Sixteen year old Yuichiro Hyakuya stirred lethargically, his stomach and trachea gradually burning internally, caustic bile finally reaching his tongue. Immediately, he pushed up and leaned leftward, green-brownish acids splashing unceremoniously into the sea. Wait…seawater?

The boy paused a moment later, a weary groan escaping his throat thereafter, staring into the opaque blue water at his own reflection. His black hair and green eyes were mosaically wavy, but he could definitely feel the black kepi on his head, nonetheless. Mucus continued to daintily cling to his throat, prompting some deep swallows amid his silently open pants.

"Where the hell am I?" He uttered upon lifting and swivelling his head, the dingy white rowboat softly rocking upon the eerily calm waters. "Ugh…what's with this fog? I can't see sh- wait a minute…"

His white gloved hands instinctively patted his hips, feeling his legs, realising he was sitting on a thwart.

"I feel like I had something here." He muttered, looking down at an empty buckle ring on his left hip. "I really wish I had binoculars. Oh well…"

Salt lingered everywhere; he can almost snort it. He cupped his hands to shout, but he paused, gently grasping the starboard crutch and looking around twice. Then, he cupped his hands again, but when they were about to touch his face, a cylindrical silhouette lingered in the fog from the port side. Again, his hands reflexively patted his left hip.

"Why do I keep doing that?" He pondered before the silhouette floated into view. "A [wooden] barrel?"

He watched the half sunken barrel drift past him, his boat otherwise drifting through the impenetrable grey fog. Feeling the boat steadily turning rightward, he clambered to the stern, but...

"No motor…" He muttered bitterly, eying the stiff wooden tiller, the respective rudder almost fused to the hull.

When he turned to the bow, however, he barely noticed a large piece of timber, the subsequent impact mildly rocking the boat. He clutched the port side, the timber sloshing away with the current. He eyed the debris momentarily, almost freezing himself to steady the rocking, only moving to centre the rudder.

Just when the rocking stopped, there was a small wooden crate floating off to starboard. There was just one problem.

"Fire?" He muttered, eying the partially burning debris drifting away.

More wooden debris floated into view, including a silk parasol floating upside down ahead of some large wooden slabs.

"Hey!" He cupped his hands and shouted, his English almost flawless. "Is anyone out there?!"

There was no response, but before he could speak any further, he snatched a wooden board from the port side, briskly paddling ahead. Moments later, he stopped, realising he was slowly turning rightward, which he immediately corrected with paddling on the starboard side. Dropping his makeshift paddle, he clutched the port side and the tiller again, literally frozen in the boat to restore orientation.

But as soon as he breathed a few sighs of relief, he saw a bundle of clothing off the port side, prompting his curiosity. Sadly, he had to wait until it drifted near him before he grabbed and pulled it closer. Only when he looked further he saw a head, then arms, a white man slumped over a wooden chest.

"Kusu…he's gone." He sighed, checking the man's vitals before gently pushing him away. "Stabbed..."

"..ilor overboard!" Someone shouted, their voice echoing through the fog.

"Nanda?" Yuu muttered, immediately kneeling and looking around.

Again, he couldn't see anything.

"Hello?!" He shouted.

"Hey!" Someone chirped nearby, catching the boy's attention. "Hey! Help!"

There, 200 metres away, off the starboard side, two black men were near a wooden bureau. The older man was beginning to swim towards the Yuu, whereas the younger bald man clung to the bureau, his head and arms barely staying above the water. Alerted, Yuu paddled the boat from the port, slowly directing the boat towards them. Despite the minute rotation, the raven-haired private quickly reached his right hand to the older man, their hands grasping each other moments later. With two great heaves, combined with the older man's own strength, he pulled him aboard.

"Here, take this." Yuu said and offered his JIDA cloak. "Are you hurt?"

"Nay…please, save him! He no swim." The barefooted and disheveled man shivered, wrapping himself in the cloak as much as possible.

Immediately, Yuu paddled from the starboard side, desperately stopping the steady rotation; however, the man noticed his struggles and grasped the tiller, steadying the boat. To Yuu's horror, when he was ten metres away, however, the younger negro lost his grip on the bureau, the wood slicked in saltwater. Quickly, Yuu removed his coat, gloves, hat, and footwear before fearlessly splashing into the water legs first. He froze for a second upon completely submerging himself, but with pure willpower, he swam towards the boy, who was flailing modestly underwater. Fortunately, Yuu caught him just in time before thrusting towards the surface, the black teenager gasping desperately, whereas Yuu breathed calmly, albeit openly.

Pushing him from his bottom, the older negro pulled the younger one aboard, Yuu following afterwards.

