Chapter 24: Pirate
"You guys. This is one fine ship. No doubt, it's loaded with some fine items, am I right?" The boy questions and moves his eyes to the cargo on the ship. "Hand them all over!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't mess with us!"
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Who, me?" The boy says as he smirks and brings up his hook. "We are…" The hook glows brightly and the water suddenly sprouts up on the same side where the boy is, revealing two ships inside the bubble. Vulpi, Alibaba, and Hakuryuu gets ready to fight as Aladdin stares at the boy.
"We're pirates!" The boy finishes when the pirates swing themselves with a rope to get on the Sindrian ship and land on it.
"What? What the hell? Who are these people?"
Once all the pirates land on the ship, two pirate members get out a sword hilt and point at the soldiers when water gathers at the tip of the hilt and shoot at them, blasting the soldiers to the ship railing.
"What's going on?" Alibaba questions.
"A Magic Tool?" Aladdin says.
As one of the pirates point his weapon at the captain, a large water bubble is forming on the tip.
"Bye-bye!" The pirate sings before he shoots, but Morgiana kicks him subsequently popping the bubble and comes back to the group.
"Y-you people…"
Hakuryuu notice something at the corner of his eyes and turns around to see a child was the same pirate who Morgiana kicked.
"He's a kid?" Hakuryuu questions making the others to gasp in shock at the fact that a child is part of the pirates.
"Get them!" One of the pirates shout and they all shout with children's voices mixed in.
"Dammit!" Alibaba curses when a pirate who is another child charges him, but he moves away as Alibaba hits the child on the pressure point with the hilt of his sword.
Another pirate is trying to stab Morgiana with his sword, but she jumps back and kicks the sword away before she kicks him on the neck.
A couple of pirates charge Hakuryuu as he knocks away one of them with his spear. "Why would children…" He trails off as Hakuryuu dodges a water bullet. "…become pirates?"
"Stop this!" Vulpi tells the pirates as she dodges the pirate's strike and hits him on the pressure point with the hilt of her dagger as Ryuko is by her side and Morgiana then kicks away a few more pirates.
"Who are these guys? They're definitely not normal!" One of the pirates say.
"Orba! Help us out! Orba!" Another pirate pleads as he looks back at the bowsprit who the boy, Orba is standing.
"What a disgraceful bunch you are!" Orba says as he walks down. "And you call yourselves the sons of Aum Madaura?"
"M-my bad…" He says and Orba pats him on the head.
"Stay out of the way." He whispers at him as he walks past him and stands in front of the group. "Hey, you! How old are you?" He questions Aladdin who grits his teeth. "Are they forcing you to work in a place like this? You poor kid…" Orba points his hook at them and the hook detach itself and light begins to gather.
"Is that another Magic Tool?" Aladdin thought.
"Oh no!" Aladdin shouts and rushes out of the way as Ryuko follows him.
"Ryuko!" Vulpi calls out.
"Who said you could move without asking?" A pirate questions and shoots the water bullet at Aladdin Ryuko which it blasts them the air causing Aladdin's flute to be fly off from him and drops his staff. Aladdin and Ryuko then drop down into the ocean.
"Aladdin!" Morgiana shouts.
"Ryuko!" Vulpi shouts and both of them about to rush to get him.
"It's no use." Orba says and shoots the water bubble at them catching the four in a large water bubble.
"Wh-What's going on here?" Alibaba questions and Orba moves his weapon arm up commanding the bubble. "Dammit! This is nothing!" Alibaba moves away from the bubble wall when Orba snap his arm back, causing the bubble to break and the four fall down. "Oh, crap!" Alibaba says and the four fall into the ocean.
Then the eight-point star on Hakuryuu's spear begins to glow.
"The intruders are gone." Orba says as he looks down where the four have fallen and looks at his crew. "Seize the cargo!"
"Right!"
As the pirates walks towards where the cargo is, one of the pirates feels something pulling on her arm and looks down as she gasps on shock a vine is wrapped around on her arm. Then more vines grow from the ocean as an eight-point star glows through the water, lifting Alibaba, Morgiana, and Vulpi out of the water as Hakuryuu lands on the ship with his left arm forms into a hand. The vines put the three back on the ship as they cough out the water in their lungs. Once they stop they look up and shock at what they see.
"H-hey, man… that arm or yours…" Alibaba trails off.
