Someone Said

The muddy fish, once it fell into the water, washed away the filth and revealed a rainbow of colors.

Its body trembled, and it swam freely in the lake, transforming into a rainbow in the water.

"This is... the legendary Rainbow Fish?!"

Buggy hesitated for half a second, then couldn't help but run over, wanting to go into the water to catch the Rainbow Fish. But as soon as his body touched the lake water, he felt weak and his spirits waned.

Startled, the Rainbow Fish circled in the water and swam quickly towards the depths of the lake.

"Hey, hey, what a beautiful big fish! Don't go!" Belatedly realizing what was happening, Shuma's eyes lit up, and he immediately jumped into the lake, splashing a huge spray of water, before following the Rainbow Fish downstream.

"This lake shouldn't lead anywhere else, Shuma gets lost again..." Buggy quickly walked ashore. Although he had seen the legendary Seven-Colored Crown, he hadn't expected to see such a magical species as Rainbow Fish at the same time. It was almost like encountering a Zephyr in the wild while playing Pokémon.

Lilina then stepped forward. Perhaps knowing the terrifying power of the Seven-Colored Crown to manipulate people's hearts, she had wisely refrained from causing trouble. Although she wanted to seize the opportunity to take the crown from Tiro's head, she unfortunately had no chance.

She stood beside Buggy, facing the Holy Lake, and murmured absentmindedly, "The legend of the Seven-Colored Crown and the Rainbow Fish, destiny and faith..."

As she spoke, she bit her index finger, squeezed out a drop of red blood, and let it drip into the lake.

Drop...

After the blood fell into the lake, it created ripples that spread outwards, then, like water and milk blending together, it seeped into the lake.

Lilina clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and made a barely audible sound, as if she were making a devout prayer.

The wind picked up, and the dark clouds on the horizon were blown away by a sudden gust of wind.

Gradually, a ray of warm, comforting sunlight shone back onto the earth from behind the clouds.

"What is this... supernatural power?" Buggy glanced at Lilina beside him in surprise, then looked at the shimmering sunlight reflecting off the lake.

Wow!

Water splashed everywhere on the lake's surface. A head popped out of the water, Shuma shook the water off his face and hair, scratching his head regretfully and complaining, "That big fish got away so fast, it shook me off in no time..."

After saying that, he looked up at the sky and suddenly shouted excitedly, "Wow, a rainbow! It's a rainbow!"

As Buggy looked up, a rainbow arched across the sky, like a magnificent ribbon unfurling, seemingly stretching from one end of the world to the other, its colors shimmering in the soft sunlight.

He shook his head. "There's a rainbow even though it's not raining? This is truly a magical island..."

Lilina finally lowered her hands from her chest and let out a soft sigh of relief. "It's over..."

Buggy glanced sideways and asked, "What... is it over?"

Lilina replied, "The curse is over."

"The curse, you mean... that seven-colored crown?" Buggy keenly sensed something.

"Four hundred years ago, after the witch priestess Gegu Wu, who was second only to the king in the Dulumeng Kingdom, was hanged by King Dulumeng VI, she was filled with resentment and appeared in her disciple's dream, hoping that her disciple could use magic to allow her wandering soul to enter the Seven-Colored Crown that Truman had summoned craftsmen to make."

The disciple dared not disobey her teacher's orders, so she used a forbidden blood curse to seal Gegu Wu's soul within the Seven-Colored Crown. From then on, the Seven-Colored Crown possessed the power of a curse.

The almost desperate power of the crown lured the Rainbow Fish, and finally, the Rainbow Fish appeared in the Holy Lake, spitting out a seven-colored bead from its mouth, tumbling and undulating in the waves.

Wearing the Seven-Colored Crown and affected by the curse, Truman saw the Rainbow Fish again and found that merely watching it could not satisfy his strong desire. So he immediately ordered his men to capture the Rainbow Fish. After several struggles, the Rainbow Fish broke free from the guards' encirclement and returned to the bottom of the lake, but the rainbow bead accidentally fell to the ground.

