INTERLUDE I - PACIFIC ORDEAL

Michael Roberts was your ordinary day-to-day sailor who worked as the captain of a cargo ship. With 30 years of experience, he was quite proficient in his line of duty, sailing from continent to continent, nation to nation. Throughout his travels, he had witnessed different cultures and gained various perspectives. However, he rarely stayed in one place for an extended period, always opting to finish his job quickly and return home to spend limited time with his family.

"A coffee, Cap?" a young sailor offered him.

"Sure, Sam. Make it black, please," Michael replied.

"Aye, will do," Sam the young sailor nodded.

Currently, they were sailing from the States to Tokyo, Japan. The cargo ship was neatly stacked with lines and stacks of containers. It was a quiet day on the Pacific Ocean, with calm waves and clear skies. If everything continued this way, they would arrive at least two days ahead of schedule.

Sam returned with two mugs of coffee. "Here ya go, Cap," he said, offering one to Michael.

"Thanks, son," Michael replied, taking a sip of his coffee. His eyes stared out at the distant ocean. "Any problems that I should know about?" he asked Sam.

"Nope, unless you count some rowdy drunk bunch who got too excited last night," Sam replied meekly.

Bah, children, all of them. Michael wasn't too fond of drinking on the job, but the company he worked for allowed some leniency for drinking while on the ship. Of course, there were rules, limitations, and exceptions, but he still disapproved.

The young generation and their questionable "fun" workplace attitude.

He frowned slightly before turning his gaze towards the bubbling ocean in the distance. Sam, who was beside him, also turned to see what his captain had noticed, and confusion filled their faces.

"What is that?" Sam questioned to no one in particular.

"I don't..." Michael was about to finish his words when he noticed something alarming.

The calm waves started to grow into raging high waves. The air became heavier, and he swore the sky was getting darker. As an old man who had lived a long life as a sailor, his gut feeling screamed at him.

He immediately turned to Sam. "Son, gather the boys. Hurry!"

A primal fear deep inside his body emerged, and his face contorted into a scared expression. Sam, the young sailor, didn't need to be told twice and ran towards the ship's PA system. He, too, felt the ominous feeling that his captain felt.

The bubbling ocean surface darkened. Then...

"▂▂▃▃▅▅▃▃▅▅▃▃▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ーーー!!"

It appeared.

For every sailor who laid eyes on it, it could only be described as a monster. It dwarfed the 400-meter cargo ship in length alone. Its body resembled a whale, but instead of front fins, it had muscular crocodile-like hands with membranes between its fingers. Countless giant tentacles sprouted from its lower body, swaying and moving in all directions. Its giant eyes stared at the cargo ship, and its mouth, filled with countless needle-like teeth, contorted into a sickening grin that shouldn't be possible. Vein-like streaks scattered around its body, pulsating with a dark red glow every few seconds.

Michael was stunned, but he recomposed himself and barked orders at his crewmates. "Hard starboard!"

His crew on the bridge heard him and immediately turned the ship sharply to the right, trying to avoid the monster that had appeared above them.

"Full speed ahead!"

The cargo ship's engine roared to life as it sailed at high speed. Michael was sweating cold sweat. He knew that this cargo ship wasn't built with high maneuverability and speed in mind. He wasn't a religious man, but deep down, he genuinely prayed.

God help him.

"▃▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▂▂▃▃▅▅▃▃▅▅▃▅▅▅▅ーーー!!"

The monster chased after them with freakish speed despite its size. It then slammed its body against the left side of the ship, tilting it to the right. Many containers fell from their stacks, sliding into the ocean. Michael and his crewmates watched in horror as their ship was slowly overturned. They held on desperately to whatever they could.

"C-Captain!"

"Oh God, Oh God!!"

"Nooo!"

"I don't want to die!"

The helpless screams of his men echoed from all corners of the bridge. Michael looked at the monster for one last time. He weakly laughed. So he would die because of a giant sea monster? What an end for an old sailor like him.

