Alrighty, everyone, it's time for a new chapter of the current LoL fanfic page titan! Seriously, every time I put a new chapter out it seems like I've got the most popular story around, at the moment. At least, that most frequently updates, anyways. Authors like NarayanK still have me beat by a landslide. But that isn't important. Right now, I'm supposed to be telling you what to expect for this week. Helios is going to be chasing down Sarah Fortune, who's currently after Gangplank, for all the typical reasons. We're also getting pretty close to the end of the Bilgewater arc. Two more chapters after this, I think, and then it's time for the big showdown! Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes will be involved. Because that's undoubtedly the best song to have for something like that. Now, shall we? Be sure to let me know what you think at the end of the chapter!

Alright, hands up, who saw where I was going with this? To be honest, the hints I gave were a bit obvious. I doubt it took that much thought to comprehend.

...I just remembered that I can't see your hands...because...well...it's not, uh...you know what I'm trying to say.

So, for those of you who didn't figure it out, let me give you the rundown: as you know, I'd been taking a few glances at a particularly fancy-looking ship when Nautilus showed up. He'd told me that Sarah had left the harbor a few hours ago, and since nobody wanted to run with me at light-speed, I'd have to do things the hard way. Honestly, the things I do to keep my friends happy when there's work to be done, it's ridiculous! Sometimes I wonder if I should just ignore them and do it anyways. I mean, I already do that sometimes, but I'm starting to think I should just do it more; deal with the consequences (a.k.a getting yelled at) later. It'd be a bit more of a headache, but I think it'd be worth it.

Sorry, getting sidetracked. Where was I? Oh, right. The plan.

The boat, which I'd named the S.S. Swirly Whirl (it was the best I could think of), was way too big to be fully operated by Graves, Tobias and I. We wouldn't be able to steer, and all of our work would have to be dedicated to keeping the sails unfurled. Luckily, that was where Nautilus came in. His anchor was strong enough to pull the boat along, and he himself was strong enough to do all the tugging. There was, however a small flaw in the plan, which was that the ocean floor was a long way down, and while Nautilus could survive the pressure down there, his anchor's chain wasn't long enough to pull us from that distance. That was where I had to put my fair share of the work in.

As you all know, I am capable of making plants grow on just about any surface, but the type and strength (whether or not it's nearly dead) of the plant depends on the environment I use my power in. If I used it in Shurima, I'd get a bunch of desert plants, such as cacti. If I use it in fertile environments like Demacia and Ionia, I can create just about any plant I want. But if it's in marine environments, such as Bilgewater, I get kelp, seaweed, etc. But not coral. Coral isn't a plant. It's technically an animal. Polyps, and all that.

Anyways, we spent a few hours rigging up the ship and prepping it for the open ocean. It'd be a bumpy ride, especially since it would be dark by the time we left, and that wouldn't be very fun for us. Maelstroms and storms occupy the sea at night, and they will chew through ships like Kog'Maw through fried chicken (if you've ever seen him eat the stuff, you'll understand; not only is he fast, he's messy). The plan was simple: while the three of us kept the ship in working order as best as we could, Nautilus would pull the ship along, while being assisted by kelp that I'd summon from the ocean floor, giving him an organic walkway to trudge on. It'd have to be a lot of kelp, but with effort, and focus, we could pull it off.

We set off just as the sun was setting, while the stormclouds started rolling in. I barely got fifteen minutes of a view before the sky was dark and grey, which soon faded to a deep black. "We got everything ready, boys?" I asked, calling down from the top main mast. I'd already untied the ropes holding up the sails, and I watched as they unfurled, snapping to their full extent with a satisfying whump as the fabric beat against the air. "Main mast's covered!"

"I've got the foremast!" Graves said, tying new knots to secure the sails on his end. "Ready to go!"

"Mizzen's ready!" Tobias called. I snickered a little. The mizzen is what you call the sails at the stern (back) of the ship, and I couldn't help but find the name to be a little odd. But hey, people have their reasons for naming stuff. I could tell you what the term "mizzen" means, but it'd take too long to explain.

"Nautilus, you ready, big guy?" I shouted down to the Titan of the Depths.

