- POV Hestia -

Our plan had been put in place the day before and although we didn't know if everything would go as planned, we had a day to prepare ourselves psychologically. Tonight was the night of the infiltration at the Opera House and the City Lord's mansion and although excited we were determined not to make any mistakes. So, we all woke up early and the crew was already on deck handling their weapons for training while I was sitting on a barrel to think.

[This event on the merchant ship really changed them...]

My companions had certainly changed, but one of the pieces of news that Mysie and Edward had brought us the day before was also the source of this motivation. Astrionite, a dark purple stone that can absorb natural energy and render the gifts of users like us inoperative. This thought was frightening, especially knowing that what had saved us that day was the awakening of our gifts through our anger and desire for power.

[Luckily the officers seemed too low ranking to have some of this stone from what Mysie said but...things could have been very different. It would have been enough for these Navy officers to possess Astrionite chains and we...]

Since then, our determination had only grown with this information that only confirmed that the world we lived in was dangerous. Deadly for pirates like us who were hunted down in the four corners of the continents. We now had our gifts that we were also training for, but something new had come along to take away the advantage we had thought we had gained, so we had to keep at it.

Once again my mind wandered and as I was thinking about everything and nothing at the same time, I suddenly felt Seth slide down my arm. Turning my head curiously, I saw him moving towards the black Hellfire sword that I had owned for a few days and that had never left me. I didn't know why my snake was acting this way, but I continued to watch it with curiosity.

"What's wrong ?"

"Hiiiisss~"

"You want me to take it ?"

Nodding his little white head, Seth continued to stare at me with his emerald green eyes as I jumped down from the barrel to grab my gun. When I spoke to him, I didn't literally understand him, but something inside me made me understand what he wanted to communicate. Grabbing my black sword, I began to turn it over in every direction to find what was so special about it besides its beauty and sharpness.

"Hiiiisss~"

[Natural energy ? I'm not sure about but let's give it a try since he cares so much]

Of course the snake hisses were not words but Seth was in my opinion endowed with a special intelligence that I had learned to decipher over time. I could also understand Loki and Azeil but it was different, they didn't have that almost perfect understanding. While with my tigers I felt a more bestial intelligence, with Seth it seemed much more human, probably due to our proximity.

Shaking my head and smiling, I began to concentrate on kneading the natural energy in my body as I had done unconsciously the first time. I couldn't describe the sensation exactly, but it was like feeling a multitude of little rivers flowing through my body. The more I concentrated, the more they seemed to infuse my body, giving me a feeling of power that I would never tire of.

I could feel my body getting a little harder, my muscles increasing slightly, my blood circulating at high speed and my hairline tingling. In just a few seconds I had activated my gift, but I didn't even have time to think about anything else when a peculiar sensation was born in my hands. The sword I was holding after some thought also seemed to have my own natural energy flowing through it.

"Huh ? Y-You noticed that all along ?"

"Hiiisss~"

Nodding proudly once again, Seth confirmed what I thought, making me roll my eyes at his cute arrogance. I knew that the animals and creatures of this world had a much greater affinity with natural energy than humans. So I understood perfectly why when I awakened he had sensed this particularity of my sword that I had not noticed, too blinded by anger.

As if I were one with it, I realized that I could move the energy of my own body back and forth as if it were an extension of myself. By concentrating a little more, I decided to implant more than what was already flowing naturally. It wasn't long before a change I hadn't expected occurred before my shocked and admiring eyes.

*SHING*

"Wow !"

The next moment a shiny black blade of normal size for a sword had suddenly thickened, lengthened and widened. The one-handed sword I had had now become a two-handed one, imposing and looking this time more frightening than before. Still as magnificent as ever, I couldn't help but observe it with twinkling eyes and a smile that was hard to hide, so great was my excitement and admiration.

[So I guess by infusing less natural energy inside, it returns to its original smaller and unobtrusive form. Hahaha~ Really who would have thought that this sword was forged with a mineral that reacts to natural energy...]

Testing my theory without further ado, I circulated less natural energy into the sword using this as a control practice. As I had guessed, the black blade returned to its original size and weight although it made no difference to me. My excitement continued to grow as I heard a voice shouting behind me guessing that the entire crew had witnessed what I had just done.

"Captain, how did you do that ? Is it because of your gift ? I can do it too ?"

Mysie had run up to me with curiosity asking me a lot of questions while the others, also curious, started to approach me. It was obvious that what I had just done seemed incredible and it was easy to tell that it raised my level of pride and arrogance. Smiling with all my teeth, I flashed the large blade before their stunned eyes as Mysie asked me an unexpected question.

"C-Can I...uuummm...hold it ?"

"Hold it ? Well, I don't mind but be careful it's sharp !"

"Aye aye~"

As I held the weapon out to her, I smiled curiously to see if she would be able to lift it with two hands. I suspected that its weight was a bit too much for her but Mysie was impatient which made me want to see her face once she realized the weight. The thought made me chuckle inwardly as she finally caught it under Joe's worried gaze but it was too late.

