Bum-dump… bum-dump… bum-dump…
Tomo's heart pounded loudly in his chest.
Too many emotions swirled inside him at once—grief, anger, determination.
And suddenly…
He started laughing.
"Hehehe… hahaha…"
The sound echoed strangely under the rain.
You're still provoking me even after you're gone, old man, Tomo thought as he wiped his wet face.
"Fine then!" he told himself. "I'll prove it to you. I'll show you my resolve to become the King of the Pirates!"
Not far away, Diego—the dark-skinned fisherman and longtime friend of Sébastien—watched Tomo with worry written all over his face.
"Poor boy…" Diego sighed. "The pain must have made him lose his mind. Tsk, tsk."
Just then, Tomo suddenly turned around.
His face was still wet, but now he was smiling brightly.
"Uncle Diego!"
Diego blinked.
"Yes…?"
"Can I borrow your boat?"
Diego felt an ominous chill run down his spine.
"Umm… why exactly do you need my boat, little Tomo?"
Tomo grinned.
"Well, of course! I'm going to fish!"
"What?!"
Diego nearly choked.
"Tomo! Your grandfather just passed away! The weather is terrible, and now you want to go fishing in this storm?!"
"It'll only be for a little while, Uncle Diego."
Diego rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
"Tomo… I know you're having trouble coping with your grandfather's dea—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Something felt wrong.
Slowly, Diego turned around.
"...Huh?"
Tomo was gone.
A distant figure could already be seen running toward the fishing port.
"TOMOOOO!! YOU RASCAL!!"
Diego immediately chased after him.
--------
Meanwhile, Tomo had already reached the small port.
There was only one boat tied to the dock.
Uncle Diego's pride and joy.
Without hesitation, Tomo jumped aboard and quickly untied the ropes. His hands moved skillfully, the result of years spent helping his grandfather fish.
The boat slowly drifted away from the dock.
"TOMO! STOP THIS NONSENSE RIGHT NOW!"
Diego's voice echoed from the shore.
"And bring my sweet boat back too!"
By the time his words reached Tomo, the boat was already several meters away.
Tomo cupped his hands and shouted back.
"Sorry, Uncle Diego!"
"But I've got a duty to do!"
"And a dream to fulfill!"
The waves were growing rougher.
The wind roared louder.
The sea was beginning to rage.
Yet instead of fear…
Tomo felt excitement.
The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination, and brings eternal joy to the soul.
Those words echoed in his mind.
They were words the old man used to say whenever he stared at the sea during sunset.
Tomo smiled faintly.
"I get what you meant now… old man."
Suddenly—
A gigantic wave rose in front of him.
It towered over the tiny fishing boat like a moving wall of water.
Yet Tomo simply laughed.
"I won't die!"
His voice was swallowed by the storm.
"Not until I become the King of the Pirates!"
WOOSH!
The massive wave crashed down.
The small fishing boat disappeared instantly.
And Tomo was dragged into the dark depths of the sea.
The freezing water shocked his body awake.
The earlier excitement vanished instantly.
Cold.
Darkness.
Silence.
Tomo sank deeper and deeper into the ocean.
Then—
He saw something.
A ship.
An old ship.
No…
A ruined ship.
Its sails were torn and rotten. The wooden deck was riddled with holes, like cheese eaten away by time.
Tomo's eyes widened.
But it wasn't the ship that shocked him.
It was the sound.
A faint song.
A haunting melody drifting through the dark waters.
Suddenly, realization struck him.
An Old sailors' tales...Cursed legends of the sea...That ship…
The Flying Dutchman.
The legendary ghost ship of Davy Jones.
As the eerie song grew louder, Tomo's vision slowly darkened.
His consciousness began to fade.
Then—
Through the darkness…
He saw a silhouette standing on the ruined deck.
Watching him.
Tomo could only think one final thought.
It was pretty stupid to sail a tiny fishing boat into a storm… wasn't it?
His mind went blank.
"...Damn it."
And everything faded to black.