"I am." He replied. He heaved his anchor around the ship, and it looped around the main deck twice before locking into place on its chain. Nautilus tugged on it once, and it tightened until it was completely taught, the deck's floorboards cracking and splintering a little from the sheer force and weight. I winced. Hopefully they wouldn't leak to the point where we'd have to start bailing with buckets. That never worked well in the movies. The kelp walkway was already set up, and Nautilus stood on the starting end, while several kelp ropes looped around the boat to pull it along.

"Do I get to say it?" I asked.

Graves shrugged. "'Yer the cap'n. Go ahead."

I sucked in a deep breath, so much so that a small pit formed above my stomach. "SET SAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIILLLLLLLL!" I boomed.

The ship's anchor snapped off as Nautilus gave a forceful yank (we wouldn't need it anyways), dangling from the docks. Wind flowed into the sails, causing them to bulge outward, and with that, we set off. The ship dipped and rocked on the waves as it exited the harbor underneath the arch overlooking the lagoon, whipping up froth and sea spray. I inhaled deeply, smiling at the fresh air.

This was gonna be awesome.

"Hey, Helios?" Graves asked, once we'd passed Butcher's Bridge and were out on the open sea. "Where exactly are we goin'?"

Hold up now, what?

C
R
A
C
K
!

B
O
O
M
!

Lighting flashed as thunder boomed.

I winced in reply. It'd been a little too close for my liking, although it was pretty to look at. It also gave some decent lighting, too. We could barely see anything where we were. Which, by the way, was miles and miles out from Bilgewater. There was no land to be found - just water, water and more water. you wouldn't know which way you were going unless you had a decent map and compass with you.

I squawked and yelped as lightning got extremely close, striking the wood of the mast. It lit ablaze, flames chewing and munching their way up the material. I hastily extended my palms, sighing in relief as the inferno was absorbed into my hands. We'd had to roll the sails back up a few hours ago, which, admittedly, was a little disappointing. The winds were getting way too strong to keep them up. If we had, the masts would've snapped off. Now, we mostly just chilled out, and waited while Nautilus did his thing. Graves and Tobias decided to play a game of cards in the captain's quarters, while I stayed up on the main mast. I was strong enough to hold on, although the pouring rain and raging winds made me both cold and wet. The occasional gust of wind would drag my heavy coat back behind me, threatening to pull me down with it, but I managed to keep a firm grip on the mast.

Graves, earlier, had pointed out the one other flaw in the plan: I had absolutely no idea where to find Sarah. The ocean was, ah...big, you see, and Gangplank knew it like the back of his hand, as did Sarah. They could be anywhere by now, and we'd already been searching for hours on end.

"DO YOU SEE ANYTHING?" I shouted, over another crash of thunder.

"I do not." Nautilus replied. "You have asked me the same question at least five times." The guy had such a deep voice that he didn't even have to shout. People back in Demacia probably heard him.

I coughed and spat as the ship suddenly kicked up a wave, resulting in my clothes getting drenched. I sloppily wiped the saltwater out of my eyes, which already made them sting like crazy. "WELL, I'M GETTING IMPATIENT, AND IT ISN'T ALL THAT FUN BEING UP HERE IN THE RAIN!"

"You had the option of joining Tobias and Graves down in the captain's quarters." He replied. "You could have taken it."

"I'M THE CAPTAIN, NAUTILUS!" I yelled. "I'M SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE JOB ALL THE TIME!"

If Nautilus had pupils, he would've been rolling his eyes. "For a god, you have a surprising lack of ability to take anything seriously."

I opened my mouth to protest.

I remained there, blinking, with one finger held up in the air.

"Caught me there." I replied. "But in all fairness, the readers wouldn't find this thing as entertaining."

Nautilus didn't even bother to answer. Like I said, everybody learns to just roll with it after dealing with me for a few weeks.

I blinked repeatedly through the salt dotting the edges of my eyelids, squinting past the horizon. I still couldn't see anything. Getting down from the mast and moving to the bow (front) would probably help with my search.

FWOOM!

Another wave surged up from the sea, on the starboard side. It was three times the height of the boat, and twice as wide. It crashed down back into the depths, but the waves the impact created flung water onto the deck, and nearly tipped the boat over.

