NO ONE'S POV

It is dusk. The sun is falling on the horizon and the sky is painted with the tranquil colors of twilight.

To the west of The Kingdom of Holfort, lies a lawless island that no one knows, no one...but pirates. For this place of debauchery and sin is their haven, their nest, capital of piracy in the kingdom, The Devil's Crown.

Three separate floating islands were held together by metal chains and wooden bridges, each having tall mountain formations that had formed a crown when the islands joined together, hence the crown in its name.

This place is a neutral ground for pirates big and small, all forced not to cause any trouble by the three pirate lords that governed the island.

In the past, this was where the infamous lawless criminals can repair their ships, buy, sell and trade their stolen valuables, and enjoy a round of rum after a successful raid.

However, times have changed.

No longer was this a place of rest and celebration, now it serves as the last haven for any pirate left out there seeking refuge from the terror that now sails the skies in the hunt for them.

It all started a few months ago, when a lieutenant of one of their three pirate lords, along with his small armada, disappeared. No news of them had ever been heard of ever since.

Then it happened again when a neutral gang of pirates went missing, their last destination being the newly established territory of a rising baron.

This occurrence was soon noticed when fewer and fewer ships arrived at Devil's Crown. At first, they thought it was the royal army finally doing something, but none of their spies on the mainland told them that it was the case.

Their next idea is that those missing pirates are making their own alliance to oppose the Three Pirate Lords. It seemed the most possible case for them at that time and they all prepared for war.

Yet as the days went on and more ships went missing, the idea of a civil war against their own began to disappear.

They were so unsure of what was going on and paranoia began to fill their ranks.

That's when the rumors began to spread.

It all started in the capital, a story about a young son of noble blood adventuring into the unknown but was captured, tortured, and killed by pirates and has returned to take his revenge. Aboard a ship made from fire and brimstone, with a crew of silver servants that bow to his will, and a metal hook to replace his lost hand, the boy, now a vengeful spirit, sails once more to kill every pirate in the land of the living.

The legend of The Dreaded Dutchman and its undead captain, The Hook, they call it.

At first, they all thought it was hogwash, a made-up attempt to scare away pirates. They all didn't believe it of course...but that was until the day the package arrived.

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Two pirates are seen on guard duty over on the west side of Devil's Crown's port. They each held a lantern to guide their way through this strangely eerie, foggy day.

"Hey! Butch! Ya sure that Hook guy is made up?", One of them asks the other.

"Oh come on now. Don't tell me ya believe that crap! I didn't take ya for a scaredy cat!", Butch snickers while the one that asked scowls.

"Hey! I ain't scared! I'm just been wondering though, what is happening to all those disappearing ships?"

"Eh, probably trying to rally themselves up to go against the lords. Fools they are! They forget that Devil's Crown is a massive fortress that has stood against everything for 300 years! We are safe here, ya hear me."

"Okay! Okay! Sheesh, I was just asking.", He grumbled before he suddenly grunted when he accidentally slammed his toes against something wooden.

"AAAAHH! BLOODY MIST! SON OF A HO-"

"OY! SHUT YERE TRAP YA...wait a minute. What's this?"

Butch raises his lantern forwards, letting him see that his partner had collided with a large wooden.

"Weird. What's a chest doing here in the docs?", He asks himself and his partner had finally recovered enough to recognize the chest.

"I don't know Butch but that thing is heavy! Look what it did to my toes!", He complains before seeing Butch reaching for the chest.

"Oy! Oy! Oy! What are you doing?"

"I'm opening it to see what's inside, what do you think I'm doing?

"But what if it's from one of Lords? They'll slit our throats if they find us messing with their stuff. You do remember what happened to Barbosa and his crew doesn't you?"

"If it is there then why is it over here then? I don't see any of their marks on it. Besides, what if there is gold inside?"

Upon hearing that word, the two men grinned in greed.

"Well...only one way to find out!"

