Chapter 1 Plot:

Treasure Map

After several days of sailing through the calm waters of the Kuknasi Sea, the ship that carried our three heroes, Nanami, Riou, and Jowy, finally reached the port at Nirva Island. The port was extremely busy as many huge men carried a large number of heavy cargos into and out of the huge docked ships while the rest were shouting and yelling orders to them and each other. The sky was a brilliant blue and clear white clouds can be seen floating silently along with the gentle breeze.

"We finally made it," Nanami said as she stepped on the island ground. She looked around. "This island seems okay," she commented thoughtfully. She was a slim girl with short brown hair and pale skin. Her round, delicate face made her look fragile, but her large brown eyes showed solid stubbornness and determination. A leather belt supported her prized combat-weapon: a three-piece-rod. "Let's go to an inn. I can't wait to sleep on a soft bed. A cute girl like me needs her beauty sleep after all."

Jowy groaned. "Riou and I are the ones who need sleep, Nanami," he told her in obvious irritation. Like Nanami, he also had pale skin. His long light-brown hair which was wrapped in a tight ponytail flapped as the wind blew. He was leaning on his long blue staff. "After the ruckus you've caused the last few nights, it's no wonder the ship's crew mistook the both of us for half-zombies."

"The bunk I slept on was hard and stiff!" Nanami snapped. "How can anyone sleep peacefully on something like that?"

"Riou," Jowy pleaded to the younger boy with brown hair similar to Nanami's, "please tell this selfish, hot-headed tomboy that is your sister to be aware of everything, and most importantly everyone, around her, not just herself. Oh, and don't forget to tell her that the bunks that we slept on were also hard and stiff but unlike her, we never complained even once."

Nanami was eyeing Jowy with a look that spoke volumes of evilness. Riou chuckled nervously. "I'm starving - let's get a bite to eat before we rest," he said quickly. He pointed at the main town ahead. "Inns are usually located at the center of a town so let's go that way."

"Whatever," both said Nanami and Jowy said at the same time.

The inn at the main town was average-looking: with decent rooms and a small bathhouse. However, our three heroes were more than satisfied after they had tasted the foods that were served there. "This fish is delicious," Riou said as he helped himself with a finely cooked red-snapper.

"I'm not surprised," Jowy said. He was eating from a bowl of salmon soup. "The Island Nations is famous for its tasty fish." He drank the orange juice from his mug.

"Hmm, maybe I can ask the cook here to teach me how to make these kinds of dish," Nanami said, eyeing her food with admiration. "That way we don't have to pay as much every time we get hungry."

At her words, Jowy automatically stood up from his seat. He quickly went into the kitchen and disappeared from view as the door closed behind him. "What's wrong with Jowy?" Riou asked his foster sister.

"Who knows," Nanami replied as she ate a spoonful of fish and rice.

By the time Jowy came back, both foster siblings had already finished eating. "I had to talk to the cook about something," he explained to them. He had a funny look on his face when he spoke to Nanami. "Apparently he doesn't teach any of his cooking to anyone and if he does, the inn would be out of business in no time," he told her.

"I see," Nanami said, looking crestfallen. "I guess it can't be helped then." She sighed. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her face quickly turned to shock, then blazing rage. She quickly gripped the arm behind her, yelled a battle-cry, and twisted it. The arm's owner, a middle-aged man with sandy-brown hair, went down on his knees. "Take that you pervert!" she shouted. She braced her foot hard on his back and forced him onto the floor.

"Nanami, what on earth are you doing?" Jowy demanded.

"Let go ye bitch!" the sandy-haired man snarled. He tried to wriggle his way free but Nanami's foot wouldn't let him.

"Well, well, well," the innkeeper said with stern look on his face as he came up to them. "It seems we have ourselves a law-offender." He bent down to look at the struggling man's face closely. "I have a right mind to hand you over to the guards for doing a stunt like that, but seeing that no one is hurt here, I'll let this cute lady take good care of you instead." He then asked Nanami, "If you don't mind, could you handle him outside? Don't want to lose any customers you see."

"My pleasure," Nanami answered, her eyes flashing.