I stumbled on the top of the main mast, wobbling my arms as I swayed with the ship. I nearly regained my balance, then tripped, falling over the edge. Now, since my face could probably take a missile strike, faceplanting on the deck didn't hurt...as much as it would for a regular human. It still made me a little dizzy when I propped myself up on my elbows.

"Ugh..." I groaned, picking myself up...just as a wave hit the boat from the bow, soaking my clothes again. I coughed and spluttered, shaking out the water from my sleeves, then reaching down to wring it out from the edges of my coat. Not that it did much, due to the constant torrent of rain. "This sucks." I concluded. It was about the best I could think of, considering all other distractions.

"You know what? Screw this." I said to myself. "Let me know when you see something, Nautilus. I'm going inside."

I stumbled across the deck (it's really hard to balance yourself on a ship that's rocking and swaying with the waves) to the captain's quarters, opening the door and trudging inside. Graves and Tobias had abandoned their game of cards, and were now occupied with rummaging through the ship's food supply...or at least the parts of it that had drinks.

"Found anything good, boys?" I asked, lazily pushing the door shut behind me.

"A few beers. Interested?" Graves asked.

I nodded, my gaze half-lidded from fatigue. He tossed me a bottle, and I hastily unscrewed the cap, taking a guzzle. Beer actually kinda works like coffee for me. Fire replenishes my energy, as do burns in general. And that includes alcohol. "That's much better." I said, satisfied. "You guys had the right idea by staying in here. It's a mess out there."

"Nautilus find anythin' yet?" The Outlaw asked, before taking a swig from his own bottle. "I ain't much for waitin' around, especially when I'm itchin' for my paycheck."

"You'll get it soon, Graves, don't you worry your shaggy little head." I replied, plopping myself down in a chair with a thump.

"Helios. There is a matter that requires your urgent attention." Nautilus's voice boomed from outside.

I froze, slowly looking down to the beer in my hand, which was half-empty.

I sighed. "I literally just sat down to have a drink."

"Welp, 'yer the cap'n, ain't 'ya?" Graves asked, amused. "Best get to it, then."

I grumbled a few protests under my breath, then slid back my chair to trudge back outside.

"GYAH!" The ship bucked again, tipping backwards. I fell flat on my back, catching another splash of spray in the face, while rain poured down from the dark clouds above. A brief crescendo in lighting illuminated the sky like fireworks, highlighting the dark horizon around us.

"What?" I demanded, irritated. "You couldn't have waited until after I was done?" I rolled over onto my stomach, spitting out saltwater as I stood, leaning on my axe for support.

"I could not." Nautilus replied. He looked like he was trying to ignore my little display of clumsiness, which was proving to be difficult. "Move to the bow, and you will see it." I groaned. More moving. Great. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue, but I was getting a little tired of getting thrown off my feet every ten seconds.

I stomped up the stairs leading to the ships's bow, looking over the railing behind the bowspirit (what you call the large pole sticking out from the front). What exactly was I supposed to be looking at? All I could see was the same old ocean, which, admittedly, was really cool to look at, but I'd rather have a little more variety in my scenic viewings. Sure, it's great to watch sea storms rage, but it's not so great when you're bearing witness to them personally, and with nothing to show for it-

Boom.

Blam.

Crack.

Boom-boom-boom.

Huh?

I squinted at the horizon, trying to see through the layers of cloud obscuring my vision.

Blam-blam.

Boom.

Crack.

Crack-blam-boom.

I heard the booming echoes again, as they resonated throughout the stormy sky. I shook the salt and rainwater from my eyes, rubbing the spray out of my hair. It was to clear up my vision, and provide a better view of the area ahead. I knew that sound. It was one of the most common sounds to find out on the open seas of Bilgewater, where pirates and plunderers frequented.

Crack.

POW!

BLAM!

Cannonfire.

Which meant that either someone was having a Fourth of July party, or two ships were engaging in open combat. And I had a feeling I knew just who the combatants were.

Flashes of orange and fiery red and yellow punctured the clouds in front of me, and I realized with a start that they weren't clouds - they were the haze created from the cannons going off. No wonder they were black as soot. That was gunpowder mixed in with the vapor.

"Nautilus, how far away is that?" I asked, glancing down at where Nautilus strode upon the organic bridge of kelp I'd created.

