Martial Arts Worlds

While the blood shed, several navy officers and pirates started to notice the emerging mist from over the railing.

It seemed to come out of nowhere, and it was green in color, which was quite strange. However, none of them had time to pay attention to it because they were busy fighting to the death.

At that moment, Ambrose's sharp instincts told him something was wrong.

With his Silver Tiger transformation, his instincts went into overdrive alongside his six senses.

As he looked down, he noticed the emergence of the green mist, slowly enveloping the ship.

Ambrose's eyes shook as if he saw something frightening.

Siegfried, following Ambrose's gaze, noticed the green mist as well. His stomach churned uncontrollably.

"Stop moving right now, and don't you dare speak a word!"

"Stop moving and do not make any noise; this is an order!"

Ambrose's and Siegfried's shouts echoed across the deck.

The pirates and the navy officers stopped moving, but they were slightly confused, and when they turned to look at their captain, they saw their faces were contorted in fear.

Siegfried placed his sword under his feet and then let go of the hilt of the sword. The sword started floating in the air and took him higher and higher until he was out of the danger's way.

'Flying? I see. All Conjured weapons also have separate abilities to them. I guess this sword's ability is flight!'

Ambrose thought to himself and then let out a slight rawr.

'The martial abilities evolve the stronger the user gets. I am only Martial King, but if, for example, I were to reach Martial Legend, my tiger transformation would also evolve.'

He looked down at his pirates and saw that they were awkwardly looking around, not understanding why they shouldn't move.

The green mist had reached their feet already. It wasn't rising any longer.

Siegfried, while flying with the help of his sword, looked down at the green mist and narrowed his eyes.

'Living Embodiment of Ocean Malice…'

They stood in one place for over half an hour. No one spoke a word. It was an uneasy silence that filled the air.

At last, the green mist dissipated, disappearing below the watery depths once again.

The navy soldiers and pirates took a hold of their weapons once more, ready to continue the battle.

However, surprisingly enough, Ambrose hopped back to the pirate ship and motioned for his pirates to follow him silently.

The navy soldiers looked confused. They didn't plan on allowing them to leave so easily, but when they looked for Siegfried for answers, they saw him making a stop motion with his hand.

'Why are we letting the pirates go?'

'What the hell was that mist?'

The navy soldiers thought inside their heads.

When the pirates boarded their ship, they started to sail away silently and slowly.

The navy battleship did the same. They headed in completely opposite directions. It was like they had made a silent pact to stop the fight.

…

After about an hour sailing in utter silence, Ambrose finally let out a sigh and grabbed a bottle of rum before gulping it down like a man who hadn't had a drink in years.

"What a shitty day!" Ambrose shouted. "To think that we would encounter that piece of shit."

"What was that, boss?" A pirate asked.

Other pirates also looked over.

Kiernan and Julian sat on the railing, looking over with raised eyebrows. They had no idea what was happening, but they knew it had something to do with the green mist.

"We just encountered the Living Embodiment of Ocean Malice!"

Ambrose shouted.

"That was the green mist thing, y'know. I don't know where the rumor started, but there are legends about the sea being evil. Some even say it's alive.

"According to legends, the sea can summon a green mist when it is furious. It's said to swallow ships whole, never to be seen again.

"Of course, such legends are usually bullshit, but this one is very real, and most veteran sea-goers know that. If you encounter green mist, do not move, and especially don't make any noise."

"So, why did we leave?" A pirate asked. "The green mist left, so shouldn't we have continued the fight?"

"No," Ambrose said. "The Living Embodiment of Ocean Malice was still in the area. It is better to just leave that area as soon as possible, or there will be certain death awaiting us!"

"This place is getting weirder with every passing day." Kiernan whispered.

…

The night fell over the World Seas, and with moonlight guiding them, the silver-sailed ship made its way through the waters without any clear destination in mind.

The lights had been lit up on the deck, and loud music played, echoing across the waves.

With drinks in hand, the pirates partied. Some danced drunkenly, some played poker, and others simply drank and looked across the starry skies.

Sitting on top of wooden crates, Kiernan and Julian looked at the rowdy crowd of pirates.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" A pirate shoved another pirate against the mast.

"Huh?" The other pirate replied drunkenly and punched him across the face. "W-who… burp! Who are you talking to?!"

Without further ado, they started slugging each other with fists while other pirates watched with amusement. The scuffle continued until they both fell to the ground in exhaustion.

Ambrose laughed while his drink spilled over his trousers. He was already so drunk that he was barely able to see straight.

"By the way, Kiernan." Julian leaned close to whisper. "I found a rowboat at the back. I think if we use it, we might be able to escape."

"These waters are dangerous," Kiernan said with a sigh. "With just a rowboat, I don't know. We would need a lot food and supplies to survive out there. Also a map, and I think only Ambrose has one, so we would need to steal it from him."

"So, let's just do it then."

"As if that's easy." Kiernan said with a sigh.

"Look at them." Julian looked at the drunken pirates. "They're all so shitfaced that they can't even tell which way is up."

"Do not underestimate him…" Kiernan looked over to Ambrose with narrowed eyes.
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While kicking his legs up and down and gulping the bottle, Ambrose side-glanced towards the two young men with a mysterious smile.

It was almost like he heard their conversation even though he was quite far away.