Luo!

Early the next morning.

Nine-thirty.

A three-masted, four-deck ship about two hundred meters long sailed out of Kastra Town's harbor.

On the third deck, near the stern, the three of them had settled into a ten-square-meter cabin.

The cabin wasn't very spacious.

In fact, it was small.

It had only a low bed just big enough for three people and a bathroom with a toilet, tucked into a partition near the door.

Fortunately, the cabin was fairly clean, and the sheets and bedding smelled of disinfectant and sunshine.

The three hundred thousand Beli they'd spent hadn't been a complete waste.

The passenger ship did offer better accommodations, but... they cost extra.

More than the tickets themselves.

So, on Yol's advice, they decided not to waste any more money.

Now standing beside the cabin's window, Merlin could see the land they'd left behind through the one-meter-wide porthole.

Just then, Lami squeezed in front of him and rested both hands on the windowsill.

Rising onto her tiptoes, she poked her little head, topped with soft, glossy milk-tea-colored hair, out the window to look outside.

Lami's gentle voice rang out.

"Brother Merlin, how many days will it take us to get to Sea Swallow Island?"

Merlin rubbed the top of Lami's head as she stood in front of him and chuckled. "Three days if we're quick, four if we're slow."

"That's a bit long," Lami muttered. "I thought it would only take a day or two to get there!"

Yol had finished making the bed and now came over to stand beside Merlin, gazing with him at the land growing smaller in the distance.

"We've finally left that place behind and are heading toward our new life."

With a hint of emotion, she turned to Merlin and smiled gently.

"Thank you, Merlin."

Merlin tilted his head in confusion. Yol's lips curled slightly, making her full lips look playfully sweet.

"What? Shouldn't I thank you? If it weren't for you, I'd have died back there..."

"Stop right there." Merlin laughed. "With a pretty mouth like yours, you shouldn't go around saying things like 'I'm going to die.'

"You might give Lami bad habits!"

"That's right. Brother Merlin's right."

Lami popped her head out and gave Yol a solemn nod. "I don't like hearing Sister Yol say she's going to die.

"Sister Yol is such a good person. She'll live to be a hundred—no, a thousand!"

Merlin's lips curled up. "A thousand? Then you'd be calling her a turtle! You little rascal, how dare you call Sister Yol a turtle!"

As he spoke, he slipped his hands under Lami's arms and lifted her up, spinning her around as he laughed.

"Apologize, or I'll pin you to the bed and spank you."

Lami giggled. "I'm sorry, Brother! That tickles! Hahahaha!"

Watching Merlin play around with Lami, a charming smile appeared in Yol's eyes.

"It's only at times like this that I can see the lively fourteen-year-old boy in you. Usually, you act like a grown man."

"What are you talking about, Yol?"

Merlin set Lami down on the bed and sat on its edge. He pinched her nose and wiggled it from side to side as he turned to smile at Yol.

Lami, beneath him, puffed up her cheeks in protest. "Brother Merlin, stop pinching my nose! You'll flatten it, and a flat nose is ugly."

Yol smiled and shook her head as she came over to rescue Lami from Merlin. She gave him a coy, exasperated glance.

"You shouldn't be so rough with girls."

Merlin turned around and lay back on the bed. "I treat everyone equally, boys and girls."

Yol planted her hands on her hips, her tone helpless. "If you keep acting like that, no girl will ever like you!

"Do you want to be alone for the rest of your life?"

At her exasperated words, Merlin looked completely unconcerned.

"Even just going on my looks, I'll have plenty of beautiful women throwing themselves at me someday. You don't need to worry about that, Sister Nun."

Yol's mouth twitched. She scowled and couldn't help looking at Merlin's face again. She had to admit, the boy really was blessed with a handsome face.

His features were perfectly proportioned. Though he was still young, he had strong brows, a straight nose, delicate lips, and dark, shining eyes that hid a sharpness beneath them.

Every one of those features suggested that what Merlin had said could very well come true.

Before she knew it, an inexplicable irritation welled up inside her, as though a flame were burning her from within.

Just then, Lami sat up and leaned her left hand against Merlin's chest. She blinked at his face and grinned.

"If no one wants Brother Merlin someday, I'll reluctantly take you in!

"Even though my brother always tells me not to play with you, I don't really want to listen to him.

"I think he's just being petty with you. I once saw him badmouthing you behind your back!"

Merlin poked Lami on the forehead, his gaze turning subtly curious.

"Luo? That kid talked bad about me? Is he really that grudging? All I did was kick him in the butt once when I went to your house to treat him, because he was acting so arrogant.

"I apologized afterward, too.

"And I even bought him one of those extra-large ice creams that cost five hundred Beli each!"

Lami's mouth fell open. She quietly ground her teeth, looking disgruntled.

"He never told me. That mean brother of mine ate it all by himself."

