Pirate: Crew of Desire and Bonds

”Jake... if what you really told me is true, then... there is a high chance that light from the sea really came from this skill... and that meant it already moved once to protect you.”

She looked at him carefully.

”Even... without a name.”

”...”

Jake fell silent.

The weight of her words settled over him more heavily than he expected.

If that massive pillar of light from the sea had really come from the Ultimate Skill... then it meant the power had already acted once on its own.

And even without him consciously controlling it.

’But in the end... it seems like it tried to protect me.’

Jake’s expression softened slightly as that thought settled in.

Whatever this Nameless skill was, it hadn’t attacked him.

It hadn’t gone out of control and destroyed everything around him.

Instead, at the moment he lost consciousness and was about to die, it had erupted from the sea and killed the Drowned Stalker.

That alone made it feel less like a dangerous unknown and more like something that had chosen to stand on his side.

He looked at Grace again.

”Even if I don’t remember using it... it still saved me.”

Grace nodded quietly and smiled.

”Yes.”

Jake exhaled and leaned back against the sofa, staring ahead.

”Then maybe I shouldn’t be so afraid of it.”

Then he crossed his arms, clearly lost in thought.

”...Maybe I should just give it a casual name first and see what happens.”

Seeing him focus so intensely, Grace blinked and just resumed sipping her lemon tea.

Then Jake muttered under his breath, completely serious.

”Something simple. Like Michael. Or John. Or... I don’t know, Dawn?”

He paused, frowning.

”...Or maybe just call it Light. That’s straightforward enough, right?”

Then Jake smiled, as if he had suddenly made up his mind.

”Alright. Then I’ll just name it Light.”

He sat up a little straighter, closed his eyes, and focused on the skill in his mind.

’From now on, your name is Light.’

...

...

...

Nothing happened.

Jake opened one eye.

Then the other.

”...Huh?”

He waited a few more seconds, just in case.

Still nothing.

There was no system notificationo and no reaction of any kind.

Jake’s expression turned confused.

”...No response?”

Grace lowered her cup slightly and looked at him with quiet curiosity.

”Did it work?”

Jake stared blankly ahead, then let out a dry laugh.

”Not even a ding.”

Grace watched him for a moment, then slowly set her cup down.

Her golden eyes grew thoughtful again.

”...I don’t think this is something you can just casually name,” she said quietly.

Jake looked at her.

Grace continued, her voice calm but serious.

”If it really is the same power from my father... then giving it a name isn’t just saying a word. It’s more like acknowledging it and accepting it.”

She paused, choosing her next words carefully.

”That’s probably why ’Light’ didn’t work. You weren’t really naming it. You were just testing it.”

Jake frowned slightly.

”...So it can tell the difference?”

Grace nodded.

”I think so. The poet didn’t say ’call it whatever you want.’ He said one must give it a name. That sounds like something that has to come from the heart... not something you throw out just to see if it would respond.”

Jake stared at her in silence.

Then he let out a long, helpless sigh.

”Naming it from my heart, huh... I have no clue how to even do that.”

Grace smiled softly at his helpless expression.

”There’s no need to rush it,” she said gently. ”Who knows... maybe one day the true name will just pop into your head while you’re doing something completely random.”

At those words, Jake looked at her.

For a second, he just stared.

Then a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

”...I didn’t know you could make a joke.”

Grace blinked, then let out a quiet, embarrassed laugh.

”I wasn’t completely joking.”

Jake chuckled under his breath and shook his head.

”Still. What you said makes sense. There’s no need to force it.”

He leaned back against the sofa, the tension in his shoulders easing a little.

”I’ll leave it for now. If the name is supposed to come naturally... then I’ll wait until it does.”

Grace nodded, her golden eyes warm.

”Mm. I think that’s better.”

Jake let the matter of his own skill fade for now.

There was no point forcing something that clearly wouldn’t respond just because he wanted it to.

Instead, his gaze drifted back to Grace.

”...Actually, I’m more curious about your skill.”

Grace blinked.

”My skill?”

Jake nodded.

”Lightshaping. You used it pretty naturally during that last fight. You made a shield and a frying pan. So does that mean you can make anything you want?”

Grace paused, then gave a small, slightly embarrassed nod.

”...In theory, yes.”

Jake tilted his head.

”In theory?”

Grace’s cheeks warmed a little as she looked down at her cup.

”I can shape light into almost anything I can clearly imagine. Like a shield, a blade... even something like a frying pan if I really focus on the shape.”

She glanced up at him, her golden eyes a little thoughtful.

”But the more complicated the object is... the harder it is to keep it stable. Simple shapes are easier to form, and I can hold them for a while.”

Jake leaned forward slightly, clearly interested.

”So if you wanted to, you could make a spear? Or even armor?”

Grace hesitated.

”...A spear, maybe. Armor would be much harder. It has too many parts. If even one section collapses, the rest falls apart with it.”

Jake let out a low whistle.

”That’s still an incredible skill.”

Grace smiled faintly, though there was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.

”Yes, it is. I have a feeling that if I have a deep understanding of that object, then I can shape it.”

Jake’s eyes lit up.

He sat up a little straighter and closed the distance until his shoulder touched hers.

”Then try shaping something now.”

Grace blinked.

”...Here?”

Jake nodded, clearly interested.

”Just something simple. I want to see it up close.”

Grace hesitated for a moment, glancing around the quiet guild lobby.

There weren’t many people nearby, and those who were present seemed busy with their own conversations.

”...Alright.”

She set her cup down, then lifted one hand slightly.

A faint golden glow gathered in her palm.

The light slowly stretched and condensed, forming into a small, simple object... a smooth golden plate, no larger than her hand.

It hovered there for a few seconds, glowing softly, before Grace carefully set it down on the table.

Jake stared at it.

Then he reached out and tapped the edge with one finger.

It actually felt solid.

”...You actually made a plate.”