- POV General -

On the deck of the merchant ship several days west of Coven Island, a bloodbath had taken place between the Captain of the Hysterics and fifteen Navy officers. Overcome by a murderous frenzy, Hestia Hellfire had shown a side of herself that neither she nor her friends suspected. She had for several minutes seemingly lost her mind, seeking only to kill like a savage beast devoid of all reason and feeling.

Her uncontrollable wrath had even allowed her to reach the second and final phase that allowed her gift to be fully awakened. Thus, without a knife, without a sword, her body being her own weapon, Hestia had killed and spilled the blood of a dozen men without any hesitation or remorse. Her gift gave her great speed and strength, and although it was still young, she had made a bloody and savage massacre.

Only a bullet fired by the Lieutenant, having hit her left shoulder, had been able to wake her up, causing her to suddenly laugh like crazy. Still overcome by adrenaline and the delight of drawing blood, Hestia, although conscious again, was still excited. She was ready to take on the challenge of the man who was still aiming at her, showing a strong determination mixed with a madness and an aura to make one feel cold.

At that moment, for the first time, as he was about to shoot to erase the very irritating smile on her face, an arrow nailed the weapon to the floor. The remaining officers on deck, because of the Captain's bloody spectacle, had almost forgotten about the other seven pirates. However, Hestia's friends were there and had witnessed the fascinating, painful, terrifying massacre and could not take it anymore.

Yes, the golden-haired Captain had managed to win, but this intense madness that had taken her over seemed as dangerous for her as for the others. So, while she was covered with blood from head to toe, Mysie was the first to act, unable to bear more to stop the Lieutenant. A few seconds later, as if carried away by this act of courage, it was Joe, Lucas and Edward who had gotten up to put an end to it all.

At that moment, the situation had again caused the sudden awakening of the gifts of Hestia's five friends and faithful companions. One of the common manifestations of this Awakening was the change in hair color of the person who was actually awakening their gift for the first time. The change varied according to the natural hair color of the individual concerned, representing only a kind of derived color.

When Hestia had used the natural energy in her anger, her hairline had changed from golden blonde to a pure, brilliant white. For Mysie, the reddish color at the root had suddenly turned to brown, assuming to expand the more the gift was mastered. For the moment, the six pirates only had the roots that had changed, but it was enough to appear as a significant threat to the Lieutenant.

And so, as the natural energy began to flow through Mysie's body driven by anger, Joe's roots turned from silver blond to black, Edward's red hair turned blonde, and Lucas' brown hair turned dark purple. Just like their Captain before, driven by a desire for revenge, anger and sadness, their look and their aura had changed completely.

"KILL THEM ALL !!! NOW OR WE ARE DEAD !!!!"

No one in this world was ignoring what a gift user was, least of all the Navy, which had them in its ranks, even powerful ones. The Lieutenant knew very well what was going on and did not expect to see five people awake on this deck at the same time. Neither he nor his officers had any affinity for natural energy and after witnessing Hestia's newfound power, time was running out for them.

"HURRY UP, KILL THOSE DAMN PIRATES !!!"

The Lieutenant had shouted these words to all his men from the poop deck and drew his sword, now unable to use his pistol. He couldn't move because he was still protecting the eight merchants and was therefore relying on the fifteen remaining officers capable of fighting. Five were near the young women Mysie and Kali, while ten were on the port and starboard sides where the boys were placed.

At the words of their leader, the men still in shock did almost the opposite and moved forward slowly, stricken with fear. They had seen what their comrades had gone through and how they had died in the face of a single gift user and were therefore gripped by instinctive fear. What were Mysie's, Lucas', Joe's and Edward's gifts? Were they as destructive and terrifying as their Captain's?

"Filthy pirates !!!"

Suddenly, one of the officers next to Edward had raised his sword with two hands to bring it down on the young man with the red beard. A trace of madness and fear in his eyes, ready to do anything to stay alive and obey the orders of his superior, especially in front of pirates. However, just as his sword was about to fall on the pirate's head, it was suddenly stopped in its tracks only a few centimeters from Edward's face.

*clang*

The Master of Arms of the Hysteric crew had grabbed the blade with both hands without even hurting himself, as he finally looked up at his opponent. Not even giving the officer time to say a word or anything, Edward grabbed his spear from the ground and drove it into the man's heart. It had all been very quick and for the first time, the young man had killed without hesitation.