Both laid their hands on the lid and lifted it open with some small effort.

"Haha! Remember! We are splitting this forty...fifty..."

"Oy! That ain't right! it's thirty-seven...ty..."

Both had their words die in their throats when it was finally revealed what was inside the chest.

Skulls. Human Skull. Each one missing its lower jaws with a hook-shaped mark carved into the bone.

The two were stunned. Stuck in place by fear and horror. However, become they could scream, red glowing orbs lit up inside the eye sockets of each of the skulls. Then, like a tide of hungry rats, the skulls spewed forth from the chest and flew off into the air.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The two frightened pirates screamed for their lives and ran for it, but their screams went unheard over the howls of the flying skulls.

"BEWARE! BEWARE! THE DUTCHMAN FLIES AGAIN! BEWARE! BEWARE! THE HOOK THIRSTS FOR BLOOD AND HUNGER FOR FLESH! BEEEWAAAAAAARE! BEEEWAAAAARE! VENGEANCE OF THE DAMNED COMES FOR YOOOOUUUU!"

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Ever since that day, everyone in Devil's Crown had been on edge. The rumors they had once dismissed as false have now become a warning they could not ignore.

Every pirate in the entire kingdom fled to Devil's Crown either through fear or by the persuasion of The Pirate Lords to bolster their defenses.

Either way, they were preparing to fight against the coming end. Struggling to find a tiny chance of victory in these dark times, a futile attempt in the eyes of those who have already lost all hope.

The Kingdom of Holfort, on the other hand, although a bit disturbed by the rumors, is enjoying the absence of pirate attacks and raids. Merchant ships and commoners throughout the kingdom enjoyed this age of peace, free to move around without fear of any assaults from their infamous enemies.

However, not all are celebrating. Corrupted noble houses that had been using the employ of pirates to their advantage aren't very fond of current events.

Some are even trying to find out what is exactly happening and if possible, correct this mistake so they can go along with their illegal transactions.

In short, everyone is affected and times are beginning to change.

Just as LUXION, the one who orchestrated it all, planned.

"Hey LUXION?"

The AI focuses its attention on one of the Phantom Units assigned to Leon and places its plans on hold.

"Yes, Commander?"

Its mechanical voice spoke through the voice box of the machine, its optics focusing on the young man standing in front of it.

Leon narrows his eyes at it with his arms crossed over his chest, his right foot tapping slowly on the metal floor.

"Have you been hunting pirates behind my back? I haven't seen or even heard of any traces of them for weeks now."

"...Perhaps..."

Leon disappointingly shakes his head when the Phantom unit dared to look away and whistle innocently.

Sighing, he reached out with his hand and placed it on top of the machine's head, which causes it to look at him again.

"Look I'm not mad at you. I'm just annoyed that you did it without me. Hunting down pirate scum isn't half as fun when you do it alone."

The machine lowers its head in shame.

"I understand commander..."

Leon frowns as he removes his hand and places it under the machine's chin, making it look up at him.

"Hey, come on now. Don't be sad. How about this, on the day we launch our final assault against their nest, we can bring in those prototypes you've been eager to test. You'll have an entire island full of test subjects as your testing ground~."

The lenses of the android brighten, regaining their intimidating red glow. Seeing this, Leon grins and pats the Phantom's.

"I will be looking forward to it commander!"

"There's the LUXION I know and love.", He chuckles, clearly enjoying his time with his AI companion. Despite LUXION being artificial, he sees him more as his best friend than a servant or attendant. Compared to other AIs he had seen in games and movies, LUXION is a lot more alive.

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNOCK

Alas, their small moment is interrupted by someone knocking on the door to his room.

Wordlessly, the Phantom reactivates its cloak just as Leon clears his throat and spoke.

"Who is it?", He commanded with authority.

"I-its me Bi-big Bro-Brother L-Leon.", A nervous voice says behind the door, a voice he recognizes that belongs to his youngest brother, Colin, "I-i need to tell you something."

