In Hand

The sea breeze blew away the clamor of insects and scattered the restlessness in the heart.

Gabala and Tubala were on the island, sleeping soundly with snores that shook the heavens and the earth.

Arthur used his hands and mouth in tandem, cutting with his dual blades while chewing with his sharp mouthparts.

Thump!

The root connecting the Twin Coconuts of White Sand Island was severed by Arthur's bite, and the suspended coconut slammed heavily into the tree trunk.

"Who?!"

Gabala leaped up abruptly, guarding his surroundings cautiously as a white light bloomed from the stone spear in his hand.

He scanned the area, seeing nothing unusual and hearing no sounds.

"Gabala, what are you doing?"

Tubala sat up, looking at the highly alert Gabala with a trace of confusion and anger in his eyes.

"The Wizard's blessing is extremely limited!"

The white light on the stone spear dissipated, and Gabala frowned as he said, "Tubala, with my beast-like sense of smell, there is definitely an unknown movement nearby!"

Arthur hung upside down beneath the leaves of the Twin Coconuts.

Seeing the white light on Tubala's spear, a flicker of doubt rose in his heart; did such extraordinary power exist?

Suddenly, a strange roar came from afar, and Arthur turned to look at the Mist Sea.

A whale's tail whipped up a monstrous wave from the sea surface, tracing a graceful arc in mid-air before crashing heavily back into the water.

The booming sound echoed across the firmament.

Tubala sighed deeply and said, "The spirits of the sea are wailing; your intuition was not wrong, Gabala."

Gabala gazed at the distant whale, wondering if his keen intuition had failed him in the Mist Sea.

"Sleep! Sleep!"

Gabala flopped onto the ground and went to sleep.

Tubala sighed softly, rolled over, and quickly drifted into Dream Entry.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Arthur continued to cut at the Twin Coconuts.

Halfway through the break, Gabala suddenly spoke: "Jiligulu~"

Arthur tensed and stopped his dual blades, listening carefully to Gabala's words, only to realize it was sweet talk from a dream.

The gist was: "Sokala, I want to take you as my wife! Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"

His stiff mantis body relaxed, and Arthur waited for the waves to strike the shore thirty times before cutting at the roots of the Twin Coconuts again.

Half of the remaining root was cut through, leaving the Twin Coconuts dangling precariously from the tree, ready to fall at any moment.

In his sleep, Gabala vaguely saw a pair of blades not far from him.

They made no move to approach or harm him, merely brandishing the dual blades in the distance.

His nerves were taut, and he muttered in his sleep: Jiligulu~ (There is killing intent).

Arthur looked up at Gabala, realizing he needed to make a quick, decisive strike.

Even though his movements were light, Gabala could still sense him; his beast-like intuition was truly astonishing.

His mouthparts tore frantically until, with a click, the weight of the Twin Coconuts snapped the final fibers, and they plummeted downward.

Without a moment's hesitation, the mantis descended from the sky, following the Twin Coconuts as they fell to the ground.

Bang!

A loud noise rang out on White Sand Island, startling the sleeping Gabala and Tubala awake.

"There is killing intent!"

Gabala jumped up on the spot, his body hovering in mid-air; from a distance, it looked as if he were sleeping in the air.

Tubala hunched his body to protect his vitals, gripped the stone spear beside him, and surveyed the surrounding environment.

"I don't see anyone?"

"Impossible, my intuition tells me there is definitely someone nearby!"

The two raised their torches and began to search; two disturbances in a row could not be explained by mere coincidence.

Tubala carried his torch to the beach, circled the area, and suddenly froze.

He turned his head to look at the Twin Coconuts tree on White Sand Island; the tall coconut tree was empty.

The fruit that had been so robust seemed to have grown wings and flown away!

A terrifying thought surfaced in Tubala's mind: someone had come to White Sand Island and taken the Twin Coconuts.

"Gabala, come look at this!"

Gabala saw the Twin Coconuts tree, gasped, and then revealed an excited expression:

"I told you my intuition wasn't wrong!"

"Wrong your big rock!"

Tubala raised his hand and knocked Gabala on the head, saying in a deep voice, "There are unknown ghosts wandering the island; it's too dangerous here!"

"Then what should we do?"

"Let's head to a nearby island to hide for a while!"

Secret Sect Long Table.

Arthur calmed his racing heart. His mental fortitude was still too poor; taking ownerless items in broad daylight, yet feeling just like a common thief!

Fortunately, the Twin Coconut was already in his possession.

The materials stored at the Secret Sect Long Table included two Golden Palm Leaves and one Twin Coconut.

The coconut water of the Twin Coconut was one of the main materials for the Scholar Path, Sequence 7.

"The value of White Sand Island has been squeezed dry by me; there is no need to go there for the time being."

"The pirates' activities are about to begin. I must send a letter to Governor Drew so he can prepare in advance."

Releasing the carrier pigeon from his hand, Arthur issued a new order:

"Full sails! Destination—Rhine Island!"

Governor Drew, on Rhine Island, was pacing back and forth in anxiety, waiting for news from Arthur.

After the news spread, the Royal Tax Bureau put immense pressure on him, demanding that the tax money be handed over in full, without a single copper coin of discrepancy.

The high-ranking Noble Councilman behind him was also applying pressure.

Compared to the profits brought by killing pirates, he now desperately needed a glorious victory to prove his worth.

"Governor!"

A servant brought a carrier pigeon before Governor Drew and retrieved a small roll of paper from the copper tube attached to the bird's leg.

The 26th, at night, attack on Rhine Island.

Governor Drew received the message and suddenly realized that today was the 26th. "Damn pirates, giving me the news only today!"

"Assemble all the navy! This Governor wants to give a speech!"

"Ensure the gunpowder for the coastal cannons is fully stocked. You, you, you, and you—take men onto the ships and prepare to engage the pirates at any moment."

"This is a grand war. Exterminate the pirates attacking Rhine Island, and I shall personally request commendations for you all!"

Arthur finished organizing everything. Under his leather trench coat hung two parcels; just in case, he had also prepared a clean set of Sailor clothes.

Dusk fell.

Seven pirate ships appeared in the vicinity of the Great White Shark. There were two extra ships, having come at the invitation of other captains.

A light drizzle began to fall. Gray, murky clouds obscured the alternating sun and moon. Schools of fish swam beneath the sea, and dense bubbles rose to the surface.

"It's raining, Captain!"

Kaia looked grave. Rain was not a good sign; damp gunpowder would render the cannons useless.

"It's a good thing."

Arthur stood by the ship's rail and said, "The coastal cannons on Rhine Island are exposed. The light rain will dampen their gunpowder, allowing us to charge onto Rhine Island more safely."

"Should we communicate with the other captains?"

"No need!"

Arthur drew the scimitar from his waist, his voice resounding across the Great White Shark:

"Valiant Sailors! Spices and gold, sugar cane and rum, jewelry and tobacco! Gold coins are waiting for us ahead!"

"The raindrops are a blessing from the sea. They will dampen the enemy's gunpowder, so let us use our scimitars to claim our treasure!"

"For the loot!"

"For the loot!"

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"