Your story draft is engaging and builds suspense well. Here's a lightly edited version to improve flow, grammar, punctuation, and clarity while preserving your original tone and pacing:
With a terrible laugh, Nishan said, "I won't be seeing you for a couple of years. Think of it as a departing gift."
"Gift, my ass," Safal muttered.
"Do be strong in that time frame. Don't disappoint me," Nishan added, then suddenly vanished from the ship.
The captain of the peacekeeping force ship was none other than Aria Vos. She had received a tip that someone was smuggling goods through this vessel, so she called out the ship's captain for inspection.
Andrew stepped out and greeted Aria with a fake smile. He had been caught smuggling before, so her suspicions grew even stronger. She was almost certain he was up to something.
She ordered her subordinates to inspect the entire ship and told Andrew to bring all the crew members to the deck. Seeing a few young members aboard, she seriously questioned him—was he smuggling people now?
Andrew bowed his head slightly and replied politely, "Why would I smuggle people? And if I were, why would I show them to you? I've left that life behind. I've paid for my crimes. All I want now is a peaceful life with my son and crew."
"As if," Liza accidentally said out loud.
Luckily, Aria didn't catch her words clearly and continued her inspection.
Soon, one of Aria's subordinates returned with a report: no illegal or stolen goods were found. They had searched every corner of the ship, but nothing suspicious had turned up.
Still, Aria couldn't shake her gut feeling—Andrew was definitely hiding something. But without evidence, her hands were tied. She had no choice but to let them go.
Andrew smiled and said, "Since you found nothing, why not let us go, huh? We're heading to the tournament in the Flying Castle Kingdom."
Aria hesitated. Arresting tournament participants could cause serious political tension. So, reluctantly, she let them go—but not without a warning.
"If you cause any problems," she said coldly, "you'd better be ready to face the consequences."
Safal couldn't take his eyes off her. Liza noticed and teased, "She's beautiful, isn't she?"
Unknowingly, Safal replied, "Yeah…" Then, catching himself, he added, "Beautiful and brave—just like my aunt."
Old memories rushed in, and he couldn't hold back a few tears.
After Aria departed, Andrew came to thank Safal. "You really saved my ass," he said. "After Nishan disappeared, I thought I was done for. I was ready to fight to the death—but I have my son onboard. Surrender felt like my only option."
Safal had come up with a plan—not only to avoid a fight but also to get them out clean.
But he had two demands from Andrew. And Andrew had agreed, on the condition that the plan worked.
The first: safely drop off all eight of them—including Alisa and Liza—at the Flying Castle Kingdom.
The second: 100 gold coins…
Andrew said, "Only 100 gold coins? No problem."
Safal scolded, "Let me finish—100 gold coins EACH."
With no other option, Andrew agreed.
Following Safal's plan, Andrew brought out all the stolen goods he had hidden on the ship. Patrick, using his ability, created a large plastic sheet. Together, they wrapped the goods tightly and secured the bundle under the base of the ship, throwing it into the sea to avoid detection.
This way, they were moving safely towards the Flying Castle Kingdom.