The sky was thick with dark clouds. The Skeleton Island docks were bustling with people, and the stench of the sea mingled with sweat, cigarettes, alcohol, and other odors. The place displayed a grotesque prosperity, yet the surroundings were filthy.
Pirates were pirates. Even after wising up and realizing that trade was safer than plundering and that gold came more steadily that way, they still never considered long-term development. No one would repair the Skeleton Docks before they collapsed into the seabed.
Any pirate with the funds and means to repair the Skeleton Docks would rather invest that money in businesses in the Alliance or Saintland Kingdom than repair docks that could be stolen by someone else tomorrow.
When they reached the streets near the port, Su Xiao found that most of the buildings on either side were two or three stories tall. Since it was nearing evening, most storefronts had lanterns hanging above their entrances.
"Byakuya, meet up at the inn later. I'm going to find a friend and see if he's willing to travel with us."
As the Platinum Bishop spoke, he dragged the Red-Eyed Woman away from a grilled-fish skewer stall.
"..."
Su Xiao said nothing. He merely tossed the Platinum Bishop a large money pouch filled with pirate coins. There were 100 pirate coins inside. Since the Platinum Bishop, the Red-Eyed Woman, and the Beast Knight were willing to travel to Nightmare Island this time, he certainly would not let the three of them be short of money along the way.
There was something Su Xiao had never been able to figure out. Given the strength of the Platinum Bishop, the Red-Eyed Woman, and the Beast Knight, they should not have been so poor, even if they could not be especially wealthy. The three seemed to