"Thank you, thank you." The man said to Yuu. "Me name Narobi."

"Hyakuya-desu." Yuu instinctively greeted, bowing his head lightly.

"What?"

"My name is Hyakuya, sir." He said in English. "But you can call me Yuu."

"You?"

"Hai."

"You name You?"

"Y-U-U."

"Oh, Yuu." Narobi said and nodded, padding his younger compatriot with the cloak.

"Who is he?" Yuu asked as he looked around.

"My name is Jonas." The black teenager said, bundle in a fetal position and looking up at Yuu. "Thanks."

Yuu didn't say anything for a moment, but upon turning and grabbing the board, he asked. "Are there any other survivors?"

"No..." Jonas said with a modest shiver.

"We don't know naught." Narobi parroted, Yuu staring blankly at the double negative. "But we leave now. They coming."

"Who is coming?"

"Pyrates. Paddle!"

Yuu obeyed the older man's words and began to paddle.

"If I may ask, what's burning…?" Yuu finally asked, his nostrils gradually sniffing ashes; however, his question was answered when he saw a wooden fiery wreckage from the port side, the flames providing a clearing. "Never mind."

"That was our ship." Jonas said, tightly wrapped in the cloak. "Or what remains of it."

"Hai? That was no accident."

"Nay, we attacked." Narobi said as he steadied the rudder. "Black ship, black sails, and black flag."

"A black wooden ship?" Yuu slowed his paddling and muttered. "Sounds like the perfect stealth ship. You can practically vanish into the darkness."

"Aye…aye. But me and me boy got away. Barely."

Just then, when the boat began to drift, there was another boat in the distance.

"Hey, over here!" Yuu cupped his hands and shouted, waving his right hand thereafter.

"Fergus?" Jonas blurted, looking over the starboard side at a crouching silhouette. "F-Fergus?"

"Eh, over here!" A voice belonging to the silhouette hollered, raising his right hand. "For Christ sake, hurry up! Can't hold her much longer 'ere!"

"Hang on, we're coming!" Yuu turned and shouted back, hurriedly buttoning his coat before paddling again, Narobi steering the boat.

Within minutes, the trio reached the silhouette, who revealed itself to be a middle aged redheaded Scotsman precariously kneeling on a few pieces of wood. Upon putting his white gloves on again, Yuu grabbed the Scotsman's hand, Narobi rushing and grabbing the man by his left shoulder.

"Well, I didn't expect to be rescued so soon." Fergus said upon plopping onto the thwart.

"Fergus, take this." Jonas passed the JIDA cloak to him.

"Thank y- wait, it's soaked." The Scotsman said as he began wrapping himself. "Haven't we got any rags aboard?"

"No sir." Yuu said as he was briskly putting his socks and boots back on, including his kepi. "Are you hurt?"

"No of course not, I am."

"You don't look like it." The raven-haired Jap calmly deadpanned the white man. "Other than hypothermia, you can make it."

"Hypo- what?"

"Hypothermia. Had you been sitting in the water for another hour, you would have froze, or tire and drowned."

The Scotsman was about to speak, but he curtly nodded after staring momentarily, looking away thereafter.

"You there!" A man shouted in the distance, belonging to the other boat, who was already approaching the group from the rear port side. "Hold fast!"

A few minutes later, Yuu and the survivors were approached by the brown rowboat, all of them consisting of Englishmen. Among them was a Lieutenant, his black featureless tricorne and black frock coat distinguishing his identity among the common sailors, everyone otherwise equally aged. More importantly, Yuu can see the gentleman's shoulder marks.

"Sir." Yuu saluted the Englishmen, the Lieutenant standing and nodding back.

"Private." The Lieutenant said concurrently, pausing for a moment before speaking. "Is anybody wounded?"

"We okay..." Jonas said, having already received the cloak again.

"Very well. Come aboard."

Immediately, Narobi helped Jonas, Fergus providing further support. "I got ye. Come on."

A minute passed until the trio got aboard, but Yuu wasn't going anywhere.

"Sir, come aboard, you're a sitting duck." The Lieutenant said to him.

"No, sir. I need to search for more survivors."

"But you don't have any oars."

Yuu had nothing to say, but before he began to paddle, the Lieutenant said. "Here, take these."

Before he knew it, two of the rowers passed him a pair of oars, plopping them into his boat.

"Wait, what're you doing?" Yuu asked, his Japanese accent slipping slightly. "You'll be underpowered."

"Worry naught, we will manage, private." The Lieutenant said before turning to his subordinates. "Make way for the Dauntless."

For a few moments, the boy watched them row away, but upon grabbing the oars, he shouted. "Lieutenant?"

"Sir?"

"Grab buckets! We have to extinguish the flames!"

