Captain – Chapter 3 – The Devil’s Curse

This name Roy hadn’t recalled for more than a decade. Since he could first remember, his mother had always called him by his surname Roy, rather than this inexplicable girl’s name.

Later, after his mother passed away, he took to the pirate’s path like his father for various reasons, and continued to guard this secret—partly due to childhood habit, and partly because it sounded too strange.

Imagine the waves it would cause if people, especially those carefree pirates, discovered that the true name of Golden-Eyed Roy, who ruled the Eastern Seas, was an incredibly beautiful and dreamlike girl’s name?

It would likely become an indispensable joke for idle chatter.

So when these four syllables sprang from the devil’s mouth, Roy was stunned for a moment, then instinctively reached to draw the curved blade from its scabbard to give this person before him a slash, ensuring he would never again have the chance to reveal Roy’s closely guarded little secret.

Fortunately, he still maintained his rationality and knew the person before him could never be harmed by swords or knives. Striking him would only pass through his seemingly present yet actually insubstantial body, so he reluctantly pushed back the exposed snow-white blade.

“Since you know my background, do you also know which nerve my dead father struck when he gave me such a name?” Having abandoned thoughts of resistance, Roy asked dejectedly, like a drenched wildcat with lowered head.

The word “father” was actually quite distant for Roy, because even before he could remember things, that man had already set sail.

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After that, he never returned, not even sending a single letter back. So his only knowledge of that man came from his mother’s memories, and from this name that made him incredibly uncomfortable.

“Of course,” the devil smiled mischievously. The dignity and pressure he had displayed when donning the triangular hat instantly vanished. His golden eyes reflected Roy’s fair face and the raindrops sliding down his countenance as he revealed the answer to the question that had puzzled Roy for over a decade.

“In fact, your father didn’t know your gender. But as the ship was about to leave shore, looking at you in his wife’s arms, he mistook you for a fair-skinned girl. That’s why he called out these four syllables from a distance, hoping you would receive God’s blessing and grow up healthy and happy.”

Listening to the devil’s words, Roy couldn’t help but imagine the scene of that separation years ago.

Sunlight fell upon the baby wrapped tightly in linen in the woman’s arms. The father, about to embark on a distant voyage, saw his life’s most precious treasure. That angel-like face made him think his child was a girl, so he chose the name Elizabeth, meaning “sworn in God’s name.”

But these were just imaginings—no one really knew what the situation was like then. So Roy just sighed softly, then raised his head again, his gaze flickering as he looked at this famous Pirate King: “Mr. Devil, what exactly do you want to discuss with me?”

“Of course, it’s about compensation,” the devil smiled like a swindler selling counterfeit goods.

“Compensation? What compensation?” Roy was a bit confused.

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“You trespassed onto Devil’s Island without permission, and even brought some unwelcome guests I didn’t want to see, disturbing my peaceful sleep. Shouldn’t I ask for some compensation?” The devil’s smile grew increasingly malicious.

Upon hearing the words “unwelcome guests,” Roy suddenly remembered something. His face became rather unnatural, but he still forced himself to say: “What unwelcome guests? Isn’t my ship, the Mermaid, the only one that docked?”

The devil didn’t explain further. His finger lightly tapped the armrest of the throne, and the rain curtain between them began to distort. Finally, those raindrops coalesced into a rippling water mirror, which reflected the shocking scene outside the solitary island.

They were warships—countless warships. The largest one looked like a massive barricade moving across the sea. Numerous bronze cannons protruding from its hull reflected a cold gleam. The superiority of the material and the precision of the craftsmanship were such that even the Great Captain of the Southern Islands, who was like an emperor, could not possess.

Those were the lethal weapons of the regular navy, the supreme craftsmanship of the Auran Empire’s blacksmiths. And flying on that enormous warship was the black eagle banner belonging to the Auran Empire.

It was the Auran Empire’s First Naval Fleet!

The water mirror gradually dispersed, the image becoming somewhat blurry, but that castle-like giant warship still echoed in Roy’s mind. His eye twitched a few times as he gritted his teeth and said: “Even the Tyrant has been deployed. They’re determined to wipe us out completely. How much do those Auran old-timers hate me?”

“You rose to become a legendary pirate by stepping on the bones of Auran warships, with your hands stained by the blood of countless naval commanders. It would be strange if the Auran military didn’t hate you.”

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The devil waved his hand to scatter the mist before him, bringing the topic back: “But you don’t need to worry about those navy men. You should think more about the compensation issue.”

“Uh… well… Mr. Devil, apart from the skull you’ve taken which is valuable, I only have the curved blade and the crucifix left. You’re a Pirate King, with this entire island filled with treasure—surely you wouldn’t be interested in these pieces of scrap metal?” Roy clearly didn’t want to hand over anything, and also didn’t know what he had that could satisfy the devil’s demands, after all, the other party was Edward.

“For me, wealth indeed has no meaning anymore. Simply throwing out what I possess would be enough to crash the Pronora Federation’s economy ten times over.” The devil boasted about the treasure buried beneath the throne, then suddenly changed tone. “So I lack nothing, I just need some interesting things to pass the time.”

“Interesting… things?” Roy repeated the devil’s words, feeling a chill in his heart. How would a devil seek amusement?

He didn’t know. All he could understand from the other’s vague description was that people had come to the island before, but no information about this solitary island had ever been passed on.

Perhaps they all died.

“You guessed right, everyone who came to the island died.” As if seeing through Roy’s thoughts, the devil leaned slightly forward, his face no longer showing any trace of a smile. “But fortunately, I’ve been bored for too long. If you die too, then who can guarantee whether the next person to find Devil’s Island will appear in a hundred years, or in a thousand?”

“So you’re saying, you won’t kill me?” Roy caught the hidden meaning in the devil’s words, but failed to notice the complex emotion that flashed across his eyes.

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“Yes, I will place a curse upon you. If you cannot navigate past the Storm Cape, cross the Cursed Sea, and find Devil’s Island once more, then that curse will accompany you for life. But if you can return before me, I will lift it from you and pass on all my legacy to you, including this position.”

The devil’s voice seemed to possess a certain magic—if one’s will wasn’t firm enough, just listening would likely make them fall completely into his palm. But Roy was different. He possessed an almost iron-like will, which was why he could carve out a piece for himself in this pirate golden age that had given birth to countless heroes.

“The conditions are very generous, but I still want to know the content of the curse.” Hearing the terms that would drive any pirate mad, Roy remained calm, without even a ripple in his heart. He just cautiously watched the devil, waiting for his answer.

“The content of the curse is… to make your name a reality.”

These were the devil’s final words that Roy heard while conscious. After this, a heavy drowsiness surged up, dragging him into a deep dream. In that dream, he seemed to see his past from the last decade or more, seeing the scene from before he could remember.

Under the warm sunlight, a man with golden hair stood at the bow of the ship, waving to the woman on shore who held a baby, calling out the child’s name and his most beautiful wishes for the future.

“Elizabeth.”