Ever since the belated start of the Great Ghost Race, the seas have been full of chaos. Frequent storms, sometimes of the odd variety, have left many ships in wrecks and tatters. Battles have been fought over shards, some lost, some won. The first week of August is the calm before the storm. Shard pieces can be found pretty much everywhere, though you might have to fight other people for them or prepare to fight to keep yours with you.

By the end of the week, the shards start to throb. Those who are brave enough to hold them will feel them pulsing in their hands to the tune of a heartbeat, humming and glowing faintly red. They seem to be calling you to Isla Empieza, which has been strangely quiet for some time now with no news reaching the seas beyond.

Should you go to that island, you'll see it's covered in a thick green fog with storm clouds circling steadily overhead. Something is brewing there. Something major. Other ships have been wrecked along the shoreline, but they are curiously empty as if everyone has gone inland for some peculiar reason.

In any case, you can't get onto the island -- at least not yet. So keep gathering shards and fighting your way through the Navy, pirates, and infrequent rains of exploding frogs. The end is on the horizon.