This chapter is based off a side-plot from the manga, Princess Resurrection, but I took some creative liberties when adapting it.

Shipwrecked

The waves were gentle against the Big Mack, nothing to disturb the trio of operatives in the middle of the sea. "Hoooooo. So cloudyyyyy." Nora Asahina moaned, her tan skin robbed of warming sunlight. Wearing only her blue two-piece with sea wave designs, she and her best friend performed calm, fluent motions as they pulled water up from the sea and bent it to their whims. "I'll never get to rub sunscreen on Erin now."

Erin Horvitz flushed at her friend's open desire. "My arms and face would be fine, Nora." She wasn't in the mood to go swimming on this trip, having done enough under her mom's supervision, so she wore her dark-orange T-shirt, khaki pants, and black sandals with socks.

"But Eriiiiin! Swimming without you just feels so empty. The sea has no light without its princess. Maybe once you change, the sun will come out! Be the light this sea needs, Erin!"

"The sun doesn't depend on your weird desires." said Mack Strongarm, walking out. The black-haired boy wore a white top, blue jeans, brown shoes, and dark glasses. "And that's why I sailed us out here to begin with: cool and cloudy with little chance of rain. After all, waterbenders should technically operate better in cool weather. You get a power bonus, plus no sunburn and minimal dehydration."

"But water is so much prettier in the sunlight…" Nora frumped.

"Anyway, girls, came to let you know something. I picked up an SOS signal in there."

"S-O-S?!" Nora clapped hands to her cheeks and jumped, flexing her legs back.

"Oh, dear." Erin touched her chin. "I guess we were right to come out here."

"My intuition saves us once again." Mack smiled smugly. "I've set a course for where it came from."

"Don't worry, ship! The kind Sea Princess is on her way to save you!" Nora put her hands to the rail and looked out, her pigtails fluttering in the wind.

During the few minutes the friends sailed, the clouds seemed to grow denser and the air warmer. Nora's eyes remain sharp and eager for rescue, yet there was no visible ship to rescue. "Huh…we should be seeing something by now." Mack said. "Could it be a submarine? Nora, you think you can dive under and look?"

"Wait, Nora, don't." Erin said. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this. I think we should just turn back."

"But someone could be in danger. I'll just go for a quick dive, Erin. If I don't see anything, I'll-"

"Uh…ah…" Erin's eyes seemed to shrink as she slowly rose a twitching finger.

"Erin?"

"WHAT THE HEEEEECK?!" Mack screamed.

Nora whipped around, growing pale under the eclipsing shadow. "! AAAAAAAAAH!"

A cruise liner completely dwarfed their little boat, the bow growing larger amidst its inevitable collision. "IT SHOWED UP OUTTA NOWHERE!" Mack screamed. "I can't turn it time! HEEEEY! WE'RE DOWN HERE!"

"MACK, IT'S GONNA HIT US!" Erin screamed. "QUICK, DIVE IN THE WATER!"

"AAAAH!" Mack bolted outside and grabbed the girls' hands, diving boldly into the sea. The girls combined their waterbending (though Nora did most of the work) and swam around the side of the looming ship. The sound of their own 4x4 boat being smashed into sea scrap rang dreadfully in their ears. "Man, we almost got sea-squished!" Nora exclaimed. "What does that big jerk think it's doing?!"

"The SOS must've been coming from it!" Mack configured. "What it a trap?!"

"Either way, we have to climb on!" Erin said. "It's our only way back to land now!"

"You girls are lucky I packed these!" Mack reached into his Infi-Cube and grabbed three pairs of M.A.G.N.E.B.O.O.T.S.. Each fit for the feet of either teammate, they each stuck them on in the midst of floating and swam toward the steamboat. The metal soles latched to the ship's hull, attaching and enabling them to walk up.

Once on the deck of the ship, the friends removed the hefty boots, albeit this left Nora without any footwear. On the bright side, Mack had saved her blue open jacket. "You couldn't save my shoes, Mack?!"

"I could only save one clothing article and I chose the one to hide your half-nudity. You're part-Fanalis, anyway, so I didn't think you'd care. If you do, just wear the M.A.G.N.E.B.O.O.T.S.."

"They're too metal and clingy!"

"My socks are too soggy now." Erin whimpered. "Sigh, I hope this boat has a laundry room."

