Chapter Three: Okeanos – The Final Limit of the Blockaded Sea.
"Sister! Ships are visible in the distance!"
The miraculously surviving crew of the "Golden Hind" finally managed to catch their breath: the vessel leveled out, allowing people to recover and restore order.
"Kh! Kh-kh! Sem… Sem-pai!"
"Damn it… Kh! Ghy-y… I swallowed water!"
Contrary to Deadpool's fears, Ritsuka and Mash, clinging to the railings, managed to get out of the water. Now they stood on deck, soaked to the bone and wracked by coughing fits.
"Oh, you scared me so much. I told you, be careful, kid! If anything happens to you, the old woman will bury me alive!"
Deadpool grumbled at Ritsuka purely for his own peace of mind, but his face showed genuine relief.
"But that roar of cannons… what was that?"
"Looks like help arrived."
"Help?"
Mash and Ritsuka turned their gazes beyond the horizon. There, at the very edge of the sea, dozens of ships were lined up. Different in size and appearance, they clearly pursued one goal.
"Sister! I see flags! Pirates! It's a pirate fleet!"
"Pirates? What the hell are they doing here?!"
Drake listened to the lookout's report in bewilderment. Another salvo shook the air, and she saw cannonballs biting into the flesh of the God-Demon.
"Hey, Red Pants. Any ideas?"
"Yeah. Exactly one."
Deadpool watched with a confident look as the God-Demon roared in pain after the direct hit of the third salvo.
"I thought he'd leave with the compass, but who would have thought…"
"I usually don't return favors, but today we'll make an exception."
A pirate in a tattered tricorn hat and a brown leather doublet, standing on the deck of his ship, squinted slyly, looking at the "Golden Hind."
"Captain, that creature is too strong! We're firing all cannons, and it doesn't even flinch – it just gets angrier!"
After hearing the navigator's report, the captain confidently took the helm. His face burned with determination.
"Listen up, you scallywags! This monster has decided to ruin our seas. And I'm not going to die! Do you really want to trade these waters, full of treasure, for a tour of Davy Jones' sandy bottom?! I personally don't! I will live forever! As a pirate!"
"Aye-aye, Captain!"
The sailors bustled, setting the sails. The fleet moved to close with the Demon God.
"Phew, what a rush. Calm down, Jack. Pull yourself together. You're the Pirate King now. Even if this title was won by trickery... We'll think about the consequences later!"
The foolish Jack, standing at the helm of a red brigantine, blew with all his might into the symbol of his power – the "Magic Conch," giving orders to the other ships.
All responded to the call of the horn: black galleons, rotten vessels, ships overgrown with reefs, and even ghost ships. With a wild howl, they rushed at the enemy.
"Meaningless resistance," rumbled Forneus.
Beams of light erupted from his scarlet eyes. The pirate ships maneuvered, dodging the heat, but some were caught: ships were split in half, they burst into flames and sank. But the corsairs' rage could no longer be contained.
"It brought tears to my eyes. Listen, author! Did you watch too many pirate movies? Pirates betray each other more often than they eat!"
"Well, let me add a little drama! Like Michael Bay, huh?! We can't just joke around all the time. If you grumble, I'll insert a Korean tearjerker!"
"You petty blackmailer... Fine, I'll shut up. Damn you!"
Deadpool continued to grumble, but his radiant face showed: the epicness of the moment had touched even him.
While the Demon God's rays and cannon fire turned the sea into a branch of hell, Jack's red ship drew level with the "Golden Hind."
"Hey! Red Pants! We've come to help!"
"Oh, you fool! I thought you'd abandoned us!"
"Actually, that was the plan. But my heart turned out to be softer than I thought."
In response to Deadpool's shout, Jack merely grinned, twirling the magic compass he had received from Euryale.
"We'll chat later. First, we need to take down this carcass."
Drake returned to the helm, the crew took their positions. Deadpool gave an approving thumbs-up.
"Aim for the base! Hit the same spot! Even this mountain of flesh will fall if you cut off its support!"
At Drake's command, Jack blew the conch again, transmitting the coordinates. All the cannons simultaneously struck the part of the Demon God's body that the "Golden Hind" had already managed to rip apart.
"Humanity will be burned. Such is the will of the King of Mages..."
Forneus's words thundered over the waves, but the pirates didn't listen. They methodically hammered the vulnerable spot. Flesh flew in shreds, new tentacles tried to close the wounds, but even demonic regeneration had its limits.
"The wound has opened! Fire all barrels! If the cannonballs are gone – load spoons and forks, but don't stop firing!"
Hundreds of projectiles widened the breach. The Demon God tried to close itself, growing new limbs, but due to mana depletion, the regeneration speed had noticeably decreased.
"Excellent! That's all with the cannons, now we ram!"
Seeing that the creature was sufficiently wounded, Drake directed the fleet straight at the monster.
"Captain, I have a proposal."
"What else?"
Deadpool suddenly appeared next to Drake, who was holding the helm with all her might, maneuvering between rays and tentacles.
"Speak faster, I'm busy!"
"To end this farce, we need to get inside and rip out the Grail. I'll leave the deck for a while, okay?"
"Do whatever you want!"
Deadpool rushed to Emiya. He, despite the pitching, maintained perfect balance and continued to fire. Noticing Deadpool's signal, the archer reluctantly lowered his weapon.
"Don't you see I'm busy? Now is not the time for..."
"I need your help. If it works out – I'll give you my cannons."
