The Chris Pirates disembarked, setting foot on solid ground.
Aeridar stamped his boots on the earth, stretching his back with a deep, satisfied groan. "Ahh... nothing beats the feel of dry land. Even the air smells better."
"So, Captain, what's the plan now?" Arms crossed, Arlan looked around, scanning the surroundings with casual alertness.
"Free time, people! A few of you come with me to the tavern to dig up some local intel. The rest of you, do as you like," Aeridar waved off nonchalantly.
"Ohh—long live the Captain!"
"Free time, hell yeah!"
"I'm going to find some dancers!"
The moment the words left Aeridar's mouth, cheers erupted from the two hundred-strong crew. It was a near-miracle they didn't toss the captain in the air out of sheer excitement.
"I'll go scout for rare ingredients in town," Gorbo was the first among the officers to raise his hand.
"I'll take a team to buy some navigation manuals and tools for repairing the Chris," said Dimitri, second in line.
The Chris had held up well during the recent "shipfall" incident, where vessels literally rained from the sky, but a few minor damages were unavoidable, given that several massive ships had dropped from above.
"I'll stay behind... watch the ship," Backan volunteered. He'd grown increasingly fond of the Chris, finding it far superior to any vessel he'd served on before. Lately, he'd even begun learning ship repair from the shipwrights.
"I'm heading to the tavern for a drink," Oliver muttered lazily, hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"Captain, I'll come too. Might hear something useful," Arlan added, throwing Oliver a glance.
With that, Aeridar threw his arms around Millie and Mina's waists and started toward the town.
The stunned sisters exchanged a look, then simultaneously reached out their pale little hands and yanked on Aeridar's cheeks, stretching his face to ridiculous proportions. Their sharp little fangs flashed.
"Damn you, Captain! You don't get to make decisions for us, we haven't said a word yet!"
"Objection overruled!" Aeridar mumbled through his stretched face.
"Even if you do, it's pointless. Just come with me."
"You bastard, Captain!"
"Oi, hey! Don't bite! Are you puppies or something?!"
Bickering and tooth marks in tow, Aeridar finally strolled into the bustling town.
"Damn... a big shot like that showing up here? I need to warn the captain." Not far away, a large pirate's expression twisted with panic as Aeridar disappeared from view. He turned and sprinted into the streets, even tossing aside his bottle of rum as dead weight.
"That guy recognized us. Think he'll cause trouble?" Dimitri's hand drifted to the pistol at his hip, watching the pirate's fleeing figure vanish down the street. He looked ready to pull the trigger.
"Let him go. If we run into trouble, we'll just treat it as entertainment."
Dimitri relaxed his hand, then motioned to several shipwrights before heading toward the town himself.
"Tch. Boring," Gorbo muttered, clicking his tongue as he too lowered his weapon.
Mock Town, Jaya Island.
The streets teemed with foot traffic, mostly with savage-looking pirates. Fights, murders, and robberies were so common that you couldn't go more than a few blocks without witnessing bloodshed. The corners of alleys were stained with old, dried brown blood.
Even the vendors, whether street stalls or shops, wore intimidating expressions. Most glared at potential buyers like predators sizing up prey. A few even haggled while waving pistols.
After all, this was a pirate haven. Survival here meant showing teeth, or getting eaten alive before morning.
As Aeridar watched a group of pirates brutally cut down an unfortunate soul not far ahead, he muttered with a sigh, "Chaotic. Even worse than Loguetown."
"Don't say stuff like that in such a calm tone!" Millie and Mina shrank closer to him, disturbed by the carnage.
Along the way, many pirates couldn't help but ogle the two beauties. But the moment their eyes landed on Aeridar, Arlan, and Oliver, whose aura practically radiated bloodlust, they hesitated. Oliver's chest scar, in particular, spooked more than a few.
Still, some let lust cloud their senses... and promptly paid for it.
The result? More corpses on the street.
"Fast blade. All I saw was a flash of white... then Tomor was on the ground."
"Tomor was worth twenty-eight million berries! He got taken out in one stroke?!"
"Did you see that blue-haired guy's kick? He cracked a man's skull like glass!"
"Who are they? New arrivals? Damn, they're strong!"
Gasps echoed from the crowd, stunned by the flash of blades and sheer power of the intruders. The dead lay scattered, still warm.
A man hidden in the crowd, cloaked in black, wide-brimmed hat shadowing his face, only two long whiskers visible, watched Aeridar and his group vanish down the street. His expression tightened.
"That man... the gold ring on his ear, and bandages still wrapped around his body. He's injured, but he still came here..."
Clearly, the mysterious figure had recognized Aeridar. And it rattled him.
Beside him, a towering man with bull-horn-shaped hair growled under his breath, "What now? It's not just him, the two men beside him are trouble too. If they're here in Mock Town, should we abort the mission?"
"We proceed. Our objective doesn't conflict with theirs. If it ever does... we abandon it," the mustached man muttered, tugging his hat lower. "I'm not throwing my life away for a lost cause."
Without another word, he melted into a nearby alley.
His horned partner didn't argue. He simply tightened the black coat around his bulk and followed.
Back on the blood-slicked main street, Aeridar paused. His head turned slightly.
He muttered to himself, "So... CP9 is on this island too. Looks like they're running some kind of mission."
"Hm? What mission?" Millie and Mina blinked in confusion, still clinging to his arms.
"Eh? Nothing, nothing! Just saying we need a good drink when we hit the tavern, hahaha..."
Caught off guard, Aeridar quickly laughed it off.
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