Riou felt a hand fell on his shoulder. He turned to see a tall man with broad-shoulders standing in front of him. His clothes were worn but they looked as if they had been very good once. "I truly regret saying this after everything that has happened," the man said apologetically, though his eyes were unreadable, "but could you please spare my colleague from the wrath of your lady friend? He and I have an important business to attend to."

"Ah, sure," Riou replied. He took one nervous glance at Nanami, who still had her foot braced on top of the man. He opened his mouth to speak.

"No," Nanami said before he could utter a word.

"But—"

"Dear lady," the tall man said calmly, "I understand my colleague has offended you greatly, but I need to bring him to my captain." He then added, "I assure you he will be severely punished for his despicable act."

"Come on, Nanami," Jowy reasoned with her. "That guy's not worth it."

A minute passed and at last Nanami finally gave in. "Fine," she snapped. To the tall man she ordered, "Make sure his punishment will be slow and painful. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble."

The tall man bowed. "As you wish," he said softly. Nanami let go of his colleague.

The sandy-haired man straightened with a scowl. "You'll pay for this, wench," he hissed at Nanami.

Nanami's eyes flashed at his words, but she didn't move. "Try me," she dared him.

He gave her a dangerous look but did nothing. He followed the tall man to the door and they both disappeared from view as they exited.

Her face still red with anger, Nanami said in a disgusted tone, "Honestly!"

Riou and Jowy both sighed in relief. The worst was over.

Or so they thought.

Very late that night, Riou, Nanami and Jowy were jolted awake by a loud shouting noise. "Thieves! Burglars about!" they heard the innkeeper shouted; panic present in the man's voice.

All three quickly scrambled to their feet and grabbed their weapons: a tonfa for Riou, the three-piece-rod for Nanami and Jowy's blue staff. When they reached down the stairs, they saw the innkeeper lying on the floor, not moving an inch. Someone had knocked him out cold.

Nanami knelt down by the poor man and shook him him. "Sir, sir," she called out to him.

There was no response.

"Do not worry," a voice said calmly. "He is not dead…yet." There was movement in the corner of the dark room and a tall figure stepped out from the shadows. Riou recognized the figure as the tall broad-shouldered man from before. A pair of long sharp blades were held by both hands.

Nanami stood up and her eyes widened when she recognized the man. "You're than man!"

"Ah, forgive me for my ignorance," the man said. "I forgot to introduce myself the last time we met. My name is Veron, loyal servant of the Pirate King, Yanjing." He smiled a crooked smile. "I am here to take back what is ours."

"What do you want from us?" Jowy demanded.

"The map you stole from my fellow crew member of course."

Nanami felt a sharp blade prick the delicate skin of her neck. She hadn't seen the sandy-haired man hiding behind her in the shadows. "I told ye you're gonna pay, wench," he whispered to her eat. "Stay where ye are or this she-bitch dies," he said warningly to Riou and Jowy.

The glass window behind the sandy-haired man shattered and a dark-haired young man wearing red clothes fell in. A split second later he lunged toward the caught-off-guard pirate, who had turned to see what happened, and hit him directly at the stomach with his Bo-staff. The man fell down with a thud.

Seeing his chance, Jowy leaped through the air and whacked, but not hard enough to kill, the distracted Veron at the head. He braced his foot on the tall man's fallen body and pointed his staff at him, just to be sure.

There was silence. "That was close," the young stranger said with a nervous grin. He wore a green head-scarf on top of his head.

"Tir," Riou gasped when he saw the young man's face clearly. "How did you get here?"

"I was in the room next to yours," Tir replied with a shrug. "Although Gremio and I found out about it right after we saw you three rushing down the stairs."

"Gremio's here too?" Nanami asked excitedly, forgetting the fact that she had been in a life and death situation a moment ago. She had always regarded Tir's tall blonde-haired bodyguard as an idol. He had cooked the best meals she had ever tasted during the Dunan Unification War. "Where is he?"

"Alerting the guards," Tir answered. "They should be here right about now."

The sound of running foot-steps could be heard outside and a few second later, the inn's door burst opened and Gremio stepped inside("I told you," Tir said with a smile). Behind him stood a group of soldiers, all had their swords drawn. "Am I too late?" Gremio asked urgently when he came in. "Are you hurt, Master Tir?"