Emiya's mouth even dropped open in surprise. He didn't know what this madman had planned, but Deadpool's gaze was unusually serious. The archer nodded.
"Sister! We're almost there!"
"Full speed ahead!"
The wind was also on their side. A squally, tailwind – exactly what was needed to accelerate the ships to maximum speed for ramming. Nearby pirate ships, one after another, converged on the target, preparing to crash into Masinju.
Meanwhile, Deadpool and Emiya acted separately, having already transferred to Jack's ship.
"Are you sure you'll survive?" Emiya asked. "We need to get the Grail, but still..."
"Have you ever seen me die for good?" Deadpool replied. "You'd better aim better."
Emiya raised his bow and pulled an arrow from his quiver – or rather, a sword in the shape of an arrow, one of the most powerful artifacts in his memory. A strong rope was tied to its hilt, the other end of which wrapped around Deadpool's ankle.
"Shoot as soon as that creature falters. And then I'll handle it myself."
"Come back alive. This is for Master."
"Oh, who would doubt it..."
Despite the usual bickering, both faces were extremely serious. Emiya, filled with determination to see the job through, looked at the pirate ships rushing at full speed.
"Little sister! We're almost in the lower sector of this damn thing!"
"Hold on!" Drake shouted. "Grab onto anything that's nailed down! We're ramming!"
The "Golden Hind" and the pirate fleet at monstrous speed crashed into the base of Masinju, whose grotesque limbs writhed convulsively above the water. The impact was devastating. From the recoil, the ships creaked at the seams: some fell apart, others had their sailors simply swept overboard by inertia.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
"Senpai! Hold on tight!"
Ritsuka was almost thrown overboard again, but Mash grabbed his hand in time and pulled him to the railing with a jerk, forcing him to cling to the handrail.
"■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■...!!"
Masinju shuddered, letting out an unnatural scream. The giant carcass tilted and began to slowly fall into the ocean.
"It's time!"
The Sword of Promised Victory.
"Caliburn."
At Deadpool's signal, Emiya released the bowstring. The projected weapon shot from the bow, tracing a fiery arc like a rocket taking off. Deadpool, tied to the arrow, shot into the air like a bullet, taking the full force of the jet thrust.
"H-h-how much s-s-speed..."
Words stuck in his throat, but Deadpool didn't forget the mission, fixing his gaze on the collapsing colossus. Emiya's arrow hit the target precisely – an explosion thundered. Masinju, rotating its huge red eye and choking in a death roar, finally sank into the abyss.
"We... won?"
The fall of such a massive pillar caused a localized tsunami. A giant wave washed over the nearby islands and scattered the pirate ships.
"Hold on again!"
The water surge crashed onto the deck, drenching Ritsuka and the crew with icy spray.
◇
When the turmoil subsided, the storm clouds began to disperse, and the whirlpools closed. Drake and the pirates, realizing their victory, erupted in triumphant shouts, tossing their tricorn hats into the air.
"Wade... Where's Wade?!"
Ritsuka did not share the general joy. He had seen Deadpool fly directly towards Masinju just before its fall. The young man peered into the calming sea, fearing the worst.
"Did he go down with the monster?" Mash looked anxiously at the water.
The atmosphere instantly became oppressive. Drake, sensing something was wrong, placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and shook her head grimly.
"He was a noisy guy. And cheerful. It's a shame if he ended up so stupidly..."
"Who ended up? You thought I was dead?"
Oh, that voice appeared at the most opportune moment, breaking all the intended drama. And I didn't plan this spectacular entrance at all...
"I can hear everything, Mr. Author!" Deadpool emerged from somewhere to the side, wrapped in seaweed. "You've been adding too many remarks lately. Do you want to get into the plot like a Mary Sue? Get over yourself, buddy."
Continuing to talk nonsense into the void, Deadpool climbed aboard. In one hand he clutched the shining Holy Grail, and in the other, he dragged an unconscious Iason by the scruff of his neck.
"Wade! You did it!"
"Mr. Pool..."
Ritsuka and Mash didn't throw themselves around his neck in a burst of emotion – after all, it was Deadpool. He merely nodded smugly and carelessly tossed the Grail to the young man.
"Third one down."
Clutching the cup, Ritsuka felt a surge of pride that the third singularity was saved. The pirates, led by Drake and Jack, responded with a thunderous "hooray" and applause.
"Since you found what you were looking for... does that mean your treasure hunt is over?" Drake smirked with a hint of sadness. "It's a shame to say goodbye."
"Honestly, I would have gladly sailed with you longer," Ritsuka admitted. Despite all the dangers, they had grown genuinely attached to this reckless company.
"Hey, don't forget about me!" Euryale angrily pinched Ritsuka's side. "If it weren't for me and Asterios, you wouldn't have even reached the shore."
"Thank you all," Mash gave a polite bow. "Thanks to your help, this world is now safe."
Deadpool decided to hold back his sarcastic jokes for a moment.
And at that very moment, Iason, who was supposed to be in a deep coma, suddenly jumped up as if possessed. A hidden dagger flashed in his hand, aimed directly at Ritsuka's chest.
"Kid!"
Everything happened too fast. Deadpool drew his pistol from its holster, aiming at Iason's head, but it was too late.
"Senpai!"
The blow was not taken by Ritsuka. In front of him appeared...
"Mash!"
As the girl slumped onto the deck, coughing up blood, Deadpool, with an expression of rare fury, fired a dozen bullets into the face of the madly smiling Iason.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan