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He flashed a wry smile and sighed, “They’re really like cats and dogs.” It was true. Even though they had different views on life, neither of them was wrong, so it wasn’t like we could take sides.

“Alright, the takeaway here is that we’re not all-powerful gods. We can’t do everything, but there’s always something we can improve. So let’s focus on what we can change, don’t you agree?”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

As the debate began to heat up, I stepped in to summarize my points. With some added input from King Collard, we managed to bring the discussion to a close.

No matter the world, humans don’t change so easily. Devta might have played at being a ‘self-proclaimed god,’ but I had hoped he’d at least push for a more utopian world… yet, here we were.

As I silently lamented human nature, Ikaruga—in humanoid form, with white hair, dark skin, and an unmatched beauty, one of the Thirteen Demon Generals—entered briskly.

“Apologies for the interruption, but we have a situation,” Ikaruga announced.

“What’s the issue, Ikaruga? Did something happen?” Tengai asked, and Ikaruga nodded slightly.

“Yes, it’s about the pirates from earlier. They gave us some very interesting information after… well, let’s call it some enthusiastic questioning that Kage… Cough, I mean, Case Officer and I conducted.”

I had so much I wanted to say about all his slip-ups, but I held back for now and waited to hear the full story.

“First, the tactic of colluding with officials is a copy of what the «Red Sail Pirate Order» does. No, that’s not what they call themselves—that’s what other pirates call them. But this imitation was far less effective than the original.”

“So, by that logic, the original «Red Sail Pirate Order» is using the same strategy, but on a much larger scale?”

“Yes,” Ikaruga confirmed. “They’ve essentially hijacked an entire nation, and they’re selling off the smaller neighboring countries one by one.”

With the scope of this revelation expanding so dramatically, the four of us—leaders of our respective nations—could only stare at Ikaruga’s charming face, our expressions full of doubt and astonishment.

“An entire nation? …Now this is truly a pirate group of unimaginable scale,” I muttered, still in disbelief.

“But seriously, doesn’t it seem like a waste? They take over these nations, then sell them off after all that effort? Feels like a huge waste to me,” Revan remarked.

As Revan voiced his thoughts, King Collard shook his head and offered a theory. “No… First of all, I don’t think the pirates ever intended to run a country. As long as they have a buyer, they’ll sell it. And if there’s an even bigger buyer down the line… they might just take it back to sell again.”

“I see. So, it’s like our own nation carrying out invasions under the guise of a just cause, but they’re doing it illegally. In other words, we should assume these pirates have the military strength equivalent to a nation.”

They must have that kind of power, which means… the pirate leader could only be Momongai.

“And the puppet nation where the «Red Sail Pirate Order» has taken root is…” Ikaruga paused, casting a quick glance at Oliana. “…Enyuria, the Graviol Empire’s northern colony.”

The revelation hit hard, and we all gasped, turning our eyes toward Oliana.

“…Ridiculous… there’s no way…” Oliana murmured, her eyes wide with shock.

◆◇◆◇

“Welcome back, Master.”

A stunning bunny girl—a rabbitkin and head maid, around 18 years old—dressed in a provocative outfit, bowed as the captain of the «Red Sail Pirate Order» returned to the ship. He was riding a massive beast, resembling a stellar sea lion but with a horn protruding from its head, easily weighing over a ton.

The sharp-eyed young man, with a turban covering his striking red hair, silver tattoos etched across his bronzed skin, and a simple red waistcoat, set the heavy wooden box he was carrying on the floor.

“Here, the southern spices you’ve been wanting so badly. Just so you know, though, this box alone is worth about as much as a ship. Ridiculous, right?” He spoke with a sour expression, but the girl’s face lit up with excitement.

“Oh my, so many varieties! Thank you so much, Master!”

Drawn by the girl’s excited squeal, about thirty crewmates gathered on the deck. Curiously, all of them were women—ranging from their late teens to mid-twenties—each possessing striking beauty.

In addition to the spices, the box contained items made of precious materials and exotic dresses from foreign lands, meant as gifts. The girls’ eyes sparkled as they crouched by the box, squealing as they examined each item. It was like watching a father displaced by his daughters taking over the living room. With a weary look, the young man distanced himself from the scene and sat on the gunwale, gazing off at the horizon with a faraway expression.

“I wonder what you have to do to end up with an all-female crew? That shouldn’t even be possible.” The young man muttered bitterly, unable to hide the frustration in his voice.

“Well, considering how you’re always proclaiming, ‘All the seas are mine! Every woman in the world is mine! The boys can go to hell!’… is it really a surprise?”

The young man ran his hand through his hair in frustration as the head maid suddenly appeared beside him.

“I know, but that’s just between us! When it comes to being a pirate, you’re supposed to have a bald adjutant with an eyepatch and an aide with a peg leg! Isn’t it more fun to yell ‘Raise the flag! To arms, lads! Attack!’ What are these girls even supposed to do?!”

“Oh please, there you go saying ridiculous things again.”

Perhaps it was a trait of her rabbitkin race, but the girl giggled at his outburst, her voice sickly sweet.

“I wonder who it was that shouted, ‘A harem is every man’s dream! My rose-colored life begins now! I’ll be the harem king!’ when he saved me from the «Shrinkus»?”
“…That was just the foolishness of my youth. I’m regretting it now.”
“You can say that, but last night you were awfully cozy with the chief engineer in bed—”
“Ahhh?! How do you even know about that?!”
“Well, the ship is pretty cramped, you know.”

As the young man hung his head in defeat, the girl continued her relentless teasing.

“You know, I must be cursed when it comes to women. I should probably visit the Sea God’s temple the next time we make landfall…”

Realizing there was no way to win an argument with her, the young man quickly changed the topic. The girl responded by slapping her hand on her thigh with a playful grin.

“Oh right! Didn’t Diviner Donna say you’d be ‘stabbed by the Moon Goddess’ soon and warned you to be careful? Maybe we should visit the Moon Goddess temple instead.”
“What the heck is that supposed to mean?”
“Who knows? I think it’s a roundabout way of saying you’ll be deceived and backstabbed by a girl.”

But when it came to backstabbing… umm, far too many faces flashed through his mind. Feeling a pang of guilt, he quickly looked away.

“Well, when it happens, just be sure to apologize sincerely.” With that final reminder, she turned and skipped off to join her squealing friends.

Finally left alone, the young man gazed wistfully at the horizon, mumbling under his breath.

“The Moon Goddess, huh…”

Maybe that self-proclaimed god knows something… then again, it’s just the ramblings of a diviner. Dismissing it as a likely hoax, he turned and headed back inside the ship.