"Didn't I tell you? That next time, it would be my turn to fight!" Hakuryuu exclaims. Hakuryuu's wooden arm becomes large and distorted by branches coming off from it.
"Wh-What the hell? What's going on with that guy's arm?" A pirate questions.
"Apparently, this is the power of Zagan." Hakuryuu says. "I awaken the power of the plants that have touched my metal vessel." He then taps the butt of his spear on the deck, causing plants to grow from it.
"Don't let that think spook you! You're not worthy to call yourselves 'sons of Aum Madaura'!" Orba shouts and the two pirates in front of him point their weapons at them.
"That that!" They shout and water bullets shoot at him.
"It won't take my long to defeat those people. We've got to find Aladdin-dono right away!" Hakuryuu shouts as he blocks the water bullets with the branches hitting the other bullets.
"Stand your ground! Blitz them, everybody!" Orba orders and all of the pirates point their weapons at Hakuryuu.
"Hakuryuu!" Alibaba shouts.
Hakuryuu looks around and spot something. "Zaug Mobarezo!" He shouts as Hakuryuu point his wooden arm, releasing several wooden projectiles turning into a large dragon.
"What the…?" Orba says and the wood dragon bits one of the pirate as its body hits the other one.
The dragon continues biting down the pirates one after another and it hit its body against the rest of the pirates as they all sprawl on the floor deck. The dragon retreat to Hakuryuu side as he holds his spear upwards.
"It's over." He says.
"D-dammit!"
"Hold up!" Orba says and lifts his hook at the side of the ship, making the group to see Aladdin rolled up unconscious inside of a water bubble with Ryuko beside him.
"Aladdin! Ryuko!" Vulpi calls out.
"See, I've got hostages. One false move from you, and I'll destroy him!" He says and turns his hook causing the bubble to shrink.
"Aladdin!" Alibaba shouts.
"Aladdin!" Morgiana calls out.
"Please stop it!" Vulpi tells Orba.
"Are we clear now? You just sit tight, now." Orba tells Hakuryuu and turns his head to his crew. "You guys, take the cargo off the ship!"
The three turn at Orba and glare at him, while Hakuryuu moves his eyes back of him and drops a seed into one of the bags of the cargo.
Once the pirates got all the cargo from the Sindria ship to theirs, Orba is surrounded by a water bubble.
"See ya!" Orba says as he and the ship go into the water.
"Those guys… they went underwater…" Alibaba points out as the pirates got away under the water.
~Night~
As the ship gets closer to the harbor, most of the soldiers are below deck injured.
"Hang in there!"
"Give us some water too, please."
"Are you all right?" Morgiana asks to the old man as she tends to his injuries.
"Yes, thank you." The captain replies and Morgiana begins to bandage his arm. "But they uncover the precious cargo loaded onto this ship, and made off with it… There's no way that I can face King Sinbad now… Forgive me. I know you'd like to go search for your friend right away… But we've got to take these injured soldiers ashore…"
"Those guys… who are they, anyway?" Alibaba asks.
"They're Aum Madaura."
"Aum Madaura?" Morgiana and Vulpi repeat.
"And what exactly is their story?" Hakuryuu asks.
"Captain!" A sailor calls out as he rushes in.
Is it an enemy attack?"
"No. Actually…"
They all get on the deck as they see a large ship going pass the Sindria ship.
"That's gigantic!" Alibaba says.
"It's the Actia Navy." Hakuryuu says.
"Navy?" Morgiana repeats.
"Yes. Those men are members of the Kingdom of Actia's navy. This port here is located in a country called the Kingdom of Actia. The Actia port serve as crucial points of contact linking the continents to the east and west."
Once they get to the port, the group hurry themselves to the town and see ruin buildings and people crying.
"This is awful… It's totally out of control!" Alibaba says.
"This port was ravage by those pirates, even though it was under the protection of a powerful navy?"
"Yes. This is the handiwork of Aum Madaura." They turn around and see three soldiers coming up to them.
"We're with the Actian Navy. You people were onboard that Sindrian trade ship that just entered this port, is that correct?"
"Admiral-dono. What exactly is Aum Madaura?" Hakuryuu asks.
They're pirates of the West. A ferocious lot who plunder on the strength of their mastery of Magic Tools…"
"But how could you be attacked by the pirates? Being that they're so heavily-guarded, surely there's no reason why the Actian seas should be overrun by pirates?" The captain questions.
