As sorrow and remorse flickered in Kuma's eyes, Ian suddenly said,
"Sapphire Scales isn't an incurable illness."
Kuma: "...?!"
The moment those words left Ian's mouth, Kuma's expression shifted from sadness to shock, then to intense excitement. "How do you know that? No, Mr. Ian, do you have a way to cure it?!"
He didn't know how Ian from the West Blue could possibly know such a thing, but that didn't matter.
All that mattered was saving Bonney.
"Please, tell me! No matter what it takes, I'll do it!"
"Calm down."
Ian said, trying to ease the agitated Kuma. "I do know how to treat it, but now isn't the time. If you trust me, come find me in two years. There's no rush yet. Of course."
He added with a small smile: "This won't be free."
"I—I..."
Hearing Ian's words, Kuma looked a bit at a loss, but thinking of his recent despair, he gritted his teeth and said firmly: "I believe you, Mr. Ian."
"No matter what it is."
Just as Ian stared at Kuma in surprise, Kuma's honest face broke into a happy smile. "As long as Bonney can be cured, I'm willing to pay any price."
Ian: "..."
Ian looked at Kuma, who was smiling with tears at the corners of his eyes, fell silent for a moment, and then said, "Rest assured, I do have a way to treat the Sapphire Scales."
After saying that, he didn't say anything further, turned, and headed back toward his home.
Only Kuma, still smiling, gazed after him. "I believe you."
Because he was the first person to tell Kuma that Sapphire Scales was curable, and Kuma believed it… Bonney would definitely live past the age of ten; no, she would live on in good health.
Thinking that, Kuma wiped the tears from his eyes, his face settling into a determined expression, a happy smile on his lips. "I must tell everyone this!"
Without hesitation, he didn't even walk towards the dock. Instead, he seemed to be enveloped by something and soared into the sky.
Feeling something, Ian stopped in his tracks, turned around, and watched Kuma's departing figure with a sigh. "What a headache!"
At that moment, bathed in sunlight, his eyes flickered, and he said with a meaningful tone: "The World Government, huh?"
After the merchant ship and Kuma left, life in the Sibia River Archipelago returned to normal.
Although an unexpected snowfall came in late autumn, it didn't have much impact on the islands; by the day after the merchant ship departed, the weather in the Sibia River Archipelago had returned to normal.
But as winter drew nearer, temperatures on the islands gradually fell.
As time passed bit by bit, the Sibia River Archipelago officially entered winter, and just before winter fully set in, the islands' large dock was completed.
To mark the occasion, a grand banquet was held to celebrate the islands finally having their own big dock.
With winter's arrival, the island slowed into an easier pace; the distillery's work also gradually eased.
If it hadn't been for this year's good harvest, the distillery might already have shut down before winter arrived.
They really had underestimated Zephyr's influence within the Marines. With Zephyr's endorsement, the Sibia Village's green grape wine became a genuine bestseller among the West Blue Marines!
If production weren't limited, they probably would have sold it in other seas already.
This was the source of Village Chief Martin's worry. Because of it, he even stopped Ian after his training to speak with him.
"What should we do?"
Hearing Village Chief Martin's question, Ian pondered for a moment, then looked at the falling snow and said: "Since there are no raw materials left, we should pause production for now and think of a plan next year."
"Next year?"
Although a little regretful at the idea of stopping, Village Chief Martin agreed and nodded.
"Understood. After the last batch is processed, I'll let them rest. But..."
He thought with some anxiety: "We can't just stop for so long. Our green grapes are not harvested until autumn. Are we supposed to suspend operations until next autumn?"
"We won't need to do that. Next year, we can procure raw materials from elsewhere."
Ian shook his head; he had already considered this, but he just hadn't expected the green grape wine to sell so quickly. "The Sibia Village has four distinct seasons and only harvests in autumn, but there are many islands where grapes can be harvested year-round."
There are quite a islands on the sea where it's like spring all year, or autumn all year; various odd seasonal patterns are common out there.
"We can purchase green grapes from other islands that grow them."
"That's right!"
Village Chief Martin's eyes lit up at Ian's suggestion, and he slapped his thigh hard. "I almost forgot about that."
But then he frowned as if remembering something else, a headache returning to his face. "The problem is, how do we purchase them? You know we're not pirates; we can't just go to sea whenever we like."
Ian: "..."
That remark left Ian speechless. He stared at Village Chief Martin. Why was this old man suddenly being so honest?
Indeed, apart from certain special groups, ordinary people cannot sail freely on this sea.
Even merchants must obtain authorization from local authorities to trade by sea, or else it's illegal, and if they are caught, they will be punished.
For example, Ian... Although retired, he too couldn't simply go to sea at will.
However, 315th Branch's commander is Captain Enchi, the Sibia Village is his people, and Ian had once been a Marine himself, so nobody paid much attention.
As for the West Blue's mafia, many mafia families collude with local nobles and Marine officials, and when they go out at sea, locals often turn a blind eye.
Being a mafia, they don't exactly follow the law anyway.
But Village Chief Martin was right: for large-scale procurement, having no legal status is a problem.
Maybe nobody in the village would report it, but other merchants would definitely sneak a report.
If that happened... It would be troublesome, even if the 315th Branch's commander is on their side.
Ian scratched his chin, thinking about whether to use Captain Enchi's influence to get a sailing commerce permit or to have Gini handle procurement directly.
"Why don't we form a pirate crew?"