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The Shanty Codex I, by Saint Morgan LeFay.
Francis was... amazed.
He wasn’t sure if Lucia had been dropped as a child, but that would’ve certainly explained her behavior.
“Am I supposed to be impressed?” Francis said dryly as he eyed the flintlock she revealed.
The man was a Submerged with multiple offensive Stanzas. What interest did he have in a flintlock?
A flintlock that would lose its function the moment he goes waterborne.
“What was that saying?” Lucia replied, seemingly in thought. “Haste makes waste?”
Actually, she had a point.
Why would a Reverend of Cognition show him a weapon he had no interest in?
Maybe I am the one who was dropped as a child.
Francis fixed his posture, as all traces of indignation faded. “I’m listening.”
“Sharper than you look,” the woman said with an annoying grin, before grabbing the flintlock. “Despite its appearance, this is an Acolyte level artifact.”
“Providing?” Francis asked, curiosity piqued.
“Putrefaction and Disintegration.”
He must have looked at a loss, as the woman immediately facepalmed gently. “My apologies. The first petrifies targets on contact, while the second increases its range.”
The deal sounded too good to be true to Francis. “Implying I won’t need bullets to operate the thing?”
“Precisely,” Lucia confirmed. “The cooldown time might be a pain, however.”
Of course, there is always a caveat.
“How long does it last?” he asked the woman, who was more of a vagrant merchant in that moment.
“A minute, give or take?”
“Doesn’t sound like an inconvenience to me,” Francis replied with a scoff.
“It would be if you get cornered by two or three Submerged,” she replied, equally as mocking.
Blasted lass. Fair point, though.
The interaction raised a question more pressing by the minute, however. “You really think my dagger is worth as much as your flintlock?”
That got yet another annoying grin. “Oh, I should be the one paying you extra.”
“No, I’ll just take the gun,” Francis replied, hoping that wasn’t an innuendo.
Lucia appeared disappointed. “You’re sure? It’s not often you come across such an opportunity.”
It was.
“In all seriousness,” Lucia said as she cleared her throat. “That dagger of yours contains a Shanty that is seldom heard of. I want to study it further.”
Francis remembered what Saint Agnes mentioned about the Shanty, but he also couldn’t deny the utility such a flintlock provided.
Yeah. As if she is going to help me fight Read.
“Deal,” Francis replied, before putting his trusty dagger on the table. “Just try not to nick yourself with it.”
“Yeah, because I always wanted to contract the plague,” Lucia said, smirk betraying her words.
Francis hoped that the woman would be on her way after the transaction. But instead, she remained anchored to her chair.
“How’s Leonie doing?” she asked at last.
Francis nearly antagonized the woman, but he thought better of it. Reactivity never served anyone. “As safe as it gets.”
Lucia, in turn, appeared to have more to say, but she showed equal restraint. “I trust that Read won’t reach her?”
“Not when I’m here, no.”
That snapped her to focus. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Dead serious.”
“No wonder intel brokers have been restless lately,” she said with a facepalm. “They’re all anticipating the... clash of giants.”
“Clash of what now?” Francis said indignantly. Being dubbed that was the last thing he expected that day.
“Yeah, you’re Orange Town’s rising star,” Lucia explained. “Two pirates in a few weeks? That was unprecedented.”
The praise nearly made him feel better, until Lucia’s expression shifted. “Make no mistake, however. Read is no common trash.”
“I’m sure the town made it abundantly clear,” Francis retorted.
“I’m serious, Yves. The man is a menace even by Reverend standards.”
The fact that a fellow Reverend was saying such a thing left him with no choice but to listen.
“Your best bet would be a sneak attack,” Lucia continued. “Otherwise, his Rejuvenation will simply wear you out.”
If Francis’ Supplicant level Rejuvenation was anything to go by, the scenario was indeed a nightmare.
“I’m assuming your flintlock would do the trick?”
“Your flintlock,” Lucia corrected. “And yes, it would. Assuming you shoot the head.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Shooting a Pirate Warlord’s head off in a sneak attack. No pressure.
“I’ll do what I can,” Francis said with a sigh, before grabbing the gun and standing. “Just... protect Leonie’s family in case I fall, will you?”
