They quickly finished the meal. Lucy was about to pay, but Finn stopped her, paying himself since he and Natsu had eaten most of the food. The others barely touched their meals, so it didn't seem right to let Lucy pay.
"Coming back with us?" Finn asked Natsu and Happy as they stood on a bridge, enjoying the breeze. Lucy had already left; they weren't close enough for her to join them.
Natsu sighed, "I was hoping to find a dragon, but no luck. Guess I'm coming back with you."
Finn shook his head, "Seriously? You wouldn't find a dragon here."
"Aye!" Happy agreed.
Finn shouldered his bag. "Let's go then."
"Can we walk?" Natsu asked weakly.
Finn shook his head firmly, "No way! That would take forever!" Just then, several girls nearby were overheard saying, "I heard the Fire Dragon is having a party on that ship!"
"Fire Dragon?" one girl asked, confused.
Another girl said proudly, "Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon! That's a powerful fire mage!"
"Really? How do we sign up?"
"I heard it's already full," another girl replied.
"Too bad," the girls sighed, clearly disappointed at missing the party.
Finn, already shouldering his bag, stopped. "Fairy Tail?"
"Natsu, did you hear that?" Finn asked.
"Yeah, I did," Natsu replied, "but we don't have anyone who'd throw a party at sea, do we?" He couldn't recall any Fairy Tail member who would be that frivolous.
"Then it's an imposter," Finn said, gripping the railing, his eyes narrowed as he stared out at the sea, lost in thought.
Night. Only one ship was visible on the vast expanse of the sea.
"That must be it," Finn stated, his gaze fixed on a luxurious cruise liner shimmering under the moonlight.
Natsu turned to look, instantly clamping a hand over his mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick…"
"Don't even think about getting seasick," Happy said calmly, clearly accustomed to Natsu's frequent bouts of motion sickness.
Meanwhile, aboard the luxurious cruise liner…
Lucy found herself seated in a private cabin with the imposter Fire Dragon; a drink sat before each of them.
"You're Lucy, right? What a lovely name," the fake Fire Dragon said, lifting his glass to his nose, inhaling the aroma of the liquor with an air of sophisticated connoisseurship, a look of blissful contentment spreading across his face.
"Thank you," Lucy replied with a nervous chuckle.
"Come now, let's have a toast," the imposter Fire Dragon declared, snapping his fingers. To Lucy's astonishment, the liquid in her glass began to levitate, rising slowly, drop by drop, into the air.
Combined with the fake Fire Dragon's affected air of refinement, the scene was undeniably enchanting; most people would have been completely captivated by this display of seemingly effortless magic.
However, Lucy, being a mage herself, instantly recognized the telltale signs of foul play.
"What's the meaning of this?" Lucy demanded, rising to her feet and forcefully flinging the magically suspended liquid away from her.
"It's sleep magic, isn't it?" Lucy stated with unwavering certainty, her gaze locked intently upon the ring adorning the imposter Fire Dragon's hand.
The fake Fire Dragon showed no sign of irritation, merely responding with a chuckle, "So, you've seen through my little ruse."
"Don't misunderstand me," Lucy declared, her voice firm and resolute, "while I genuinely aspire to join Fairy Tail, I would never stoop to achieving my goal by becoming your…woman."
The fake Fire Dragon shook his head, a sigh escaping his lips, "Such a shame, really."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the screen behind him slid open, revealing a group of burly men standing menacingly, each holding an unconscious young woman captive in their grasp.
Lucy stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her.
"Welcome aboard my vessel," the imposter Fire Dragon announced, casually smoothing down his hair with one hand as he directed a sly smile towards Lucy.
"Please enjoy your stay, Miss Lucy, until we reach Bosco," he added smoothly.
"You…wait, what about Fairy Tail?" Lucy stammered, her eyes widening in fear as the surrounding area quickly filled with more of the imposter's henchmen.
