"He can't do that!" Alvis slammed the door behind him. He stomped over to where his comrades were sharpening their swords.

"Do what? Did you find out why we're headed back to shore?"

"Captain will be out in a moment to enlighten us all." Alvis huffed and sat down on a barrel. He crossed his arms and refused to move when the captain came out and ordered everyone on deck.

"Men. I have just received word. We are to return home at once. The emperor has decided to decommission all naval operations, effective immediately. Everyone will get a severance pay of two hundred bucks."

The sailors roared and demanded an explanation, but the captain couldn't provide one.

"There's nothing I can do." The captain tried to calm his men, but they refused to listen.

"Rubbish!" Alvis yelled.

"Lieutenant! Stand down." The captain straightened to his full height.

"No. The emperor cannot buy us off with his petty cash. He hasn't any clue what it is we do out here! I say we show him!"

The men yelled in agreement.

"Lieutenant! I will see you in my quarters. Now!" The captain growled and pointed to his cabin.

"Wrong, sir. I shall not be moved."

"What are you going to do then?"

Alvis looked at the crowd of angry sailors and drew his saber.

"It's treason then." The captain drew his saber and met Alvis.

It wasn't much of a fight. The mob of sailors quickly surrounded the captain.

"Don't kill him! We need to send a message to his Royal Highness, and I couldn't think of a better messenger boy," Alvis ordered.

"What do you suggest?"

Alvis thought for a moment. He led the men in stripping the former captain down to his undergarments before they tied him up and threw him in the dingy and lowered it into the water. Alvis took a deep breath and focused. A massive wave came and swept the ex-captain back towards Ninjago.

"It's ours!" Alvis yelled over the cheers.

The men surrounded him as he walked to the helm.

"The emperor shall rue the day he turned his back on us," Alvis said as he turned the ship out to sea.

Everyone celebrated well into the night. The next morning, while everyone nursed their hangovers, the crew gathered to vote on important issues. They all agreed Alvis should be the new captain, and after throwing around names like Sancy Orlov, Emperor's Regret, and Grey Iris, the HRMS Oswald II was renamed the Onyx Star.

Everyone enjoyed their new lives as pirates. They easily took down the few remaining ships still loyal to the emperor and terrorized ports. A few other royal ships had mutinies as well. Tensions were high in regards to the other ships, but at least for the time being, they respected each other and kept their distance.

Some port towns, like Stiix, embraced the pirates who docked there. The pub owners especially appreciated all the business the pirates brought them. Most of the men had lady friends who lived in these towns, including Alvis. As a general rule, women were not allowed onto ships simply because they were too distracting for the men. However, Alvis's lady friend persuaded him to reconsider.

"Gentlemen, this is Miss Lily. She is a trained nurse and will be joining us on board the Onyx. She knows how to treat most injuries we might sustain while out at sea, and she is to be treated with the utmost respect. Anyone who treats her as anything else will be thrown overboard, no questions asked."

The men grumbled, but they all knew the value of having a medical professional on board who wouldn't turn them in.

Lily mostly stayed in her quarters, and she made sure she was never alone when she had to treat one of the men. She grew to love the pirate life, and after a few months, the men saw her as one of the crew. She even helped out during battles anyway she could. Even though she had no voting rights, as was common for any doctor or nurse on a ship, her relationship with Alvis meant she could voice her opinion.

Alvis and his crew were not the only navy ships to rebel. The emperor, in a desperate attempt to eliminate the pirate problem, quickly reestablished his navy, but it was too late. Most ships had either been decommissioned, or the crew had rebelled and turned to piracy, leaving only young, inexperienced crews to defend Ninjago. Those who flew the emperor's flag could only hope they didn't stumble across the Onyx and Captain Karatagan, the man who controlled the seas.

After two years of commanding the Onyx, there wasn't much that could surprise Alvis, but Lily managed to.

"Are you sure?" Alvis asked.

"Absolutely."

Lily had been sick for the past three weeks. Everyone was worried about her, but she insisted she was fine, especially once she found out what was making her so sick.

"You should go to shore, then."

"No, I'm not going to leave you."

"This is no life for a child. It's too dangerous."

"I don't care. Besides, with the number of enemies you've made over the years, it's probably safer if I did stay on board and raise our child here."

