Upon hearing Phil's words, the group, who were about to set off, fell silent.
"You're right, Phil. We've relied too much on the captain's abilities all along, to the point that we couldn't even resolve the incident of Miss Catherine being brought back. How can we possibly have the face to continue searching for the captain?"
This time, even Singh, who hadn't said much before, spoke up. Clearly, even he felt that his group's strength was severely lacking, and going to find Luo Chen would only be a hindrance to him.
"So what do you plan to do? Aren't you going to look for the captain or try to rescue Sister Catherine?"
Lulith turned her head to look at the two of them and asked.
"No, of course we have to find Captain Luo Chen, and we absolutely must rescue Catherine."
What I mean is this: we can split into two groups here. One group will consist of Lulith, Violet, and Monbuma, while you will be responsible for finding the captain.
As for me, Singh, George, and I, we'll leave the ship to seek opportunities to become stronger. We'll return to reunite with you when we're powerful enough. What do you think of this proposal?
Phil shook his head and stated his thoughts.
"Yes, that's a perfect proposal, I can accept it!!"
"Me too!!"
After thinking for a while, George and Singh agreed in succession.
"Hehehe, since the parties involved have no objections, what can I do? I don't care!!"
"Yes, I can accept this agreement."
"I have no objection!!"
Then, Lulith and the others nodded and accepted the proposal.
"In that case, we'll part ways here. Miss Lulith, please tell the captain that we'll return in six months to a year when we feel strong enough, and then we'll set sail together!"
Seeing that everyone agreed with his suggestion, Phil turned around, walked to the bow of the ship, stopped, and turned back to ask Lulith for his help.
"Okay, I understand..."
Lulith, Monbuma, and the other two nodded in agreement.
"Alright, since that's the case, let's part ways here. From now on, let's each take action and make a name for ourselves on this vast ocean!"
"Oh!!"
And so, after making their decisions, the group bid farewell on the Isel ship and each embarked on their respective missions according to their original plans.
On an unknown sea in the New World, a "corpse" floats on the surface, drifting with the current. Not far in front of it is an undeveloped island with lush greenery and towering trees. The direction the corpse is floating is towards that island.
Wow...
"Huh?? This is..."
Half an hour later, on the riverbank, a sweet young girl who had collected a full basket of shellfish and fruit was about to head back when she suddenly saw a "corpse" slowly drifting towards her on the sea not far away. She stopped in her tracks and looked over with her big, bright eyes.
"This is a corpse?? No, he's still alive. Who is he? And how did he end up so badly injured and drift here??"
A few minutes later, the "corpse" was finally washed ashore by the sea.
The girl showed no fear. Instead, she walked towards him with curiosity and gently poked the "corpse" with the wooden stick she had picked up. She thought he was already dead, but his mouth moved slightly and he made a few soft moans. This made the girl realize that the person was still alive. She was stunned and a lot of questions popped into her mind.
After a pause, the girl seemed to recall something terrifying, her delicate body trembled, and she immediately dropped the fruit basket and struggled to pull up the "corpse"—no, the strange man's ankle—and drag him back into the forest.
As the sun rises in the east and the moon sets in the west, dawn breaks once again. At this time, the mysterious man who was rescued by the sweet girl wakes up peacefully on a simple and elegant bed.
After waking up, Luo Chen subconsciously looked around and, seeing that this was not an environment he was familiar with, couldn't help but wonder.
"Uh... where... is this place? Right, I remember being struck by Big Mom's Sovereignty and then losing consciousness before falling into the sea. Could this be the place where I was unconsciously swept and washed ashore by the waves?"
Then, a series of images flooded his mind, reminding him of his past experiences, and he Satori.
Click~
Just then, the wooden door was gently pushed open, and a pretty, petite girl, probably only fifteen or sixteen years old, hopped in. She was none other than Lacus Nayako, the girl who had saved Luo Chen.
"Oh, you're awake! How are you feeling now? Is it still serious?"
Nayako walked in carrying herbs to heal Luo Chen, only to find that he was already awake. Their eyes met, causing Nyaruko's pretty face to blush slightly before she recovered and looked at Luo Chen with clear eyes, asking softly.
Upon hearing this, Luo Chen nodded in agreement and expressed his sincerest gratitude.
"Yes, thanks to you, I just woke up. By the way, you bandaged me up, right? You did a great job, your technique is superb. Thank you so much! Oh, and I haven't asked you for your advice yet?"
Then, as if remembering something, he asked Nayako for her name.
"Oh, I'm Nayako, Lacus Nayako, and you?"
Nayako seemed like an innocent girl who had never been tainted by the world. In her eyes, there was no wariness or worry about Luo Chen, a stranger. All she had was curiosity. After introducing herself, Nayako opened her big, bright eyes and asked Luo Chen, who was leaning against the bed.
" Nayako? What a lovely name! My name is Luo Chen, and as for my identity, I'm a pirate from the New World!"
Luo Chen touched his nose, and, remembering his identity, introduced himself somewhat awkwardly.
"Pirates? What are those? Like the adventurers the village chief and the others talked about? You're really amazing, can you tell me about your adventures at sea?"
To Luo Chen's surprise, Nayako's first reaction upon hearing his identity as a pirate was not fear, but rather curiosity, as she bombarded him with questions.
"Uh... adventurers, you could say that, but if you're really curious about our adventures, Nayako, I can tell you about them!
But before that, I hope you can answer one question for me, Nayako: have you heard of any other people using the term "pirate" before me?
Hearing the girl refer to pirates as adventurers, Luo Chen wanted to deny it, but seeing the girl's curious and expectant expression, he could only casually agree.
Then, remembering what the girl had said about the village chief knowing about pirates, he realized that this place might not be as isolated and difficult to access as he had thought. Perhaps he could use the ships here to go back and find his companions, so he asked again.
"Yes, I heard it from the village chief. He said he went to sea when he was young and traveled to many places. He's the most knowledgeable person in our village. The village chief said pirates are a group of adventurers chasing their dreams. I remember that very clearly!
However, recently a group of bandits has broken into the village. They are very strong and call themselves pirates. No one in the village dares to disobey them...
Nayako tilted her head up and spoke in a soft, clear voice, but her tone lowered as she spoke.