Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

With a loud "bang!", a gunshot rang out from the dense forest not far away. The pirate was hit in the back of the neck by a tiny rubber bullet and staggered to the ground.

"Hmm...?" Nian Zhuo looked at the dense forest with some curiosity, but only caught a glimpse of a figure that looked like a man. "It must be my imagination..." He then put it out of his mind and continued to deal with the pirates in front of him without hesitation.

This is the physical hangover cure originating from Captain Drake.

By the time the three of them had completely separated the fight, it was already pitch black.

Only the original campfire remained, still crackling.

Late-night talk

After defeating all the drunken pirates who were still causing trouble around them, Nianzhuo and his two companions looked at the night sky, which was now dotted with stars, and had no choice but to sit down by the campfire again.

Since they couldn't set off anyway, Mash thought, "Let's tell Captain Drake what they've been through, and what the cup really is."

"So what do you mean?" Drake's mind raced, and he moved the golden goblet into his hand. "You're here to reclaim this magical goblet... no, you're here to reclaim the Holy Grail? With this, you can return to your own country?"

“…Yes. That’s roughly it.” Mashu nodded in affirmation.

"Hmm~." A hint of hesitation flashed in Drake's eyes, but in the end, he still tossed the Golden Cup to Mash. "But whatever, I did lose to you anyway. I also said that I would give you anything except my own life." Seeing Mash catch it in a panic, Drake's initial disappointment vanished.

"Here, take it." Drake pointed at Nian Zhuo and the other two, his tone somewhat wistful, "You came here from a distant era, didn't you? You've come a long way, you must be tired."

The Holy Grail was automatically stored in the storage space of Mash's shield. Mash breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to Drake in gratitude.

"Thank you... thank you. Now that the Holy Grail has been retrieved, the singularity of this era can be considered resolved..."

"Eh~ Is it resolved?" Ritsuka, who had sobered up, looked around at the unchanged scenery with a puzzled expression. "It seems like it's not resolved yet."

“…I thought so too.” Although Mashu had anticipated this outcome, she still couldn’t help feeling a little melancholy when she actually faced it.

"By the way, Mary." Nian Zhuo patted the communication device on his hand, "The Holy Grail has been transferred to us by Drake. Has anything changed in the singularities of this era?"

“No, nothing has changed.” After calming down, Mary flipped through the records that had been delivered. “The gears of time seem to still not be turning back to normal. Hmm, the Holy Grail has indeed been playing a role, but its power is not as strong as before.” As if she had some kind of guess, the ahoge (cowlick) on Mary’s head twitched.

"Perhaps... it is the true Holy Grail that has always existed in this world."

"So..." Mash took the Holy Grail out of her storage space and carefully examined the patterns on it, "This Holy Grail is quite different from the ones we've collected so far?"

“Yes.” Director Mary nodded. “What disrupted the foundation of the Seven Human Principles was the cult of Rafe… the seven Holy Grails placed by Rafe Lenore. However, there are other Holy Grails in this sea. Captain Drake is the one recognized by this other Holy Grail. The reason this sea is so chaotic may be because… two Holy Grails with opposing powers are checking each other.”

“The true Holy Grail held by Captain Drake, who saved the world, and the Holy Grail of Rafe, which was brought in from the outside world and is causing chaos in the world.” Mary’s words had a hint of persuasion. “So, as long as Captain Drake is around, this era will not collapse. However, it will not return to its original state either. If we want the sea to return to normal… we still have to go and retrieve Rafe’s Holy Grail.”

“…I see.” Mashu nodded to indicate that she understood. “In other words, although we didn’t know the previous era was so urgent, the ultimate goal is still the same.”

“Fu…” Fu Fu listlessly leaned on Nian Zhuo’s shoulder.

“I heard that strange voice again…” Drake looked around warily. “Who are you talking to, Mash?” Then his expression turned somewhat amused. “Could it be that you’ve raised a little dwarf?! But judging from the voice, it should be a woman, right?”

“Not exactly a dwarf…” Nian Zhuo stroked his chin, thinking about Mary’s appearance, “More like a little fairy who provides intelligence and assists in battle from afar? If we’re talking about dwarfs, a doctor would be more suitable… I guess.”

“No, he’s not that cute…” Mashu quickly waved her hand, and couldn’t help but start thinking about how to describe the doctor. “The doctor… let me think about it. Let’s just think of him as an incredible fairy who can talk to us even though he’s in a distant city.”

“I see,” Drake nodded, but his expression wasn’t so amusing. “So, he sent you to fight while he stayed home and enjoyed himself. In the end, what really happened? Did you achieve your goal?”