Alvis huffed and sat down. He knew there was no changing Lily's mind. For the next nine months, he watched as she was sick to her stomach almost every day. Even at her worst, though, she still did her best to help out around the ship, and any crew member who dared offer to help her even once risked her wrath and her cutlass.

It was all worth it, though, when their baby girl was born in the middle of the night, far out at sea. Alvis wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to Lily.

"What shall we call her?" Lily asked.

"She needs a strong name. She is the princess of the Onyx, the mistress of the ocean."

"I like Maya."

"Maya Karatagan. I like it."

That night, while he slept, Alvis dreamt of a glowing orb of water floating above him. It glowed bright at first, but slowly grew dimmer and smaller in size until he could no longer see it at all. When he woke the next morning, he found he could no longer control the ocean. No matter what he tried, the ocean would not listen to him.

When he returned to his quarters, he carefully picked up his baby girl. There was something about her eyes that was different from the day before.

"She has my power," Alvis whispered.

"What?"

"She has my power, Lily."

"She's a day old, Alvis. How could she have your power?"

"I don't know, but she does. Oh, Maya. My sweet, sweet Maya. You really will be the mistress of the ocean."

That afternoon, Alvis gathered his men around. He needed to set the record straight before rumors started flying around.

"Men, I'll be honest. I no longer have the power to control the seas. I was not aware the power would pass down to my daughter so soon after her birth. She will learn how to use her powers, that I guarantee. Until then, we will do what we've always done. We're on the Onyx Star! They fear us back in Ninjago. No one will dare come near us. I say we use that to our advantage!"

And that's exactly what they did.

Alvis was quick to get Maya trained on how to use her powers. As soon as she had mastered the art of walking, he had her trying to control the water. The girl just loved playing in the water with her dad. By the time she was four, she could control where the current went. When she was six, she was actively pulling other ships towards the Onyx and creating whirlpools. She was ten when she mastered pulling up a stream of water and bending it to her will.

Maya was not happy, though. The crew tried to keep her entertained, but they did have jobs to do. She spent most days with her mother, learning how to treat various injuries. Lily and Alvis hated seeing her so miserable, but they didn't know what to do. It didn't help that no one else she knew could do what she could. She felt like a freak when the men stared in awe at her abilities.

Whenever they docked in Stiix, she would watch the other children run around and play, but she was never invited to join. By the time she was thirteen, she hated her pirate life. She was the daughter of Captain Karatagan, and everyone in town knew it and avoided her for it. Once, she tried to hide from her parents, but with the entire crew looking for her, she only lasted about an hour before she was spotted.

"You can't run away like that, Maya," Alvis scolded.

"I don't care! Why can't I have a normal life with normal friends?" Maya whined.

"Because the world doesn't work that way. I'm sorry, but your place is here, on this ship."

Maya pouted but accepted her father's word. She continued to help him in battle, reeling in other ships for the men to plunder.

A year later, when they were back in Stiix, Maya sat in the pub alone. It was the middle of the day, so there weren't that many people in the pub at the moment. The owner wouldn't let her drink anything besides water, but she was welcome to any food she wanted. She was picking at some chips when she saw an older man enter. He wasn't from Stiix, that much was obvious with his dark kimono and staff. He sat down next to her at the bar.

"You seem awfully young to be in here."

"You going to turn me in? I'm not doing anything wrong," Maya scoffed.

"I can see that."

Maya rolled her eyes and ate a chip.

"My name is Wu. What is your name?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"That is how you get to know someone."

"...Maya."

"It's nice to meet you, Maya."

"Whatever."

"I'm looking for someone special, and I was wondering if you could maybe help me. You seem like the type of person who would know this. I've heard stories of a man who can control the seas."

"Captain Karatagan."

"Yes, and I saw the Onyx Star docked at the ports, so I'm assuming he must be around here somewhere."

Maya narrowed her eyes. She didn't like where this guy's questions were going.

"I'm not going to turn him in, I promise. But if the stories are true, I need to know. There is a terrible war coming, and I need every elemental master I can find," Wu explained.

"Elemental master?"

"Yes. There are those who can control the elements, like fire, lightning, ice, earth, or water. I am hoping my brother and I can find everyone so we can fight the coming evil and win."