"Master Tir?" Jowy said in wonder. "As in Tir McDohl, the one who led the Toran Liberation Army?"

"Of course not, Jowy," Nanami said loudly so the soldiers could hear. Her voice was dangerously pleasant. "How can a boy as young as him lead a whole army by himself? Your way of thinking is so hilarious sometimes." She gave him a dark look. 'Don't blow our cover!' the look seemed to say.

After the guards had taken the pirates away and the innkeeper was safely recuperating inside his room, Riou, Nanami and Jowy took residence in the room where Tir and Gremio stayed. Their room was slightly smaller than theirs but it had enough space to fit them all. "I do not understand," Gremio was saying as he lighted up the candles. "What was it that those pirates want so badly that they would come after you three?"

Nanami gasped and searched through her pockets. She took out a large old-looking paper and presented it to everyone. "They were probably looking for this," she told them.

Jowy carefully took it from her hands. "It's a torn piece of a map," he said as he examined it. He looked up at Nanami, his eyes suspicious. "You stole it didn't you?" he accused her.

"No I didn't!" Nanami shouted in her defense. "The paper fell from that perverted pirate's pocket. I just happened to pick it up by mistake!"

"Then why didn't you give it back to him?"

"He was gone by the time I picked it up. And besides, I didn't think that piece of old paper was important let alone worth anything."

"Let me look," Gremio said. Jowy gave the map fragment to him and the older man looked at the back of the paper closely. "There is writing behind it. It's faded but still readable."

"What does it say?" Tir asked. He was sitting next to Riou on the bed.

"'Dear George'," Gremio read aloud from the back of the torn map. "'By the time you receive this map, then there is no doubt I am already dead.'"

Silence.

"How horrible," Nanami gasped.

"'I am terribly sorry for handing such a great burden to you but there are evil people who want this map to themselves. For several months now, I had been hiding from such people. A tall man by the name Veron had been following me along with his assistant, a sandy-haired man whose name I do not know. In spite of its worthless look, this torn map you now hold is but a small piece of an ancient treasure map. The treasure itself is beyond our capable imagination and I cannot hope to begin explain the size of it. Please, for old time's sake, safeguard this map for your old friend. If this burden proves too much for you, then please hand it over to the Obel King. He too has another piece of the treasure map. He and I have been past acquaintances from many years ago. Give him the map and he will know what to do. Yours sincerely, Jak."

"A treasure map," Riou said in wonder. His eyes widened at the realization. "It's no wonder the pirates came after us. They wanted to find the treasure even—" He stopped; the lump on his throat prevented him from saying anymore.

"Even if it meant killing innocent people," Jowy continued for him. "Just like when they killed Jak. And George was probably ambushed by Veron and that assistant of his when the poor man was traveling to Obel Island to hand the map over to the King."

"How cruel," Nanami said softly. She buried her face with her hands.

"There is no use weeping for the past," Gremio told her gently. He handed her the map back. "This map should be given to the Obel King. The deaths of these two innocent people will not be in vain."

"We'll go with you," Tir said and looked at his bodyguard. Gremio nodded in agreement. He rested his eyes on Nanami, then on Riou and finally, on Jowy. "I'm sure you'll need all the help you can get," he told them. "Gremio and I are capable enough to take on ambushing pirates. Even if the situation gets complicated, I can always use my Souleater Rune."

Jowy frowned. "Souleater Rune?"

"A gift from a friend," Tir replied. There was a hint of sadness in his voice as he said that. He shook his head and smiled. "But that's not important right now. What we should focus now on is giving that map to the Obel King." He then asked Riou, "When do we leave?"

"I think we best leave early in the morning," Riou replied thoughtfully. "From what I heard, pirates usually wake up late at around noon."

When dawn came, the group already had their gears packed and ready to go. They quickly traveled at a fast pace all the way to the port. To their dismay, they found there were no ships sailing to Obel Island today. However, their hopes were revived when a soldier came up to them.

"I had trouble finding you five," the soldier said, panting. He straightened and grinned. "Our captain found out about your heroic service with the pirates. He's insisting that you should join him for a drink. And don't even think of refusing, he's a persistent old man you know. "

"I'm afraid we cannot do that," Gremio said apologetically. "We have yet to find a ship that will sail to Obel as soon as possible."