"Heehee, the Fire Dragon's haul is quite impressive this time around, wouldn't you agree?" the group of thugs cackled menacingly, their eyes glinting with malicious intent as they slowly advanced towards Lucy.
"Get her," the imposter Fire Dragon commanded, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"Damn you! How could you do this?! Using magic to deceive people! Are you even worthy of calling yourselves Fairy Tail mages?! You're utterly pathetic!!" Tears streamed down Lucy's face, the weight of her shattered dreams heavy upon her heart. The guild she'd dreamed of joining had turned out to be a den of vile imposters.
Suddenly, a deafening crash reverberated through the cabin as the ceiling above them shattered, sending a cloud of dust and debris raining down upon them.
"Fairy Tail isn't like that, Lucy," a familiar voice called out from amidst the chaos.
Lucy's eyes widened in surprise as the dust settled, revealing Finn, Natsu, and Happy standing amidst the throng of thugs. However…
"Natsu, you're so pathetic," Finn muttered under his breath, his gaze falling upon Natsu, who had collapsed to the floor the moment his feet touched the ground after their dramatic entrance.
"I told Happy to fly you here," Finn addressed Happy, his tone laced with a mixture of exasperation and amusement, "Natsu's weakness is any form of transportation; he just can't help but collapse the moment he's on one."
"Aye, but I've run out of magic," Happy replied, shrugging his shoulders in a gesture of helplessness.
"Ugh, fine. You two retreat," Finn instructed, gesturing for Happy and the still-prone Natsu to move back.
The imposter Fire Dragon, noticing that Finn had completely disregarded his presence, bristled with anger. "Hey! There are plenty of us here! Do you think you can just ignore us?!" he bellowed.
Finn finally turned his attention to the imposter Fire Dragon. "So, you're the leader of this pathetic bunch of Fairy Tail imposters, are we?"
"Imposters? You mean…they aren't actually from Fairy Tail?" Lucy exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Aye, we are the real Fairy Tail," Happy declared, revealing the Fairy Tail guild mark previously obscured by his backpack.
"What…what are you talking about?!" the imposter Fire Dragon stammered, his composure visibly cracking under the weight of the revelation.
"What am I talking about?" Finn chuckled, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes. "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. I'm a Fairy Tail mage, and yet I've never seen you before in my life."
A surge of flames erupted around Finn, engulfing him in a fiery aura. "Anyone who dares to impersonate Fairy Tail had better be prepared to face the consequences," Finn's voice was icy, his words dripping with menace.
Powerful magical energy pulsed outwards, creating a palpable wave of pressure that sent a shiver down the spine of the imposter Fire Dragon. He felt a surge of fear, his eyes darting nervously towards the ship's windows, a desperate plan already forming in his mind.
"Damn it, attack! Take him down!" the imposter Fire Dragon roared, his voice strained with panic.
At his command, a horde of his underlings surged forward, swarming towards Finn.
Finn effortlessly dispatched each one with a single, swift punch, but his attention was suddenly diverted as he spotted the imposter Fire Dragon making a daring escape through a shattered window.
"Natsu, these grunts are all yours!" Finn shouted, casually tossing one of the thugs overboard before launching himself after the fleeing imposter.
"?? I can't!" Natsu cried out in despair, his gaze fixed upon Finn's rapidly receding figure.
"You're a mage, Natsu! A bunch of low-level thugs can't possibly hurt you!" Finn's voice carried across the water.
A wave of nausea washed over Natsu, leaving him feeling disoriented and utterly helpless.
"Is he seasick?" Lucy asked, pointing at the incapacitated Natsu.
"Aye, Natsu gets motion sickness from all forms of transportation," Happy confirmed.
"Then I can steer the ship back to shore," Lucy announced, producing a golden key from her possession. After a quick scan of the cabin, her eyes landed upon a glass of water on the table. "Perfect," she murmured.
"Open Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius!"
__________________
for more advance chapters visit patreon.com/bars45.
For 10$- All advance chapters.