...On the tranquil sea, the boundless horizon shimmered under the sunlight, with occasional phosphorous waves rippling across the surface.
The azure sky and the equally azure sea complemented each other, as if the entire world had been dyed blue; no matter how carefully you looked, you couldn't tell where they met.
A massive fleet was currently sailing across the calm waters.
The massive warships with a grand Aura sailed on the outermost perimeter, tightly surrounding the merchant ships painted in purple.
They were a merchant fleet from Braavos.
Since Braavos's wealth and power came almost entirely from seafaring, their merchant fleets were the largest on the entire continent of Essos.
These massive merchant fleets, escorted by warships year-round, sailed between the Nine Free Cities, carrying seemingly endless cargo to exchange for vast quantities of Gold Dragons, thereby maintaining Braavos's prosperity.
Sometimes, they would even cross the Narrow Sea to reach the Dothraki Sea in the southern part of Essos to engage in "friendly" commercial exchanges with the fierce and barbaric Dothraki.
On the lead warship, sailors were holding a celebratory banquet, and joyful singing filled the massive vessel.
People drank and laughed, with no one worried about danger.
On the peril-filled sea, Braavos's fleet was always the safest.
The iconic purple sails and the sheer number of warships were enough to terrify any pirate who dared to covet them; those few who lacked judgment were quickly sent to the bottom of the sea by their absolute power.
Jaina was sitting astride the bow, leisurely enjoying the sea breeze, the warm sunlight spilling over her ash-gray hair, looking quite comfortable.
With her face disguised by magic, she currently looked like a handsome youth of fifteen or sixteen, holding a waterskin and taking small sips of the strong liquor inside.
But beneath her relaxed exterior, a deep sorrow lay within her purple eyes.
It had been many days since she had volunteered to come aboard this flagship, the great challenge.
Having grown up on ships, she relied on her excellent professional skills and quickly won the recognition of Captain Barbossa and the crew.
But she still had no idea how to bring this fleet under her command and fulfill the promise she had made to Daenerys before leaving.
"Hey, Daelin, you're actually sneaking a drink here all by yourself!"
A sailor with curly blond hair, somewhat drunk, stumbled toward her, slapped her hard on the shoulder, and enthusiastically pulled her toward the deck.
"Look how happy everyone is, come and sing with us."
Quietly shaking off the man's hand, Jaina refused with a calm expression.
"I need to stay at the bow and observe the weather changes, so I won't be going."
"Though it's been calm lately, we'll be docking in a few days, so it's better to be careful."
"Oh, you spoilsport."
The sailor slapped his cheek, looking disappointed.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he excitedly shouted to Jaina again.
"Right, Daelin, I remember you said your swordsmanship was very good, didn't you?"
"They're discussing holding a martial arts tournament. Why don't you give it a try? You might even take first place!"
She looked speechlessly at this overly familiar guy; since her first day on the ship, he seemed to have treated her as a best friend.
Shaking her head, Jaina hadn't expected that a casual remark she made would actually be remembered by him.
"No thanks, Xini."
"I have no interest in any martial arts tournament."
"That's a real shame, Daelin."
Turning away with a look of disappointment, Xini muttered dejectedly to himself.
"I heard that this time Old Man took out a dragon egg as the prize for first place."
"What!"
...On the wide deck, hundreds of sailors were excitedly gathered together, drinking and singing, enjoying the hard-won joy of the journey.
Just then, Captain Barbossa walked slowly out of the captain's cabin, carrying an exquisite gift box.
With every step, his iron prosthetic leg tapped against the deck, making a crisp "clang-clang" sound.
Stopping at the highest point, Barbossa wiped his black beard and shouted loudly.
"Men of the sea, quiet down!"
Hearing the captain's shout, the noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
"Do you know what's inside this, you idiots!"
Barbossa had clearly been drinking quite a bit too; his old face was flushed as he held up the beautiful box.
"A dragon egg that legend says can hatch a Dragon!"
"Although this thing has supposedly been dormant for hundreds of years and has likely turned into a fossil, its value is still staggering."