“Was planning on it regardless.”
***
The first few days of waiting were naturally unfruitful.
Yet, there was no other way. Francis had to persevere. Assuming he didn’t want to be ambushed, that is.
Read’s arrival in Orange Town naturally spread like wildfire. Most would’ve either been trigger-happy, or frightened to the point of flight.
But in that rare moment of lucidity, Francis was neither.
He spent his entire life running away. Friendship, marriage, family, even a greater calling. He thought seafaring would at least end that streak.
Yet, the way things developed in the last month made it abundantly clear that the sea was just another arena, only a more treacherous one.
No more half measures.
As much as Francis wanted to spend the rest of the day feeling sorry for himself, he had to focus. The bar might’ve been empty, but Read still wasn’t to be underestimated.
Thinking of his abilities instantly reminded Francis of the intel he memorized by heart. How would he not? The man was a beast among beasts. Rejuvenation, Observation, and Dissipation made him near the pinnacle of the Submerged world.
Yet, somehow, he had more.
If the garrison was to be believed, the Pirate Warlord had a wide assortment of artifacts at his disposal, each more potent than the last.
Francis would’ve genuinely fled, if there wasn’t a silver lining. A massive one, at that.
Read was presumably an arrogant man. The last thing he wanted was overprepare against a weaker opponent and have his reputation take a hit. That single trait was the only thing keeping Francis sane, as he had no way of competing with a Pirate Warlord resources-wise.
One under Blackbeard of all people.
Francis was on the verge of thinking of countermeasures, when he felt it.
Ripples.
Ripples unlike anything he felt before.
The sensation wasn’t as oppressive as that of Saint Agnes. But it had a weight of its own.
Despite Read possessing Observation, Francis still chose to duck behind the nearest barrel, as that would give him ample time to ambush his adversary.
The Stanza ripples slowly intensified, until Francis was able to hear footsteps.
They were faint at first, yet even they rose in intensity, until they echoed in the empty establishment.
“You know I can sense you, right?” a man with a gruff voice said.
Francis knew better, and so he remained silent before clutching his new flintlock tighter.
The man, in turn, sighed. “Suit yourself.”
The moment those words left the man’s mouth, Francis heard flames spreading through the bar.
Using my own Stanza against me?
Francis knew that the man was fond of theatrics, but such a display was something beyond expectations.
Luckily, the bounty hunter memorized the bar’s layout thoroughly, allowing him to swap positions with a chair using Substitution.
The exchange was subpar, however, as it failed to take him to Read’s blind spot.
“You’re the lowlife who killed Ironhook?” Read said, seemingly disgusted. “What are you, seventeen?”
Francis ignored the taunt, instead focusing on releasing a column of flames of his own. He expected the Warlord to dodge, yet he simply... took it.
The rationale was shortly explained by the flames barely having an effect.
He was even smiling.
“I take back what I said,” Read said with an ugly laugh. “You’re a fearsome one.”
The Warlord then formed an icicle and threw it at an unimaginable speed. Francis tried to dodge using Liquidation, but his reaction was sluggish, resulting in the projectile piercing his shoulder.
The pain would’ve been shocking to most, but Francis simply exchanged locations with a distant chair before removing the icicle.
Read didn’t offer him the dignity of slowly healing, however, as he quickly launched another icicle.
This time, however, Francis was prepared.
The bounty hunter slid across the floor using Liquidation, allowing him to effortlessly dodge. Read then launched a few more, earning them the same treatment.
Suddenly, Read cursed. Francis nearly paused, at least before another projectile came flying towards him.
He was actually gaining ground.
Against a Pirate Warlord.
His triumph was short-lived, however, as another icicle finally landed.
“Tell you what,” Read said as he paused launching projectiles. “Give me that Evasion artifact, and I’ll let you walk away.”
“Kill yourself,” Francis said.
“Have it your way then,” the Warlord said with a chuckle, before switching to Ignition.
Instinctively, Francis used Substitution once more.
Miraculously, what greeted him on the other end this time was Read’s back.
Gloriously exposed back.
Francis instantly raised his gun and aimed it at Read’s head.
Then released the hammer.