well, their bodies shaking with relief. For the first time, they felt safe.
Rayleigh leaned against the railing, eyes following Ritter. "Had your fun yet?"
Ritter spread his hands dramatically. "Oh, don't be so cold, Uncle Rayleigh. You wound me. Here I am, risking my neck for someone else's family business. Honestly though? It wasn't so bad. The CP0 these days are a disappointment not a single one worth the effort."
The only reason Ritter said that last line with such seriousness was because Rayleigh's hand had drifted to his sword hilt. Definitely not out of fear. Absolutely not.
Ginny stood off to the side, her expression tangled with emotions she couldn't voice. She wanted to speak, but the words stuck. Finally, she whispered, "You really are Ritter… Mr. Dragon has always wanted to see you again. And… thank you."
Ritter waved dismissively, already sprawled across the deck as if the battle had been someone else's problem. "Don't thank me. Thank Tiger. Tonight was his show."
The ship pulled away, slipping silently into deeper waters. Their plan was simple: Tiger would leap from the Red Line and rendezvous with them at sea.
Night thickened around them, waves lapping softly against the coated hull. A small fire burned on deck. Wrapped in blankets, Ginny and the sisters drifted into uneasy sleep against Shakky's side.
Ginny alone remained awake, her gaze lost to the horizon.
Rayleigh tipped back his bottle, the firelight glinting in his eyes. "Tiger should be here soon."
Ritter lay nearby, blood mist coiling around him in quiet arcs. His eyes remained closed. "Ten more minutes. If he's not back by then…"
He trailed off. For all his bravado, even Ritter knew the stakes. On that battlefield, slaves had fought with desperation for freedom. The Marines and CP0 had fought with equal desperation to keep them bound. No one had held back.
He had seen the tide of fate twist before. Some things he could influence, some he could not. Ginny herself was proof of that.
Ginny's voice cut through the silence. "And if he doesn't make it?"
One red eye cracked open, gleaming in the firelight. "Then it means he chose the path of a hero's death."
The deck fell silent.
Suddenly
"Splash!"
Water erupted offshore. A towering silhouette broke the surface, dragging itself onto the rocks.
"There!" Hancock cried, leaping to her feet.
Tiger stumbled forward, his body torn and bleeding, but his grin was wide and fierce. Raising one heavy arm, he waved toward the ship.
"Oi, everyone! I'm not late, am I?"
They hauled him aboard, where he collapsed flat on the deck.
"Well, don't you look like hell," Ritter remarked, crouching beside him. Blood mist drifted from his fingertips to close Tiger's wounds. "Climbing the Red Line, fighting CP0, then swimming this far… really showing off the fishman stamina, aren't you?"
Tiger wheezed, then laughed loudly. "And without you holding off the strong ones, I'd have been dead ten times over!"
Rayleigh tossed him a bottle. "Enough chatter. You both did well."
Tiger gulped down the drink, then turned his gaze toward the sisters and Ginny. His eyes softened. "As long as you're safe, it was worth it."
Hancock's eyes brimmed with tears again as she threw herself onto his arm. "Big Brother Tiger! Thank you!"
For a moment he froze, then chuckled and patted her head. "Silly girl. No need to thank me. Protecting you is what a big brother does."
Shakky smiled faintly at the scene. "Looks like we'll have more guests than expected tonight."
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses, unconcerned. "No matter. There's always room at the bar."
Stretching, Ritter let his mist curl into the shape of a hammock. He flopped onto it, staring up at the first hints of dawn. A grin tugged at his lips.
"Tiger, next time you try something this reckless, don't expect me to clean up your mess."
Tiger laughed, voice booming across the sea. "Don't worry. There won't be a next time!"
But the world had already shifted.
By morning, the newspapers exploded.
No one covered Ritter's silent role. Instead, the front page blazed with Tiger's bloodied yet unyielding figure, slaves rushing toward freedom behind him.
"Fishman Hero Fisher Tiger Liberates Thousands in Mary Geoise! Holy Knights Outwitted!"
On the deck, Tiger gaped, choking on his drink as he saw his own image plastered across the headline. "Wha ! But Ritter, it was you who "
Ritter waved lazily from his mist hammock. "Don't sweat it. Being a hero looks good on you. Think of all the mermaids swooning already 'the great Hero Tiger!'"
The sisters huddled over the paper. Sandersonia read aloud in awe, "'Eyewitnesses claim Tiger defeated a hundred guards single-handedly…'"
Ritter smirked. "Perfect. Just the kind of nonsense I'd expect."
Marigold frowned. "But Ritter-nii also "
"Shh." Shakky pressed a gentle hand to her shoulder, eyes glimmering in the morning light. "Ritter doesn't care for the spotlight."
And so, as the ship slipped further into safe waters, the world celebrated a hero. A hero who laughed, scarred and bloody, yet alive.
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