"...No." Seemingly finding it difficult to say, Mash lowered her voice slightly. "Besides the Holy Grail held by Captain Drake, there should be another Holy Grail that doesn't belong to this era. If we don't retrieve it, this sea area will remain like this forever."

"Hey, don't make it sound so scary." Thinking they were joking, Drake waved her hand, not finding it funny at all. However, the serious expressions of Nian Zhuo and the other two sent a chill down her spine.

"...Are you serious?"

“It’s true.” Lying on her back on the grass, Ritsuka looked up at the huge band of light in the sky. “We…we’re serious.”

“Yes, so this should be returned to you.” Mash lowered her head and handed the Golden Cup back to Drake. “...It should be yours, Captain.”

The Holy Grail had just returned to Drake's hands when it burrowed back into his body.

"Oh! Thank you so much. You're too kind." Recalling how Mash and the others had unhesitatingly tossed the Holy Grail back to him, Captain Drake turned his head slightly. "...Sigh, while this is the first time I've so readily given away a treasure, it's also the first time someone has so readily returned it to me."

"Director Mary, could you please offer some advice?" Mash was feeling exhausted after losing her target again.

"Wait...wait a minute...!" The sound of documents being flipped through came from the communication device, mixed with Mary's panicked cries, "I was just thinking, things are a bit unexpected...Da Vinci's relative?!"

A gentle, intellectual voice came from the communication device.

"May I ask a question?" Leonardo da Vinci suddenly intervened, grabbing the microphone in his hand.

Of course, after receiving affirmative replies from the four men, Leonardo da Vinci slowly began, "Hello, Francis Drake. I apologize for being so abrupt. May I ask what your wish is?"

"Wish..." Captain Drake's gaze seemed somewhat uncertain, as if the word was unfamiliar to him.

—In the deep forest on the other side—

"...The Holy Grail, an omnipotent wish-granting machine that can grant any wish." After swallowing the bread, the jewel on the magenta knight's head seemed to brighten. "Haidong, he should be very interested in this."

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he looked up in one direction.

"That's... the fluctuation of my power...? Who came into this world?"

A black and white barrier emerged from the sea, and two girls wielding chainsaws and greatswords fell into the water.

Everything is fraught with hidden danger.

The veil is gradually being lifted

Seeing Drake's somewhat strange expression, Da Vinci cleared his throat and continued speaking.

"For example, if you were a pirate, wouldn't your wish be to obtain gold and silver treasures?" This first poses a possibility.

“Yes, that’s right.” Even Drake would be moved when it came to gold and silver jewelry. “Can a wish made on this Holy Grail really be granted?” He shook the Holy Grail that Mash had returned to him.

"I'm afraid so. Do you want it to come true?" This was also a test for Leonardo da Vinci.

"No way." After receiving an affirmative answer, Drake instead shook the cup in his hand with a look of disgust. "Listen up, I'm a pirate, you know? A pirate who has to pray to get treasure... that's a really bad joke."

"Treasure, as it is, is something that should be won through strength, wisdom, and courage." Looking at the captain laughing heartily in front of her, Nianzhuo suddenly understood why, in that era of great exploration, when pirates roamed everywhere, she was the only one hailed as "the one who shot down the sun."

"Hmm." Da Vinci was extremely satisfied with this answer. "So your wishes were at most just water, food, and personal safety, right? In other words, they've already been fulfilled, haven't they?"

"...That's how it is, isn't it?" Without refuting, Drake looked around at his underlings who were fast asleep.

"The Holy Grail you possess can create this world." Leonardo da Vinci continued to emphasize the power of the Holy Grail in Drake's hands. "However—this sea is not what you desired. In that case, it seems that 'something' created this world after all. Someone has disturbed your ocean, your era. In that case, there is only one thing left to do, isn't there?"

“You must reclaim your world, your own world.” Da Vinci seemed quite reliable when he got serious. “And Mash Kyrielight, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and Nencho beside you are experts who specialize in solving this kind of situation. They are specialists who have defeated those ‘invincible’ people you mentioned several times.”

"I see, I understand now, thank you." Having long considered the three as companions, Drake smiled with relief after learning that Nian Zhuo and the others had also dealt with the people she mentioned. "Speaking of which, who are you?" Still, he could only hear their voices but not see them. Drake even considered whether to use the power of the Holy Grail to find the owner of the voice.

"I am Leonardo da Vinci. A genius who died more than twenty years before you were born." She certainly had the right to call herself a genius; in fact, given her worldwide fame, very few people wouldn't know her.

however--

“Oh, I see. I don’t know him.” Drake replied curtly and decisively, with an air of “who is he?”

"You... what did you say...?" Director Mary, far away in Chaldea, clearly saw Leonardo da Vinci's hand gripping the microphone tightly! He was completely stunned.