Whatever response the Englishman said, Yuu didn't hear him as he began to row away, directly towards the flaming shipwreck. Though he was soaked, his coat, hat, gloves, boots, and belt were dry, providing a little warmth against the chilly breezes. Only when he began to feel the heat that he stopped, briefly watching the ship burning and crumbling under its own weight. Nonetheless, he rowed around the wreckage, his efforts gradually fruitless, no other survivors or more dead bodies in the water.

Whatever time seemed to pass, he barely began to row away from the shipwreck when he saw the Lieutenant's boat again. This time, the survivors were gone, the rowers having acquired some extra oars. Once they saw each other, they rowed towards each other, Yuu letting his boat drift upon being ten metres away.

"I'm sorry…no survivors, sir." Yuu sighed after stopping each other. "Anyone?"

The Lieutenant simply shook his head.

"Alright. May I come aboard your ship?"

"The Dauntless? Of course." The Lieutenant said, offering Yuu to come across.

"Thank you…I'll be right behind you." Yuu said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes sir."

Fortunately, they didn't have to row far.

Modestly hiding in the fog, a yellow and black wooden mass loomed ahead, a finely carved bowsprit appearing first along with three towering masts and cotton sails. Almost immediately, he didn't need to see to know what was happening aboard; the muffled stamping and thumping of footsteps amid barking orders made it clear someone was running a tight ship.

"Wow…that is the most beautiful ship I ever seen." He awed internally, slowing his rowing as they approached.

Ten minutes would pass until everyone boarded along with their boat, but Yuu took that suspiciously long time to admire the ship, including its three gundecks, its smooth polishing, and the twisting jungle of ropes overhead. Finally, upon seeing that same Lieutenant look over the railing, Yuu stood and climbed the steps along the hull. As soon as he came aboard, a handful of sailors scurried down and fastened lines to the boat, although he could've sworn he heard them bickering about its [suspiciously modern] design. Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from seeing saluting the lieutenant, who approached him after emerging from below deck.

"Thank you for the care of His Majesty's sailors." The officer said to Yuu. "I don't believe we properly introduced ourselves."

Immediately, he somehow knew not to use his last name - a very non-Japanese thing to do.

"Private Yuichiro, Japanese Imperial Army." Yuu automatically said; however, his thoughts immediately troubled him. "I mean, Japanese Imperial Demon Army (JIDA). Why didn't I say that?!"

"Lieutenant Pullings." The Englishman said, offering his right hand, which Yuu immediately acknowledged. "Welcome aboard the HMS Dauntless."

"Well…" Someone else said, belonging to another lieutenant, specifically a 6'1ft tall gentleman. "I had no idea the Far East had a presence here in the Caribbean."

"Nanite kotoda, why are you Europeans so tall?" Yuu sniggered internally, eying the approaching Lieutenant. "You make Guren and Hiiragi look normal. Wait…who the hell is Guren and Hiiragi?"

"I see you and Mr Pullings have become well acquainted. I must admit, I had a feeling you were neither sailor nor common."

"Yes, sir. I'm a soldier." Yuu turned and faced the towering man. "Unfortunately, my…comrades didn't make it. I'm afraid I can't remember much other than waking up in a boat. That is as much I can say, sir."

The lieutenant pondered momentarily, totally not eying Yuu's uniform before speaking. "I offer my condolences, Private…"

"Yuichiro, sir."

"Yuichiro. That's certainly not a Chinese name."

"No, sir. I believe you know my country by many names. Does the name Nippon, Nihon, Fuso, or...Tokugawa, sound familiar to you?"

"I'm afraid not…except Tokugawa. Last I heard, they closed their doors a long time ago."

"Well, we changed our minds, sir." Yuu lied somewhat, vaguely recalling his history lessons. "You can thank the Dutch for convincing us."

He could've sworn he had a distastefully amused look on his face as he nodded sideways. Nevertheless, the lieutenant retained his composure and said. "That would explain the uniforms."

"Lieutenant…?" Yuu asked, correctly deducing the gentleman's shoulder marks. "I take it the Dutch and English are…at odds?"

"Not entirely…but the times are changing, Private." He said as he walked along, mainly towards the aft, Yuu following alongside.

"But certainly, we are not at war with Great Britain."

"No, but this development will stir the admiralty into a tizzy. However, I understand that you are a soldier without an army."

"Are you insinuating that I join the British Army over Japan?"

"No, not at all. Even if I made such a proposition, I'm a mere Lieutenant, not a General, let alone an Admiral. Still, I'm afraid the army wouldn't appreciate someone with the likes of you. No offence."

"I understand, Lieutenant…"

"Norrington. James Norrington."