"Once we get back to Braavos, you could even trade it for a merchant ship!"
Hearing Barbossa's words, everyone's eyes were immediately drawn to the box in his hand; some were even flushed with excitement, panting as they desired to obtain it immediately.
Don't think everyone wants to be a sailor; humans cannot resist the mighty power of nature, and one day they might be swallowed whole by the ruthless sea.
These men who lived on the edge—which one of them wasn't here for fame and fortune?
Seeing an opportunity to strike it rich right before them, knowing that obtaining the legendary dragon egg would instantly make them wealthy enough to never worry about food or clothing, how could they not be excited?
"You're not just bringing it out to show off to us, are you, Old Man Barbossa!"
Just then, a muscular man in the crowd teased loudly with a grin, though the greed for the dragon egg in the box was unconcealed in his eyes.
This immediately drew a burst of laughter from the crowd.
"Of course not, you fool."
Since Barbossa was the oldest, the young sailors on the ship almost all affectionately called him "Old Man."
"Having been the captain of the great challenge for thirty years, I have accumulated enough wealth, children!"
After the crowd quieted down again, Barbossa shouted at the top of his lungs, his eyes glistening with tears.
"And I'm old; I can feel my body declining day by day."
"So after this voyage, your captain—that's me—is planning to retire!"
Biting open his flask and gulping down the liquor, Barbossa's voice seemed to choke up slightly; he truly couldn't bear to leave the warship that had accompanied him for most of his life.
Hearing the news of his retirement, everyone looked at him with reluctance, as almost all these young sailors had grown up under Barbossa's care.
Spending countless days and nights together made these hot-blooded men feel deeply attached to this captain, who was overly serious on weekdays but very approachable in private; a few even shed rare tears.
Only the muscular man who had teased him earlier showed no sign of being moved; instead, he spoke up again with some impatience.
"Then Old Man Barbossa, after you retire, who will take the captain's seat?"
"Good question, Reiner Cross!"
Suppressing his reluctance, Barbossa again held up the box containing the dragon egg and shouted.
"You are all men I handpicked from all the warships; I believe that on any ship, any one of you has the ability to be a captain."
"But the position of captain of the great challenge, and this legendary dragon egg..."
"...belong only to the strongest on this ship!"
"So..."
"Start fighting, you cowards!"
Glancing at the crowd, whose drunkenness was fading as their Battle Intent surged, the excitement in Barbossa's eyes was palpable.
After all, this was the unique charm of men of the sea... "Go, Chris!"
"Beat that arrogant jerk Reiner to death!"
By the time Jaina arrived, the battle on the deck was already in full swing.
A man with a bruised face lay on the ground, his arm twisted at a strange angle; ignoring the pain, he kept cheering for those in the ring as if the broken arm weren't his own.
This was the first person who dared to challenge Reiner and lost quite decisively.
For these sailors, who would be considered elite anywhere, a fractured arm was just a minor injury.
"Yo, Xini."
Seeing Jaina and Xini approach, this guy actually greeted them with interest.
"Didn't you say you had no chance of winning and weren't planning to join this tournament?"
"What, changed your mind?"
"Want to be like me, with a broken arm tossed here like a stray dog?"
"This brainless idiot!"
Ignoring the other's teasing, Xini just laughed and cursed as he walked over, thoughtfully helping him up from the ground.
He lightly touched the broken hand, making the man grimace in pain; Xini then turned to look at the two fighting fiercely in the ring and shook his head, whispering.
"Come on, I'll take you to get bandaged up."
"With a fracture this bad, you might not even be able to hold a heavy weapon later. Reiner really doesn't know his own strength."
"Hey, Daelin."
Before leaving with the injured man, Xini didn't forget to remind Jaina, who had rushed over with him; looking at her slight build, he couldn't help but feel worried.
"Don't push yourself too hard; you don't want to end up like this guy."
"Don't worry, Xini."
Jaina calmly looked at the mountain of muscle that was Reiner in the ring, leaving Xini with only a confident back:
"This championship belongs to no one but me."
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