At dusk, the Blue Avenger, delayed by its encounter with the Twilight Admiral, finally reached Bodo Port. They would resupply fresh water and food here, rest for the night, then head deeper into uncharted waters the next day in search of Angel's target—the island haunted by Gazers.
Angel also needed to make some final preparations for capturing this Beyonder Creature capable of traveling through the Spirit World.
The sailors on duty put on a show of hauling ropes and setting sails as the Blue Avenger lightly pulled alongside the pier. The gangplank crashed down onto the dock as though it had fallen by itself, startling a passerby nearby into jumping and cursing in an incomprehensible local dialect.
"We'll spend the night in port. Gather at dawn tomorrow, then set sail for the Nameless Island to the southwest."
Hanged Man Alger gave the order from the deck. The sailors cheered, tidied up a little, then descended the gangplank, left the pier, and disappeared into the harbor town to seek pleasure wherever they could find it.
Though they were all Storm Believers and technically half-official armed personnel, whether to blend in with other pirates or release the stress of prolonged work at sea, the Church tacitly permitted them to do things that did not violate the law but ran contrary to its doctrines.
Seeing World and Empress leave the Ghost Ship amid the sailors, Alger chuckled to himself and looked away.
The two had been visibly intimate these past few days, yet they slept in separate rooms at night. They had likely sensed the Ghost Ship's surveillance. Since this was part of the Blue Avenger's self-defense mechanism, one even its captain Alger could not stop, giving them "a night off" after docking today counted as granting them some private time.
"I really