"That's true. However, as we've been forced to send troops to the northern border, we've now shorthanded in our patrolling of the seas."
"Northern… border?" Hakuryuu repeats.
"Yes. The front lines of our defense against Magnostadt. Ever since the fall of the Musta'sim dynasty, they've started making inroads into neighboring countries. We can no longer predict what they'll unleash next… It's a truly ominous nation."
This cause the four to gasp and Vulpi looks down.
"Vulpi-dono… were you and Aladdin-dono actually trying to go to such a country?" Hakuryuu asks.
"Actually… maybe that's precisely why he and Vulpi were trying to go there." Alibaba says.
"Why won't you fight for us?"
"We beg of you!"
"What's this?" Alibaba says as he, Morgiana, Vulpi, and Hakuryuu turn around.
"Oh please, not again…"
Behind them, the townspeople are gathered seeing the Actia soldiers.
"Please rescue my child!"
"Bring back the children the pirates took from us!"
"Children?" Morgiana repeats.
"What are they talking about?" Alibaba questions.
"You see… Every time the Aum Madaura strikes, they kidnap all the children from the villages they've plundered. Not only that, but for some reason, they only take children from the slums… Why knows what they plan to do with them?" The Admiral says.
"Aladdin…" Alibaba mutters.
"Ryuko…" Vulpi mutters.
One the pirate ship
Several children are lying on the floor along with Aladdin and Ryuko. Aladdin open his eyes as Ryuko lifts its head.
"Hey, so you're awake?" Orba asks and Aladdin sits up.
"Where am I now?" Aladdin asks.
"At the bottom of the sea!" Orba replies as he lifts his hook up and Aladdin looks up to see that they are truly underwater.
"Huh? Usually, the kids we bring here are sobbing or wailing their hearts out, but you're pretty calm, huh?"
"That's not true. I'm surprised by all this too, and sure I'm scared!"
"Either way, you'll never escape now. If you cause any trouble, I'll string you up! Sit tight like a good kid."
"Orba! This is bad, Aero is…"
"What?" He says and rushes out of the room.
Aladdin then stands up and Ryuko chirps.
"Do you want to come along, Ryuko?" Aladdin asks and Ryuko gets on his head.
Aladdin approaches to another room and both of them see a generator like machine.
"Is this a Magic Tool too?" Aladdin thought. "So it's thanks to this device that they're able to sail underwater." Aladdin notice something and takes a closer look to see a certain emblem. "The emblem of Magnostadt? No way… Do all the other Magic Tools have it too?"
"Aero! Pull yourself together!" Orba tells the boy.
"Orba…"
"You can keep going, right? Stay strong!"
"O-okay…" The boy sits back up and begins to blow into a pipe.
"They're using these children's magoi to drive that device!"
"They have to stop! If they keep that up any longer, they're sure to die!" Aladdin says.
"Stay out of the way!" Orba retorts.
"I don't mind. As long as it's for Aum Madaura…" The boy says.
"Come on, Aero!"
"It's for Aum Madaura's sake!"
"If you keep that up until you drop, she's going to praise you to the skies!"
"Right!"
Aladdin is shock by this from the children's drive for this Aum Madaura.
Where the group is
"You can't rescue those children? What do you mean?" Alibaba asks.
"Since that pirate ship of theirs moves underwater… We may be the Actian Navy, but pursuing them would be impossible. We can't even pinpoint where their hideout is." The Admiral says.
"You're talking about that strange-looking Magic Tool, huh?"
"But, sir! Are you just going to allow our children to be killed?"
The Admiral looks away at the question.
"Dammit! Isn't there something we can do?" Alibaba questions.
"Please don't worry, Alibaba-dono. I've already got a plan in motion." Hakuryuu says catching everyone's attention. "Awake them." The eight-point star shines and the spear is surrounded in light. "Zagan!" Hakuryuu tap his spear on the ground causing plant to grow.
"Wh-What the heck is this?" Alibaba asks.
"This is just an herb-claw root."
"Herb-claw root? Hold up… You mean that grass from the pea family with the insanely long roots? That's used for herbs and stuff?"
"That's right. Zagan has awakened its unique qualities and amplified them to the maximum. I scattered some seeds over the cargo they stole. In other words… if we follow this root, it will lead us to their hideout!"
"For real? That's awesome! I mean, it's beyond awesome! So you can manipulate any plants at will?" Alibaba questions.
