CHAPTER 53: [53] WHEN THE STORY CHANGES

The rusty pipe shook in Pierre’s hands as Gideon circled him like a wounded bear. Blood dripped from the giant’s broken wrist, but his remaining hand still gripped a boarding axe he’d snatched from one of his fallen men. The weapon looked like a toy in his massive fist, but Pierre knew it could split his skull just as easily as the saber had.

Hardy’s endurance is the only thing keeping me upright. This bastard hits like a freight train.

Pierre’s ribs screamed with each breath. His left shoulder had gone numb after blocking one of Gideon’s overhead strikes. The giant’s technique might be straightforward, but when you could swing an axe hard enough to crack the ship’s mast, subtlety became optional.

"You’re slowing down, boy." Gideon’s voice carried the confidence of a man who’d outlasted younger opponents before. "That fancy strength of yours won’t last forever."

Pierre said nothing, conserving his energy. The giant was right—Pierre felt Hardy’s stolen power ebbing like water through a cracked dam. Each exchange cost him more than it cost Gideon.

The massive pirate feinted left, then brought the axe around in a vicious arc aimed at Pierre’s knees. Pierre jumped backward, his boots sliding on the blood-slicked deck. The axe blade buried itself in the wooden planking with a solid chunk.

A coil of rope whistled through the air, striking Gideon in the shoulder as he tried to wrench his weapon free. The giant stumbled sideways, his grip loosening.

"Keep moving!" Alyssa called from her position near the rigging. Her platinum hair had escaped its pins entirely, framing her face in wild strands. She hefted another projectile—a wooden block from the ship’s tackle. "I’m running out of ammunition!"

She’s been perfect so far. Every throw timed to break his rhythm. But she’s right—we can’t keep this up much longer.

In the longboat below, the remaining pirates argued among themselves. Pierre caught fragments of their conversation between the sound of his own labored breathing.

"—should board and help—"

"—Captain said bring them alive—"

"—if Gideon dies, Moreau will skin us—"

They’re hesitating. Good. Means they’re not sure what Moreau actually wants.

Gideon freed his axe and straightened, his dark eyes never leaving Pierre’s face. The giant’s breathing had grown heavier too, but he showed no signs of slowing down.

"The Captain prefers her assets intact," Gideon grunted, gesturing with the axe. "Surrender now, and you might remain a valuable one."

Pierre spat blood onto the deck. "Counter-offer. You swim back to shore, and I won’t break your other wrist."

A laugh ripped from Gideon’s throat, rough and grating as a dragging anchor chain. "Big words from a dead man."

The giant raised his axe high, muscles bunching across his shoulders. This time there would be no fancy footwork, no clever angles. Just raw force aimed at crushing Pierre into paste.

⚓

In the amber-lit tavern, Raven’s fingers trembled as they reached for the ornate pen, then recoiled as if from a flame. The document spread before her contained enough zeros to make her dizzy. Thirty-one million Cori. More money than most people saw in a lifetime.

Lily’s freedom. A new life. Everything I’ve worked for.

"A simple choice, isn’t it?" Moreau’s voice carried the satisfaction of a chess master delivering checkmate. "The dream... or the reality."

Those golden eyes seemed to pierce straight through Raven’s skull, reading every desperate thought. The scaled fingers of Moreau’s left hand drummed against the table in a hypnotic rhythm.

Her fingers closed around the pen, the wood smooth and cool against her skin. It took a conscious effort to lift it from the table, her muscles fighting against a sudden, crushing inertia. Raven could hear her sister’s voice in her memory, laughing at some joke from their childhood. Before the debt collectors. Before the nobleman’s men. Before everything went wrong.

Pierre trusted me. He sees me as more than just a tool.

But trust didn’t pay ransoms. Trust didn’t buy freedom.

Moreau leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Your loyalty is admirable, dear. But misplaced loyalty is just another form of stupidity."

Raven’s fingers closed around the pen.

⚓

The world exploded.

The CRASH that erupted from Orellia’s town square was like thunder given physical form. The sound wave hit the harbor with enough force to rock every ship at anchor. The Crimson Sparrow lurched sideways, her hull groaning against the sudden pressure.

Pierre stumbled, his pipe clattering to the deck. Gideon’s axe stroke went wide, the blade biting harmlessly into empty air as both men fought to keep their balance. In the longboat, pirates grabbed the gunwales as their vessel pitched and rolled.

"What in the world was that?" Alyssa’s whisper carried across the suddenly quiet deck.

A pillar of dust and smoke rose from the direction of the town square, climbing toward the sky like a brown fist. Debris rained down on the harbor—chunks of stone and mortar that splashed into the water with tremendous force.

That came from the square. Right where Raven went to meet Moreau.

Gideon lowered his axe, his scarred face twisted with confusion. "What the hell did those idiots blow up?"

One of the pirates in the longboat pointed toward shore. "Look! The fountain!"

Pierre followed the man’s gaze and felt his blood turn to ice. Where Orellia’s central fountain had stood, only a smoking crater remained. The merchant stalls that had surrounded it were flattened, their colorful awnings reduced to burning scraps. The cobblestone plaza looked like a battlefield.

The original timeline. Jack was supposed to save Raven from the Torres Twins today. But Raven wasn’t there to be saved—she was with Moreau instead.

A figure emerged from the smoke and chaos, blue hair catching the afternoon sunlight. Even at this distance, Pierre could make out the confident stride, the way the newcomer surveyed the destruction with hands on his hips.

Jack Steelheart. The protagonist of "Pirate Lord’s Great Adventure," in all his insufferable glory.

"Hey!" Jack’s voice carried across the harbor, magnified by whatever enhancement his Titan Seed provided. "Leave that lady alone!"

Of course. Even when the story changes, he still shows up to play hero.