Art is Explosion!

Once the townspeople had all sailed off into the distance on their boats...

Will finally moved again.

He first grabbed a few Explosive barrels nearby and smashed them directly onto the ground, spilling gunpowder everywhere.

Then he tossed several more into the air, making them collide and shatter together, letting the gunpowder scatter evenly over the marines below.

After setting everything up.

Will didn't linger for a moment. He bent his knees slightly, leaned forward, then suddenly stamped the ground and launched himself into the air.

He stabilized his stance midair by treading on the air itself, then slowly pulled a matchbox from his chest, opened it, and took out a single match.

Fsssh~!

After flicking his finger to strike the match alight.

Will stuffed the burning match back into the box, leaving a gap, then gently tossed the whole matchbox downward.

Without looking back, he turned and strode away through the air.

The falling matchbox quickly burst into flames.

It disintegrated midair into a shower of sparks that scattered downward, dazzlingly bright against the darkening sky.

Then.

The sparks met the vast pool of gunpowder below, and a serpent of fire instantly raced toward the surrounding barrels.

The next second!

Boom—!!!

Beneath the dim sky, a colossal pillar of fire shot up in an instant. A visible shockwave compressed the air and blasted outward at high speed!

Even the seawater at the shore was instantly pushed back by the explosion, churning into rolling waves!

Thick black smoke roiled wildly within the blaze, swelling upward like a mushroom cloud!

The sheer force of the impact shattered the entire island, which began to crumble and sink into the sea.

Even though Will had already put some distance between himself and the blast, the wind from the shockwave still whipped his clothes violently against his back.

The dim sky behind him was stained with a crimson glow.

"What happened?!"

Nami and Carina, who had already finished cooking dinner and eaten, had been waiting for a while. At the sound of that terrifying roar, they rushed out of the cabin.

Bracing against the warm gale blowing in their faces, they saw the utterly shocking pillar of fire in the distance.

"This is..."

Even though they had witnessed plenty of big scenes before, Nami and Carina were still stunned. Their eyes went wide as they stood frozen, staring blankly.

But they quickly snapped out of it and noticed a strange ship being pushed toward them by the waves and wind from the island's direction.

Thud.

Before the two women could react to the ship, Will suddenly dropped from the sky and landed steadily on the deck.

Gazing at the brilliant spectacle in the distance, Will couldn't help but silently marvel:

"Now that's true art."

Hearing the noise, Nami and Carina quickly turned their heads.

When they saw it was Will, their eyes lit up, and they immediately ran over to ask in unison:

"Will, what happened over there?!"

Will raised an eyebrow and said calmly:

"Nothing much. I just got inspired and put on a little art show."

"What? Art show?!" Carina and Nami were both taken aback, not understanding what he meant.

Will couldn't be bothered to explain further. He walked to the ship's edge, using the firelight to spot the vessel that had drifted nearby, and shouted:

"Listen up, people on that ship! Follow me! I'll take you back to the Konomi Islands!"

The townspeople on that ship had been staring wide-mouthed at the explosion in shock.

When they heard that somewhat familiar voice, they all snapped to attention and shouted back in unison: "Yes sir!"

Carina walked over, saw the scene, and couldn't help teasing: "Will, where'd you recruit these new recruits from?"

"New recruits?" Will frowned, not understanding what she meant.

Carina smirked. "Look how obedient they are. Aren't they your new recruits?"

Will was taken aback for a moment, then explained with a hint of exasperation: "You've got it wrong. They're just afraid of me."

"These people are actually ordinary townspeople that the marines secretly captured."

Hearing this answer, this time it was Carina's turn to be stunned.

Meanwhile, Nami, who had been full of questions all along, couldn't help but ask: "Will, I heard you just now saying something about taking them back to the Konomi Islands? Isn't that where my home is?"

"And you said these people are all ordinary townsfolk—what's that all about? Were these people captured on the Konomi Islands?!"

The amount of information was a bit overwhelming.

Nami felt that in just this short time apart, Will had already gone through a lot on his own.

It was as if she had suddenly missed so much.

But she had come along too, hadn't she?

Carina, standing nearby, had already snapped back to attention and was pricking up her ears, listening curiously.

However, since the matter was a bit complicated, Will didn't immediately explain it to them. Instead, he said: "Alright, Nami, you go steer the ship first."

"It's already night. Let's try to send those townsfolk off as soon as possible."

"As for what exactly happened, I'll find time to tell you both on the way later."

With that, he walked to the side and, with one hand, hauled up the massive anchor securing the ship.

Seeing this, Nami had no choice but to turn around and run off to steer the ship, while silently speculating in her mind.

As Carina hoisted the sail, Will and the others set sail once more, following the same route back.

Along the way, they encountered no obstacles.

While eating the delicious food Nami and Carina had carefully prepared, Will recounted to the two women what had happened at Marine Branch 16's base.

By the time the ship carrying Will and the townsfolk neared the Konomi Islands, it was already deep into the night.

The sky had long since shed its own colors, gradually lit up by moonlight and stars.

"We're almost there! You should be able to see the way from here! Go on back on your own!"

Will stood by the ship's edge and shouted loudly toward the cargo ship sailing alongside them.

He didn't have time to keep escorting these townsfolk to the island.

After all, there were more important things waiting for him to do.

Once those townsfolk got ashore and met people from other villages, they would naturally understand what had happened on the island recently.

And after returning to their own villages, these townsfolk would surely gradually rebuild their homes.

None of that required Will's concern.

Nami, who was at the helm, heard this and, with perfect unspoken coordination, turned the wheel to change course.

The two ships began to move in different directions.

The townsfolk on the ship, upon hearing Will's words, didn't react at first.

But when they saw the familiar coastline ahead, growing closer and closer, they belatedly realized that the tall, fearsome-looking man had actually safely sent them back to the Konomi Islands, instead of handing them off somewhere else.

So the townsfolk rushed to the stern, facing the only glimmer of light on the sea, waving their hands and shouting with excitement, as if trying to convey their gratitude to their savior on the other ship.

But by then, Will and the others had already turned around and sailed far away.