Minion Island

"What calm seas!"

Leaning against the rail and watching the seagulls fly across the distant sky, Rod slowly let out a breath.

Sailing at sea was actually quite dull. As far as the eye could see, there was only the endless ocean; even the occasional passing seagull counted as something interesting. That was why pirates in this world were so fond of throwing banquets.

"Since I didn't want any unnecessary trouble, I gave every other ship we encountered a wide berth."

Nerl glanced down at the sea chart. They were already very close to Minion Island.

"Still, I'm really looking forward to the Grand Line. They say all kinds of extreme weather can appear there at any time. It might be bright and sunny one second, then raging waves the next—or even hailstones as large as rocks."

"Hahaha, you'll see it soon enough."

Rod patted Nerl on the shoulder and laughed.

It was not just Nerl. Rod was also full of anticipation for that sea: the ever-changing weather, all manner of strange sights he had never seen before, and every kind of delicious food. Every one of them excited him.

"Are you two planning to go to the Grand Line?"

Nia, who was fishing on the other side of the deck with a rod in hand, twitched her ears and slightly turned her body as she asked in an apparently casual tone.

"Of course. Who roaming this sea wouldn't long for that route? There are breathtaking views, delicious cuisine, castles made of gold; islands floating in the sky, and islands lurking in the deep sea!"

"To become pirates?"

"What, are you regretting inviting two people who are about to become pirates?"

"That sort of thing doesn't matter to me. I'm long past the age of seeing everything as black or white. Even among pirates, there are upright people who abide by honor; even among the Marines, there are scum who bring disaster upon others.

So, as long as you don't get in my way, it makes no difference whether you're pirates or Marines."

"In other words, if someone gets in your way, then it makes no difference to you whether they're Marines or pirates, right?"

Nia gave a soft snort and did not answer. She merely reeled in her fishing rod.

She had been fishing for ten minutes without a single bite. Boring. Forget it, she was done fishing.

"Say, do you want to join my crew?"

Rod suddenly invited Nia.

"Idiot, you're on my ship right now, aren't you?!"

Nia did not answer. She merely waved a hand and turned toward the kitchen. Fishing was boring; she might as well go see if there was anything tasty in the kitchen. There should still be some of the dried fish they bought earlier.

But even someone like him was setting sail for the sea...

Mechanically chewing on a piece of dried fish, Nia fell slightly into a daze.

She was an intensely curious person who loved adventure. Over the years, she had traveled all across the North Blue and seen all kinds of things. Whether it was the brutality of pirates, the greed of the Marines, or the ignorance of ordinary people, she had become utterly tired of the same old things and sights throughout the North Blue.

I really want to see some different scenery...

Two pointed black cat ears suddenly emerged from Nia's head and twitched slightly. Her yellow slit pupils unconsciously narrowed as a smile slowly bloomed across her face.

The Grand Line... I really want to see it too. There should be more kinds of fish there, right...?

On the deck—

"You're planning to become pirates? I really don't see what's so interesting about being pirates. Drifting around on the sea all day, facing that endless ocean—it's just too boring. And without a stable environment, I can't focus on research either."

Grey had somehow come over to them, clutching a notebook filled with notes to his chest.

"Just these past two days of sailing have already worn me out. Still, I recorded a lot of important data, along with plenty of interesting ideas. I really want to arrive soon so I can begin my research as quickly as possible.

"Come to think of it, I hadn't spent much time at sea before. I never realized ocean currents and sea winds could have such a huge impact on a ship's voyage. But I wrote down all the important things, so my design is definitely foolproof now.

"I wonder what the research institute the Philk family prepared for me is like. They—"

"But have you considered that without real-world testing, no matter how good your ideas seem, all kinds of problems can still arise in practice?"

Rod cut off Grey's endless rambling.

"Like you said, you haven't spent much time at sea before. Your warship design was only conceived based on relevant documents. This is nothing more than armchair theorizing. If a warship were actually built according to your plans, it might be swallowed by the waves the moment it hit the water."

"You may have a point..."

Grey froze slightly, then pulled out his notebook again and rapidly flipped through several pages. His brow soon furrowed tightly, and he silently walked into his room.

The data he had recorded aboard the ship over the past two days clearly differed in many ways from the data he had previously derived from documents.

"Do you think he'll join our crew?"

Rod watched Grey shut himself in his room. Through the window, he could see that Grey, unusually, was not continuing his research. Instead, he was leaning against the table, seemingly lost in thought.

"I hope both of them join us."

Nerl touched the gun at his waist.

After taking the ship out to sea, he had personally tested the gun Grey gave him. It was flawless in every respect.

"We're going to the Grand Line. Having such an outstanding companion aboard would definitely be reassuring."

"Don't worry. Both of them will definitely join us."

"I firmly believe that."

Nerl smiled faintly. He could hear the thoughts stirring in those two.

"My intuition tells me that the research project Grey is looking forward to won't go so smoothly."

Rod looked straight ahead of the ship. A small island slowly came into view—it was Minion Island, the destination of their journey.

"We'll know the answer soon enough. Let's see what tricks this so-called Felke Family is up to."

As the small boat gradually approached the shore, Nia ran out of the kitchen and steered it slowly to a stop. Grey also came out of the cabin, and for once, he did not continue chattering away.

"You must be Mr. Grey. I am Felke Jason."

A row of men in Black Suits waited on the shore. After the group disembarked, they bowed slightly. The leader introduced himself with a smile, then pointed at the carriage not far behind him.

"Thank you all for escorting us here. Please board the carriage. We have prepared a grand dinner at the manor to welcome Mr. Grey's arrival. Of course, the payment promised earlier will be delivered to you after the dinner."

Nia frowned slightly. Normally, an escort mission ended once the target had been delivered. Since the Felke Family had already arranged people to receive them, they should only have needed to pay the reward.

Yet, judging by the Felke Family's manner, they did not seem inclined to let them leave just like that.

But...

Things seemed to be getting more interesting.

At the same time, on the other side of Minion Island, a ship slowly sailed toward the island across the sea not far away.