Raizen leaned against the wooden mast of the ship, his eyes scanning the distant horizon, but his mind was elsewhere. Every island they passed, every city they docked in, seemed to carry a weight that he couldn't shake. The world had shifted, but so had his place in it.
"Raizen, we need to talk." Lyra's voice was sharp, pulling him from his thoughts. She held a weathered newspaper in her hands, her fingers trembling slightly.
Raizen raised an eyebrow, his gaze flickering between Lyra and the paper. "What is it?"
Lyra handed him the newspaper. His eyes immediately locked onto the bold headline.
"Raizen – The Breaker of Chains – Bounty: 10 Billion Berries"
His heart skipped a beat. Ten billion. The number was impossible, yet it was now his reality. He could feel the weight of the world pressing down on him, as if a giant hand had reached out and slapped his name across the world. A name that was no longer tied to the shadows he had tried to destroy. No, it was now a name associated with power — and that power made him a target.
"Ten billion..." Raizen murmured, his voice low and almost lost in the sound of the waves crashing against the hull. "They're not even trying to hide it anymore."
"Everyone wants you now, Raizen," Lyra said, her voice dark with concern. "The World Government, mercenaries, rival pirates... They'll come from every corner of the world."
Raizen exhaled slowly. The world had feared the Crown of Shadows, and now they feared him. He had dismantled the legacy of that empire, but in doing so, he had become something greater, more dangerous. And now, every man, woman, and beast with a ship and a sword was gunning for him.
"We can't stay here," Lyra continued, her voice sharp. "We need to move fast. Find a place where they won't think to look."
Raizen nodded, but his thoughts were far away. The world was a dangerous place, but it had always been. What he hadn't expected was the speed at which everything had escalated. The world hadn't simply moved on — it had erupted in response to his actions.
He could still remember the faces of the people he'd freed, the weight of the Crown's destruction, and the cost of it all. What had it all been for if the world was just going to descend into chaos?
A sharp knock on the cabin door broke his thoughts. Rook stepped inside, a grim look on his face. "Captain, we've got a problem."
Raizen looked up, his brow furrowing. "What now?"
"Bounty hunters. Mercenaries. Pirates," Rook said, pausing for emphasis. "They're already starting to close in. They've got our last known location, and we've been spotted on several islands. We won't have the luxury of moving at our own pace."
Raizen closed his eyes for a moment, letting the weight of the situation settle over him. The storm was already here. And it was closing in fast.
"We'll leave immediately," Raizen said, pushing off from the mast and heading toward the deck. "Get the crew ready to move."
Outside, the crew moved with a sense of urgency. They were no strangers to danger, but this was something new. It wasn't just a handful of rival pirates now. It was every bounty hunter, mercenary, and power-hungry faction converging on them. They were being hunted, not for treasure, but for their very lives.
"Captain, we've got multiple ships on the horizon," one of the crew members shouted from the crow's nest.
Raizen squinted into the distance. Sure enough, several ships were cutting through the waves, their sails black as the night. The bounty hunters had arrived.
"We don't have time to fight them all," Raizen said, his voice resolute. "We need to outrun them."
But as the crew scrambled to get the ship underway, Raizen's mind was elsewhere. This wasn't just about escaping anymore. It wasn't just about surviving. Raizen had built a legacy, but now he had to decide what kind of legacy it would be. Would he spend the rest of his life running from the shadows he'd created? Or would he face them head-on?
Lyra appeared beside him, her expression grave. "Raizen, the longer we wait, the worse this will get. We need a plan, now."
"I know," he said, his eyes hardening. "We need to make them understand that I won't be their pawn. I won't run anymore."
His thoughts raced as the crew scrambled to prepare for the battle ahead. He had thought that destroying the Crown of Shadows would free him from the weight of the past. But now, he understood that the past never truly let go. It clung to him like a shadow, and as much as he tried to run from it, the world would continue to chase him.
"Set the sails," Raizen called out. "Get ready to move. We're going to make sure the world remembers who we are."
The ship surged forward, slicing through the water as the first enemy ship drew closer. Raizen's gaze flicked to the horizon once more. A storm was coming, and this time, it wasn't just the weather.
It was a storm of blood and fire.
As the ship accelerated, Raizen felt the familiar rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He wasn't just running anymore. He was about to make the world come to him — and when it did, he would be ready.
END OF CHAPTER 2