Maya inhaled. Were there other people out there like her? She didn't know of anyone else who could control the water. It sounded too good to be true. She wanted to take the man to her dad, but what if the man was lying and this was a trap for her parents?

"If you see him, will you please ask him to meet me back here tonight, around eight?" Wu asked.

"Make it nine."

"Very well."

Maya got up, and after making sure she wasn't followed, ran to the ship. She raced up the gangplank and ran to her family's quarters.

"Dad?" Maya asked.

"Yes?" Alvis didn't look up from the map he was staring at.

"There was a man at the pub. He said there were other people with powers like me. There's going to be a war, and he wants the elemental masters to help fight. He wants to meet you tonight at the pub, at nine."

"Maya, did you tell him you controlled the ocean?"

"No. He thinks you do."

"I see… I'll meet with him tonight."

Alvis took his most trusted men with him that night to the pub while Maya and Lily stayed on the Onyx. He ordered drinks for his men while they waited for the man to show up. Right at nine, the visitor appeared. He stuck out like a sore thumb among the crowd of pirates. He approached Alvis.

"Captain Karatagan, I presume?"

"Who wants to know?" Alvis asked.

"Wu, son of the First Spinjitzu Master."

"First Spinjitzu Master, huh?"

"Yes. I'll get straight to the point. There is an evil man who is about to attack Ninjago with an army of Serpentine warriors. My brother and I are prepared to fight, but we are asking for the elemental masters to help us in our fight. When I heard the legacy of Captain Karatagan and how he could control the seas, I knew he must be the Master of Water."

"Aye, but I'm afraid you wasted your time. I'm not going to help you."

"I know, but I was hoping your daughter, the current Master of Water, would."

Alvis tensed up. How did this man know about Maya? She had told him the man didn't know about her.

"The locals are quite talkative when you offer to buy them a drink," Wu explained.

"She's not going with you."

"I think she's old enough to make up her own mind."

"She's not. She's only fourteen. She doesn't know what she wants."

"The girl I met today seemed very sad and lonely. This life you've chosen doesn't suit her spirit from what I've seen. And I could really use her help. She's already mastered her element from the stories I've heard, and I'm sure she knows how to use a cutlass."

"Of course she can."

"She is exactly who I need."

"For the last time, the answer is no. If you won't listen to words, then perhaps you'll listen to reason." Alvis drew his cutlass and his men followed his lead. They pointed their weapons at Wu.

"Very well, if that is your decision. I will be leaving town tomorrow night if you change your mind." Wu walked out of the pub.

Alvis put his weapon away, finished his drink, and returned to the Onyx where Lily was waiting up for him.

"What did the man want?" Lily asked.

"He wanted Maya to go fight in a war with him." Alvis told her the whole story.

"I think we should let her go."

"You do?"

"Yes. Alvis, she isn't happy here. Anyone can see that. How long until she starts to refuse to help you in battle? She needs to choose her own path in life. If she's not meant to be a pirate, then we have to let her go."

"No, we need her."

"You don't need her. You've fought other ships without her and her power before, you can do it again. You're still the feared Captain Karatagan, master of the seas. Let her go." Lily kissed his cheek.

Alvis said nothing. He couldn't. In his gut, he knew Lily was right, and it pained him to admit it. He stayed up all night, tossing and turning, wondering if he really should let his daughter go off on her own adventure. When morning came, he pulled Maya aside.

"Your mother and I talked, and if you really want to, you may go with that man and help him," Alvis slowly said.

"Really? Is he still here?" Maya asked.

"He said he was going to stay in town until tonight."

Maya looked at her mom, who nodded. She squealed and hugged them both before racing off to pack her things. An hour later, she was ready to leave.

"Bye," Maya said as she hugged her mom.

"Bye, sweetie. Be safe, and write to us if you can," Lily said.

"I will."

"Love you, baby girl," Alvis said as he hugged her.

"I love you too."

Maya grabbed her things, bid farewell to the crew, and walked down the gangplank for the last time.

"I hope she'll be okay," Lily said as she watched Maya head into town to find Wu.

"It's not her I'm worried about," Alvis admitted. He kissed Lily, and the two of them turned around to help get ready to set sail on their next adventure.