x. Pirate Zhang Yixing

The quiet and serene early morning suddenly ripped off by the sound of the big trumpets from Sky Blade. Replicating with the trumpets that blown from the other thirty-nine ships. Right away all of the crews jumped up from their bed and preoccupied with unusual busyness. The sailors scampered out from their cabin, forgot changing to their uniform, grabbing anything in their sights that might be useful.

It was the trumpets for danger signal.

Blasting seven times in one breath.

One blast meant one danger. Seven? It must be a danger that never seen and never heard by the watcher in the fore top.

The soldiers raced to take their position, with uniform out of in order. The cannons guards rushed to get their ammunitions and the lighters ready. The low-ranks sailors prepared for the worst situation that might happened to their ship, setting wet mops and buckets of water to extinguish the fire if there was fighting.

The trumpets kept blowing, seven times in one breath.

Sunggyu and Sungyeol wheezed as they did whatever they could do around the cabin. Shaking, Sunggyu asked to Sungyeol beside him. He was so confused and a bit of panic with all of the rush in the hold. What was the trumpet mean?

They were overslept. Last night they slept too late after listening to the happy music played by Sunggyu with his stringed board. Sungyeol could only shout that he knew nothing, how could he know what was happening in the upstairs? Ticked by his curiosity, Sungyeol ran to the deck to find out. Leaving Sunggyu who was busy securing some wooden barrels around the kitchen in Sky Blade.

The soldiers that guarding the deck hissed what was happening. Like fire eating dry twigs, the bad and horrifying news quickly spread out to the cabins. The danger of seven blasts in one breath was Pirate Zhang Yixing.

Sunggyu furrowed his brows. Still didn't quite grasp the situation. He crept climbing the stairs up to the deck. Trying to understand more about the circumstances. The deck of Sky Blade was full with hundreds of soldiers all ready in their positions. Swords unsheathed, bow arched, the muzzles of the cannons aimed. Sunggyu saw Sungyeol who was hiding behind a big barrel, peeping. He flee to him.

Admiral Lee Howon stood bravely in the highest part of the ship. Never in his life Sunggyu saw such an impressing sight. Admiral Lee Howon looked so dashing. Long sword slung in his waist, his face expression looked cold, eyes glared ahead.

Sunggyu stared ahead too. Following the admiral's sight of line.

And once he finally saw it, Sunggyu felt his heart stop working that instant.

The seas in front of them perfectly covered with unknown warships. Dozens in number, no, but hundreds, no maybe even thousands. Intercepting the forty ships of Armada of Floating City.

"Crouch down, Sunggyu!" Sungyeol tugged his hand.

Sunggyu quickly squatted down beside Sungyeol. He looked pale. Hand trembling. He didn't know what did the hundreds ship in front of them want, but seeing those ships really shook his guts. The masts of those ships decorated with black flags. Waving slowly from afar. Sunggyu didn't understand those flags, but out of sudden he could smell death from the formation of those ships.

"Wh-what is actually happening?" Sunggyu's voice stuck in his throat.

"Pirate Zhang Yixing! The most terrible legend ever in the southern ocean. They are from The East… You can see by yourself, the armada is consist of hundreds ships. They are the sea lord of the continent border. They are more powerful than the kings in the land…"

"What would happen…?" Sunggyu asked again. He tried to regulate his breath, hand gripping tightly at the big barrel. He was afraid with his own question, afraid to hear worse news from Sungyeol's answer.

"Big war!" Sungyeol whispered his answer, white-faced.

--

But the war never happened even till afternoon came. Silent. Tense. Both of the great armada just waiting for each other in not less than two miles distance. A considerable distance to keep off from the cannonball shots from the armada of Admiral Lee Howon's.

Zhang Yixing, the leader of the legendary pirates, was quite ingenious in viewing their strength. Though his ships was hundreds in numbers, almost three times bigger than the armada of forty ships, but dreadful of the cannon armament of the expedition group to the Land of Hope was quite famous.

He was not stupid to confront them in short distance, in between the ships, Their cannons would have destroyed his ships even before he could sail close enough to them. Zhang Yixing had prepared another plan. He had heard the news about Armada of Floating City were going to cross his territory since months ago. And he had prepared a welcoming party for them since forever.

Night came ahead, and the tension increased. Sunggyu and Sungyeol, along with thousands other sailors and crews, held their breath. Before breathed the air out long and slow. Stared at each other in full concerns.

The soldiers stood by in the dock, ready with their swords and arrows. But the long awaiting war was not get there at any time. They were weary with