"Hey, smarty." Mack gazed at her blankly. "Don't know if you remember, but, waterbending."

"Oh!" With that in mind, Erin bent the wetness off her clothes, leaving them almost refreshed. "Heheh…that was silly of me. …Hey, do you guys hear something?"

Doooo, doooo, dooo, dooo, dooooo… Doooo, doooo, dooo, dooo, dooooo…

"It sounds like a flute…" Mack put on a headset with a satellite. "And it's coming from that approximate direction." He pointed to a higher floor of the ship. (The song is the "Serenade of Water" from Zelda.)

"Let's go check it out!" Nora said. "We have to talk to whoever's in charge here, anyway."

The trio walked into a nearby doorway. At the same time, a group of Fishmen climbed back up to the ship's bow. "We really need a less reckless way of robbing these ships." a bass-man said. "Get a harpoon or somethin'."

"I didn't see any bodies down there." An eel-man replied. "The crew must've jumped off. Have someone search the waters."

The operatives walked into a dingy, ransacked dining room. Dread weighed on their hearts as they walked the stairs up to the next floor. "What if this is a ghost ship?" Erin wondered. "And that's why it showed up out of nowhere?"

"Not possible." Mack said. "I may be numb to spiritual stuff, but this ship is as physical as they come."

Once up the stairs, the group turned left along the walkway and kept following the signal. "Oh… how tragic."

"AAAH!" Neither kid expected to hear a woman's soft voice, facing forward with a start.

Before them stood a woman with flowing blonde hair. This was in contrast to her gothic dress of a dark-violet color, violet roses in her wide brimmed hat, and a dark veil over her eyes as though she were at a funeral. She wore black stockings and more violet roses on her left hip, opera gloves, and a butterfly pattern lined the left of her torso up to her breast. "What poor children to fall for the lure of the Mermaid's Song."

"You mean that music?"

"We all boarded this ship for a romantic cruise…" The woman was suddenly on their right, startling Nora into jumping in Erin's arms. "But tragedy struck as it followed the song of a mermaid… and met its fate to its own namesake." She was on their left, but Erin had already keeled over under Nora's weight. "Now the mermaid lurks on the soul of this vessel… luring more souls to a sad demise."

"A'ight, first of all, we ain't dead." Mack said. "I dunno what kind of prank you're playing, lady, but I see through your ruse."

"You may live now… but the dead will claim you soon." And she vanished. The kids looked around in panic.

"G-G-G-Ghost!" Erin shuddered. "She was definitely a ghost! One of the passengers that sunk with the ship!"

"Ghosts or not, there's some shady types on this ship." Mack glared, continuing forward. "Keep your guards up."

Watching them enter a hallway, a pair of yellow eyes belonging to a shadowed body glared, crawling down from the ceiling on its spidery legs. The being raised a communicator in its crab claw and spoke, "Captain Sawtooth, we've got intruders. Three kids. They're headin' to where the girl is."

"Kids? Sounds like operatives." Hissed the shark. "Catch 'em and throw 'em in the brig, Scroop! I'll 'ave some questions before I make shark bait outta them. And what of the escaped prisoner?"

"I just lost sight of her. She's sure to be heading for the vault though."

Staying calm, the three operatives took a left turn—"HUH?!"

A horde of thuggish Fishman waited to greet them. "Grrrr…I thought I shmelled some fresh blood." An angler Fishman growled, stitches on his throat.

"They don't look very tough." said a stingray man with a scarred eye.

"A-A-Are these fish zombies?!" Nora stuttered, the kids stepping backward.

"Th-That means we're in Davy Jones' Locker!" Erin said. "These are his crewmen!"

"Aye, maybe we are, girly!" An eel grinned through his cut cheeks. "And maybe we'll use your tears for salt!"

When the eel took the first steps toward Erin, Nora's blood boiled with a passionate instinct. "HYAH!" Nora spun and lashed a Water Whip against the eel, the thug roaring as blood spilled from his stomach.

"GET THEM!" The Fishmen charged, but Nora attached water over her legs and swiftly brought them down with extended kicks, performing rolls and flips and besting the pirates with her smaller, nimbler frame.

"There's our top athlete for ya!" Mack cheered.

Erin turned back and gasped. "MACK!"