"No… This is a comb move, pairing Zagan's power with my powers of Magoi Manipulation. Zagan can only manipulate plants that have come into contact with my Metal Vessel. But if I use Magoi Manipulation to inject Zagan's power into a plant, I can continue to manipulate it until the magoi is exhausted."
"Ooh…" Alibaba, Morgiana and Vulpi say.
"Now we know where the hideout is. Let's head out right now to save those children!"
"But the thing is…"
"As we have no idea how potent the enemy's power may be… Our battleship was entrusted to us by the king, and as such, we cannot deploy it for a foolhardy mission."
"But…" Alibaba says.
"Oh, that's your excuse again? Hey, you damned Naval officers, why don't you just come out with the truth?"
"The truth?" Morgiana repeats.
"If it were to children of the nobility and the royal family, you know damn well that you'd rescue them! You guys are always… always… When it comes to poor people like us, you couldn't care less how much we suffer, right? The royal family can go to hell!"
Alibaba widens his eyes at those words remembering back at Balbadd.
"Shut up! Another word out of you, and we'll charge you with treason against Actia's royal family!"
"And we'll toss you into jail for that!"
Alibaba looks down as Vulpi looks at his and Morgiana and Hakuryuu look back at the townspeople.
"Alibaba-san, are you all right?" Vulpi asks.
"Hey, you guys… Are you in a rush to set off on your journeys?" Alibaba asks then Morgiana shakes her head.
"No." She says.
"I know what it is that you want to say." Hakuryuu says.
"Yeah…" Vulpi says as she nods.
"Right." Alibaba says and turns around. "Uh… everybody… We'll go rescue your children!"
"Just you four? That's insane!"
"One of our friends has been captured as well." He says and takes a few paces forward. "Don't worry. I promise you that we'll save your kids!"
"Thank you very much… But even our own country has abandoned us. Even if you were to save them… we have no money to give you in thanks…"
Alibaba puts his hand on the woman shoulder. "We don't want anything like that."
The townspeople gasp in relief at Alibaba's words.
"Cassim… These are the kind of people that you wanted to save, right? Well, that's why I'm gonna fight! Fight your share too…" Alibaba thought.
~Next morning~
Underwater
The two pirate ships enter a cave of an island and they rise at the shore where children are waiting.
"This is our home." Orba says and Aladdin and Ryuko look up and see their surroundings.
Aladdin and the pirates with the other kidnapped children follow Orba on the wooden path as two children see Orba.
"Orba!"
"Are you doing okay?" Orba asks.
"Yeah!"
"Yes!"
Orba stops as the younger children are taken by the other pirates further up on the path and Orba turns around and points at the cave beside him.
"You guys come this way." He says and enters it with Aladdin and the older children follow him.
"Welcome home, Orba!"
"Welcome home!"
Aladdin looks around and sees more children are happy and lively all over the place.
Later, Aladdin is taken to a dinner table where the other children are eating breakfast as he looks down and Ryuko is lying on his lap.
"Eat up." Orba says as he puts a bowl of food on the table as he sits down next to him.
"Orba-kun… was that your name? Why are there only children here?" Aladdin asks.
"Take a look at those two." Orba tells him and Aladdin sees two children are eating hurriedly. "They're the kids I brought in the other day. Until now, I'll bet they never had a square mean in their lives. The ones here are more or less all kids in the same boat. Now that they're here with Aum Madaura, they've discovered the blessing of eating their fill, and sleep without a care in the world!"
"Aum Madaura!"
Aladdin and Ryuko looks up to see a woman is sitting on a chair with a young girl on her lap.
"What good children you are… my children…"
"Madaura! We were saved again today because of Orba's air bubble!"
"I see Well done, Orba. Please continue to look after your little brothers, all right?" Madaura says.
"Sure!" Orba replies and smiles widely.
"You're a new face, aren't you?" Madaura asks as she spots Aladdin. "I'm glad you came, little boy."
"Are you… Aum Madaura?" Aladdin asks.
"Yes, I am Aum Madaura. The mother of all miserable children who live in this world. Little boy, now that you've became one of my own, you're safe now. Starvation, cold, illness and anxiety… I shall protect you from all of those things. Come here, to Madaura!" Aladdin continues look at Madaura not moving from his spot. "What's the matter, little boy?"
