Chapter 4: The Dragon's Triangle

There was no time to waste. The team scrambled aboard the Valkyrie, the high-speed transport lifting off from the roof of the college's Japanese headquarters just as the sun began to set on Thursday, June 12th, 2025. Their destination was not the Caribbean, but a location just as storied and far more dangerous: the Devil's Sea, also known as the Dragon's Triangle, a volatile stretch of the Pacific south of Japan.

Rory, strapped into the command chair, projected the decoded coordinates onto the main screen. "Calico Jack's lost island is here," she said, pointing to an uncharted speck of land within the Ryukyu island chain. "It's a place where compasses spin and electronics fail. A place where ships and planes have vanished for centuries. He didn't just hide his treasure; he hid the island itself."

As the Valkyrie, flying low under stealth, approached the island, multiple alarms blared on Rory's console. "We're not the first to arrive," she announced, her voice grim. "I'm detecting two other vessels in the area, both using advanced cloaking technology."

On the viewscreen, she filtered through the storm clouds and electronic interference. To the west of the jungle-covered island, a sleek, angular submersible surfaced. It was fashioned from a material that looked like black ice, and it moved through the water with an unnatural silence. It bore the violet insignia of the Winter Clan.

To the east, a heavily armed, brutish-looking vessel that was more a floating fortress than a ship, powered by a churning, alchemical engine that spewed bronze-colored smoke, cut through the waves. The forces of the King of Bronze and Flame.

The three factions had arrived almost simultaneously, creating a tense, triangular standoff around the mysterious island. A single hostile move would trigger an all-out war in the middle of a typhoon.

"They'll destroy each other, the island, and the Pearl before anyone can claim it," Caesar said, analyzing the tactical situation. He made a bold decision. "Rory, open a hailing frequency. All channels. Unencrypted."

"Sir?" Rory asked, shocked. "They'll know exactly who we are."

"They already know," Caesar replied. "It's time we all stopped pretending."

A moment later, Caesar's face appeared on the main communication screens of the other two vessels.

"A lovely evening for a treasure hunt," he began, his voice calm and confident despite the situation. "To the esteemed representative of the Winter Clan, and to the servants of the King of Bronze and Flame, I propose a temporary truce. A 'Thieves' Honor', if you will."

He continued, "A three-way battle here serves none of our interests. The island's defenses and the artifact itself could be lost in the crossfire. Therefore, I propose a game. We each land on the island from our respective positions. We each face the trials of the pirate king, Calico Jack, on our own. No direct engagement between our factions until the Seal is found. The first to reach the prize, claims it. Do we have an accord?"

On the Winter Clan's vessel, the mysterious woman in black considered the offer. On the King's warship, a hulking golem with a blank face received the message. After a long, tense silence, two separate, coded replies came back to the Valkyrie.

They both said: Agreed.

The great powers had accepted the rules of the game.

"Prepare to land," Caesar commanded, a dangerous glint in his eye.

The team prepared to descend onto the most dangerous island on Earth, to compete in a deadly race against two rival teams of gods and monsters. The treasure hunt for the Sunken Pearl had begun.

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