"Not far. And yet too far." Nautilus replied. "We won't make it in time to interfere. However, my eyesight is capable to the point where I can see what's happening. Sarah Fortune is currently engaged with the Saltwater Scourge. He is attempting to flee, but her ship is pursuing hastily."

"Are you sure we can't make it?" I asked.

"At the current rate we're going, no. I would have to throw you a considerable distance for you to even make it halfway." Nautilus said.

"Then do it." I replied. "I have a feeling that Gangplank's gonna have more than just running up his sleeve."

"You'll need to unfurl the sails, then." The Titan of the Depths rumbled. "Your momentum coupled with the extra speed they will provide should be enough to get you to the Bounty Hunter."

"Understood." I nodded, turning around to jog back down the steps. I marched to the captain's quarters, throwing open the door. "Guys, you're gonna want to hold onto something!" I said. "We found Sarah, and we're about to do something really stupid!"

They both looked at each other, then shrugged. "We'd best get to it, then." Tobias said, adjusting his hat.

"Get the masts ready, while you're at it." I said. "We're going to need a lot of speed just to catch up."

"Aye-aye, cap'n." Graves gave a mock salute, and I grinned in reply, shaking my head. "Just get it done." I said. "I'm going up to the main mast."

I exited and went to clamber up the mast, untying the ropes as I climbed. The sails snapped to attention, and the boat gave a sudden jerk forward. The wind had given a bigger boost than I anticipated. We were were moving too fast, too early.

"NAUTILUS!" I yelled frantically.

"I have you." He replied, and I felt the ship yank itself back. Then, I nearly fell off the mast, as the ship was suddenly pushed upward. It wobbled slightly in the air, and I felt Nautilus grip the keel with both hands. He was holding the entire ship up with his bare hands. Well, they were covered in armor, but you know what I mean.

"GRAVES, TOBIAS, HURRY UP!" I shouted over my shoulder. "I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG NAUTILUS CAN HOLD US!"

The ship lurched forward again, and I banged my head against the mast. I cursed furiously, rubbing the bruise on my forehead. Then the ship heroes a second time, and I smacked my nose on the wooden surface. I cursed again, rubbing the bridge of my nose, and the second bruise I'd have on my face for the night.

"DAMN IT, GUYS, YOU COULD AT LEAST BE A BIT MORE CAREFUL!" I yelled, following up with a streak of Nidalee's signature curse words. I was that pissed. You're in the rain, you're cold, you're wet, you know how it goes. You tend to have a short temper in those situations.

I didn't get an apology in return. They probably didn't care.

"JUST FREAKING THROW US, NAUTILUS, I'M DONE WAITING!" I screamed. "IT'S TIME FOR REFERENCES ANYWAY!"

The boat gave a jerk and a heave, along with my stomach. Next thing I knew, we were airborne.

"Think of a won-der-ful thoooouuuuught..." I sang. "A-ny mer-ry lit-tle thoooouuuuught..."

"Think of Snowdown, think of snow, think of sleigh bells off you go! Like a reindeer in the skyyyyyyYYYYYYYYY..."

"YOU CAN FLY, YOU CAN FLY, YOU CAN FLY, YOU CAN FLY, YOU CAN FLYYYYYYYYYY!" I spread my arms and whooped up on the main mast, in the light of the full moon. And sue me, Peter Pan's a good movie. Excellent soundtrack.

We'd been up in the air for a whole half minute. Never underestimate the winds of Bilgewater, ladies and gentlemen. Or how hard Nautilus can throw. Both will surprise you in more ways than one. Captain Hook's flying pirate ship had nothing on us at the moment. We were hella majestic. And we'd actually soared above the cloud layer too, so I had a chance to dry off.

I looked down as the roar of cannonfire got closer. Sure enough, Sarah's ship was in hot pursuit of Gangplank, and...hello...

Gangplank was using the Leviathan as his own ship. For those of you who aren't aware, the Leviathan used to be Swain's personal flagship. Used to be. Gangplank had the nerve to swipe it right under his nose. Nobody had ever done that to Swain before. From that point on, Gangplank was officially on Swain's hit-list. The Leviathan was just ahead of Sarah, and the cannons going off were from her ship. It wasn't close enough to score a hit, but she had him running.

