The naval ships moored along the coast were weighing anchor and hoisting sail.
Kujaku waited at the foot of the boarding ladder. Every so often, she rose onto her toes to look into the distance, pacing anxiously in place.
Bling Bling clutched his rifle and crouched behind the rocks lining the shore.
Ain leaned against the railing and gazed toward the Opera House. The sea breeze swept her blue curls sideways like rolling waves.
On deck, Shuzo directed the sailors, then called down, "Board the ship first. We're about to set sail at any moment."
Bling Bling turned and boarded. No matter how worried he was, he was a Marine; his first duty was to follow orders and not cause trouble.
Kujaku gripped her whip tightly. After standing still for a while, she, too, stepped onto the boarding ladder.
All preparations to get the naval ship underway were complete. Shuzo gave the order: "Everyone, get ready. We'll set sail and evacuate in five minutes."
"Five minutes?" Kujaku's narrowed eyes flew wide. At last, she couldn't hold back her question. "Conrad's covering our retreat. He'll be back any moment. How can he board if we leave?"
Shuzo stood tall and answered, "The Mafia forces could pursue us at any moment, possibly with heavy weapons. To prevent our ship from being sunk and our entire force wiped out, our top priority is to reach open water, where we'll have clear visibility and be safe."
Kujaku didn't understand, but one word immediately came to mind—sacrifice.
The Marines were no strangers to life-and-death farewells. There was Zephyr's family, or the little lion crossing the river, snatched by a crocodile right under its mother's nose. It always happened so suddenly.
But those were things she'd only heard about from afar. Now it was happening right before her eyes, and Kujaku was overcome with helplessness.
"I ate the Return-Return Fruit when I was ten." Ain came to Kujaku's side and stood quietly, speaking to the sea as if to herself.
"My hands were wreathed in beautiful pink flames. They didn't even burn. My little neighbor wanted to play with them, too, so I let her touch them—and she vanished. I wasn't prepared at all."
Kujaku felt hollow inside. She suddenly missed the ache that used to swell in her chest.
Smoke rose from the naval ship's chimney. After a loud blast of its whistle, it set sail. It wouldn't stop for those left behind. The moon had passed its zenith and was slowly sinking westward.
Smack—
Bling Bling dropped a dinghy and two oars onto the deck.
As the ship drew farther from shore, Kujaku's vision blurred until all she could see was darkness.
She wiped her eyes, then turned and leaned against the railing like Ain, gazing up at the stars.
The dead became stars in the sky. Her grandmother, Tsuru, had often told her that. Looking up now, Kujaku thought there really did seem to be two more stars than before.
A Marine holding binoculars raised his hand and reported, "Urgent report! An unknown creature is pursuing us at sea!"
"Unknown?" Shuzo frowned and hurriedly took the binoculars. In the distance, he saw a huge red, snake-like creature leaping wildly up and down across the surface of the sea.
"Everyone, stay alert! Prepare to fire!"
The Marines obeyed and formed ranks along the railing. Those in front crouched with their rifles, while those behind stepped forward and took aim.
The triple cannons at the bow turned as well, locking onto the monster bounding across the waves.
Kujaku grabbed a pair of binoculars and swung them from side to side. At last, she got a clear look at the target. After staring for a moment, a blush spread across her cheeks, and she cried out in her sweet voice, her words breaking with excitement:
"Everyone, stand down! It's Conrad! He's back!"
"Silence!" Shuzo barked. "Do you think I'm blind? You've been worrying about that guy so much you've lost your mind!"
Kujaku gave a mischievous grin and whipped her Combat Whip in a wide arc, striking the Marines across their backs.
"Everyone, attention!"
The Marines' eyes instantly glazed over, and they stood at attention with their rifles in hand.
"You!" Shuzo shouted furiously, drawing his sword. "Are you trying to get everyone killed?"