"Captain, I'm not sure that..."

"Wow it is...AAAAAH !"

*CRASH*

*BOOM*

Before either Joe or Mysie could finish their sentences, she had literally gone through the deck floor before crashing into the hold below. For a few seconds I was stunned because at no time had I anticipated this result beyond my expectations. I knew my sword was heavy but I never thought it was that heavy, although I had great natural strength my opinion was biased.

"AOUTCH...huuuum...f-friends ? M-Matey ? S-Someone would be kind enough to help me ? I-I...ahem...I'm totally stuck, like….REALLY stuck"

"..."

"Oye scurvy dogs !! You're going to have to help me now because I'm stuck under this sword made of STONE AS HEAVY AS A MOUNTAIN !"

Mysie's voice came from the huge hole she had created by going through the wood of the ship but none of us responded. We were all torn between surprise and an irresistible urge to laugh at what had just happened. Only Edward had a blank face at the thought of having to repair the deck but couldn't help but smirk as we all did at the screams of our clumsy bard.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA~"

"For Kraken's sake, stop bullying me and come help me, you pirates ! I might have a head injury you know ? Maybe I have an internal bleeding in my brain that will kill me instantly in a few minutes !!! EVERY MINUTE COUNTS, HURRY !"

While a general laughter took us all, we could still hear Mysie screaming which only intensified our near choking euphoria. Peeking into the hole didn't help as she lay like a starfish under the sword unable to move. The sight was hilarious so as I in turn jumped into the hole to help her landing in the hold, my giggles were more intense.

*BAM*

"Pfffpffff~ Now now, cutie~ Don't be so dramatic, you just have a bump"

"Oh yeah ? Well, it always starts with a bump and then I know the rest, huh ! Then it ends up lying six feet under or worse at such a young age !"

"Sure sure~"

Picking up my sword with the greatest of ease, I finally freed the red-haired princess stuck just below. Surprisingly Mysie was not injured and only had a large bump on the back of her head after landing on a pile of cloth. Gently grabbing her by the waist as I still had my gift of activation, I jumped again out of the hold with Mysie on my right arm and my sword in my left hand.

____

After the funny scene that had happened during the morning, I had decided to walk around the main street of the city one last time to check out the surroundings. I wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything important, useful or dangerous. The main street of Belfort City was almost in a straight line from the south where the wharf was, to the north where Lord Hamilton Kokosnuss's big mansion stood.

I was alone, once again wearing my cloak and its hood which hid my face and could draw attention to me, which I did not want. I thought about the sword I had left on Cerberus and the new things I was learning day after day. It was only the beginning of our adventures, but the world was already getting bigger and bigger, mysterious and dangerous, and it had only been a few days.

[Mom...are you going to take us to the end of the world ?]

"Tch...gee, when am I going to be able to part with those bootlicks ?"

*bim*

As my thoughts went to my mother somewhere in this vast world a pebble came flying to crash against my boot as I heard someone complaining. Turning my eyes, I saw a young girl dressed in a red dress but walking as if she were in pants. It was not difficult to guess that she was a member of the nobility as she was wrapped in a layer of luxurious and extravagant clothing.

The lady had blond hair with a ponytail on the left side which made me laugh immediately because she reminded me of a small pony. Her pink eyes were crinkled, she had this impertinent look on her face, the kind to get angry for nothing, convinced that the world owed her everything. The young noblewoman wasn't paying attention to anything around her and hadn't even noticed that she had just thrown a rock at my leg.

[Well, I imagined the nobles with a little more…respect fufu~]

The girl seemed upset but as she looked away from the begging child in the street, she pulled out a small purse that seemed to be filled with gold. Suddenly, her pink eyes lit up and a radiant smile that was almost a little disturbing appeared on her face. At this moment, the desire to play a little trick on her was very strong, I wanted to see this little smile disappear, I wanted her to get angry so that she could amuse me more.

"How funny is this cute little lady pfffhaha~ time for a little lesson"

Adjusting my hood with a malicious sneer, I began to walk in her direction as she began to push through the crowd of people on the street. Very quickly, I found myself behind the lady hitting her shoulder attracting her attention to steal her purse that she had in her right hand. Everything was going very fast and in a few seconds I found myself with her purse full of coins in my hand moving away without turning around.

"Hey idiot ! You could look where you are going ! Because of you I almost spilled my p..."

[Too late, honey~]

"M-My purse full of money...m-my coins, my wealth, my allowance gone !!!"

Luckily the streets were crowded since it was the weekend, so I had no trouble getting through the crowd. The girl I had just robbed had just noticed the disappearance of her purse and had already started screaming. However, the deeper I got into this tide of people, the more she disappeared behind me, I moved away and even what she was saying was almost inaudible in the cacophony of the city.

"Hey…Thief…w…ait !! M-M…y….p….urse !! Gi….i…back… !!"