The scientist spun and bent up a metal shield to block whatever danger was incoming. A pair of claws rammed the shield, their owner spinning like a drill. Mack struggled to maintain it, so he pushed Erin further behind him before the shield snapped. Mack ducked away before he himself could be cut, shoving Scroop sideways with what was left of his shield. Scroop (from Treasure Planet) was a red creature with big yellow eyes, a spiderish mouth with similar legs, and a black coat.

"You runts are operatives, aren't you?" Scroop got back up and snapped the remains of Mack's shield, the boy evading when the monster tried to snip him. "Sent to investigate the shipwrecks, I bet!"

"I get it!" Mack bent out a twin ball-and-chain weapon, thrusting them at Scroop, who dodged and tried to cut the chains, only for Mack to bend them in evasion and tie the monster up. "This isn't a ghost ship! You're just a bunch of pirates playing in a Halloween attraction! Looks like I'm right once again~"

"It won't matter long for you, brat!" Scroop kicked one of his legs, shooting out with an artificial spring extension and stabbing Mack in the shoulder. The boy slumped in pain, his grip weakening as Scroop stretched free of the chains. Scroop grabbed the balls in his claws and crushed them, then stretched his back legs to lunge at Mack, who dodged in time. "Ow!" A water bullet struck his eye. Scroop glared at Erin, thrusting her palms forward to shoot more water. Scroop blocked with his claws and crawled to her, Erin stumbling back in panic. Mack stretched a pair of his own metal spring hands and grabbed Scroop's arms, holding him back.

"ERIN!" Seeing her friend in danger, Nora kicked a Water Whip and forced Scroop backward, the springs pulling him back with great velocity.

"I'll hold this guy back!" Mack yelled. "Keep looking for the source of that sound! It shouldn't be far!"

"Let's go, Erin!" Nora put her on her back and bolted over the bodies of the beaten Fishmen. They could hear the sounds of the flute echoing from another flight of stairs, but it was drowned by the roaring of more Fishmen. "Uh-oh, I think there's more coming! Let's hide." The friends retreated into a nearby bedroom.

They hid against the wall of the dark room, watching the small round window as the pirates rushed by. "I wonder how many there are…" Erin said.

"They'd probably need enough to man a ship this big. But how many people work on a cruise ship, anyway?"

"I dunno. By the way, you did great against those guys." Erin smiled. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but you were so cool."

"Oh, I'm undeserving of your praise! After all, as long as my bestest best friend is in danger, nothing can stop me!" Nora winked.

"Haha! You do your people proud, Nora!"

"Hehe, you think so?"

"Adabatians revere the Neptune Family, right? You wouldn't be protecting me as much otherwise."

"Pssh…" Nora's eyelids sank slightly. "C'mon, Erin, that has nothing to do with it."

"Then why didn't you try to help Mack beat that guy?"

"Er, he told us to go on ahead, so…" Nora couldn't really think of a way around her logic. "I mean, that still doesn't mean…"

"Ahem, um, did the pirates hurt you?"

"Huh? Oh, well…one of them did kick me in the knee, so it feels kind of sore…"

"I'll help." Erin bent up some water and bent it over the knee. The water glowed as Erin focused her healing.

Nora smiled, feeling the soreness go away as she flexed her knee. "Thanks, Erin."

"Welcome… So, is it safe to head out?"

Nora stood and peeked out the window. "Yeah. Let's keep looking for that music."

Mack raced back into the dining room, jumping off the walkway and attaching a grappling hook to it for safe descent. "AH!" Scroop clipped the end of the hook and had Mack plop on the floor.

"Why don't you try out one of MY weapons?!" Scroop drew a large bazooka and shot rocket-powered crab claws that homed in on Mack. Mack ran and tried to grab the rockets in his bending, but it was fruitless as they flew past and scraped him. They would run out of fuel and land on the floor. "Sorry, kid, but these things are chi-blocked!" Scroop crawled down in pursuit as Mack hid behind a pillar. "I'll have ya snipped before long."

A group of small toy, windup robots that looked like Mack ran out from the pillar, so Scroop kicked a stretched leg. He aimed to knock them away, but they merely grabbed onto Scroop and climbed to his torso. The robots burst into small explosions, riddling Scroop with soot. Mack walked out to see the results, but a still-conscious Scroop shot more homing claws. Mack dashed into a door and ran up the passage, but the claws cut through the door and chased. Mack ducked into a room and hid in the corner of it, and though the claws followed him in the room, they had lost his position and crashed in the wall.