Watching Merlin and Lami being so affectionate, Yol gazed at them tenderly and sighed to herself. "Looks like I'll have to teach Lami a few things about girls."

Meanwhile,

in another harbor town not far from Kastra Town, a bustling coastal town called Spider-Mers,

there was a seaside garbage disposal plant in the southeastern part of town.

This was one of the Don Quixote Family's secret bases in the North Blue.

More than ten enormous chimneys here spewed thick smoke and exhaust every day.

Household trash and heaps of construction rubble littered the place.

At that moment, Law sat hugging his knees on a pile of construction rubble, staring blankly at the distant sea.

He had been with the Don Quixote Family for ten days.

"Mom, Dad, Lami... I'll avenge you. I swear."

"Law? Why have you run off here again?" Just then, a girl of about eight appeared. She wore a dark blue dress with a little white apron tied around her waist.

Her long black hair fell to her waist, and her features were delicate and cute. A yellow bow ornament sat in her hair.

The girl put her hands on her hips and complained in annoyance, "Everyone's finished breakfast. Hurry up and come eat! I even have to come find you, you big idiot."

Law turned around and glared at the girl, his brows furrowed fiercely. "Baby-5, shut up! Who asked you to meddle in my business? Get lost!"

Baby-5's eyes instantly welled with tears. Looking terribly hurt, she took a step back, then turned and ran off without looking back.

"I'm never calling you to eat again! I hope you starve to death, you big dummy!"

After watching the girl run away, wiping her tears, Law's fierce expression settled. He looked at the white scars on his arms, his gaze turning desolate.

"I'm not going to die. I still have a great revenge to carry out!"

But then a detestable figure suddenly came to mind: the bastard who always "bullied" his little sister whenever he came to their house. Law pressed his lips together slightly.

"If I managed to get away, then what about you? Laplace... I hope you survived. I don't want you getting to heaven and continuing to bully my Lami."

At that thought, he quickly shook his head, doubt flickering in his eyes. "He'd probably go to hell, wouldn't he? That guy doesn't look like a good person.

"Then again, maybe he should go to heaven!"

Law's mood improved without him realizing it. He got to his feet, brushed off his backside, and headed after Baby-5.

He had to eat his fill quickly. Those bastards were going to put him through training soon.

If he didn't eat enough, he wouldn't even have the strength to fight back.

Before long, Law crossed several heaps of rubble and reached a towering old building surrounded by construction debris.

This was the Don Quixote Family's base in this harbor town.

The sea was calm and peaceful.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

The three of them spent most of those two days in their cabin, though they sometimes went up to the deck for some fresh air.

The journey had been peaceful, too. They hadn't run into any scum of the sea, like pirates.

The deck.

Merlin rested both arms on the ship's railing and gazed out at the endless fiery-red sea.

The setting sun painted the water red, making it look as though it were burning.

Every so often, an unknown giant fish leaped out of the water. The faintly salty sea breeze carried a fishy smell.

He was in a very good mood.

The Equipment Slot in front of Merlin disappeared.

Over the past few days, the Synchronization Value of the two pieces of equipment had risen by another one percent.

They had reached 13% and 8%, respectively.

He clenched his fists, feeling a slight change in his body.

He felt lighter on his feet.

"How high does the Synchronization Value need to be before I get an equipment's special abilities?

"Fifteen percent? Twenty percent? Or fifty percent?"

The Equipment Slot still hadn't given him any clear information about this.

He'd have to figure it out for himself.

Still,

"Lynx's influence on me has been getting more and more 'serious' lately."

As soon as daylight came, Merlin found himself nodding off from time to time. At night, he became wide awake.

Merlin knew it was because lynxes were nocturnal animals.

So, for the past two days, he'd spent nearly all day sleeping. At night, he exercised in the cabin corridor or trained his ability in the bathroom by inflicting injuries on himself.

"Hey, Merlin. Why are you out here by yourself, enjoying the sea breeze? Didn't your sister come with you? Want a smoke?"

A sailor from the ship came over and offered Merlin a cigarette, though his eyes kept darting around.

He seemed to be looking for someone.

Merlin didn't take the cigarette. For one thing, his keen sense of smell meant that he no longer liked this old indulgence from his previous life.

For another...

"Your intentions aren't pure." Merlin glanced at the young man beside him. He had a sinister face, but his clothes were clean. Then he said flatly, "And do you really think you're better-looking than me?"

The young man's face, darkened and roughened by years of wind and sun, stiffened. He glared at Merlin, his expression hostile.

"What's that supposed to mean? You can't judge someone's chances with a beautiful woman by his looks alone! Is there anything wrong with wanting to be your brother-in-law? Miss Yol is the most beautiful sight on this ship!"

"She's gentle, has a great figure, and she's beautiful. Is there anything wrong with admiring her?

"Miss Yol is a goddess!"