BOOOOOM

BOOOOM

BOOOOOM

BOOOOOOM

The monster was repeatedly struck on its head and in its mouth, causing smoke to billow and a murky dark substance to scatter all around.

"▂▂▂▂▃▃▃▃▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ーーー!!!"

The monster relinquished its hold on the ship, causing it to tilt back and forth before stabilizing itself. Michael grunted, holding his head in pain. He suspected he had suffered a concussion from the impact. His men around him fared no better, with many already groaning in pain.

Weakly, he glanced at the one who had fired at the monster, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

Were those sail ships?

....

On one of the sail ships stood a woman with long wavy crimson-pink hair, blue eyes, and a scar across her face. She wore a brown choker collar attached to her dark pink captain's vest, which revealed her cleavage. She also wore white pants and long dark brown boots.

"Well, color me surprised. The report is actually right. Those bastards have already spread this far," Francis Drake, the devil of the sea, grinned at the wounded giant monster in the distance. Her ship, the Golden Hind, proudly sailed towards the monster.

Not far from her, an orb—a mystic code—made by the inventors and crafters back at HQ projected an image of a rough-looking, topless man. "Hehahah, fighting a genuine sea monster sounds fun," the orb spoke.

The orb then hummed and projected another image, this one of a young man with naturally tanned skin, messy dark blue-ish hair, and bright blue eyes. He dressed in formal wear, consisting of a white dress shirt and a black vest. He had a black collar and red fur on his left shoulder. His hands were covered by black gloves, and around his neck was a big golden cross.

"You're as unrefined as usual, Blackbeard," the young man said to the rough man from before.

"Spare me your words, Bartholomew," Blackbeard replied. "We pirates ain't exactly known as a refined bunch."

"Hahaha, you're not exactly wrong, Teach," Drake chimed in. "We pirates are always infamous for being scum!"

The orb hummed again, and another image projected from it—an old man with a long white beard and a long black coat. The old man, unlike the others, looked more serious.

"Gentlemen..." The old man paused, his gaze fixated on Drake. "...and lady, we have more important things to do than bickering with each other."

"Right, I'm sorry for getting distracted, Columbus," Bartholomew offered an apology.

"Tch, I know," Blackbeard muttered.

Drake had many personal opinions about this old man, Christopher Columbus, but she nodded in agreement. Looking at the situation, the monster was only momentarily disoriented and would certainly recover.

"Then, hit it till it dies?" Drake said, grinning.

"Pretty much..." Bartholomew chuckled.

"Sounds good to me," Blackbeard smirked.

Columbus didn't respond, but his eyes showed enough resolve to blast a hole in the monster's body.

Drake then turned off the orb before walking out of her captain's quarter. On the deck of her ship stood two women who observed the monster and cargo ship.

"Oh, captain!" One woman with long flowing blonde hair and a red coat greeted her.

"So, what's the plan?" The other woman, who had short white hair and covered her mouth with a high-collared coat, murmured.

"Good to know you're both in high spirits, Anne, Mary," Drake said to them. "Me, Teach, Bartholomew, and Columbus will unleash our Noble Phantasms. While we're doing that, you two will board that cargo ship and evacuate everyone," she continued, explaining to both of them.

"Sounds simple enough," Anne, the one with blonde hair, responded.

Beside her, Mary nodded. "Understood."

"Well then..." Drake cracked her knuckles. "Let's begin..."

The Golden Hind started emitting glowing sparks from its hull. "Remember my name!"

The surroundings of her ship began to ripple. "Temeroso el Drago! The woman who brought down the sun!"

Massive cannons emerged from the ripples around the Golden Hind. "It's time for the wild hunt!"

The cannons hummed, then Drake shouted, "Golden Hind!! All cannons, full open!"

With a massive boom, all the cannons shot out laser-like projectiles simultaneously.

...

Blackbeard stood on his ship's deck, grinning wildly. "No more waiting, I am in ecstasy with anger!"

