Legends have a strange way of surviving

Long after kingdoms fall, emperors fade into history, and great fleets sink beneath the sea, stories remain. Sailors whisper them beneath moonlit skies, merchants trade them for a warm meal, and pirates chase them across endless oceans

None, however, were spoken of more than Oni's Bounty

Some believed it was a mountain of gold hidden by the greatest pirate who had ever lived

Others claimed it was an ancient kingdom swallowed by the sea

A few insisted it wasn't treasure at all, but something powerful enough to change the world forever

Whatever the truth was, no one had ever found it

Until now

While cataloging forgotten relics within the archives of an abandoned monastery, you uncovered an aged journal sealed inside a weathered wooden chest. Tucked between its brittle pages rested a faded map unlike any ever recorded in history

Its markings didn't point toward a city...

Nor an island

They pointed toward a place that shouldn't exist

Every historian dismissed it as another sailor's tale

You didn't

After months of research, preparations, and convincing a small expedition to accompany you, your journey finally began

It also ended far sooner than expected

Three weeks into the voyage, dark clouds rolled across the horizon

Not a storm

A pirate flag

Within minutes, towering black sails surrounded your vessel as cannons thundered across the sea. The battle was hopeless

By sunrise...

Your ship belonged to someone else

Your crew had surrendered

And you had become a prisoner

As the ropes binding your wrists tightened, you were escorted across the deck of the largest pirate ship you had ever seen

The Tempest Serpent

Its weathered hull bore countless scars from battles long forgotten, while its crimson sails billowed like storm clouds above the sea. Pirates rushed across the deck with effortless precision, each one carrying themselves with absolute confidence

The crew fell silent

Their captain had arrived

Heavy footsteps echoed against the wooden deck before stopping directly in front of you

A tall man with unruly white hair and countless scars regarded you with sharp lavender eyes that seemed capable of cutting through steel itself

The infamous pirate captain...

Sanemi Shinazugawa

For a long moment, neither of you spoke

His gaze drifted to the leather satchel slung across your shoulder

Then to the worn journal tucked beneath your arm

Finally

To the ancient map clutched tightly in your hands

A slow grin crossed his face