Tear of the Water God radiated brilliantly, its divine light consuming everything Lan Hao Tian could see.
In the blink of an eye, he was expelled from that realm. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found everyone staring straight at him.
Zhang Ba Hai, Wu Xian, even the other pirates — not a single one of them looked away, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Feeling uncomfortable under such strange gazes, he frowned and asked:
"Hey, what the hell happened? Why are you all staring at me like that?"
Zhang Ba Hai finally spoke:
"You just froze there for a few seconds, and then your whole body started glowing with some kind of rainbow aura. What the hell did you just do?"
"Ah." Lan Hao Tian looked down at himself. Sure enough, a faint rainbow light shimmered around his body, gradually dimming.
"It's nothing bad. I just received a new power. Now come — let's end this. One final move to decide it all."
Zhang Ba Hai smirked, tightening his grip on the iron mace in his hands.
"Good. One strike to settle the score."
He lowered his stance, gripping his weapon firmly. His muscles tensed, veins bulging under the strain.
Lan Hao Tian, too, gathered the last of his strength. But unlike before, the water didn't come from the ocean — it manifested directly around him.
Pristine streams of rainbow-lit water circled his body in midair, converging slowly in front of him.
Raising his hand, a spinning orb of water began to take shape, glowing brighter with every second. He smirked.
"Take this — my final strike!"
He flung his arm forward. The water orb shot out like a bullet, tearing through the air.
At the same moment, Zhang Ba Hai charged forward with a roar.
Bang!
The clash unleashed a thunderous shockwave that shook the ship. Even the seasoned pirates trembled, overwhelmed by the sheer force of the impact. Never in their lives had they witnessed such a ferocious battle.
Zhang Ba Hai gritted his teeth. Blood dripped from his mouth, and his muscles cried out in pain. Cracks began forming in his bones. He hadn't expected Lan Hao Tian's power to rise so drastically.
Crack!
His massive spiked mace, forged of solid metal, split apart from the force of the blow.
Zhang Ba Hai looked at his opponent with admiration in his eyes.
"I concede. You win."
Just as the words left his mouth, Zhang Ba Hai's mace snapped in two. The powerful water projectile struck him square in the chest, sending his massive body hurtling across the deck.
The wooden railings couldn't withstand the impact — they shattered instantly. His eyes rolled back, white as snow, and his limp body flew through the air, moments away from plunging into the sea.
But then, something miraculous happened.
A giant whale suddenly breached the surface, its massive form rising from the depths. By pure chance, Zhang Ba Hai slammed into its head, ricocheting off and crashing back onto the deck.
Boom!
The sheer force of his return impact tore a gaping hole in the ship's deck. The ship's doctor, upon seeing this, could only guess that while the captain might still be alive… he'd probably broken a few more bones.
"Haha! The captain truly is a man of destiny. Even in a situation like that, he manages to return to the ship!" one of the crewmen exclaimed.
The other pirates nodded in agreement. What they had just witnessed was too perfectly timed to be anything but fate.
Meanwhile, Lan Hao Tian collapsed to his knees, utterly drained. Before he could hit the ground, Wu Xian rushed forward and caught him. Gently, he helped him sit against the side of the ship and asked:
"That rainbow-glowing water you summoned… what was it? It didn't look like seawater at all."
Though Lan Hao Tian's body was exhausted, he still had enough strength to speak.
"It's the power of the Tear of the Water God. I've just received the Water God's inheritance — that's how I was able to use it. Without it, I never would've defeated him."
"There really are gods in this world?"
Wu Xian muttered aloud, then instantly regretted the words. He wasn't sure why, but he felt foolish as soon as he spoke them.
Lan Hao Tian nodded solemnly, eyes shining with conviction.
"Of course there are. In a world this magical, the real question is — how could there not be gods?"
He yawned, fatigue settling in.
"Hey, help me get treated. I want to sleep a bit. Patch up that guy too."
Wu Xian nodded and stood up. He turned toward the remaining pirates and called out:
"Do we have a medic on board? Get over here and tend to our two noble captains. You all saw it — their battle was intense, but their respect for each other was clear. I'm sure once they wake up, they'll be the best of friends."
Then, his voice dropped, and his eyes grew sharp.
"Unless, of course… you're planning to defy orders?"
His final words sent a chill down the spines of the seasoned crew. The threat in his tone was subtle — but unmistakable.
At that moment, a few crew members stepped forward, carrying medical supplies. One of them chuckled and said:
"Haha, we're not idiots. If we killed the captain, what would become of us afterward? Do we have the strength to conquer the seas on our own? Of course not. Only by following the strong can we carve out a future — only then can we hope to witness the world from its very peak."
The rest of the pirates nodded in agreement. That had been their reason for following Zhang Ba Hai from the beginning. Over time, they had grown to respect him not just for his strength but for the way he treated them. Sure, he cursed them out now and then, but it never went beyond that.
They split into two groups and quickly began tending to the wounds of both captains.
Wu Xian, intrigued, asked curiously:
"Then why don't any of you try to become the strong ones yourselves?"
"Hahaha! You think we haven't tried?" one of the pirates replied with a hearty laugh.
"Do you think pirates are just lazy thugs who rely on brute strength to do whatever they want? Those aren't pirates — those are trash. Real pirates need ambition. We have to constantly improve ourselves just to stay alive out here."
He sighed and continued:
"But the truth is, our talent can't compare to the captain's. No matter how hard we train, there's only so far we can go. A man with both talent and discipline — someone like the captain — that's someone we'll never be able to catch up to."
"I see." Wu Xian nodded in understanding.
One of the pirates then asked:
"What about you? Why do you follow your captain?"
"Because he fished me out of the sea." Wu Xian replied casually.
"BAHAHAHA!" The pirates burst into laughter. It was such a strange and unexpected answer that they couldn't help themselves.
Still, none of them thought he was lying. Getting shipwrecked out in the ocean wasn't unheard of — they'd seen plenty of castaways drifting through the sea in their time.