He pointed his hand forward. "Here it comes!"

The deck beneath him glowed with golden light before rows and rows of cannons emerged. "Iron and gunpowder are every pirate's dream!"

The cannons took aim at the monster in front of him. "Buster, Buster, and one more Buster!"

The cannons started spewing an absurd amount of cannonballs.

Teach let out a loud laugh as he shouted, "Hahahaha! Queen Anne's Revenge!" The cannons continued to shoot more cannonballs.

...

Columbus stood in front of his ship's wheel. "Sound off the salute!" A dark aura appeared around him.

Then his face contorted, no longer wearing the stoic expression he had before. He wore a wicked smile that revealed all of his teeth. "Hahahah! We've arrived. We've come to a new world at the edge of faith and dreams... a place full of treasure!"

His ship emanated a purple glow. "Lower the anchors!! Santa Maria, Drop Anchor!!!"

Anchors and chains shot up from his ship, rushing toward the monster at high speed.

...

Bartholomew hummed before smiling. "All hands on deck!"

As he said that, a mist came out of nowhere, surrounding the monster.

Bartholomew whispered, "It seems you haven't noticed..." then continued with a shout, "That you're already surrounded!"

The mist gradually faded, revealing an entire fleet of sail ships with cannons ready and aimed at the monster.

"All cannons, fire! Black Dirty Barty Howling!!"

Thus, all cannons were unleashed, and countless barrages of cannonballs rained down upon the monster.

...

Michael stood dumbfounded as the monster that had attacked his ship was stabbed and chained by ethereal glowing anchors and chains that appeared out of nowhere. Then he witnessed one of the sail ships summon a bunch of floating cannons that shot lasers, of all things.

Countless barrages of cannonballs rained down from the sky, courtesy of another ship. The rate and amount of cannonballs it unleashed made no sense for a mere sail ship.

Next, he saw mist cover the immediate surroundings around the monster, slowly fading to reveal an entire fleet of sail ships surrounding it and bombarding it from all directions. Even with decades of experience as a sailor, he had never witnessed anything as crazy as what was happening before his eyes.

"C-Captain, our hull has been breached. Water is rushing in fast!" Sam shouted in a panic.

That was to be expected, Michael thought. When the monster rammed the ship, the force it exerted was astounding.

Gritting his teeth, he ordered his men, "Abandon ship! Everyone, get on the lifeboats quickly!"

His men wasted no time as they scrambled from their posts and made their way to the nearest lifeboats they could find. But...

"▂▂▂▂▃▃▃▃▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▂▂▃▃▃▃▅▅ーーー!!!"

The chained monster opened its mouth, and a red glow emanated from within. Michael and his men panicked and rushed even more. He had seen enough Godzilla movies to know what would happen next. The monster unleashed a dense red energy beam from its mouth, aimed directly at them.

CRIIIIKKKCRIIIIIING

Two additional sets of anchors and chains lunged towards the monster, forcefully pulling it away.

CRRAAAACKKKBOOOOOMM

At the last second, the anchors and chains managed to pull the beast, diverting the beam attack away from the evacuating sailors. Instead, it struck the midsection of the ship, blasting a chunk of it away.

Fire and screeching metal filled the air as the ship was torn in half, flames engulfing the wreckage.

CRREEEEEEEAAAKKKK

The torn ship parts slowly tilted upward. Michael and his men desperately held onto anything they could find for their dear lives as gravity threatened to pull them down into the flames and ocean below.

Michael spotted Sam atop him, clinging to a guardrail. To his horror, Sam couldn't maintain his grip and began to fall. Without hesitation, Michael extended his hand and caught him.

"Got you, son!"

"C-Captain?!"

"Hold on tight."

With one hand gripping the guardrail and the other holding onto Sam, Michael fought against the strain in his arms. Numbness started to creep in, tempting him to release his grip. They both remained in this precarious position for a moment until Michael heard a young woman's voice.

"You're a good captain. I respect that."

