Chapter Three – Okeanos, The Sea of the Sealed Finale.
"Everyone ready?!"
"Yes, Captain…"
In the middle of the boundless, blue, and turbulent ocean, a sailing ship sliced through the waves. At the bow of the ship, in a tattered, fluttering old coat, stood Deadpool. Patting Fou, who was perched on his shoulder, he roared:
"I can't hear you!"
"Aye, Captain!!"
"Yo-ho-ho-ho-o!"
Deadpool drew a cutlass from his belt and pointed at the horizon. The sailors on deck, picking up their captain's lead, burst into song:
"Across the blue, across the blue, across the turbulent waves…"
"Deadpool in Red Pants is coming for you!"
The sailors looked as if they were on the verge of starvation – skin and bones. It was no wonder, though; they were ghosts, doomed to wander the waters forever.
"A scarlet face, and eyes like pure snow!"
"Our Captain Deadpool… will frighten everyone…"
The crew showed no enthusiasm. The sailors moved their lips listlessly, mechanically and with great effort forcing out the words.
"Ghosts and zombies – best of friends!"
"Deadpool's Red Pants can never be forgotten."
Meanwhile, Ritsuka, who had somehow acquired a bandana and even put on a fake eye patch, enthusiastically joined in the singing. Mash, however, clad in a ridiculous pirate outfit, stood bewildered, as if she had swallowed a mouthful of water.
"Love and hope surge in our chests!"
"Deadpool's Red Pants are always ahead."
"And now, everyone together!"
Deadpool, who had been singing lustily at the stern, leaped onto the deck and performed a series of pirouettes, as if in the middle of a Broadway musical.
"Deadpool in Red Pants! Our best friend, Deadpool! The idol of children, Deadpool! De-ead-pool – my dear friend! Yo-ho-ho-ho!"
The short musical performance concluded with a trilling whistle.
"Maintain speed, helm to port! Scrape the mold off the deck until it shines, and you below – pump out the water, the tub is leaking!"
"Aye, Cap."
Mash was on edge. The fact that they hadn't sunk was a miracle, but the very realization of their situation was terrifying. They were sailing on a ghost ship, just like in those creepy fairy tales.
"Listen, Mr. Pool? When will we reach land?"
"Well… Judging by the compass… Oh, damn, I forgot compasses are useless here. In short, I have no idea. Wherever we dock, that's the shore. What, scared?"
Mash hastily shook her head. When they had first fallen onto this ship, Ritsuka had managed to land right on the then-ghost captain, and they had been instantly surrounded by armed dead men.
However, Deadpool, who was absolutely delighted by the fact that they had a pirate ship, had summarily decapitated the ghost captain, taken his coat and hat, and tossed the corpse overboard. Declaring himself the new commander, he had personally beaten up a couple of dozen sailors, bringing them into submission.
"Captain! Permission to report!"
"Yes, young first mate, I'm listening!"
"The crew is running out of strength."
Ritsuka, either deciding to play along or completely infected by Deadpool's madness, adjusted the bandana that was sliding over his eyes. After all, he was now a full-fledged first mate.
"Ah, the ghosts are feeling down, are they?"
Deadpool, without a moment's hesitation, drew the musket that belonged to the former captain and fired at a sailor who was scrubbing the deck in front of him. The ghost, letting out a soul-chilling scream, crumbled to dust.
"Should I halve your numbers with a snap of my fingers?!"
It's always like this with pirates. Idiots who don't understand kind words. And a single lead bullet is quite enough to train such dolts.
"We're not going to drift here forever, are we?" Mash was filled with anxiety. "The compass doesn't work, there are no maps, and for some reason, there's no communication with Chaldea either."
Okeanos, nicknamed the edge of the world, was an unknown realm. Some said it teemed with monsters, others claimed it was the entrance to Davy Jones' Locker – rumors and guesses multiplied one after another.
"Yeah, intuition really fails here completely."
"C-Captain, land ahead!"
The lookout in the crow's nest at the top of the mast had spotted something and pointed his hand in the direction of travel. It was a tiny island, with a flock of seagulls clinging to the rocks.
"What kind of land is that? It looks more like a sandcastle that children forgot in the sandbox. Is there anything bigger?!"
"Uh… The thing is…"
Suddenly, the ghost lookout turned pale. He had been a sailor with excellent eyesight in life, which was why he retained his post after death. And now he saw the small island slowly… move.
"The island is moving!"
"Merciful heavens!"
"We're doomed, we're dead!"
The dead men, contrary to their status, wailed about their impending demise. Their already lifeless faces became even paler.
"Why are you whining again? You're ghosts! If even ghosts are scared, what are we supposed to do… Damn it all!!"