I pulled out a wooden flute from the folds of my coat (someone had just left it there when I found it), placing it to my lips. I began playing Pirates of the Caribbean as loud as I could, just as we began our descent.

Gangplank must've seen us coming, because the Leviathan swerved to the right just as we were about to land on top of him. "OH, PLANKY!" I cackled. "REMEMBER ME?!"

Then we hit the water.

And I instantly regretted ordering Nautilus to throw us.

See, the thing about ships...they aren't meant to slam down on the ocean's surface at a few hundred miles per hour. They're made of wood. So when we landed...the boat crumpled in on itself like a piece of paper.

"Oh...dang." I frowned, as I toppled from the mast. "That sounded expensive."

FWOOM!

I hit the water, going under. The cannonfire was instantly muted, becoming dull thuds and bangs above. I clamped my mouth shut as water started to fill my lungs, and as you know, water up the nose does not feel good. I twisted out of the way of bits of falling debris, along with the main mast, which nearly impaled me. I facepalmed. Gods, that was a stupid idea, even for me. I was starting to understand why my friends got so frustrated from my antics. Sometimes they worked, but other times they crashed and burned. I'd have to lay off for a while after this. My second ship hadn't lasted much longer than the first.

I kicked out with my legs and starting swimming up, breaking the surface with a gasp. Ironically, my mouth was almost instantly filled with water, as the rain was back. Oh, joy. I wouldn't ever be dry again, with my luck.

I noticed the shadow looming over me, and I turned around to see that the Leviathan, due to my costly error, was now in the perfect position to return fire.

I deadpanned. "Helios, you idiot." I said to myself.

Cannons boomed and roared from the Leviathan's starboard side, cannonballs biting deep into Sarah's ship. The crew was frantically attempting to return fire, but Gangplank's ship was bigger, and had a lot more firepower. One has to wonder why he was even running.

"I...should probably get up there." I noted, sweatdropping. Coughs and hacks from my right alerted me to Graves and Tobias, who'd pulled themselves up on another piece of planking.

"I know what you're going to say, and save it!" I yelled, over a crack of lighting. "Right now, Sarah needs a hand!"

They both scowled, huffed and nodded. Bits of loose rigging had been knocked over the side of the ship, and seeing that our objective was clear, we swam over and grabbed onto the ropes. I hauled myself out of the water, and the two outlaws behind me followed suit. I felt a whizz of air, followed by a piercing screech, and I yanked my lower body up just as a cannonball dug into the side, right where I'd been previously. I gulped, wiping a bead of sweat off my brow, then continued climbing.

As I pulled myself over the edge of the ship's railing, I heard a sharp, metallic clang, and I looked to see a gigantic hook wrapped around it. Thiwps and twangs came after, followed by more clangs as more and more hooks locked themselves onto the ship. I cursed, then grabbed onto a hook, my hands lighting ablaze. I burned through the rope attached, and it snapped, falling lifelessly to the water below. The ship lurched, and I wrapped my arms around the railing to prevent falling off. I turned around to see Gangplank and his crew on the other side of the combat zone, getting a small bridge ready for boarding. Jubilant screams and howls rang out above me, and I looked up as multiple pirates began swinging aboard on ropes, digging knives and swords into the sails, tearing through them as they slid down.

The Leviathan still wasn't done, though. Cannons were still going off, although now that they were at close range, they were having an even bigger effect on the ship. Instead of dents, they left gaping holes, and I winced uncomfortably as one stray cannonball in particular knocked one of Sarah's crew off the side. He wasn't coming back from that one, I could tell.

I lashed out with my axe as soon as I'd gotten to my feet, slashing through a pirate's chest. I kicked him over the side, then moved on. Sarah was on the upper deck, her twin pistols Shock and Awe getting to work on anyone that got too close...and anyone that didn't, for that matter. Her first mate, Rafen, was at her side, holding his own with his sword.

"Helios, I am going to kill you when I get my hands on you!" She shouted out loud, placing another bullet in a skull.

"Funny you should mention that!" I yelled in reply, jumping up to kick another guy in the face, before tossing him up and over me. "Sorry!"

"For what? Sinking my ship and ruining my chance to catch Gangplank?" Sarah asked irritably.