Although the Rainbow Fish escaped, Truman was overjoyed by the unexpected Rainbow Pearl. He then ordered the craftsmen to make a hole in the crown to inlay the Rainbow Pearl. At the moment the Rainbow Pearl and the Seven-Colored Crown were combined, the blood curse became even more powerful. The soul of Gegu Wu inside the Seven-Colored Crown began to absorb and combine with the Rainbow Pearl. Thus, a new power was born: the power to control people's hearts!

Afterwards, the secret of the Seven-Colored Crown's ability to manipulate people's hearts gradually spread without anyone noticing...

Whether driven by initial curiosity or greed, more and more reasons compelled and incited people to vie for this Seven-Colored Crown. The song of blood and war, the symphony of death and lamentation, began to play out with an extremely frenzied rhythm, plunging the entire Crown Island into an endless dark war until it withered and decayed...

However... the instigator of the war was not just Truman, but the priestess Gegu Wu. Rather than saying that the wearer of the Seven-Colored Crown can control people's hearts, it is more accurate to say that the soul of Gegu Wu hidden in the Seven-Colored Crown is controlling people's hearts, just like a pirate ship, where the sailors on the ship are always the ones who steer the course, not the ship itself.

To Gegu Wu, the wearer is like a ship under her control. Through the medium of the Seven-Colored Crown, she can arbitrarily change the wearer's thoughts and ideas, thereby staining this land with endless blood and curses. Once she succeeds, the power to manipulate people's hearts will no longer be limited to this Crown Island, but to the entire world...

From the very beginning, she was an incredibly evil and ambitious witch. Her disciples, fearing Gegu Wu's power, fled Crown Island after using a blood curse...

That disciple of Gegu Wu was also my ancestor. She couldn't escape the condemnation in her heart and eventually died in despair. Inheriting the bloodline of the user of the Blood Curse, I also bear the destiny of breaking the curse. Several years ago, I came here to try to break the Blood Curse, but as long as the Seven-Colored Crown is still there, this curse that affects the entire island cannot be completely broken. The Seven-Colored Crown, which originally only had one Rainbow Pearl, now has seven, which means that Gegu Wu's soul has never been annihilated. She is still using the Rainbow Pearl to continuously expand her evil power.

At the time, I had neither the means nor the ability to find the Seven-Colored Crown, and in the end, I had to leave for various reasons. But now... things seem to have been resolved. At the moment the Seven-Colored Crown was completely shattered, the soul of Gegu Wu, which had become one with the Seven-Colored Crown, also disappeared. Only then could the curse on the island be truly broken!

"Is what you said... all true?" Buggy was both skeptical and incredibly surprised. Supernatural powers weren't uncommon in the world of Pirate King, but hearing it with his own ears was a different kind of shock.

"Yes, that's right." Lilina nodded solemnly. "It's recorded in our ancestral journal."

Buggy sighed with a touch of emotion, "I never imagined that Crown Island had such a complex connection with you. It's truly astonishing..."

"I was just kidding!"

Lilina interrupted Buggy, a hint of glee and sly triumph suddenly appearing on her face. "You don't actually believe in curses and witches, do you? How could such a thing exist? I just adapted some historical records I came across, and you actually believed it? You're so stupid, hehe!"

After saying that, she smiled and walked towards Kaya, "Alright, alright, let's go!"

"..."

Hearing that Lilina was lying, Buggy was momentarily stunned, his mind not quite processing it. Looking at Lilina's retreating figure, he wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Finally, a meaningful smile slowly appeared on his face. "Oh well, whether it's true or false, it doesn't seem to matter..."

After Shuma returned unharmed, Buggy and his group left the Holy Lake, preparing to head towards the western shore and leave Crown Island.

Not far from the Holy Lake, the navy soldiers, still huddled together and observing silently, watched helplessly as Buggy and his crew passed by and left. A young, impassioned soldier declared righteously, "Captain, they are heinous pirates! Are we just going to let them go?! If we can't arrest them here, many more civilians will die at their hands! Captain, please give the order to arrest them!!"

The naval captain, whose name had been consulted, changed his expression, then looked at the young soldier seriously and said, "I am not afraid of sacrifice, nor are any of the soldiers here. However, Vice Admiral Dalmatian is currently unconscious, and as the highest-ranking officer, I have a duty to protect the lives of everyone here. If we act rashly and lose our lives in vain, we will gain nothing. The Buggy Pirates are not some small pirate crew that can be found anywhere on the sea. They just dismantled the Rainbow Mercenary Group, and you saw the whole thing. Their strength is beyond our imagination!"

