"Captain, there is an enemy pirate ship on the starboard bow! What shall we do?"

Amidst the fierce winds, the dark clouds which occasionally spit out lightning rods from the heavens, and the billowing ocean waves that sprinkle salty water all over their faces only to be washed away by the pure, fresh water rain, Captain Arabella stood her ground, tall and proud.

The scene looming before her was dark and gloomy. Literally and figuratively.

She and her crew are stuck between a nasty storm brewing from behind them and an incoming enemy pirate ship from the starboard bow.

Anyone with eyes can see that trying to win this battle will be like fighting a losing a fight.

However, what they do not know was that Captain Arabella is using a different set of eyes that can see through all sides of a situation.

And yes, it just simply means that she is someone who sees things from a different perspective on the get-go compared to what others usually see at first glance.

"Hmm..." she hums after a moment of silence and gives her crew a knowing look before smiling. "Nothing."

The man stiffens in place for a moment, looking apprehensive and wanting to protest. However, she just narrows her eyes at him, silently daring him to do it.

However, a beat later, he nods and runs toward his crewmates. Probably relaying what she told him.

While her crew starts to panic at her statement and are already muttering their prayers for a quick and painless death, from either the enemy or the storm, Captain Arabella is thinking of something else entirely.

With a wry smile forming on her lips, she calmly and boldly stepped towards the mast and did a little climb.

Years and years of owning the ship and manning it had given her all the experience she needs where she can safely climb up the mast with ease despite the slippery state its in thanks to the rain.

As soon as she managed to get up on the lower sails, she stood there, her balance impeccably impressive even through the wobbling the ship is making. Looking out, she watches the dark waves that roughly hits both ships, hers and the enemy's alike.

Squinting, she ignored the desperate cries of her crew from below.

Lifting a hand to cover her eyes from the incoming rain, she was about to squint again only to stop and her eyes widened with recognition and glee upon seeing her target.

And she knew that the Captain of the enemy ship saw her too. No doubt spying on her through his spyglass ever since she started to shimmy up the mast.

"Well, spy on this, asshole," she grins smugly, reaching a hand out and lifting a middle finger in his direction.

Even though she is far away and she can't see her enemy's reaction, she knew that she was successful in provoking that bastard. Especially when she noticed that the enemy ship starts to speed towards their way.

Laughing gaily, she smoothly slides down from the mast and disappears in between and into the frantic milling of her crew.

Their ship didn't try to turn and run away nor did they try their luck by braving the ravaging storm to escape.

No.

Instead, Captain Arabella's ship and crew received their enemy with what seemed like open arms. And when the enemy crew had tied up each and every one of Captain Arabella's crew, they never saw a hair nor shadow of her.

The enemy crew and enemy Captain hauled Captain Arabella's crew to their own ship and as soon as the enemy crew returned to make a thorough search on Captain Arabella's ship to find her, a sudden explosion was heard inside it.

More specifically, something exploded from the bottom of the ship.

From the shadows of the enemy ship, Captain Arabella's first mate suddenly leaps out and starts slashing the ropes from their crew. The moment her crew was free, they quickly removed and undid the ropes that connect the enemy ship to Captain Arabella's ship.

The enemy pirates tried to get back to their ship but someone stepped in and blocked their way, holding a sword in one hand and a gun in the other.

"Hello, boys. Ready to dance with the devil?" she gives them a devilish grin.

Not waiting for her enemy to regain their bearings, she lets out a gleeful war cry before she threw herself into a sea of armed enemies.

Despite being knee-deep in crossing weapons against them, she is still aware of the desperate cries of her crew, safe and sound on the enemy ship, for her. Rooting for her and asking for her to stop and come to the ship with them.

She has no plans in following them, though.

Other than that, she can also feel the wobbling of her ship that gradually intensifies with every moment.

An evil smile forms on her lips at the thought of her plan progressing smoothly.

With the ship's belly burst open thanks to the explosives she had set up and triggered the moment she got the signal that her crew are safe on the enemy ship, it will slow down her own ship.

This way, if the enemy even thinks about giving chase to her crew, they won't be able to do so.

Not only that there is a huge gaping hole that is slowly sinking her ship, but she also had a glimpse of the waters above the mast while she was searching for Captain Bastard. From there, she saw another reason why this ship won't be tailing her crew anytime soon.

It is because it's slowly but surely being sucked into a whirlpool that formed where the storm is raging from behind them.

And even though she already secured the ship so they won't follow, there is still the possibility that enemies can still take off and get to her crew before her people can make a clean escape.

That's why she stayed here to stop them in their tracks.

To make sure that her crew will escape safely and that if she dies, she will take these bastards with her down to the watery grave!

As the storm raged on, growing stronger by the minute and the ship's distance draws closer towards it, Captain Arabella earned more than her fair share of wounds from the enemies while she was fighting them.

And as she finally ran the enemy Captain through with her sword, her empty gun lay uselessly on a bloody heap on the side along with the dead enemy bodies, she whispers in her fallen enemy's ear.

"As much as I want to say you fought well, you bastard, I can't. you don't deserve it because that acknowledgment was earned by your crew while you hide behind them, you little coward!"