"SCROOP!" The crustacean whipped up at the upper balcony. Captain Sawtooth was a beefy black shark with a scar up his fin, a blue jacket, and a large knife with shark teeth around it. "Did ya take care of 'em?!"

"I'm chasin' one now, Captain, the others should be dealin' with the crewmen!"

"I'll make sure to that!" Sawtooth stomped toward a corridor. "They're not getting away with that kid!"

A duo of jelly-Fishmen ambushed Nora and Erin, lashing electric tentacles. The girls kept their distance as Nora kicked Water Whips attached to her legs—"ZZZZZZZ!" but was electrocuted.

"NORA!" Erin punched a Water Bullet at that jellyfish to free her. "Water conducts electricity, attack them with detached water!"

"Man, I'm such a ditz!" Nora proceeded to form large, dense water balls and kick them at her jellyfish. Erin took a drink to revitalize her saliva, swishing it around before spitting more bullets at the other Fishman. It was no surprise that Nora's stronger attacks took down her foe first, but Erin's swift bullets chopped her jelly's tentacles. With this, Erin was able to bend up Water Whips and lash at the pirate's body. She knocked his legs back and up, causing the pirate to fall face-first into the floor. Erin molded a large Water Fist and slammed it into the back of his head, but it failed as the water splashed over him. She kept trying, but the water continued to lack in force.

"Graaaah!" The pirate recovered and crawled to Erin in a fury, but Nora swiftly brought a solid Water Kick down and knocked him out.

"You need to put more feeling into your Water Fists, Erin! You gotta be like, 'Urgh, I wanna beat this guy up, raaaaaah!'" Nora flexed her muscles like a macho man.

"I'm trying to. Anyway, it sounds like the song's coming from there."

The two entered the room the jellyfish were guarding. It was a normal bedroom, but there was a young girl sitting on a stack of crates and facing out the window. She wore a white dress, had black hair, and played a gentle song on her flute, the same song they had been hearing. "Um…excuse me!" Erin called. "Who are you? Why are you playing that music?"

The girl turned. "!" Twisting around, her bare feet kicked off onto the floor and ran to glomp Erin in a hug. "Ah!" Erin gasped, embracing the child that was level with her belly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

The girl looked up with big, pleading eyes, pointing at the window. "You… want us to get you out of here?" She nodded. "Can you speak?" She shook 'no.'

"CAUGHT YA REDHANDED, BRATS!" The girls paled before the burly, rugged shark-man at their backs. "Thought ya could make off with my mermaid, did ya?!"

"Mermaid?!" Nora questioned. "I think you need your eyes checked, buddy! Those look like legs to me."

"I 'ad a sea witch make her human in exchange for her voice! Keeps her from swimmin' away, it does. That way, she can draw in all the prey I want her to!"

"Draw in prey?" Erin repeated.

"It ain't none of your business though! Now, why don't ya hop on down to the brig? If ya play nice from 'ere on, I'll let ya be choregirls. Otherwise, you kids are dead meat!"

"HYAH!" Nora kicked a water ball at Sawtooth, but he swiftly bit and drank the water. "ERIN, THIS WAY!" She water-kicked the window and shattered it clean open, hoisting up Erin and the mermaid and hauling them out.

"AAARRRGH!" Sawtooth charged at Nora, but she ducked right as he rammed right through the wall. Erin hastily scrambled left on the outside walkway, pulling the child with her. When she caught Sawtooth's eye, the two desperately ran, but the pirate's hulking speed quickly caught up. "HAR!" The shark seized Erin in his black finned fingers, the spectacled girl squirming and frantically slashing Water Whips at his thick abs. "If yer operatives, yer sure a skinny one! Maybe you'll make a decent toothpick!"

"AAAAGH!" Fury fueled Nora as she dashed up the walkway, leaping, spinning, and ramming her foot into Sawtooth's backfin.

"ROWR!" The captain straightened up, his spine bending in from the intense force, and released Erin. Sawtooth spun and tried to slice Nora's leg, but she had kicked off. After a graceful land, Nora bent up twin whips on her arms and violently lashed at Sawtooth, who sliced the water in his pursuit of Nora. The Adabatian naturally ran backward, but would have to evade airwaves slashed from Sawtooth's sword.

