“How did the debriefing go?” Kagiso asked shortly, and Crane scoffed. “As well as your summons, it seems.” He muttered under his breath. 

“Oh my, what a sharp tongue you have.” Feng replied and the spectacled Captain sighed.

“My apologies. It seems the Miliana put on quite the display. She impressed our new allies so much that she is being sent to the very rear.” Crane replied, and Kagiso couldn’t contain his laughter. 

"I'm glad you find it funny." the spectacled pirate added.

“Keep your sharp tongue, Crane. But make sure you have the wit and the power to match it. I almost forgot why I enjoyed travelling by myself so much. Dragons can be irritatingly secretive and dismissive." Kagiso rumbled and the pirates felt his disappointment as if it were their own. 

"Then let them underestimate us. We will dance to the beat of our drum.” he said happily, and the pirate Captains smiled menacingly.

Holographic monitors popped up in front of them, and a sharp pain stung the back of their necks. Goldjack blinked and found himself standing in the center of a library, beneath a cloudy blue sky.

Marauder strolled through the aisles and perused the albums on the shelves. A rattling noise startled the pirate Captains, and they followed the sound. 

The men and women under Kagiso found the rattling door in their mind palace. They turned the knob and cracks formed beneath their feet.

The Dragon-bone door frames, around the stone double doors, glittered and sparkled. The pirate Captains pushed the doors open and rivers of glittery water spilled out. The cracks deepened and the inter-dimensional energy seeped into the soil. Islands formed around the Astral doors and glittery oceans formed around them.

The rivers of Mana burst out of every cell in their bodies and bounced around the ships. The glittery droplets of inter-dimensional energy uploaded new blueprints to the nano-cities in every plant and mammal cell in or on the ship.

Kagiso strolled through the many mind palaces and watched as the pirates assimilated the knowledge and technologies he had shared. Their eyes shone like floodlights and the world moved at a snail’s pace.

The pirates raced up and down their ships. They ran to the supply closets and warehouses. There, they found magical planks of wood, reems of magic papers, rolls of magical fabrics, jars of magical foods and all the precious metals and equipment needed to fashion powerful weapons and items.

The Candidates watched as glittery tornadoes erupted around the pirate ships. The vaporous Mana enveloped the vessels, and the glittery storms contracted. A few sent their ghosts to infiltrate Kagiso’s fleet, and they crashed into the powerful invisible walls.

“Then the rumours were true.” “I told you they were arrogant.” “The Old Clans have no shame.” “I remember now.” 

“Yes, it’s him.” “Him?” “No wonder he challenged that monster.” “The Cursed Child.” “The Rebellious One.” “So, he thinks his mortals can stand on equal footing with us?” “Clown?” “Fool?” “Imbecile.” “Arrogant.” “Arrogant.” “Arrogant.” The Candidates whispered maliciously.

The pirate ships emerged from the sparkly storms, and they absorbed the glittery clouds. The Mana infused winds disappeared mysteriously and the newly improved vessels drifted alongside the formation. 

The vessels were covered in gold and silver decorations. Their quad barreled Dragon-bone cannons had an iridescent sheen, and their sails were made from beautiful silk cloths. 

A carefree laugh travelled across the skies and the Candidates eyes glowed furiously.

“Equal footing? No, they will surpass you one day.” The two-horned man rumbled proudly, and his pirates stepped out onto the decks. They were dressed in the finest magical fabrics and leathers and armed with the strangest weapons the Candidates had seen. 

Kagiso stood on the Shenlong’s starboard taffrail and laughed at his peers.

“Only an hour before we reach our destination. To your posts.” Raymond rumbled sternly, and the Candidates disappeared. 

Kagiso’s eyes glowed blue and the pirate ships activated their cloaking fields. The stealth ships vanished, and the blimps disappeared off the Whale Ships’ radars.

An hour passed by, and the pirates spent the time wandering through the well-lit wooden passages of their ships.

“I wish there was time to explore all these fine rooms.” A crewmate said to another. 

“There will be. Once we finish the job. Then we can explore and get into as much trouble as we please.” another replied.

The duo lowered the crates carefully and dashed out of the room at blistering speeds. 

The dozens of blurs raced through the passages, up and down the mast and around the ships. They checked every centimeter, while the island appeared over the horizon. 

The pirate ships appeared briefly, before they vanished again.

The legions lined up and waited patiently, while the rest of the crew manned their stations. Duke, Gloria, Hugo, Jabu, Laurence and Jane appeared in Raymonds command bridge and nodded.

Kagiso appeared briefly and nodded as well. The three-horned man turned to his bridge commander.

“Launch the assault!” Raymond ordered and the Whale Ships blew their deep and ominous horns. They increased their energy output and sped up their approach.