"Huh?"

He saw a blonde....pirate woman? effortlessly holding herself up by the rail. She smiled and said, "I'll take care of him."

She descended, grabbed Sam, and leaped much higher than an ordinary person should be able to, landing on one of the sail ships. Michael was stunned, his jaw dropping. Then he noticed another woman, younger in appearance, appearing before him.

"...don't move."

The young woman effortlessly hoisted his body as if he were a sack of potatoes and leaped towards the same sail ship. Michael couldn't help but scream as the unfamiliar sensation of soaring through the air overwhelmed him. They landed quite gracefully on the deck of the sail ship.

On the deck, he found Sam and the rest of his men, equally dumbfounded. Then another woman, dressed in a stylish pirate costume, approached them.

"Don't worry, men. We'll take care of this beast!" she boasted confidently.

Michael's eyes twitched. What the hell had just happened?

...

This particular Mockery found themselves in a tight spot. They had started as one of the mindless beast-like forms, roaming the coast near Fuyuki in the shape of an aquatic creature. Over time, they gained some intelligence and ventured into the open sea.

It was during their exploration, Mockery made an intriguing discovery. They possessed the ability to assimilate with other living beings and adopt their bodies as their own. The first experiment involved a blue whale they encountered, and as they ventured deeper, they came across numerous giant squids, which they also assimilated. Driven by their curiosity, Mockery hunted and assimilated countless ocean creatures, ranging from whales and sharks to jellyfish.

As a result, their body morphed into an amalgamation of all the creatures they had assimilated, growing significantly in size. With this enhanced form, they began attacking any incoming ships they encountered. Although their primary objective was to gather magical energy, they decided to prioritize their growth and strength for the time being, resulting in a low reserve of magical energy within their body.

Perhaps it was this deviation from their original purpose that led to their current predicament.

Chained, bombarded, and relentlessly attacked, Mockery was well aware of the identity of their assailants—the "strong humans" they had come to know as servants. Their colossal size made them an easy target, and their limited magical energy hindered their ability to assume the form of a Servant with ease.

Sensing their body starting to fail, Mockery knew they had to retreat quickly. Instead of morphing their entire body, they chose to split off a small chunk, which gradually transformed into a humanoid figure with aquatic features. Using the constant explosions and their own large body as a distraction, the humanoid-aquatic Mockery dove deep into the dark depths of the Pacific Ocean.

While they couldn't morph into a Servant, this encounter provided Mockery with valuable partial data of their Saint Graph. The humanoid-aquatic form of Mockery retained all of this information, which they intended to share with their other selves at a later time.

...

[In recent weeks, a series of intriguing world events has captivated the attention of global observers, leaving many puzzled and intrigued. From a cargo ship incident at the pacific sea to a perplexing surge in cattle mutilation cases in South America, and an enigmatic discovery in the Antartica, these events have sparked curiosity and raised numerous questions.

The cargo ship incident, which occurred in the midst of a routine shipping voyage, took an unexpected turn as the vessel encountered a malfunction that led to water rushing in through a breach in the hull, threatening the crew with the risk of sinking and drowning. Miraculously, no casualties were reported as the crew managed to abandon their ship and hop into lifeboats.

Meanwhile, an alarming trend has emerged across South America, where an unprecedented number of cattle mutilations have been reported. The sheer scale of these mysterious incidents has left local communities bewildered and concerned. Authorities are scrambling to investigate these occurrences, seeking to unravel the perplexing circumstances behind the mutilations and provide reassurance to farmers and the public.

Adding to the intrigue, a satellite recently captured a remarkable image of a towering black structure in the Antartica. The presence of this enigmatic formation has raised a multitude of questions about its origin and purpose. Is it a natural geological formation or an artifact of human origin? Speculations abound, ranging from potential ancient relics to signs of yet-undiscovered remnants of a civilization.

As these world events continue to unfold, researchers, investigators, and the public eagerly await further updates and insights.]