One the ship coming over, I saw children who had collapsed. Saying that it was for Madaura's sake, they'd exhausted all their strength. Is that… what you mean by a blessing?"
The other children begin to chatter at Aladdin words.
How is it not a blessing? We're alive, thanks to Madaura. So sure, we'll die for Madaura." Orba says.
"He's right! If it will make Madaura happy…"
"Listen, Madaura! I'll be glad to die for you too!"
"Madaura!"
"Madaura!"
All the children stand up and chants her name.
"Little boy. I can see that you're still a bad child. But don't worry. In time, you'll understand. That Madaura is your whole world!" Madaura says.
Meanwhile on the Sindrian ship
The ship is sailing to where the pirates' hideout is from the root as it being pulled back onto the ship.
"Thank you… For lending us your precious ship…" Alibaba says to the captain.
"Well, our sailors survived thanks to you, after all. Use it to your heart's content!" The captain says.
"What? Aladdin's been kidnapped?" Yamraiha voice is heard getting Alibaba's attention to where Morgiana, Vulpi, and Hakuryuu are.
"Hey! Damn you, don't push me, Yamraiha!" Sharrkan's voice exclaims.
"I'm not pushing!"
"Is that…?" Alibaba asks.
"You did push me!"
"We found it in Aladdin-dono's luggage."
"I said I didn't push you! Baldy!"
"I told you, I'm not bad for crying out loud!"
"It's the Eye of the Rukh, a Magic Tool that allow you to communicate with someone in a distant location. Somehow I managed to operate it myself." Hakuryuu finishes and Alibaba sits beside him.
"Is that you, Alibaba-kun?" Sinbad asks through the crystal ball.
"Yes." Alibaba replies.
"Hakuryuu told me what happened. As for as Sindria is concerned, we can't allow out trade route with Actia to be menaced in such a way. And I'm also worried about Aladdin. Do you want me to send you some back up?"
"No, I think we'll try to handle it somehow on our own." Alibaba says.
"I see. But watch your back. Depending on how it's utilized, a Magic Tool can also become a considerable threat."
Suddenly, Sinbad is knocked away by Sharrkan as he and Yamraiha is on the screen.
"Do your best now." Sharrkan says.
"Good luck!" Yamraiha says.
"Right!" Alibaba replies and Yamraiha and Sharrkan figure disappear. "But man, they really are something, huh? Those things called Magic Tools…"
"Yes, they are."
Morgiana then sees Vulpi looking up ahead as she stares into the horizon.
"Vulpi-san, is there something a matter?" Morgiana asks as she walk towards her.
"Morgiana… For some reason, I can feel Rikuo's presence up ahead." She replies.
"Ryuko?"
"Yeah." Vulpi then notices Alibaba and Hakuryuu are together making weird movements. "Looks like they made up."
"Yes."
"I can see an island in front of us!"
Alibaba and Hakuryuu stop their movements and see an island in front of them along with Vulpi and Morgiana.
"Do you think it's beyond that little island?" Morgiana questions.
"All right… let's go!" Alibaba says.
Meanwhile, Aladdin and Madaura are staring at each other until someone enter the room.
"Trouble! The ship is… The ship is…"
Orba comes outside with the pirates and some children as they see one of the ship is covered in moss and tree branch.
"What the hell is this?" Orba questions.
"Enemy attack! From the south! A ship's heading straight toward us!"
"Wh-What?!"
Back at the ship, Vulpi is on Bahamut's back in wyvern form.
"I'll go on ahead." Vulpi says.
"Yeah!" Alibaba replies and Bahamut flies up ahead of the ship towards the island.
On the island
"Straight toward us, did he say?"
"They're wasting their time! This island is surrounded by cliffs. There's no way that they could enter!" Orba says.
Back at the ship
"Here goes." Morgiana says as she holds Alibaba's wrist before spinning around with Alibaba being lift up and throws him upward over the cliff as Hakuryuu follows after being tossed by Morgiana. She then runs up on the bowsprit and launches herself upward as the three get over the rocky wall as Bahamut is over the top of the island and Vulpi dives down with the three.
Back on the island, the pirates look up to where the ship supposed to be heading and see the four coming down from the sky under the sun as this surprise them. Then the four land lands on the water where the roots are in it causes the water to spray on the pirates and a rainbow is made as the four is under it all wet.
"All right… what do you say we go on a rampage?" Alibaba questions.