Chapter 36
While Kanoe’s group was eating dinner to their heart’s content and resting—
On the far side of Muia Island, over the ruins that had collapsed, the shadow of a boy stretched long. He kicked away an empty bottle at his feet and muttered:
“…No one’s really here.”
The hideout was completely deserted. Not a trace of life remained. Instinctively, he clenched his fist.
In a life where it wasn’t strange for someone who laughed and joked beside you one day to end up as a corpse the next, such was the life of a pirate. He had known that in his head.
But knowing with your mind and feeling it with your skin were two very different things. Lucas exhaled slowly and stepped deeper inside the hideout.
With every step, their voices echoed vividly in his ears.
“Hey, Lucas! Did you pull off another one today?”
“Why don’t you show us that transformation ability of yours, turn into a woman for us!”
As always, Lucas had stuck out his tongue with a sunny smile and ignored their words. Annoying, but a likable kid—that was exactly where he stood in the Raging Waves Pirate Crew.
Not once had he grown attached to the pirates. To him, pirates were the very objects of hatred. They had raided the village where he’d lived, and his frail mother had died because of them.
“You’ve got a pretty useful ability there, kid.”
And then—there was the first man who had recognized his worth.
“Don’t get it twisted, brat. I didn’t spare your life; I just bought it.”
That day, Lucas swore he would live for one reason alone: to kill that pirate.
Captain Grimbold paraded himself as someone who “saved” unfortunate children, only to enslave them. The kids who followed him in ignorance were forced into grueling labor until most ended up running away.
He would brand them traitors and kill them, then fetch another child. The cycle repeated endlessly. Lucas closed his eyes in the filth-ridden barracks, holding his breath still.
He repeated the vow again and again—to someday strangle the life out of Grimbold with his own hands, to end that devil’s mockery of salvation.
“Good. From today on, you’re family.”
After persevering through all of that, Lucas was finally acknowledged by Grimbold. From a slave doing odd jobs all day long, he rose to become a full-fledged pirate.
But there was no joy in it.
Nothing had changed.
Grimbold was like an insurmountable mountain before him. No matter how much strength he gained or how carefully he watched for an opening, killing that monster of a captain was impossible.
Doubt crept in. He had devoted his entire life to achieving his goal, and yet all Lucas had become was a useful crewmate.
“What is it, Lucas?”
“…Nothing. Just—leave this one to me.”
Before the captain, he still trembled like the child curled up in a garbage heap.
And then, during those hellish days, he met her. A woman with a foul mouth, who acted before she spoke, wild and relentless like the waves themselves.
“Hey, sis—are you strong?”
Maybe, deep down, he had been hoping for another salvation. There wasn’t a fool more pathetic than one who couldn’t do anything on his own.
I didn’t do anything. It just happened by chance.
Even following them then had mostly been about running away. Drifting along with the current, carried out onto the sea.
But Lucas knew. If he went on like this, he would live his whole life like a coward.
He wanted to deny Grimbold—the one who had taught him that “comrades” were nothing more than tools to be used and discarded.
That’s why he had come here in person. He wanted to confirm the end with his own eyes, and then choose, by his own will, to sail with Kanoe’s group.
“When I come back… will you take me in as a real crewmate then?”
A life spent just being dragged along—that looked pretty pathetic.
Lucas searched every corner of the dark hideout. But there wasn’t a single corpse.
In Grimbold’s quarters lay only the broken handle of a hammer. On the shattered floor and walls, dried bloodstains were still vivid.
Propped above them was a flimsy wooden board.
“Grimbold the Fierce Warrior—fought valiantly and returned to the sea.”
The handwriting was rushed and sloppy. So the rumors about another band of pirates attacking had been true. They hadn’t even had time to gather his remains.
“That bastard. I thought I’d feel happy when he died…”
Lucas bit down hard on his lip. It felt like a hole had been punched straight through his chest. When someone you’d hated your whole life vanished so easily, it was surreal.
“I swore I’d kill you with my own hands…”
Overwhelmed with emptiness, he slammed his fist against the wall. Everything was over. There was nothing left to confirm.
Just as he steadied his emotions and prepared to return to his companions—he heard rustling footsteps. Lucas tensed instantly.
“Lucas. So you’re still alive.”
In the moonlight shining through the window, a blurry figure came into focus.
“So you didn’t get caught by those bastards.”
A brown-haired man stepped forward, a dagger in hand. He was a member of the Raging Waves Pirates.
“Those bastards…?”
“There’s a bunch stirring up trouble around these seas lately.”
“…Not pirates?”
At Lucas’s question, the man frowned as though recalling something unpleasant.
“Yeah. The pirates were just pawns. They pit us against each other, and while we’re distracted, they plunder the loot.”
At once, Lucas realized—the man’s words were connected to what Ansel had said.
“They even kidnap people alive, those bastards.”
“Master, are you sure it’s fine to just leave like this?”
Night had faded, and the sun was just beginning to rise.
I climbed aboard, letting down the anchor rope. The jelly perched on my shoulder kept poking my cheek, so I turned my head and replied:
“We can’t wait forever, can we?”
“But he said he’d come back, didn’t he? That pirate wasn’t half bad. He even cleaned the deck properly.”
“It was Lucas himself who asked us to wait until dawn.”
But he never returned. I worried something might have happened, but if we lingered here any longer, we’d be putting ourselves at risk.
“Maybe he just changed his mind because he hates scrubbing the deck.”
“…That’s a fair point, Master. He did grumble often about how much he disliked cleaning.”
The jelly bobbed its head, as if I were some cruel captain who only made him clean all day.
“Hey, Jelly, how dare you? Talking like that about your mighty Master?”
“Of course, of course. With a heart as wide as the sea, surely Master will overlook a little jellyfish mischief.”
I shoved the cheeky creature back into my pocket. Then I walked over to Ian, who had finished the final checks, and asked:
“How’s the ship?”
“At this condition, she’ll withstand even a long voyage without issue.”
“Good. Then let’s set sail!”
I had already said my goodbyes to Ansel and Nana. There was no point attracting unnecessary attention at the docks.
Feeling the familiar sea breeze, I steered the ship forward. Water parted smoothly beneath the hull, and small waves tapped against the sides.
“Ah… now I can finally breathe easy.”
Standing at the bow, I inhaled deeply. As always, nothing compared to the feeling of being at sea—like breaking free from everything in the world.
“You looked unwell since morning.”
I turned at the voice behind me. Ian had come up beside me without my noticing.
“Was it because of Lucas? Or… were you uncomfortable at Ansel’s place?”
Half right, half wrong. Before I could answer, something squirmed in my pocket. The jelly poked its tiny head out first.
“Our Master isn’t the most social, you know. Spends a lot of time alone.”
“…When did I ever—”
“So being surrounded by people for long makes him uncomfortable.”
I clamped my hand over the jelly’s mouth. Ian’s eyes met mine, but he only smiled silently. I returned a weak, awkward smile.
He was frighteningly perceptive. I quickly averted my gaze, looking out toward the horizon where the sun was rising.
It didn’t mean anything. I knew well enough that the attitude he’d shown in front of people was just an act, pretending to be a couple.
But because of the strange words I’d heard last night—
‘…How am I supposed to say I couldn’t sleep?’
So really, this was all Nana’s fault.