"I-it's big sister Jenna. Sh-she hasn't left her room s-since three days ago. W-we are worried for her.", Colin says while sounding like he is holding back his tears.

"I-i know you t-two got into a-a big fight but...I j-just want to know i-if you are worried about her too."

Leon stays quiet as he thought about his younger brother's words.

Jenna Fou Bartfort. Leon's older biological sister. A very prideful woman that had been constantly pestering him for money ever since he had returned.

Despite how clear he was on that day, Jenna had been the only one brave enough, or stupid enough, out of his siblings to ask him for some money for her wants.

A personal servant, expensive clothes, and fancy jewelry. Things that the typical noble women of this country believe that they should have.

And time and time again he refused her and sent her away. Her latest attempt, however, which was three days ago, had ended pretty badly.

As usual, she barged into his room and tried to ask for money, and like many times before he denied her. However that time, instead of just leaving, her temper had gotten the best of her and she lashed out with cruel words.

Words that had hit a nerve and caused a lot of bad memories to resurface for Leon. He wasn't able to control himself back then he lashed out.

"Do you seriously think that I give a shit about what you say? You, a whinnying, stuck-up, spoiled bitch that has done nothing but spend our family's money on unnecessary trinkets and hang out with rotten women that would sooner stab you in the back and steal all that you are worth, which isn't much because you aren't worth that looks? Oh please, how can that compare when there are hundreds of girls prettier than you! Your body? Ha! You'll be nothing more than a petty trinket for the wolves in the kingdom. Your money? You don't even have one single gold coin to your name! And don't even get me started on your magic, even a 10-year-old can do better than you. You act all high and mighty and think that you are above everyone else, even me, your siblings, and your own family. You only look after yourself, you only care about your damned comfort and luxury. Well! Let me tell you the big news! Jenna! I AM FUCKING ASHAMED TO BE RELATED TO A WORTHLESS, WASTE OF SPACE, TALKING SACK OF FLESH, AND I DON'T FUCKING CARE ABOUT YOU EITHER! You can die in a ditch for all I care and I'll continue living on like nothing important was lost. Do you know why? Because you'd do the SAME to any of US! Now do us both a favor AND GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

Years' worth of trash talking and being trashed talked in his past life had given Leon quite a toxic tongue when pushed to the brink.

Yet the real factor that made his words get past his sister's thick skull is his psionic abilities, which had leaked out and made his words more intense and more hurtful when he unknowingly messed with Jenna's mind.

Which resulted in her breaking down in tears and running to her room, where she spent many hours crying.

The rest of the family had the misfortune of hearing their quarrel and had been affected as well by the intimidating aura that Leon gave off that day.

No one had dared to approach him since then...until now at least.

Leon frowns, his eyes dropping and his dull gaze stuck to the floor, staring at nothing in particular in silence.

On the other side of the door, Colin tries to reach onto the handle but then suddenly stops. He genuinely wanted to help mend the bond between his big sister and brother but the image of an angry Leon made him quickly take back his hand and step back.

"Please, your family. Despite what you two have said to each other, you are still brother and sister, my brother and sister.", With words now said, Colin walks away from the door and Leon listens as his footsteps faded away.

Inside the room, the young man lifts his gaze and sets his sights on the only painting in the room.

A family portrait, one that his father had personally commissioned many years ago. It was when Colin had turned two years old. In the middle are his parents, holding the birthday boy in their arms. Directly in front of them are him and the rest. On the left side is him and his older brother, while standing on the right side are his sisters, Finley and Jenna.

This picture is among the very few portraits Leon genuinely cherishes because it reminded him of a time when he forgot about everything and simply enjoyed being part of a family again.

He could still remember it.

They were all smiling, laughing, and having fun. They were a true family. Heck, both he and Jenna are holding hands and smiling together in the picture, just like they used to do before...before Zola had changed her.

