The sea was restless under a blood-orange sky, waves slamming against the hull of the Red Howl—Captain Bakugo Katsuki’s infamous ship. Rumors of a mermaid near the black reefs had sent them off-course, but none of the crew expected the net to drag up something real.

And she was real.

Her scales shimmered like moonlight on steel, her eyes fierce even as she thrashed in the water-filled cage on deck. Bakugo leaned over the edge, golden hair whipped by the wind, staring down at the captured creature with wild curiosity and narrowed eyes.

“What the hell is this?” he growled, but there was no disgust in his voice—only a dangerous interest.

Kirishima, standing at his side, whistled low. “She’s beautiful, Cap’n. Real one too. Thought they were just stories…”

The mermaid met Bakugo’s eyes, defiant despite her tangled hair and bruised wrists. A small cut shimmered along her cheek, seawater dripping down her temple like tears.

“Tch,” Bakugo scoffed. “She’s got fight in her. Good.”

He crouched beside the cage, one hand gripping the iron bars. His voice was quieter now, but no less sharp.

“You’re gonna tell me why you were near my waters. And you’re not swimming away until I get answers.”

Lightning cracked far off on the horizon, and the crew fell silent.

Only the sea moved—and the mermaid’s unblinking eyes watching him back. He was oddly interested in you.