"I... but..." The young soldier wanted to say something more.

The naval captain continued, "I'm proud of you that you still have the confidence to defeat them, but please remember, fighting against overwhelming odds is not courage. True courage is unwavering faith combined with the wisdom to assess the situation!"

The young soldier's face flushed a deep purplish-red, but he finally straightened his back and answered solemnly, "Yes, sir!"

Mohji glanced back at the navy personnel who were about fifty meters away from them and asked, "What are they saying?"

Buggy chuckled, "It's just a seasoned veteran giving a lecture to a naive new recruit. After all, one has been through the test of time, so his principles are more cautious, while the other is at a young and impetuous age, and if someone goads him or he's driven by a desire to impress himself, he'll do anything in a moment of passion..."

As he spoke, he thought to himself, "So, which category should I fall into...?"

The soul of a twenty-something and the body of a thirty-something—aren't they a combination of two contradictions...?

Cabaji grinned, his face grim. "Captain Buggy, you're absolutely right. You've torn away the veil of illusion and exposed the most obvious truth."

Kaya hadn't said much until now, seemed to be troubled by something. She finally spoke up and asked, "Uncle Buggy, if we don't kill those mercenary group leaders... won't more people die?"

Buggy didn't know why Kaya suddenly brought up this question. He glanced at her and slowly said, "Some people say that a hero born in a time of war, if born at the wrong time, will become a ruthless 'criminal.' The changing times always lead to changes in values. All measurements and decisions are never absolute. Suppose a pirate who commits arson, murder, and looting kills a boy's father, but because of a moment of pity, lets the boy go and raises him to adulthood. And then the boy grows up and kills the pirate. In this case, can you say who is good and who is evil, who is right and who is wrong?"

"Hmm..." Kaya remained silent, seemingly carefully considering Buggy's words.

Buggy didn't continue, giving Kaya time to process what he was saying.

"Why do everything you say make such a good sense?" Lilina nudged Buggy with her shoulder, unable to resist teasing him.

Buggy shrugged. "I don't know either. Maybe I can infiltrate the Revolutionary Army and exchange tips on high-level salesmanship with them. To get an entire country under their banner, the negotiator's eloquence must be off the charts."

The group chatted casually as they walked, and finally returned to shore as evening approached. After contacting each other via Den Den Mushi, Nilek Big Top towards the shore, and the group then returned to the ship.

Looking at the pirate ship lying dead on the ground next to him, Buggy asked Nilek in confusion, and the latter recounted what had happened.

"Oh?" Buggy said, "Kid, I didn't expect you to be so capable. It seems you took down a high-ranking officer in a flash..."

"Don't look down on me!" Nilek said, head held high. "I am the God Nirok, who has lived hundreds of years longer than you. If I can't even handle mere pirates, then all these years of my life have been for nothing..."

Then it quickly changed its tune, "No, live on as a cat!"

Mikuru's ears twitched, and he immediately bared his teeth and claws, ready to bite. "Cats are so superior and elegant, how dare you, a worthless dog, look down on them! How despicable, how despicable, how despicable!"

Nilek, not to be outdone, lashed out, yelling, "Who's the trash dog? I am the great God Nirok! You stupid cat, stupid cat, stupid cat!!"

Buggy, watching the cat and dog fight, gave a helpless wry smile. "Mohji, Cabaji, go check that ship. See if they have any extra gold or silver. If we keep refusing things that are offered to us, we can't be called pirates."

So, Cabaji and Mohji spent some time looting the Golden Braid's pirate ship, but unfortunately, all the food, drinks, and wealth on board were taken. Perhaps because of the navigator's death and the captain's disappearance, the surviving pirates dared not go out to sea, and later secretly returned to the ship to transport away the supplies.

After Cabaji and Mohji returned to the ship empty-handed, Buggy accepted the outcome. He glanced around at everyone on board and ordered, "Alright, let's set off."

There's a quote from Gan Fall that I think really captures the core message of the Pirate King world, so I'm just copying it here.