The next morning, Levi tiredly jumped onto the deck. He had been searching for Jessica all night but to no avail. He had at least expected she would have returned to the Leo for the sword that was still strapped to his back and her honey gold locket, but she hadn't.

Jessica couldn't be found anywhere. It was like she didn't even exist in the first place, and he was starting to become worried that something terrible had happened to her.

His stomach grumbled. He hadn't eaten in hours. He would start searching for her again after he had something to eat.

"Food," he murmured.

He dragged his tired feet along the floor, heading towards the galley. He stopped in his tracks when a small pink animal plodded in front of him.

Levi blinked a couple of times, and he rubbed his tired eyes. They turned big and round like a predator, staring towards the small pig as the animal casually strolled along the deck, munching on the vegetables in Logan's Garden.

Levi's mouth watered, and he slowly licked his lips, already tasting the rich flavours of the pig in his mouth. His nostrils flared, the heavenly scent of bacon clouding his better judgment.

"BACON!!!" he screamed and darted towards the pig.

Startled, the innocent creature bolted like a spooked horse and started running around the deck, fearing for her life and looking for her blonde haired friend, the only person that could protect her from the drooling monstrosity that was chasing after her.

Levi was close. His fingers were only millimetres away from grabbing his breakfast.

The pig shrieked in alarm when she couldn't find her friend, a loud, heart-piercing cry that echoed around the deck of the ship.

Alex's eyes flashed open.

A dark sensation filled him as he heard the cries of Miss Piggy, painful cries that penetrated right through his heart and made him angry that someone dared to hurt his friend. In a flash, he was up, and his red sword was drawn and deflecting Levi's outstretched arms that were seconds away from grabbing his Miss Piggy.

The captain's super strength was formidable as he attempted to push back. It didn't help that he still felt the strains from his injuries against Madame Cheng, and he knew he couldn't last much longer against the captain's cursed souls.

A hungry glare was clearly evident in his captain's eyes. He would stop at nothing until he ate that pig.

"What are you doing, Alex?" Levi complained, his hungry eyes never leaving the pig that was now hiding behind his first mate's leg.

The chaos of the situation had brought the attention of the rest of the crew, all of them coming up on deck, some yawning, having been woken up. All of them were confused by the situation: Alex was protecting a trembling pig from Levi.

"It looks like we're having bacon for breakfast," Vulcan joked.

"Like hell, you're eating my friend!"

Alex eventually pushed back Levi and knocked him to the ground and glared towards the crew.

"Friend?" Penny questioned a frown brewing on her lips.

"Indeed." Mirella covered her mouth as she softly chuckled to herself, having remembered the encounter she'd seen last night. "Alex is friends with the pig. He was cuddling with it last night and called her Miss Piggy."

Tommy burst out laughing, falling over in a fit of laughter. "I didn't know you had such a soft side, Blondie ."

"Shut it!" Alex flushed red in embarrassment. "Mirella, you said you wouldn't tell them about that!"

"My mistake." She covered her mouth, lightly chuckling, joining in with the rest of the crew. "I guess you're going to kill me now."

Alex clicked his tongue and picked up the small pink creature that was still trembling away and back-handed Levi's face when he attempted to grab at the pig again.

"This pig is not food!" The entire crew fell silent when he gave them all a dark glare in warning. "Anyone that hurts her has to answer to me, do we understand?"

Everyone nodded, except for Levi, who was still drooling. Alex smacked him on top of the head. A bruise instantly formed.

"Are we clear?" Alex repeated to his captain.

Levi reluctantly nodded with a pout. The rest of the crew started asking questions about where the pig had come from, but Alex merely shrugged. He couldn't be bothered with telling them the story behind the pig, nor did he want to explain that the pig had saved him. Tommy would never let him live it down.

He was just glad they had accepted his new friend. Penny took a keen interest, finding the small pig cute.

"Hey, where's Oberon?" Levi looked around for his missing shipmate. "And Baden?"

"They went into town earlier this morning. Oberon needed to pick up some magic supplies," Tommy explained and looked at Alex. "Where's the pig from anyway?"

"She was supposed to be the sacrifice for the harvest festival."

Alex leaned back against the mainmast, making himself feel more comfortable for a nap. Miss Piggy jumped onto his lap and curled into a ball, both of them completely oblivious to the fact that everyone's jaws had fallen wide open.

"You stole the sacrificial pig!" they all chorused at once, Penny hitting Alex across the head.

He scowled at them all as he rubbed his newly-formed lump.

"What was that for?"

"We're dead!" Penny cried. "With Levi committing a sacrilege against the high priest and you stealing their pig, they're probably going to hunt us down and use us as a sacrifice!"

"Calm down." Vulcan grabbed ahold of Penny, and she immediately stopped panicking. "It won't come to that. All Alex has to do is give them back the pig, and we can calmly leave this island once I've fixed our ship."

"Hell no!" Alex glared at Vulcan. "The pig's one of us now!"

Before Vulcan could argue, a brown feathered eagle from high above swooped down and manifested into a human man upon the deck. The man was dressed sophisticatedly in a black suit and red tie.

Immediately, Levi, Alex, and Vulcan tensed from the sudden intrusion. Alex reached for his sword, Vulcan lifted his lump-hammer into the air, and Levi curled his hands into tight fists.

The Mayor. What is he doing here? Alex thought, face turned sharply towards the man.

