The Forgotten Tide: Rebirth Before the Pirate Era

The sea had a way of whispering secrets, its waves carrying the echoes of distant tempests and unseen threats. Kaizen stood on the deck of the modest vessel they had secured, his gaze fixed on the horizon where dark clouds brewed like an omen. The salty breeze tugged at his cloak, mingling with the faint scent of rain.

Lio approached, his usual grin tempered by a rare seriousness. "We're being followed. Two ships. No flags. They're keeping their distance for now."

Kaizen didn't respond immediately, his mind calculating. Pirates? Agents of the Kingdom? Or something worse? His instincts screamed that this was no ordinary pursuit.

"How long until they catch up?" Kaizen finally asked.

Lio squinted at the horizon. "Hard to say. Maybe by nightfall if the wind favors them."

Kaizen's jaw tightened. "Prepare the crew. We can't outrun them, so we'll outthink them."

The hours slipped by, the tension aboard growing thicker than the clouds above. Kaizen moved among the crew, his presence a quiet anchor amidst the rising fear. He studied the ship—its weaknesses, its strengths—and formulated a plan born from both instinct and the fragments of strategy he remembered from his past life.

As dusk painted the sky in hues of crimson and indigo, the pursuing ships closed in. Their outlines grew sharper, revealing not just pirate vessels but warships modified with strange, archaic weaponry—relics of an age long forgotten.

They're not here for plunder. They're here for me.

Kaizen gathered the crew. "Listen up. They're faster, and they're armed. But they don't know who they're dealing with. We'll use the mist and shadows to our advantage. No direct confrontation unless necessary."

Lio smirked. "Sounds like you have a plan."

Kaizen nodded, his eyes glinting in the fading light. "We become the storm before the storm hits."

Night fell, and with it came the clash of wills. Kaizen led a small team in a daring maneuver, using the cover of darkness and the natural fog rolling in from the sea. They boarded the first ship silently, disabling its crew with precision and speed. No unnecessary bloodshed—just efficiency born of necessity.

But the second ship was ready.

As Kaizen leaped onto its deck, a trap sprung. Figures cloaked in dark uniforms—agents, not pirates—surrounded him. Their leader stepped forward, a tall man with piercing eyes and a cruel smile.

"Kaizen," the man spoke his name like a curse. "The Kingdom wants you alive, but I'll enjoy breaking you first."

Kaizen's heart raced, not with fear but with the thrill of imminent battle. He could feel it again—the surge of power beneath his skin, the echo of something ancient stirring within.

So be it.

The night exploded into chaos.