Deadpool, just about to scold the crew, stopped short. Ritsuka, whose face was as pale as the dead, grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around. Only then did the mercenary understand the reason for the panic.
"T-tentacles?"
"That's an octopus… right?"
"It's a squid."
Ritsuka, Mash, and Deadpool stood frozen with their mouths agape before a giant monster that had emerged right in front of the ship's bow.
"A Kraken! The herald of Davy Jones! It's come to take us to Davy Jones' Locker!!"
A complete stampede began. The souls of the ghosts were tied to the ship: if they jumped into the water, they would instantly turn to dust.
"Better to turn to dust then!"
But most of the sailors chose that very path. Judging by their horror, Ritsuka and the others understood: Davy Jones' Locker was indeed a terrifying place.
"Hey, idiots! Since you're leaving, at least fire the cannons!"
"Go to hell!"
No one was listening to Deadpool anymore. The Kraken, meanwhile, extended its colossal tentacles, snatching the sailors who had jumped into the water one by one and devouring their souls.
"Mr. Pool! It's dangerous! The ship is about to…"
"D-damn it! My dream of becoming the Pirate King! One Piece… Ah, that's from another work."
Deadpool, almost shedding bloody tears, leaped into a small life raft.
The Kraken, having finished the remains of the ghost crew, wrapped its tentacles around the vessel and, with a powerful surge, crushed it to splinters.
"My ship! My men! My treasure! My… Ah, no, everything's intact here."
Even in his grief, he peeked into his pants, checking the safety of "the most valuable thing."
"Fou! Fou!"
"Yes, Fluffy, you're all I have left."
With a broken heart, Deadpool saluted the sinking ship, speaking of it in kind remembrance.
"And where do we go now?"
Ritsuka looked around the vast expanse of water. They were alone in the middle of the ocean. Without maps or a compass – how could they escape this trap?
"Fou! Fou!"
The little creature, sensing something, ran to the edge of the boat and began barking desperately, sniffing the air.
"Oh, you clever Fluffy! You'll be the first mate now!"
"Huh? But I was the first mate…"
"Shut up, Shanks! No one asks the guy with the injured arm!"
All that was left was to take up the oars and row in the direction Fou was pointing. However…
"Ah, my shield is in the way…"
"Wounded! Wounded all around!"
With a very displeased expression, Deadpool himself grabbed the oars.
"Well, just you wait…"
After a long and exhausting row, an island finally appeared on the horizon. This time it was substantial: with dense green forests and seagulls circling in the sky.
"Enough. We'll have to use the last resort…"
Deadpool fumbled in his pockets and – lo and behold – pulled out a boat motor. Attaching it to the stern and yanking the cord, he made the dinghy lurch forward with a deafening roar.
"Mr. Pool? Where did the motor come from? This violates all laws of logic and…"
Baring his face to the sea breeze, Deadpool muttered softly:
"Doraemon."
"Ah."
Ritsuka and Mash stared at him, feeling as if they had been hit over the head with a sack. If his strangeness hadn't been so obvious before, now he was openly acting bizarrely.
There was a feeling that an invisible wall, known only to them, had begun to crumble…
"Fou!"
Thanks to Deadpool's miracle motor, the group safely reached the shore.
"Land!"
Even though they had been on solid ground not long ago, after the Kraken attack, their nerves were frayed, so Ritsuka and Mash almost broke into a dance of joy.
"So, we're on an island. What next?"
Deadpool pulled the boat onto the sand and surveyed the dense jungle.
"First, we need to find food. Since it's an island, it's best to climb to the highest point and…"
Everyone agreed with Mash's suggestion. The search for the Grail could wait; survival was the priority now.
"Oh! There are people here?!"
"Hm?"
Hearing someone's voice, everyone turned around. A man in an unbuttoned shirt, salt-stained pants, a bandana pulled down low, and a saber in his hand – a typical pirate.
"A pirate?"
"And not a ghost…"
"A real pirate?"
The momentary silence was broken by the stranger himself:
"Enemies!"
"Hey, wait…"
Ritsuka tried to call out to him, but the pirate had already bolted.
"What are we going to do?"
"He has nowhere to run, Senpai. Which means…"
"Catch him, give him a good thrashing, and make him my slave! We'll revive the Red Pants pirate gang!"
The roar of a musket shot marked the beginning of the second act of the pirate games. Deadpool – or rather, Captain Deadpool Red Pants – with burning eyes, rushed in pursuit.
"Mr. Pool!"
"Well, I'll be, a living pirate…"
Mash and Ritsuka, sighing, followed the captain, who had already disappeared into the undergrowth with shouts, gunfire, and saber-waving.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan