Along the Eastern Sea coast lies a fishing village, its land barren and its people reliant on the weather for farming. Trouble often arises from the sea, as pirates descend upon the village, plundering clothes and whatever valuables they find. When waves crash upon the shore and storm clouds shroud the sky, the wooden door of a common home suddenly bursts open, followed by shouts and commands. Amidst the chaos, the pirates rob rice from the barn, vegetables from the cellar, and seize cloth and other household goods. When they finally leave, the couple left behind can only sigh in despair while their children wail incessantly. Such is the daily scene in the Eastern Sea's coastal village.
At the time, Ghost Shark was still young, not yet known by this name. Her father was a fisherman who had perished early in a maritime disaster. Her mother, a sea woman, was famed for her diving skills. She could glide through reefs like a fish, opening shells and gathering pearls with ease.
This reputation, however, drew frequent visits from pirates, leaving few days of peace in a year.
In one winter, when the world turned bitterly cold, a group of burly men barged into the thatched house, leaving almost no place to move. They cracked open all boxes and drawers, revealing nothing but rags and scraps. A woman was shoved to the ground, sobbing, and her head shaking.
The pirate leader spat to the side, "So many shells in the sea, and you haven't found a single pearl all month? Tired of living, are you?"
The woman's body already bore plenty of bruises.
Inside the cupboard, a young, frail girl hid, daring not to make a sound. Through the cracks, her mother's beaten figure was almost invisible, but the sobs rang loud and clear.
In that cramped darkness, the girl clenched her fists until they turned pale.
After the pirates left, her mother didn't survive that harsh winter. She sold off everything, even the cooking pots, just to afford a modest burial. When she laid her mother to rest, the bruises still marked her skin.
The sea wind roared, and the road ahead was shrouded.
How could she earn a living?
How could she escape from such suffering?
How... how could she stop the tears?
She kept her fists clenched, as if she would never open them again.
Along the Eastern Sea coast, pirates and villagers remained at odds. The pirates kept pillaging and plundering, day and night, while powerless villagers could only endure it in silence, living in anxiety and fear.
To become a pirate meant no longer being prey. And so she vowed: she would never be powerless again.