Red hot blood ran down Edward's long, thick, carved wooden handle as he watched the life drain from the officer's eyes. His expression was still trapped in surprise at the swift blow that he had never anticipated and that had come from nowhere. However, in just a few seconds he breathed his last as the blade of the spear went straight into his heart killing him instantly.

With a violent and casual kick, the young pirate kicked the lifeless body of the man whose name he didn't even know, which crashed to the deck. Silence had returned almost automatically at this scene and as the pirate twirled his spear in his hands with agility, his aura changed to become more intimidating. Edward didn't have time to breathe when two other officers were already throwing themselves at him.

"Die !!"

"Our comrades will not have died in vain !!!"

*CRACK*

*BAM*

However, they too had no time to touch him because in just a moment, they too fell to the ground...dead. Just after these two unfortunate people had screamed, a sound of cracking bones and the sound of limbs falling to the ground had echoed. This time it wasn't Edward who had done it, for he was still looking the officer he had just shot in the eyes. So who could it be? Joe and Lucas were the perpetrators of these attacks.

They too had killed for the first time without hesitation, tired of having to see their friends get hurt one after the other without being able to react. With a powerful, direct and well placed punch, Joe had hit the face of the first one, twisting his neck in the process, with a thud. Lucas, on the other hand, had shot the second one in the head, scattering his brains on the wooden boards before his body crashed on the deck.

Both of them had joined Edward and like him, now gave off a very different aura than when they started their clashes. Not only were they using natural energy for the first time, but like Hestia, their own ability had become a little more powerful. There were now only thirteen officers and eight merchants hiding behind a Lieutenant, but soon there would be no one left.

"I think you've played with us enough..."

"...it's time for you..."

"...to die."

No sooner had the three men finished speaking than everything accelerated, driven by their desire for revenge, the ferocity of their Captain and their anger, they were no longer afraid. The next moment, the three men separated without even speaking to each other in order to eliminate as many Navy officers as possible. Lucas in the center of the bridge facing two men, Joe on the port side facing three men and Edward on the starboard side also facing three men.

"Come closer !!! Come !!!"

One look at the state of Hestia who was still in the front, covered in blood and wounded even though she was still staring at the Lieutenant on the opposite side. One look at the unrecognizable blonde beauty and one at Kali still unconscious on the ground was enough to rekindle the flame. Awakened by the action of Mysie now kneeling beside her friend, it was finally time for the Hysterics to fight their first real battle.

"RAAAAAAAAHH !!!"

Finally out of their trance, the eight officers rushed at the three pirates with all their weapons out to put a quick end to their lives. Armed with knives, bayonets, sabers and pistols, they knew that in a few minutes only one side would emerge victorious. Even if they didn't know each other's gifts, it didn't matter because at that moment they were fighting for their lives and to protect the merchants and their mission.

"Surround them, leave them no retreat area and kill them !!!"

While the Lieutenant was still shouting orders from the poop deck, three of the men near Edward slowly stepped forward so as not to make the same mistake as their dead comrade. Yet it would make no difference, for the Viking-like pirate was determined to end this once and for all. Grabbing his spear firmly and pulling an axe from behind his pants, a slight smile appeared on his face.

With his left hand, Edward spun his spear ready to impale and with his right hand his axe was ready to slice and bleed. Turning on himself, he blocked the first attack with his long blade that clashed with the first man's sword. As the second man came at his back, his axe blocked his blow, breaking the sword that came straight for his spine.

The third man chose the solution that seemed simplest and most effective to him, pointing his pistol in Edward's face. Reacting quickly, as the sound of a wind-driven gunshot rang out over the ship, he picked up the lifeless body of an officer to shield him. As the smell of gunpowder mixed with the sea air, the bullet lodged in the rib cage of the still warm corpse.

"You dare to use the body of one of our brave comrades ? Scumbag !"

Without even deigning to answer him, Edward then threw the body on the ground before spinning around again, sending his foot into the gun of the officer who had fired. With only his sword left, the poor man only had time to draw it when a new beast was already upon him. The opportunity to attack was no longer available as the young pirate struck with his spear, his axe, again, again and again without giving him any respite.

The control of his weapons was incredible and the coordination he suddenly displayed was frighteningly perfect. The officer was overwhelmed by what was happening and could only try to parry each attack that came his way. The spear whirled in the air making it impossible to predict its trajectory while the axe split the space at a disconcerting speed seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

The more Edward struck, the more powerful and deadly his blows became, the blades of his two weapons chipping away at the sword ever so slightly. His gift was a little different from Hestia's, but like her, it gave him a strength that increased tenfold as the fight went on. However, unlike his Captain, it took time for the gift to take effect and once the fight was over, he regained his normal strength.

