Bathed in the morning glow, everyone gazed at the pirate ship before them, their hearts filled with joy.
"Awesome! This is our pirate ship!"
It was a dark red, two-masted sailing ship, about fifty meters long—a medium-sized pirate ship.
Two days earlier, they had already begun moving their belongings aboard, bit by bit. Then, early that morning, they had taken the ship from the cave to the shore.
"Of course! This is my carefully crafted dream battleship! I improved on the original design and increased its power, so it can still sail at high speed even when there's no wind.
"I also installed three cannons at the bow. The main cannon can be freely adjusted to cover a full 180-degree arc ahead. There's another main cannon at the stern, with the same 180-degree range. Actually, I think we could add even more gun ports along both sides of the hull. Then we'd be able to fire from any angle, even if we were surrounded by several warships..."
"I've told you, we don't have nearly enough sailors for that. These cannons are more than enough."
Rod waved Grey off. Who knew how much more nonsense the guy would spout?
"Hurry up and get aboard!"
"Woohoo, we're heading out to sea!"
Pekoms and Shakky cheered and raced onto the ship.
Nia pushed off the ground and soared high into the air, landing right on top of the mast.
"This is way better than my crappy little boat."
"ROOM—"
A flash of blue light passed by, and Luo appeared aboard with Rod and the others. He then released the small stone in his hand and used his ability again, teleporting Pekoms from the shore back onto the ship.
"All right, I wish you a safe journey. Take good care of the dream battleship I built with my own hands!"
Grey looked at Rod with a serious expression.
"By the way, you haven't named the ship yet, have you?"
"Let's call it the Polar Tang! The Polar Tang will be our home at sea from now on!"
"The Polar Tang? That's a great name. Then, fair winds and following seas!"
"You've been saying all kinds of weird things since just now. You haven't been so busy lately that your brain's broken, have you?"
Pekoms reached out and felt Grey's head.
"Come to think of it, his injuries hadn't fully healed, had they?"
"He really shouldn't have pushed himself."
"Uh-oh, uh-oh! The dark-circled scientist's brain is broken! Luo, hurry up and take a look at him!"
Bepo shouted from the deck.
"Huh?"
Grey finally seemed to come to his senses. He looked around, then let out a startled cry.
"Wait! When did I get onto the ship?!"
"You only just noticed? Are you an idiot or what..."
Nia jumped down from the top of the mast. Ignoring the idiot who was shouting, she turned her gaze to Rod.
"Captain! Where's our pirate flag? Pirates are supposed to fly a flag, right?"
"We've just left town. Quietly raising our pirate flag without anyone knowing isn't the kind of opening I want."
Rod gazed into the distance.
"Of course we're going to make a big splash first, then raise our pirate flag in front of everyone. That's the kind of grand opening we deserve!"
"Crew, hoist the sails! We're setting out!"
"Got it!"
Pekoms and Shakky quickly hoisted the sails, while Bepo huffed and puffed as he hauled in the anchor. As the ship slowly got underway, the others went to the railing and looked toward Dr. Wolf, standing on the shore.
"Goodbye, Wolf! Thank you for looking after us all these years!"
"You'll see the news about us in the papers soon!"
"Don't forget to collect our wanted posters!"
"You'll always be our good friend!"
Watching the others wave goodbye to him from the ship, Wolf's eyes gradually grew moist. Those boys, who had lived with him for more than a decade, were finally setting out on their own journeys.
"Live happily!"
In the end, Wolf simply waved to them and spoke softly.
"Goodbyes always leave me feeling reluctant. My emotions are surging, and I can hardly keep from crying."
Grey wiped his eyes and spoke sentimentally.
The ship had sailed far out to sea, and Flying Swallow Island had disappeared from view. Everyone came out of their thoughts about the farewell, and Pekoms and Shakky were already sitting on the railing and fishing.
"Wait! Why did I leave with you guys?!"
Grey suddenly cried out, realizing it belatedly.
"His brain really is broken. Hurry and take a look at him, Luo!"
"My brain isn't broken, you stupid polar bear!"
"Sorry..."
"What are you talking about? Aren't you one of us?"
"Huh? Me?"
Grey pointed at his own nose, unable to believe it.
Compared with the others, he was weak and helpless. Could someone like him really go to sea with them and become a pirate?
"Of course! We've been partners for ages. Besides, I'd feel much more at ease if you were the one looking after the Polar Tang. After all, it's not just your dream battleship—it's our home!"
"Although I haven't fully come to terms with becoming a pirate, I'll leave the Polar Tang's safety in my hands, Captain!"
"Good! That's the spirit!"
"Exactly! This way, I can spot the Polar Tang's shortcomings as we sail.
"Many of my ideas had only ever existed in theory. While building the Polar Tang, I also discovered plenty of flaws in my idealized designs.
"If I can sail the Polar Tang across the sea myself, I'll be able to find the flaws in its design. As long as I keep improving it, I'll eventually build a dream battleship that surpasses Hades!"
The more Grey thought about it, the more excited he became, as if he had already finished building his dream battleship.
"Wait!"
Something suddenly occurred to Grey, and he froze.
"I didn't bring any of my things! The important data I recorded while building the Polar Tang, and all those ideas that came to me in a flash—they're all in my work notebook!"
"Don't worry. You were exhausted last night, and while you were asleep, we already moved all your things into your room."
Pekoms walked back and forth in front of Grey, carrying a big fish he had just caught. He was practically shoving its head into Grey's face.
"What? You're asking how big this fish is? It's nothing much—just over a meter. No big deal, no big deal."
On Grey's other side, Shakky was holding a fish too. She held out a finger to indicate its size.
"Oh, it's only a little bigger than Pekoms's."
"Bear wants grilled fish! Grilled fish, grilled fish!"
"All right! To celebrate our departure—and this three-meter-long fish I caught—let's have a feast!"
Rod happily raised a big fish over his head.
"You idiot, you just knocked that fish out cold..."
Luo, who had watched the whole thing, commented coldly.
"Hahahaha! Don't sweat the small stuff!"
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