Raymei of the Sand Seas

I'm Raymei. The name means "dawn"!

Her voice, bursting with liveliness, was unlike any woman I had ever known.

Spreading her legs wide, the woman straddled my fallen body and moved in closer.

Her shorts were so short they could be mistaken for underwear, leaving her tanned thighs boldly exposed.

She was so damn close.

Her warmth tickled the tip of my nose, but my eyes were fixed on her expression.

Her tall stature and long, glossy black hair seemed somewhat mismatched with her childlike face. The dark eyes beneath the pirate hat were shining with overflowing confidence and curiosity.

I won't allow you to die here.

Her supple arm was extended straight toward me, a childlike innocence etched on her face.

Get. I'll make you my husband.

That day, my unexpected encounter with Desert Pirate Raymei was no less than a turbulent storm.

So hot . . .

The sun was beating down strongly.

When I wiped my neck, the sand, caked with sweat, came off in clumps.

Looking around, there was nothing but a vast expanse of sand. The wind whimsically reshaped the countless sand dunes stretching endlessly into the distance.

This place was the Sea of Sand.

. . . So heavy.

Walking alone on the sand, I looked back at the prey I was dragging.

It was a fish, but not the kind that lives in the sea.

It was a Sand Sea Fish, a monster-like creature about two meters long that had adapted to the sand sea.

I had taken it down with a harpoon while it was swimming freely beneath the sand. The fishermen would probably pay a decent price for it later.

It was good, but that wasn't the point.

. . . Heeey! Raymei!

A voice called to me from afar. It was my younger sister, Shino.

From atop the halted Sand Sea Ship, Shino stretched her small body as far as she could, waving eagerly. Every time she jumped, her blonde hair gleamed in the sunlight.

I let my guard down after driving the harpoon into the big one. The fish was still alive, and the rope tied to the harpoon was still connected to the harness around my waist. Normally, I would’ve detached and gotten out of there the moment things looked dangerous, but this time, I got greedy.

The rope yanked me off the ship, and I got dragged around five miles across the sand sea by a dying fish.

At that moment, I was covered in sand from the inside out.

The sand of the Sand Sea was fine-grained and sank easily, like a swamp. Walking wasn’t impossible, but with each step, the boots quickly filled with sand, all the way up to the soles.

Finally making it back to the ship, swimming rather than walking, I couldn't help but give Shino a slightly resentful look—there was not a speck of dust on her.

Welcome back, Raymei!

I'm home . . . Ugh, you've got it so easy, Shino! You're the brains of the operation. You haven't even broken a sweat. Blonde hair, flawless skin . . . You're literally the cutest in the world. Aah, being a big sister is such a thankless job! If my adorable little sister doesn't comfort me, I'm gonna curl up in a corner and shut myself off for a while.

Hey, don't sulk!

Shino narrowed her blue eyes until they were thin as threads, creating an illusion of a ray of light, and giggled softly.

My younger sister Shino was, in a word, a beauty. Her petite, delicate frame stood in stark contrast to my rough-and-tumble nature. Her fair skin was smooth and flawless, untouched by blemishes or sunburn. Even the most casual of her gestures exuded an effortless grace.

Shino was like a princess, the kind of person who made anyone who looked at her instinctively want to protect her.

You don't need to be so down on yourself. You’re cool, too. Your black hair and tanned skin make you look strong. I like you a lot. Also, you kind of remind me of birthday chocolates.

Don't compare me with chocolates, Shino! I'm a girl, you know!?

Climbing onto the deck, I tossed the Sand Sea Fish I'd been carrying at my feet. Some of the scales had come off, leaving it a bit damaged, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t a fisherman to begin with.

Shino was still smiling that irritatingly cute smile of hers.

But you love chocolates, don’t you? It's not like we get to have it frequently, though.

Of course I do! Girls love chocolates. And don't you try changing the subject so smoothly!

Yes, yes, I know. You don't get what you want by simply asking—you have to take it. After all, you're a girl—and a pirate.

Of course, I am!

I picked up my hat. It was black with two corners—a Bicorn Hat just like the ones worn by pirates in the old days.

The part-time job is over. Looks like our real prey is coming now. Ten o’clock, enemy sightings . . . four, five . . . six of them!

Peering through the telescope, I saw black shadows approaching, kicking up clouds of sand.

Each of the ships had massive Paddle Wheels mounted on either side. They were Sand Sea Ships that advanced by churning through the sand.

I bared my gums in a wide grin, just like my mom used to.

Big catch, big catch! Shino, take your position! It's the Strand Fleet—those who killed Mom! Full speed ahead! Yo-ho!

*

The Otherworld. It had suddenly appeared in the sky—a sphere with no mass, semi-transparent, letting light pass through without blocking the sunlight.

The reason why it kept floating was unknown. It emitted no force, nor did it affect the tides like the moon. It was simply there, as if looking up at the sky through the negative of an old film.

This was how it looked when viewed from the ground, ten thousand meters below.

However, if one flew an aircraft and approached the Otherworld in the sky, things would appear different.

The gravity would gradually begin to form, and heaven and earth would switch places. The approaching ground would no longer be transparent. Instead, the ground left behind would become see-through.

On the surface of the Otherworld, unmistakable traces of civilization could be seen.

Seven such Otherworlds floated in the sky of this region.

Once, they were seen as a beacon of hope. They were believed to be new frontiers, brought about in an era of explosive population growth and dwindling resources.

That was until the Otherworlds shattered and began to rain down sand.

Whirling sandstorms, accompanied by lightning, slashed through them.