"G-Goddamn it...HELP ME !!!"

However, as he was using natural energy for the first one, his strength boost came exceptionally fast allowing him to overpower his opponent who was already calling his comrades for help. Edward kept hitting harder, faster and seemed to be unleashing on one person with spear and axe. Like a tornado of blades, he was unstoppable and seemed to be playing with his victim more to take advantage of the moment he died.

"AAAAAARGH !!!"

*BAM*

Unfortunately, by the time the other two arrived to help the officer, it was already too late for him. The young pirate's axe, whose blade was curved like a half-moon, had caught on his ankle, severing it on the spot and causing him to fall to the ground. The blood flowed freely but only a few seconds later, the blade of the spear sank deep into his throat, pinning him to the deck.

The attack had been so powerful that the poor man's windpipe had been ripped out in one fell swoop, splattering Edward's face in the process. Shreds of skin dangled along the blade of his spear and as a satisfied smile appeared again on his blood covered face, the other two were already arriving. Quickly removing his weapon from the deck, the red-haired pirate threw his axe at the first and his spear at the second.

His first weapon was planted in the head of the closest man, thus making his brain explode, killing him on the spot. However, the spear was going to go straight into the stomach of the second man, nailing him in turn to the mast behind him. So, a few minutes later, Edward's fight was over, leaving him time to breathe and kill his last opponent, savoring every second of this moment.

"Y-You...you're just...*cough cough*...monsters"

"And you, you are only vulgar cunts"

Not allowing the officer time to add anything else, Edward placed his hands around the neck of the unfortunate man before squeezing gently. Seconds passed and his grip intensified, causing spasms in the one being strangled. The pirate, him, did not blink once of the eyes and looked very attentively in those of his victim, observing them being emptied of their vitality with a wild smile.

For the first time in his life, just like Hestia, Edward had killed human beings and it was because of that anger and desire to protect that he had felt. Like her, he was still running on adrenaline and didn't realize what he had just done, but it didn't matter. Moreover, he was not the only one in this situation because a little further, two of his friends were also caught in a deadly fight.

Lucas, on the port side and armed with his sword, was facing two officers who were also determined to kill him and thus put an end to these fights that had gone on for too long. His long brown hair danced in the wind, showing dark black roots with purple highlights. The craziest thing was that his usual brown eyes had been replaced by a bright red, as red as the blood that stained the merchant ship.

Natural energy was flowing through his body for the first time, but that wasn't what made his eyes change color. Indeed, the secret of the two-meter tall man's gift lay in his eyes which changed according to his emotions. Of course this phenomenon was passive like Hestia's strength but it was reinforced when natural energy flowed through his being, intensifying the particularity of his gift.

Indeed, each emotion that Lucas felt tinted his eyes of a particular color granting him a specific skill according to his emotions. The color red for anger increasing his strength, pink for embarrassment increasing his agility or light blue when he was thinking, increasing his intelligence. Other colors and abilities were yet to be discovered but at that moment, anger was what he felt most powerfully.

However, this gift was very delicate because it gave Lucas an improvement in his abilities in almost all areas, but at this stage he was uncontrollable. How could he control his emotions ? The young man had a very special gift but despite its power, he was still dependent on his emotions. However, the anger he felt at that moment was what he needed to fight.

"You are going to pay for what your Lieutenant did to my best friend..."

Just like his companions, Hestia's young adopted brother was boiling with rage and was replaying in his mind the moment when Kali collapsed to the ground. There was no trace of softness in his usually brown eyes and only a desire to win could be felt. He had spoken these words to the two men who were circling him, still armed with their curved swords, sharp and ready to kill.

"Enjoy your last moments of life because in a very short time, none of you will be around to see a new day dawn."

Lucas' words were heavy with meaning and it didn't matter if his big sister, his Captain had made a mistake in attacking that ship, he wanted to win. No one knew how much time had passed, but the sun was already beginning to sink towards the horizon, gradually changing the color of the sky. On the deck of the merchant ship, a common anger had invaded the hearts of the Hysterics who one by one were fighting without mercy.

With everyone's gift fully awakened, it was only a matter of time before it all ended in blood and despair.