“But this world really isn’t right.” Drake scratched her blush-colored hair in frustration. “So, there’s no treasure here at all, right?”

“Yeah, definitely not treasure or anything like that…” Mashu nodded in agreement.

However, before Director Mary in Chaldea could recover from Leonardo da Vinci's resentful expression, the door to the control room suddenly opened again, and a man with long, light yellow hair carrying a cake rushed in and snatched the microphone.

"No—yes! I! I believe it does!" Then it dawned on me, it was Romani... wait, what the heck is this "I"?!

“It’s over, it’s all over…” Mary sat to one side with a look of despair, looking at the two lively characters in front of her who were completely different from their usual selves. “Nianzhuo, come back quickly… Chaldea is finished.”

"Eh...Eh?!" All three were startled by the voice coming from the communication device. Ritsuka, in particular, gripped the communication device on her wrist tightly and shouted in disbelief.

"Doctor...?! Why are you suddenly so excited?! Could it be—" He finished speaking, his expression turning sorrowful, "Could it be that you don't have much time left?!"

"Yeah, right!" The doctor replied excitedly to Ritsuka's question, taking a deep breath to calm his heart. "In this world, in this era, pirates are a common sight. Whether good or evil, the Age of Exploration expanded the world; this is an unavoidable event. The pioneers of the stars placed their dreams on the unknown ocean and the shores beyond the boundless sea."

"...Well, in other words, since these thoughts have been gathered together, it's not surprising that there's treasure involved."

"To put it bluntly, there is, right?!" Hearing the doctor's words, Captain Drake seemed to have his enthusiasm rekindled. "Gold, silver, jewels, and spices that the whole ship can't hold!" With her twin pistols at her waist, Drake seemed to see the scene in the not-too-distant future where she would carry barrels of spices and chests of gold onto the ship.

"Yes, I, Dr. Roman, can guarantee it. Without a doubt—there's treasure!" He slammed his hand on the table, seemingly yearning for the carefree, unburdened lifestyle of pirates.

"...I can't contain myself!" Drake kicked the underlings lying next to him. "Exciting, so exciting! Alright, you idiots! Let's drink to our hearts' content! Tomorrow we'll embark on an unprecedentedly difficult voyage! We might not come back alive, so let's drink our fill!"

"Gold and silver treasures, spices! Fine wine and unknown adventures await us!" After saying that, Drake ignored his swaying pirate crew and grabbed the rum next to him, downing it in one gulp.

"Cheers!" The men who had just woken up, regardless of whether they were sober or not, continued to pick up the bottles of liquor next to them and chug them down their throats after the captain gave the order.

"You guys want more?!" Mashu looked completely overwhelmed and instinctively moved away.

"Because~ that's what pirates are~" This time, Captain Drake pretended not to hear and happily sang loudly, "You, we~ are pirates~"

"I told you you don't need to sing!" Mashu's angry voice rang out from the camp, filling the air with a joyful atmosphere.

Only Nianzhuo remained, as if he suddenly sensed something, and looked towards the woods on one side.

"...Hmm?" Sensing a gaze, Nian Zhuo asked curiously, "...Who could it be?"

Looking around, Mash and Ritsuka were being entangled by the drunken Drake and probably wouldn't notice them.

Grabbing a bottle of rum from his side, Nianzhuo cautiously walked into the woods.

Walking through the woods, looking around, all I could hear was the rustling of leaves and the sound of twigs snapping underfoot.

Suddenly, Nianzhuo sensed something piercing the air and flying towards him.

He immediately threw the rum in that direction, and then Nianzhuo rolled to one side.

The time-space driver and the dial landed in his hand, and Nianzhuo immediately looked up at the place where he had just been.

The bottle shattered, and the brownish-yellow liquid shimmered under the green fluorescent light. The spot where he had just stood was pierced by a slender blade.

The liquor spilled onto the ground, but it didn't touch the attacker at all.

“Decade…?” Nian Zhuo murmured.

Ah-hoy~ Baozhong~ *cough cough* The Drake Pirates set sail!

“Decade…?” When Nian Zhuo looked up, he saw the magenta knight.

The attire was so familiar that Nian Zhuo recognized the knight in front of him at a glance as the tenth Heisei Rider, the destroyer of the world—Decade.

However, all that remained in Nianzhuo's heart was a heart full of questions.

"Why..." Decade, watching as the other person pulled the slender blade from the center of the tree trunk, asked, "Why did you come to kill me?"

"..." However, the crimson knight remained silent, his emerald green eyes scanning Nian Zhuo's face and body. "...You, are you Nian Zhuo?"