Arrival on White Sand Island

The Great White Shark set sail from Blue Bay Island, searching for prey in the Tudor Strait.

Unlike before, a cross flag symbolizing the Tudor Dynasty now flew beneath the Great White Shark's own flag.

Arthur had been knighted by the Tudor Dynasty, allowing their pirate ship to appear openly before the navy.

Otherwise, the navy's warship cannons would have punched holes in the pirate ship's hull and sent it to the bottom.

The mood on deck was cheerful.

Kaia had recruited a new batch of sailors from Blue Bay Island, bringing the Great White Shark's crew to twenty-seven.

Among pirate ships operating near the coast, that was a considerable number.

Arthur stood by the edge of the deck, holding a pewter mug filled with his homemade "grog."

Fresh water, rum, and lemon juice, mixed with a little sugar—the unusual flavor had gone to his head a bit.

Kaia savored the grog, her face beaming with happiness.

"Captain, this grog is an incredible treat. I can hardly imagine how happy sailors and pirates on long voyages must be."

Mixing lemon juice, rum, and fresh water helped keep the water from spoiling, while the lemon's tartness and the sugar's sweetness added plenty of flavor.

But!

A small pot of cane sugar had cost Arthur one silver coin, just so he could make a barrel of grog to try.

"Kaia, it tastes this good because I added a whole pot of cane sugar. It's much worse without sugar."

"Tsk, tsk. Cane sugar is so expensive!"

Kaia downed the rest of the drink in her mug and smacked her lips. "Captain, are we here to plunder in the Tudor Strait? Isn't the risk too high?"

Pumao Port, the Tudor Royal Navy's most important base.

The legendary pirate Earl Drake had once confronted the Xiya Empire's Invincible Fleet at Pumao Port and won a decisive victory.

The Tudor Dynasty had gained dominion over the seas!

The navy there represented the height of the Tudor Dynasty's power. The port lay in the dynasty's southwest, northwest of the Tudor Strait.

So plundering merchant ships in the Tudor Strait wasn't a wise choice.

"Who said we came here to plunder merchant ships?" Arthur tapped the ship's rail, gazing at the distant horizon.

"Ever since we left Blue Bay Island, I've had a bad feeling. Someone may have their eye on the Great White Shark."

Kaia looked incredulous. "Who would dare target the Great White Shark?!"

"We were just knighted, and we're powerful pirates who can dominate the nearby seas.

With a captain of extraordinary skill at the helm, it would take at least two pirate ships of the same size to stand against us!"

Arthur shook his head slightly and tossed his pewter mug away. "Go tell the sailors to change course up ahead.

We'll circle around Blue Bay Island and Rhine Island. If necessary, we'll head to Rhine Island for help."

"Yes!"

After returning from the deck to his cabin, Arthur instructed Parrot Gro to keep an eye on the surrounding waters.

If he sensed the Black Devil's dream, he was to tell him immediately.

He entered his dream, pushed open the pure white door, and arrived at the Secret Sect Long Table. He glanced at the [Sequence 9 Potion] being analyzed.

In thirty-seven hours, the potion formula would be deduced.

Arthur directed his consciousness toward [Exploration], his gaze settling on [White Sand Island] in the pitch-black sea.

He kept his focus on White Sand Island, observing every plant and tree there.

This video-game-like perspective gave him a peculiar feeling, almost as if he were playing a game.

Suddenly!

A force of attraction welled up from White Sand Island. Arthur's spiritual power poured into it. When he opened his eyes again, a large boulder stood before him.

[He has descended upon White Sand Island.]

The Whisper of the Moth sounded in Arthur's ear. He wriggled across the beach, surveying his surroundings.

Looking down, he saw that he had become a "caterpillar," its body covered in fine, fuzzy bristles.

Arthur understood: he had descended upon White Sand Island in the form of a "moth larva."

It was a strange way to explore. Was it unique to the Tarot cards, or could he explore every region that had been illuminated?

He looked around, trying to find the Twin Coconuts of White Sand Island.

If he could get the Twin Coconuts this way, he wouldn't need to make a special trip in the future.

The danger of the Mist Sea came not from its islands, but from losing one's way while sailing.

Arthur turned around on the spot but saw no tall coconut trees.

How strange. There weren't any coconut trees on this stretch of beach. They must be on another beach.

"Quack!"

A clear cry rang out along the coast. Arthur turned to look at the sea, where a giant gray flat-beak floated on the surface.

Its crimson eyes fixed on Arthur's frail body, and it let out an excited cry!

"Quack, quack!"

"Damn duck!"

Arthur wriggled with all his might, crawling toward the island's interior in search of somewhere to hide.

The Gray Flat-Beak Duck stepped onto the beach, spreading its huge wings for balance as it waddled toward Arthur, like a pirate who'd spotted a chest full of gold.

Suddenly, he saw a pile of boulders blocking the path ahead.

Without stopping to think, he squeezed into a gap between the boulders and burrowed downward, burying himself beneath the sand.

Thud, thud, thud. A rumble like an earthquake reached his ears, and the sand around Arthur trembled.

The Gray Flat-Beak Duck raked through the sand and pebbles with its webbed feet. It quickly found a worm among the rubble and sucked it up with its flat bill.

A powerful suction descended from above. Arthur tried to grab hold of something, but without hands, he couldn't grasp anything.

He could only be sucked into the duck's bill and crushed to pieces.

His shattered consciousness returned to the Secret Sect Long Table. Arthur tapped on its surface, his head feeling a little foggy.

Were there still creatures living on White Sand Island?

Next time he descended with his consciousness, he couldn't linger in the same spot. He had to find somewhere to hide first.

Suddenly, activity in the captain's cabin surfaced in his consciousness. Kaia was knocking on the door, as if something had happened.

He withdrew from the Secret Sect Long Table, got out of bed, and opened the door with a dark expression.

"Kaia, you've disturbed your captain's sweet dream!"

"Give me a good reason!"

Arthur drew his flintlock and toyed with it. His expression made Kaia shudder!

Kaia hurriedly pointed toward a ship in the distance. "Captain! There's a ship following us!"

Arthur stepped out of his cabin, closing the door behind him, and looked toward the distant ship.

A fast ship was following them. At this speed, it would soon catch up to the Great White Shark.

"Hoist the sails! We'll circle around and head back to Blue Bay Island!"

"Fire two cannon shots to warn them off!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Kaia immediately shouted, "Full speed ahead! Circle around and head back to Blue Bay Island!"

"Thorn, fire two shots! Give those pursuers a taste of what we can do!"

The two cannons thundered, their shots striking the calm sea and raising towering waves.

The black-robed figure aboard the fast ship sneered at the cannonballs. "They think two warning shots will scare me off?"

"I'm an old sea dog who's sailed these waters for years!"

He turned to the sailors behind him and said in a low voice, "Don't get too close. Our goal is to drive them back to Blue Bay Island."

The captain of the Great White Shark had killed a Darkness Path Sequence 9, a Swordsman controlled by the Moon Bone.

As a member of the Black Devil Order, he knew that caution was essential.

Arthur stopped paying attention to the pursuers behind them, returned to his bed, and opened [Exploration]. His consciousness entered White Sand Island once more.

He began his second descent.

[He has descended upon White Sand Island again!]