Loth wakes bound to the mast of the Rose Eternal, which Tané has commandeered. Thim, also tied up, translates between them. Loth tells Tané he knows the location of the twin jewel—white, in Inys—hoping to persuade her to cooperate. Tané confirms his knowledge is genuine but refuses to change course. Using the rising jewel to propel the ship at extraordinary speed, she steers southeast toward Komoridu, driven by her determination to rescue Nayimathun from the pirates of the Fleet of the Tiger Eye.

Meanwhile, aboard the Pursuit, Niclays Roos watches as the pirates sight an island. The Golden Empress leads a scouting party ashore with Niclays, Laya, and twenty crew members. They climb a long stone stairway through forest and discover a massive, ancient mulberry tree—cut down and dead, bearing no fruit or flower. Laya cannot translate the carved words on its trunk, but the Seiikinese scholar accompanying the Golden Empress steps forward to attempt it. For Niclays, the sight is bittersweet: this is what his late partner Jannart died seeking.

Back at the island, Tané anchors the Rose Eternal out of sight and frees Loth and Thim. She leaves Thim to guard the ship, instructing him to fire a cannon if the pirates spot them. She and Loth swim through freezing water to the Pursuit, climbing the anchor chain to board the massive treasure galleon undetected. They pass among hundreds of pirates in the darkness, overhearing talk about Roos. Tané silently kills two guards at the entrance to the hull, deeply shaken by the act.

In the ship's lowest hold, Tané finds Nayimathun chained, wounded, dehydrated, and missing a tooth—but alive. In an emotional reunion, Tané shows the dragon the rising jewel and tells her that Loth knows where the twin is. Nayimathun confirms the jewels together offer a way to fight the Nameless One and says every dragon is in Tané's debt. However, Nayimathun can only break free if her chains are unlocked. The key, she reveals, is held by the Golden Empress—who is currently ashore on the island.