"I said it's him, so it's him!" Kujaku stood her ground, raised her round chin, and sneered. "Who do you think you are, pointing a sword at me? Do you even know who my grandmother is?"
That fellow had grown a lot taller and had red hair, so she hadn't recognized him at first. But that distinctive black face? There was no way she could mistake it!
Shuzo's sword hand stiffened. His face was full of indignation.
The red-haired figure bounding over the waves drew closer and closer. With every leap and splash, the stench of blood seemed to rush toward them on the wind, though he was still hundreds of meters away.
As the entire force tensed for battle, a familiar laugh rang out.
"Haha! Is this a welcome for me? You've gone to all this trouble. How thoughtful."
Conrad tapped the surface of the sea with his toes, skimming across it with light-footed speed. Haki pressed the water into a sunken semicircle beneath him. Then he leapt into the air and landed on the ship's railing.
A gust of wind swept past, setting his waist-length blood-red hair dancing like a nest of snakes. It framed his black face and white teeth, while his bare upper body was sculpted with muscles as sharply defined as marble. The scorched, bloodied flesh of his right arm looked like a tattoo of war. He leaned on the Whale-Slaying Tyrant Spear.
Though he had only grown eight centimeters taller, he had transformed from a boy into a young man. A sharp, heroic air mingled with a bone-deep, piercing aura of slaughter.
"Conrad?" Shuzo asked tentatively.
"I did what I could." Conrad leaped down gracefully onto the deck.
Then he rubbed his growling stomach and grinned before heading straight for the kitchen. "I'm hungry. Where's the cook? Get me some food, quick! Otherwise, I'll eat someone! Haha!"
Everyone aboard was dumbfounded. They'd already found it incredible that Conrad had held off the Mafia forces for so long. They'd never imagined he would actually return safe and sound.
Their regret over his supposed sacrifice quietly turned into the seeds of admiration.
"Whoa!" Bling Bling ran over and hugged Conrad, hoping to toss him up in celebration like he used to. But when he tried to lift him, Conrad didn't budge.
"I'm going to eat first, then I need to sleep." Conrad held his spear and shot Bling Bling a sidelong glance.
Only then did Bling Bling notice Conrad's eyes—one black, one red. Blood churned within the red one like a living thing, making him feel like a pig or lamb being watched by a butcher.
Conrad had already gone down the stairs into the cabin before Bling Bling finally shook off that dreadful feeling. A cold sweat covered his back.
Conrad entered the kitchen, hugged his spear, and crouched in a corner. He ate the oranges in a basket while resting with his eyes closed.
A moment ago, he'd thought his time was up and the Demon Seed was about to take him over. Yet he'd never expected the Demon Seed to be so feeble. One little kiss had been enough to shatter its defenses.
And when it came to women, Conrad had always been composed, open-minded, and noble—a peerless hero renowned for overcoming temptation.
It had taken him just eight short minutes to admire the moon, effortlessly suppress the flustered agitation, and turn around to subdue the still-dazed Demon Seed.
"Shameless!" it shrieked inside his skull.
Conrad scoffed. "Something so base is nothing but trash. It has no self-control at all."
The Demon Seed's advantage was gone. All Conrad had to do was eat and drink his fill, then practice the Heart-Freezing Art to redirect his blood flow and compress it back into the form of a Demon Seed.
"Time to eat!" Kujaku wore a cook's hat over her pink one. She carried a bucket of food and crouched in front of Conrad.
Conrad opened his eyes and was about to thank her, but his gaze drifted to Kujaku's strawberry-patterned tube-top dress and the two small, wheat-colored mounds just beginning to develop.
Damn Demon Seed! It was trying to lead me astray again!
He hurriedly shut his eyes. After hesitating for a long moment, he had no choice but to say, "Kujaku... could you feed me? I'm at a critical juncture right now..."
"Sure!" Kujaku scooped up a spoonful of rice, narrowed her eyes with a smile, and popped it into Conrad's mouth.
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