"Obel? Then you're in luck! We're sailing to Obel Island as soon as the preparations are finished." The soldier pointed at the huge blue ship docked over there. "See that ship?" he said proudly. That's the Lino En Kuldes. One of the biggest and grandest ships there is in the Island Nations."

"That's great," Nanami said happily. She looked at the others. "Come on! What are we waiting for? Let's go!" She dragged Riou by the arm and followed the soldier.

"She's enthusiastic isn't she?" Tir commented.

"Nah, she's just happy because we're going on a luxury cruise," Jowy replied.

The soldier had been right. The Lino En Kuldes was the grandest ship Riou had ever seen. There were more than twenty cabins inside and it had a huge kitchen that could feed an entire army. He was even more surprised when he learned the ship had a large indoor hot spring.

As soon as the group settled down in one of the ship's cabins, a woman came in. She was clad in steel armor that bore the unique style of the Island Nations. Her long brown hair, which was tied in braids, reached all the way down to her waist. She had large calculating brown eyes set beneath her thick brows, and a rather sharp chin. She looked like a War Goddess. "Welcome," she greeted them with a smile. "I am Admiral Bernadette Egan, the captain of this ship."

All five bowed respectfully. "Um, forgive me for saying this," Tir said suddenly, "but the soldier who told us to come here said the captain was a man."

"He was probably referring to my father, the former admiral and captain of this ship," Bernadette replied with an amused look on her face. "Even now, all the crew members here still take orders from him." She chuckled. "Being a once-infamous general, it's no surprise young people look up to him these days."

"Infamous?" Nanami asked.

"He was a rash, sneaky man during his days as Admiral. I always told him to stop acting that way, but he never listens. Once, he almost let the Nirva Island lighthouse get burnt down by pirates just so he could see a huge bonfire as a form of entertainment."

Jowy whistled. "I wish I had been there back then."

Admiral Bernadette Egan gave him a mischievous smile. "You have no idea how many people have said that to me." She examined, Nanami, Jowy, Riou, Gremio and Tir's faces carefully. "I was quite surprised when I found out you five caught that notorious pirate, Veron. He's the second most wanted man in the Island Nations."

"Oh, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time," Nanami explained with a sneer on her face. "He attacked us without even bothering to know our strengths and weaknesses. He's probably rotting in prison right about now. That will teach him not to underestimate his opponents." She laughed an evil laugh.

The cabin door opened and another soldier came inside. He saluted. "Admiral, there is someone by the name Lazlo who wishes to speak to you," he announced. "Should we let him aboard the ship?"

No answer.

"Admiral?"

Bernadette's eyes widened. "Yes," she slowly answered in a barely audible voice, as though she had received shocking news. "Tell him to wait at my cabin with my father."

"Yes Admiral." The soldier exited.

"Who's Lazlo?" Tir asked.

"An old friend of mine who disappeared a few years ago without even saying good-bye to his friends," Bernadette answered in a rather dazed voice. "He's a strange fellow with a very long history," she told them, her voice mysterious. She turned to the door. "I have to go. This ship won't be sailing without me there at the centre of command." She gave them one last smile and left.

"She's so beautiful," Nanami said after she left, her voice filled with admiration.

"And strong too," Gremio added thoughtfully. "I've never heard of a woman being Admiral before. Not everyone, male or female, can have a rank that high"

Riou nodded in agreement. Suddenly he remembered something. "Nanami, do you still have that map?" he asked.

Nanami yawned. "Yeah," she replied tiredly, "it's in my pocket." She collapsed on her bunk. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when we get there okay?" She slept soundly.

Jowy stretched his arms and yawned. "I'm going to sleep, too." He rested on the bunk opposite to Nanami's.

Tir looked at Riou. "You should sleep too," he advised him. "Those dark circles around your eyes will make people mistake you for an undead.'

"Was that a joke?" Riou asked in a choked voice, trying not to laugh.

"No, not really," Tir replied with a grin.

Riou chuckled and climbed up the ladder to the bunk on top of Nanami. "What about you two?" he asked Tir and Gremi, but before he had the chance to hear their replies, his tiredness took over and he fell into a deep sleep.