She almost spits the last word out and dropped the heavy and lifeless body on the floor.

She straightens and looks out of the dark and stormy horizon. She then glances back and saw that there was no sign of the enemy ship with her crew.

Nothing there but sharp, biting winds, torrential rains that slap across her skin, and...the smell and feel of death around her. Death of not only those whom she had killed but also hers.

She can feel it.

It's as if the Angel of Death himself is hovering behind her back and is just waiting for her to keel over.

She is proud of herself for being able to think outside the box, thus altering a gloomy perception of a situation, and can manage to turn dark to light. That mindset of hers had enabled her to avoid death ever since she escaped the orphanage, but she is not seeing any silver lining in her situation right now.

If there is an off-chance that her crew stupidly came after her in the middle of the storm, which she really hope they wouldn't do, she doubts they'll be able to make it to her side while she's still breathing.

She chuckles at the prediction of her own death and winces at the pain that pierced through her.

If her crew will hear what she's thinking right now, she's sure they will be shocked.

She fondly recalls that she always surprises her crew whenever she mentions something gloomy or dark like death and the inevitability that some things will end.

But that's because even though she's someone who can see things in a different or better light, she is not stupid. Nor is she someone who thinks everything is cupcakes and rainbows.

Her head is not stuck high up in the clouds to believe in the impossible.

Like her getting out of this situation alive.

Especially not if she's--

"Hahaha, ow..."

She chuckles once again as she presses a hand over her stomach that had been gushing out blood since who-knows-when. But she was pretty sure that her stomach wound there wasn't that bad until that cowardly bastard ran her through as she did him.

However, unlike him, the blind and stupid bastard that he is, who only pierced through her stomach, her sword had hit the mark and pierced through a vital organ.

His heart.

"Which is why you are lying lifelessly on my ship's floor right now. Heh." She chuckles hoarsely before using what little strength she has left to kick the dead enemy Captain on his back to spit on his corpse.

As soon as she does, she didn't manage to spit on him as she planned to. Instead, she notices that something was shining brightly under the man's shirt.

Curious, she bends down by the knees, wincing as the pain from the hole in her stomach zapped through her senses and checked whatever that shiny thing was.

It was some kind of pearl necklace.

However, it wasn't just any pearl necklace she had seen before though.

Maybe it was something of a luminescent variation but it seemed that keeping it would be a waste. Especially when she won't be able to take that pretty spoils of war with her anywhere else other than sinking down into the depths with her ship.

"Haha..." she laughs bitterly, clutching the bloody glowing pearl to her chest. "Such a pretty thing. Too bad I won't be able to enjoy you, little pearl. In the same way I won't be able to further enjoy a pretty life of adventure. Urgh."

With a heavy and painful huff, her legs wobbled, making her drop to her knees on the floor with a thunk.

The winds got stronger, swirling and slapping her hair around, the lightning strikes seemed to be hitting closer and closer to where she is, and she feels like the ship is slowly but surely making its way down the watery depths of the ocean.

With a resigned yet bitter smile, she looks up at the sky and closed her eyes, savoring the rain lightly tapping over her face and the chaos around her.

Well, considering this will be the last she'll be experiencing this she might as well enjoy it. She believes it a waste of time for her to wallow in misery and despair when she chose this path for herself.

However, even if she managed to stop herself from feeling miserable, she can't help it anymore when everything that happened in her life flashed before her eyes.

From the day she was born, to how she was abandoned, how she fought for survival in the streets, how ended up being the first female pirate the world won't ever know, and more.

Her life was bittersweet and...to be honest, she doesn't want it any other way. She became who she is because of her choices in life. And she is proud of it.

Her only regret?

"I hope and wish to be able to not forget all the adventures I've had in my life...and I wish to be able to forge new adventures in my next life. If there is a next life for me, that is. It would be nice if I get to remember all the things I did, though. And...haha, I guess my only regret is I wasn't able to find love."

She clutches tightly at the luminescent pearl necklace in her hand and it shimmered as if amused at her.

But of course, that really wasn't the case. There's no such thing as an amused luminous pearl, right?

She seemed to be seeing things and was getting delirious because she was losing a lot of blood and she was dying. Still, she wanted to at least have a little bit of fun if she has nowhere to go but to knock at Death's door.

"Hey, don't you mock me. I'm still a woman and of course, that means that I also want to fall in love and stuff, you know? You're just a little pipsqueak of a pearl yourself, you have no room to judge," she grins wickedly at the pearl.

Does it seem a little sparklier than usual? Well, must be because she's starting to feel dizzy and she's finally losing it.

"Well, time to take you back home. At least one of us will have a happier ending," she mutters under her breath.

With whatever strength she has left, Captain Arabella threw the pearl out into the sea. Even through the heavy rain and whipping wind, she couldn't miss not seeing the pearl as it plopped in the middle of the whirlpool.

And as the lightning struck just right beside her, the ship was finally caught by the sucking monster where the pearl went in before her.

And at the same moment, Captain Arabella closed her eyes and breathed her last breath.

Captain Arabella of Year XX18...