Nothing had ever been the same after that and the bond they used to have had long since been broken.

Yet...Leon could not help himself but wonder if they could be as close as they used to...but after their last fight, he knows it's impossible.

"...LUXION..."

"Yes, commander?"

"Assign a Sigma Class Phantom to Jenna."

"Are you sure of this commander? A Sigma Class Phantom is a very valuable asset. A single one is enough to tear down this whole kingdom without it even being noticed. However they are very expensive to produce and we currently only have 10 of them."

"Yes, I am sure."

But for the sake of not making Colin worry even more over them, he'll make sure Jenna is safe.

"Then it shall be done. Sigma Class Phantom, code name Silver Cat, has already been informed and shall arrive here in under 10 minutes."

"Good.", Leon stares at the picture one last time before he turns away and walks over to a window. As he opens it and feels the cold winds blow against him, Leon's heart felt a little bit lighter.

Somewhere in the Capital

"Silver Cat, What is your status?"

"Previous mission is a success. Currently on standby."

"Report acknowledging. Sending new instructions."

"Processing...Orders received. Now moving to the objective."

"Do not fail this assignment Silver Cat. This mission is crucial and failure is not an option."

"I understand. No harm shall ever befall my charge as long as I exist."

"Good."

An unknown figure is seen walking out of an alley in the middle of the day. Once in the light, the figure is shown to be a tall and handsome silver-haired cat demihuman wearing a servant's uniform. His golden-colored eyes flash for a moment before he stepped forward and blended into the crowd.

On that day, news of a noble's corpse being stuffed inside a metal cage would spread throughout the capital. Coincidentally, news of demihuman slaves going missing has also begun to pop up. Yet none have a clue on who were the ones who caused either incident.

All the while the one responsible has now taken up a new identity. A demihuman servant hired by the young Baron Leon Fou Bartfort to take care of his older sister who is currently going through depression.

He is an AI given the gift of sentience. Molded after the personality of a Specter agent thousands of years ago. He is quick, he is efficient, and he is the new butler of Jenna Fou Bartfort. He is Miauler, the third-best Sigma Class Phantom in Leon's slowly growing army.

Time Skip

The time has come.

Every single pirate in the entire kingdom is now bunkered down in Devil's Crown. Every single person on that island was armed to the teeth and after months of preparations, they believed they could weather the storm.

However, they underestimated just how truly terrifying it is.

Nothing could have ever prepared them for what they would face.

Mighty floating vessels filled the sky, surrounding the island in an unbreakable blockade of steel and canons. These ships were unlike anything they had seen before. They are bulky in appearance and looked to be made out of technology that has been long lost. Most were small, sleek, and quick but the rest of them...their size alone brought dread onto their ranks.

Just what are they going up against? A whole armada of lost items? The might of a foreign power wishing to show off its weapons? No. This was far worse. They all could see it.

This was a storm. A storm that will shake the very foundations of every kingdom in the world and nothing will ever be the same for those unfortunate enough to stand in its path, like them.

They could not run, escape had long since gone out the window. All that they can do...is fight.

And watching them all is a vessel unseen by the mortal eyes of the pirates and undetected by their primitive technology, floating high above the soon-to-be battlefield. A transparent stealth ship that carried the two masterminds of this attack. Leon Fou Bartfort and LUXION.

"All ships and aircraft of the fleet are accounted for and are ready. Awaiting your orders commander."

LUXION spoke through the communications systems of the ship and Leon couldn't help but smirk before he spoke the three words that damned Devil's Crown.

"Begin the Assualt."

Just like that, the siege of Devil's Crown had begun.

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Up next is The Seige of Devil's Crown where the might and technology of the Terran Dominion shall be tested after thousands of years of laying dormant. What kind of improvements shall we see? What brand new units will be shown? What will happen to the pirates' home base?

We just have to wait and see.