Miss Piggy started to squirm on his lap, a terrified look in her eyes as she attempted to hide under his arm. He placed a soothing hand on her back, and she instantly calmed down.

"Are you a cursed soul?" Tommy asked, playing with his lighter.

"I am." The mayor smirked. "I can turn into any living creature I..."

"Where is Jess?" Levi shouted, interrupting the mayor. "I've looked all over town for her, but I can't find her!"

The mayor smirked an evil off-putting smirk. "She doesn't want to be found. I thought the letter I gave to you explained she doesn't want to join your crew."

"I know she didn't write that letter." Levi's fists tightened. "She promised she would join my crew."

The mayor scoffed at him. "Then she broke her promise. She doesn't want to see any of you ever again."

The man's comment tore at Levi's heart. He didn't want to believe that Jessica had broken her promise. He knew she didn't write that letter, and he knew she would come back. He was, after all, wearing her golden locket, her treasure.

Levi swung back his fist, ready to punch the mayor when he gasped for breath. Something had started to wrap itself around his neck, blocking his airways and tightening his throat. He reached up to his neck but felt nothing that could deprive him of oxygen.

What was going on?

His knees collapsed to the ground, giving in to a lack of oxygen. The same thing was happening to everyone on his crew. All of them gasping for breath and reaching out to their necks. That's when Levi saw the tattooed ropes moving freely around their necks like slithering snakes.

"It seems the high priest is getting impatient." The mayor laughed. "He's a cursed soul too. He can make and control tattoos."

The hooded priest climbed up onto the deck of the ship.

"I didn't come here to start a fight." The mayor continued. "I came here to make a deal with you, more importantly, a deal with your first mate."

The mayor nodded his head towards the priest, and the rope tattoos disappeared from Alex's flesh. He coughed, gasping for air, breathing in the oxygen he took for granted, and glared up at the two men.

"What do you want with me?" he growled, keeping an eye on his crew, who were still choking to death.

The mayor pointed towards the pig that was now held protectively in Alex's arms.

"We want our sacrifice back. The red moon is tonight, after all."

"Go to hell. She belongs to me now." He reached for his sword.

"I would reconsider your decision." The mayor pointed towards his friends.

Penny had already passed out, and the others were not far off. Only Levi still seemed to be the most energetic as he scratched at his neck.

"Also, by giving us the pig back, the high priest has told me that he is willing to let you and your captain off for your previous sacrilege." He stepped forward, and Alex drew Akatenshi from his red sheath. "We don't want to start a fight now, especially in your weakened state."

Alex frowned. He couldn't possibly know he was still recovering from his fight against Madame Cheng. Was it his cursed soul ability? Could his animal instants could sense that he wasn't at his strongest? Alex hated to admit it, but the mayor was right. He couldn't fight, not yet when he was still healing and at a disadvantage, and his friends' lives were on the line.

"What will it be, Demon Slayer?" The mayor pointed to the animal he was holding. "The pig or your friends?" He pointed between the pig and the crew.

Alex looked over at the crew. His heart thudded rapidly as he watched them fall one by one, Levi breathlessly cursing towards the mayor, the others that were still conscious shouting at him to hand over the pig.

Alex hated the situation he was in. He looked down at the animal in his arms, his heart aching, a sudden feeling of guilt building up inside of him. The pig had saved his life.

"I'm sorry."

Miss Piggy immediately started to squirm in his arms as he slowly stepped towards the mayor. The creature snuggled into his arm in an attempt to change his mind, making the situation all that much harder than it already was. It was heartbreaking.

He slowly passed the animal over to the mayor, and his friends were immediately released from the tattoo man's power, all of them coughing and spluttering for air.

The pig screeched, the piercing cry shattering his already broken heart. His fists tightened, and he took a deep breath in. "Leave. Before I change my mind."

"You made a wise choice."

The mayor turned around, a sinister smirk still playing on his face. The pig continued to squirm, crying out for him, but all he could do was clench his fists, letting his nails dig deep into the palm of his hands until blood started to draw. He looked away, pretending like nothing was happening.

Except he couldn't pretend. His frown deepened, and he looked back at Miss Piggy attempting to escape. Alex had become friends with her. He had told her secrets he had kept bottled up inside of him. He had connected with her like nobody else. He couldn't just let her die.

He jumped forward, attempting to grab back the pig, but he was pushed to the deck by Tommy and Vulcan before he could do anything.

"Let me go!" He felt his injuries strain as he attempted to escape from Vulcan's heavy weight on his back.

"You've caused enough trouble." Tommy sighed. "Let the pig go."

"You don't..." Alex huffed. There was no point in explaining to someone like Tommy. He wouldn't understand or care, but he knew his captain would. "Levi?"

His captain looked over at his first mate pinned to the ground. Levi had just watched the mayor turn into an eagle and fly off with the pig in his talons. He gave his first mate a sad, apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Alex."

"Levi, she's my friend!"

The word friend was all it took for Levi. He immediately nodded his head in understanding. There was no need for further explanation. He placed his left hand on his pirate hat and tilted it forward, shrouding his eyes as his right hand tightened into a fist by his thigh.

"Then we get your friend back. Tonight."

Levi looked sharply towards the eagle flying away in the distance. He didn't like that man from the moment he met him. First, he took Jessica away from him, and now Alex's friend, too.

He would make sure he would have both of them on his ship before the moon turned red.