"Can't let Nora fight alone." Erin said, bending up a large Water Fist that she maintained with both hands. "I want to… beat this guy up! Huuurrr!" She forced the fist forward, but it merely splashed against Sawtooth's body.

"Hnnn…" Eying Erin with slight annoyance, he slashed, Erin ducking from an airwave that sliced a long cut along the wall. Her ponytail hit the floor. Sawtooth heard Nora running up and spun with another slash, but she slid underneath and thrusted her foot directly at his neck. The shark gagged, and Nora would follow up by slicing off his sword hand with water. Nora would run around the captain, grab Erin and the child, and keep running. "Nora, let's head down to the sea! We can get more water!"

"Good idea!" The girls jumped their way down the walkways, using Water Whips to hold the rails and slow their descents.

Meanwhile, Mack had run out to the ship's stern, thrusting spring-loaded fists against the enemy pirates. "Don't mind if I take these!" Mack bent the swords out of some of their hands. When Scroop showed himself on the upper balcony, shooting more claws, Mack swung the swords to swat the projectiles away. Scroop leapt down to his level for more precise aim, but Mack regathered the swords and linked them at their hilts. He spun them like a fan, twirling faster until they attained the speed of a saw. Scroop readied himself as the fan levitated near him, but with a swift swing, the fan sawed and SLICED Scroop's bazooka.

"HA ha! That 'cuts' down your options!"

Scroop launched two springy legs, but Mack twisted sideways so they'd go right between. However, the legs stuck into the deck so Scroop could pull himself over, Mack hastily ducking and rolling beneath the right leg, but Scroop managed to scrape his back with a claw. Mack got up and punched his spring fists at him, but Scroop swiftly cut them and chased. Mack bent several pieces of scrap out of his cube and combined them into fists, clashing them with Scroop's claws until they met in a stalemate. "Hey, Crabby, answer me something: that smoke coming out of the chimneys ain't normal, right?" Mack glanced up at the thinnish smoke spreading out to the sea around the ship. "It's full of hot and cold air that's projecting a mirage around the ship so that it turns invisible. That's how you pulled off that trick!"

"So what if you can see through our tricks? You won't be seeing the light of day after this!" Scroop compressed his claws and crushed the fists. However, Mack had slipped off his left shoe and used his foot to channel chi, grabbing the dropped swords in his bending. He pulled two of the swords over and stabbed Scroop's hip, the pirate grunting. Mack then released his fists and bent them over Scroop's claws, the pirate struggling to pull free.

"Wheeee, wheeeee!" Mack spun the scrap-clods around, twirling Scroop and levitating him to the air. "And here we gooooo!" Mack hauled Scroop down and SLAMMED his head into the flagpole, which waved a grinning shark flag. This final hit to the noggin knocked Scroop out cold, Mack leaving him to lie on the deck.

"Oi! That kid took out Vice-Cap'n Scroop!" Mack turned to another horde of pirates. "But he's bleeding dry. Let's finish him off!"

"I may be bleeding dry, but I'm still too smart for you!" Mack bent the scrap back up and proceeded to whale away at the fish.

Erin and Nora reached the lowest walkway, running as they bent up a tall wave from the sea. Once high enough, they had it splash onto the deck, Nora forming large and dense balls and kicking them at Sawtooth. The shark tanked and tried to swat them away, seeing Erin run around his right and charging at her. "A weak piece of meat like you shouldn't run from her guardian!" But Nora's protective instincts were triggered, the Adabatian dashing and shoving him. Sawtooth tried to grab her, but Nora dodged and leapt onto his back, putting her legs around his neck. "Aaaaack!" Her squeeze tightened as she nearly cracked his neck, and his right hand couldn't make it up as Nora slapped water to hold it back. "I'm a bloody shark, how can you possibly, ahh…"

"Don't underestimate a Fanalis's legs!"

"ARGH!" Sawtooth fell back and slammed Nora against the deck, forcing her off. Sawtooth spun and grabbed her leg, hoisting her up. Erin stirred the shallow water under his feet and caused him to slip and fall on his back again, Nora escaping his grasp. She linked Water Whips to her legs and assaulted Sawtooth with enhanced kicks.