"Lad…y…. snuss….w….ait"

[Catch me if you can~]

One look back and I could see the blonde teenager lifting up the corners of her dress to immediately go after me. Her face had turned red with anger but no matter how many times I looked, to me she was more cute and teasable than scary. Continuing on my way, I grabbed an apple from one of the street stalls before turning into an alley that was undoubtedly crooked.

[This is where we say goodbye fufu~ thanks for your purse young lady]

I was sure that a young noblewoman like her would never follow me into a place like this, used to luxury and cleanliness. The alley was muddy, dirty, smelly, there were rats and despite the fact that it was empty, had a disturbing atmosphere. Biting into the apple I had just stolen, I was moving forward serenely, satisfied with what I had just done, when suddenly an exasperated voice could be heard in a street behind me.

"Buaaah ! Seriously, what is this smell ? It's disgusting, dirty and I'm sure that even after I get home and have a good bath I'll stink until tomorrow! Tch, all because of that damn thief who disappeared !"

[Eh ?]

Stopping suddenly, I recognized the voice of the 15-year-old girl I had just robbed, amazed that she had followed me after all. I was surprised and amazed because it was brave but also totally stupid to show up here dressed like that making her an easy target. Raising my head, I noticed that the roofs were flat and so I decided to use my strength to propel myself on one of them and observe.

[Much more fun than I thought this little brat would be, but how long can you keep that arrogant look on your face ?]

I was intrigued by her, not only because she had shown a courage that I didn't suspect, but also because I was very curious. A young noblewoman in a poor and dangerous neighborhood ? That was certainly worth a look. I didn't even give her five minutes before this young lady regretted having followed me. As if betting with myself, I jumped from roof to roof to stand right on top of her.

[Oh~ ? How will you get out of this dead-end ?]

As I sat quietly on the roof with my legs dangling over the void, watching discreetly, I noticed the presence of a man. He was repulsive, fat, hairy and had clearly made the young unconscious woman his target for his undoubtedly unhealthy desires. Very quickly, as she was about to turn back, the man came to block her way with an ill-intentioned smile.

"Well well well...young Lady, that's not very nice what you just said! You look rich to me so you can't understand what people like us go through every day.."

"Tch... and I don't want to, thank you..."

[Mmmh sassy hahaha~]

Yet no matter how insolently she answered, the young teenager's entire body was shaking as she unconsciously backed away from the danger. It was easy to tell that the man disgusted her, his words paralyzing her despite the aplomb she showed. This little mouse was trapped in a very dangerous place, cornered by a large stray cat ready to eat her alive or worse.

"Hahaha~ Poor thing, if you keep backing up like that you're going to meet people even more terrifying than me. Trust me you don't want to go down that kind of street hahaha~!"

The man was getting further and further ahead and I knew that if no one came to help her, her noble ass was going to get into some serious trouble soon that she would never get out of. Standing up and throwing my apple away with a sigh, I took a few seconds to decide whether or not I should act to save her. She had amused me and while I didn't feel guilty about her situation, I felt no obligation to act.

[But hey, letting a young girl die is not in my line of work no matter how unaware she was of having chased me down these alleys. The disappearance of a young lady could also be detrimental to our plans and I would hate for such a disgusting man to go after her...just ew...]

"Come on... there's no point in being afraid hehe~ I'm not going to hurt you, I just want your money and... and... hehehe~ Ahem... you don't have anyone here with you young Lady, you better not resist or I might hurt you hehehe~!"

As he was about to grab her with his big hand, finally I decided to come to her aid after watching the whole scene perched above them. The girl had her eyes closed and was shaking even more, really making me think of a trapped little mouse. She was young and absolutely adorable which gave me even more reason to get her out of there with the hope of being able to tease her a little bit more after that.

The man was only a meter away from her so it was with a smile on my face that I jumped off the roof to have a little more fun with them. My love for fights was coming alive in me and if I could beat up a man for free out of sight while saving a cute girl I wasn't going to refuse. Landing quickly at her side I grabbed her by the shoulder to draw her against me while I interposed myself between them.

"Sorry to disappoint you big guy but... this cutie here is with me !"

[It's time for a lesson]

______

Fifteen minutes had passed and I was back on the roof again after almost beating this giant man-like slug to death. The little princess was saved, I still had her purse and on top of that I had stolen a kiss on her cheek as payment for her rescue. She had been hilarious and seeing her face turn red with anger and shyness was a sight I would never tire of.

This young noblewoman was definitely a little brat but that was what made her somehow endearing and therefore increased my desire to tease her. I had gotten my boots dirty but this morning alone in the city had been more than entertaining and lucrative for me. Shaking the purse full of gold coins I had just stolen, I realized I didn't even know the name of the damsel in distress I met earlier.

"Never mind, how fun it was hahaha~ but tonight...it will be even more fun fufu~"

It was now time to head back to the dock to meet up with my crew who were no doubt still training in light of tonight. The real game was about to begin at dusk, the real game that would be played between the city of Belfort and the Hysterics. As I walked away towards the ocean, I didn't know that my fun little rescue had actually prevented both of our plans from failing before they even began.

I didn't know it but I had just saved Lady Achi Von Kokosnuss herself.