"Er...yeah, pretty much." I replied. "I didn't think that this would happen."

"Since when do you think?" She said, her guns barking furiously. "You'd better help me out, or you're next on my list!"

"What do you think I'm doing?!" I demanded, ducking under the swing of a cutlass. "I'm literally helping you kill pirates right now!" I jabbed my knee into my attacker's face, then introduced it to the blade of my axe.

"Rafen, get those hooks off the ship!" Sarah ordered. "We can't let any more of them board!"

"Aye, cap'n!" Rafen said, jumping over the railing and to the main deck. He shoved and hacked his way past anyone who got in his way, his sword cleaving through the hooks holding the ship in place.

"He's good." I noted.

"The best." Sarah agreed. "I don't know what I'd do without him."

I shot a suggestive look her way.

"What?!" She asked.

"Nothing." I rolled my eyes with a grin. "Shall we make our way down, then? We wouldn't want to leave him alone out there."

"Way ahead of you." Sarah said, casually lifting Awe to punch a hole in a pirate's chest. "I see you brought Malcolm and Tobias with you."

"Yeah, they're in it for the cash." I replied, grabbing another by the throat and slamming him to the floor. I squeezed, and I felt his neck snap in my grip. "They'll even go to war for a bit of gold, you know?"

"Wait, against Noxus?" She asked, making her way down the steps. "Did you come here to recruit me?"

"What else?" I replied, leaping over her to cleave my axe through an airborne hook. "Shits and giggles?"

We were both quiet for a moment.

"Well, admittedly, partially, yes." I conceded. "But it isn't like I don't know how to properly mix business with pleasure."

She raised an eyebrow.

"What?" I said. "Are you trying to tell me I have too much fun?"

The Bounty Hunter gestured to the ensuing chaos.

"Oh. Right. That." I frowned. "Well, you might have a point. Perhaps I should start being edgy and emo like Vayne."

I waited a few seconds, slowly turning to look at Sarah expectantly.

She sighed. "Really?"

"HELL NO!" I boomed, diving into the crowd with gusto. "I WILL BE NAÏVE AND STUPID FOREVEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRR!"

I may have gone a little overboard, no pun intended. I sheathed my axe in favor of my fists, and I wasn't even bothering to look where I was swinging. I was fairly certain that I'd slugged an ally in the face at least once or twice.

Oh, damn, I should've brought Shen with me! I realized, a few minutes into the brawl. Then there could've been a pirate vs. ninja fight!

Pirate vs. Ninja. A battle as old as time itself. For eons, the two sides have remained equally badass, destined to come together to determine who was the most awesome. Unfortunately, the distance between their territories made it a bit of a pain to arrange a meeting, so they never really bothered to duke it out. I should probably fix that sometime. It couldn't be too hard. Put Gangplank and Zed in a giant glass box, get them to insult each other a little, and the rest virtually takes care of itself!

BOOM!

The sudden explosion had me freeze mid-punch, covering my eyes with one hand. As my eyes adjusted, I saw that the culprit had been a barrel of gunpowder, Gangplank's smoking flintlock the cause of the outburst.

He also had his cutlass in his metal hand, and it was leveled at Rafen,'s throat. The first mate was on his knees, held there by two of the Saltwater Scourge's crew.

"Plank, come on, that's no fair." I complained. "Using hostages is against the rules."

"I'm a pirate, lad." He sneered. "We don't play by the rules."

"So, what, 'do what you want 'cause a pirate is free?'" I asked.

Gangplank shrugged.

"YAR HAR FIDDLEY DEE-"

A blow to the back of the head interrupted my mocking statement, and my vision went dark.

...Huh. I honestly thought I'd have more material for this arc. Sorry about this, guys and gals, I guess Bilgewater's just harder to write. Next chapter, Gangplank's gonna gloat a little (a lot), and I'll be fleshing out his character more. Illaoi's coming soon, don't worry. I think I've got a good enough idea on her personality. Again, after Bilgewater, the three-part battle's starting, and boy oh boy, have I got plans for that. Really, the hardest part's just making it to that part of the story. I've been suffering from a bit of writer's block lately. So, just bear with me until we get there. As always, please leave a review if there's something you wanna see, or if you just have any thoughts on the chapter in particular. Until next time!

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