Erin bent the water up into another large fist. She took deep breaths and mustered her willpower. "I'm not a weak piece of meat… I don't wanna be protected all the time! I wanna beat this guy… I wanna beat this guy… I wanna beat him up!" Erin shoved the open hand forward. Sawtooth withstood Nora's attacks and lunged to bite her, but Erin's water hand fell over and grasped his mouth, squeezing it shut. The captain squirmed and tried to splash the hand into droplets, but Nora dashed and kicked him square in the privates. Erin then shoved Sawtooth onto his front, and then Nora performed a sequence of flips and kicks against his head, kicking through the strengthened Water Fist.

"HAAAAAH!" Nora then kicked off the wall and leapt into the air, dropping down with a Screw Kick. Upon twisting her legs into Sawtooth's head, the captain was out at last. "Huff, huff, huff…" Nora jogged back to an exhausted Erin. "That was great, Erin! You made a Water Fist!"

"Hah…I did…" Erin put her hand to Nora for support. She felt a small pair of hands around her hip and glanced down at the mermaid child, smiling in thanks. Erin and Nora returned the sweet expression to her.

…

Sector L rounded up all the pirates and dragged them down to the brig, making sure Sawtooth was especially chained up tight. Erin used her healing to treat Mack's wounds. They shut down the chimneys and made the ship fully visible in the distance. "Alright, I just got in contact with a GUN ship." Mack smiled. "They'll be sending a small fleet to arrest these pirates."

"And we'll be able to go home." Erin sighed. "I just wanted to enjoy a nice cruise…"

"But it sure is good we came." Nora said. "We just saved this sweet little bean!" She hugged the mermaid to her hip. "What about this sea witch? Would you like us to help you get your voice back?" The child nodded.

"This flute seems to have magical runes." Mack said, studying it with goggles. "I guess that's how it was able to send out signals. Though one has to wonder why he couldn't just send signals from the ship itself. There're still a few things that're bugging me, so I guess I'll head down to interrogate them. Let me know when you see GUN."

The scientist left, leaving the three alone in the control room. "But I guess we did come out here to train." Erin blushed. "Hehe…and I guess it really paid off! Now I need to learn to fight with two Water Fists."

"Yeah…" Nora's expression dropped.

"Um…is something wrong, Nora?"

"…Erin…" Her solemn eyes met those of her friend. "Do you think I only like you… because of my religion?"

"Er…well… My mom said that your dad used to act the same way… and it was because she was the Sea Princess, and he was…"

"Erin, that's completely wrong! I may have been raised to worship the Sea God, but my love for you is genuine! From the day we first met, the day our parents introduced us… I knew you were the sweetest, cutest, purest, most kindest girl in the whole wide world!"

The Horvitz and Asahina families met outside of a public swimming pool. Four-year-old Nora, in her blue one-piece, was adored by the shy 3-year-old with a fishy floatie. "Hi there!" Erin shirked as Nora walked up in peppy spirits. "My name's Nora! What's yours?"

"E-E-E-E…ewin…"

"Owen?"

"She means Erin." Melody giggled. "This is the girl I told you about."

"Oh! Then you're the princess!" Nora seemed to realize. "Daddy said I was comin' to meet a princess!"

"Er…I'm not a pwincess…"

"Oh, you're our little princess, sweetie!" Melody ruffled her hair. "Let's go to the kiddie pool! There's no one else, so you can play all to yourselves!"

The children tried to make waves with their bending and splash each other, but Nora's bigger waves easily toppled Erin over into the one-foot pool. When she saw the distraught look on the smaller child, Nora walked over. "I'm sorry." She bent down to raise Erin back up. "Do you like bubbles? I brought bubbles!"

"O-okay… I wike bubbles, too."

They dipped a wand in a bottle and blew bubbles into the air. They used bending to try and mesh the floating spheres together, but each of Erin's attempts ended in failure. "They keep popping…"

"You can have my bubble!" Nora lowered her large bubble down into Erin's lap. The child gazed at her reflection in it, her expression wavy. "Tehe! Our faces look weird!" Nora laughed, looking at her own. "Oh!" It popped.

"Aaaahh! It's in my eye!"

"Oopsie!" Nora bent the water out. "Aww…I ruined bubbles, too."

"I-I wanna make more…"

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

Smiling, Nora blew another bunch of bubbles, and the two had them dance around the air. They made a big bubble float between them, staring at each other through its wobbly surface. Erin sported a giggle at how wide Nora's face grew, and Nora returned the giggle.

