The howling gale whipped up wave after wave of inky-black swells, smashing savagely against the sea. David's Revenge sailed steadily through the raging waters like a sword cleaving through wind and waves.
A week had passed since the Battle of Hive Island. After a brief period of rest and recovery, Dawn led everyone onward toward Lodestar Island.
The closer they came to the place where the two hemispheres met, the stranger the weather at sea became—one moment, the skies were clear for miles; the next, hail might come crashing down, while even the sea breeze carried an eerie spinning force.
Yet inside the cabin, it was as quiet and steady as a castle on land. Everyone sat securely in their chairs and on the sofas, and even the tea in their cups did not ripple. They could not feel the slightest rocking. This was the shock-absorption system Vegapunk had specially modified, capable of withstanding the New World's fiercest storms.
Dawn took the hot tea Robin handed him and drained it in one gulp. The warm liquid slid down his throat, but it could not dispel the trace of guilt in his heart. Looking at Robin's gentle profile, he said softly:
"Sorry, I broke my promise. I couldn't leave Saturn for you to vent your anger on. Letting him die just like that was really letting that old bastard off easy."
"The battlefield changes by the second. You can't be blamed for that." Robin smiled faintly, without a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes.
"Besides, he died in the end. That's enough. A life for a life is already the greatest punishment."
Kind as she was, she had never thought of torturing an enemy before killing them. It could not bring back the dead, and it had no meaning. It would