The Rise of the Titan

"A head just emerged from the water," a pirate with a curved sword at his waist said, staring at the sea for a moment before looking at his companion in confusion. "Did you see it?"

"No, you must have been mistaken," replied a pirate reeking of a foul, sour smell, taking a swig of rum and speaking with a drunken slur.

"You're so drunk, yet you dare say I'm mistaken?" The pirate who had glimpsed the head grew annoyed.

"Even if you did see a head, so what? It might just be a merman or a sea beast," the drunken pirate laughed, reeking of alcohol. "What? Were you hoping it was a siren or a mermaid? Heh, those half-human, half-fish creatures won't let you touch them unless they want to."

"How naive. Just because they have fish tails doesn't mean you can't bed them. You guys need more experience," another passing pirate chimed in, intrigued by their conversation. "Who spotted a siren or a mermaid?"

"Are you crazy? There are no mermaids in these waters, though mermen might appear."

"It definitely wasn't a mermaid. The head's color was almost the same as the sea, making it hard to see. I'm not sure if I saw it right."

"Then it was a merman, for sure."

"Nonsense, it was too big for a merman. I think it might have been a tide giant like we saw three years ago."

"Now you're just talking nonsense. Tide giants are rare; why would one be here? You must be seeing things from drinking too much, like me."

"You think I'm like you, always with a bottle in hand, drunk every day?"

"It's different. I'm drunk most of the time, but I sober up in critical moments and don't mess things up."

"Enough of that. I'm talking about a tide giant. Though I didn't see clearly, I'm pretty sure that's what it was."

"Are you sure your eyes are better than the ship's detection array? That thing didn't raise an alarm. Why worry about a tide giant?"

"Maybe it concealed its presence? The detection array can't sense everything. Last time, that horned shark almost sunk our ship, and there was no alarm."

"Even if it is a tide giant, it's no big deal. They don't care about us and won't attack."

"You never know. Crazy things happen at sea. A tide giant targeting us isn't too far-fetched."

"If my eyes aren't deceiving me from being drunk, then what I'm seeing now is much stranger than a tide giant."

The pirate with the rum, his single eye vacant, stared at the sky, where five floating ships were rapidly approaching. His body reeked even more of alcohol as he instinctively expelled it to stay alert.

"Floating ships? And what are those beside them?"

For pirates, floating ships weren't rare; many sea-trading companies used them for transporting goods. But the creatures flying alongside these ships were seldom seen.

"Those are cloud giants. Which trading company has the power to hire so many cloud giants?"

"I wonder what precious cargo those floating ships carry. If we could seize it..."

"Don't be stupid. This level of escort could wipe out our pirate crew."

"Heh, I'm just daydreaming. The captain gives the orders, not us. If he says attack, we attack."

As the floating ships approached, the small pirate crew of three ships began discussing them, their eyes filled with both awe and greed.

"Prepare for battle!" A loud voice, enhanced by battle energy, echoed across the pirate ships.

"Is the captain planning to attack? We clearly can't win."

"Is he sending us to our deaths?"

"You idiots," the voice thundered again, filled with rage. "Look carefully. Those aren't merchant ships. They're warships, coming for us."

"Boom!" A thick beam of magical energy hit the sea near one pirate ship, the intense heat evaporating large amounts of water and causing waves that splashed over the pirates, drenching them.

"You have three seconds to surrender!"

Under the blue sky, a loud dragon roar echoed as a fierce dragon shadow cast over the pirate ships, its oppressive presence making the pirates recognize the creature from the clouds and lose their will to fight.

"Surrender and you won't be killed!" Roared the green dragon, its scales reflecting a pale green light in the sunlight. It prepared to unleash its breath.

"Why is there a green dragon over the sea?" The scruffy, bearded pirate captain, Dreik, looked at the dragon above, confused why a creature usually found in warm forested areas on the mainland was here, mingling with giants.

"Boom!" Another beam of white-hot magical energy shot through the sky, snapping the mast of Dreik's ship before hitting the sea again, creating more waves.

"The first shot was a warning. The second was aimed but missed." Captain Dreik, seeing the broken mast and the approaching floating ships' glowing cannons, made the most wise and heart-felt decision of his life.

"Everyone, drop your weapons, clasp your hands behind your head, and kneel. No one is to resist."

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