"Every moment we've spent together… made me so happy. Every time I'm down, I would always think about the kind and wonderful Erin who always tries her hardest and smile again. And you think that's only because you're the Sea Princess?"

"Ah-ah-I…I dunno. It's just that I'm… such a loser, and I don't deserve any praise. I didn't get why someone like you would like me so much… except if it was because-"

"That's not true!" Nora grabbed her shoulders, Erin feeling regret under the gaze of her friend's tears. "I know I like to tell people you're the princess, but when I think about you, that barely comes to mind! You ARE an amazing girl and the most precious person in my life, even if you don't think so! If you weren't the princess, I would still love you just the same way!"

"I…I'm sorry, Nora!" Erin began to cry. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I've just never felt special, even after learning I was the 'princess.' Because of that, I feel like people expected too much from me, even though I was such a loser, and I…"

"Oh, Eriiiiin!" Nora squeezed her friend in a hug, soaking Erin's hair with tears. "I'm not mad at you! This is why you're the purest girl around! You're not a loser… and no matter who else thinks so, you'll always be precious to me."

"Sniff…thanks, Nora. I…I don't ever want you to leave."

"I won't, Erin…mmmm…" They embraced each other closely and warmly. They didn't want to let go… They were both so comfortable… and felt so peaceful… "?" And the mermaid child was staring blankly at them. "Uh…this must be awkward to look at, huh?"

"…" The child smiled and joined in the hug.

In the brig, Mack had gone down to interrogate Scroop, clusters of scrap over his claws. "When we searched the ship, we saw a bunch of pirates already knocked out in front of an open treasure vault. What was up with that?"

"Dammit!" Scroop cursed. "That wench already made off with it!"

"Who made off with what?"

"That woman I saw you talking with earlier! Listen, kid, you need to find that lady and catch her! It's only a matter of time before she-"

"Oh, save yourself the melodrama." A feminine voice sighed.

Mack came to face the gothic-clothed blonde woman once more. She was now wielding a glaive that glinted with gold. "The 'ghost' lady!"

"Seems the KND have lifted the 'curse' of this ship. You have my gratitude. No need to worry about Captain Sawtooth over there. I'll take care of him."

She was suddenly behind Mack, walking toward Sawtooth's cell. "Hey! Who are you?!" Mack shouted.

The woman slashed Sawtooth's cell with the glaive, causing that whole space to become a vacant portal of darkness. As the ship kept sailing, that vacant space didn't go with it, causing those segments of the walls to rip off and be sucked into it. "W-What the heck…" Feeling cautious, Mack put on a blue eyepiece, which scanned the woman: the number 6,281 appeared. "Th-that's a high Power Level!"

But when he took it off, the woman was right in front of him. "AH!"

"You must be exhausted, child. Take a nap." With that, she flicked Mack's forehead, knocking him right out. "And with that… I think I'll take my leave." And so, the woman morphed into a small, golden butterfly, fluttering out of the hole the black hole left.

Long after the cruise ship was far away, a dark yacht sailed out to where the black hole was. A man with wavy black hair, a scarred face, and a blue fur coat stood on its bow, smoking a cigar as he glanced up at the gold butterfly. Parking under the black hole, the woman morphed back into human shape and used Moon Walk to float beside the darkness. She held the glaive by the blade and struck the vortex with the hilt, causing all the contents inside it to come spilling out. The walls and cell bars crashed into the sea, but she made sure to grab Sawtooth and drop him before the coated man. "Argh…M-Mr. Oathbreaker! I-I had the money o-on the ship!"

"Sorry, Sawtooth…" the woman sighed, "but it wasn't nearly enough to cover the cost of assassinating that girl's family."

"And I'm afraid…" The man flicked his cigar into the sea, "your deadline is up."

"Wait! I just need a little more time! I just need to get my ship back, and kill those kids, a-and—no, no, wait!"

The Oathbreaker mustered a black cloud of Death Chi. Smothering Sawtooth with the cloud, the Fishman took his final rest. The Oathbreaker began to light another cigar while Butterfly bowed her veiled head in mourning. "Well, Harwood… merman custom dictates they must be returned to the sea, should they pass in the overworld."

"Yes… but I could not honor my name if I abide by that tradition."

"Ah…of course."