"What a hassle. I could be leisurely slacking off at the guild, but now I have to chase after those idiots." Ryoma grumbled, quickening his pace.
Half a day had passed since Gray departed. At his speed, he should be catching up to Natsu and the others soon. Maybe Gray had already been knocked out by Natsu and dragged along.
Ryoma calculated the time in his mind, his steps unhurried.
"But speaking of which... Galuna Island?"
A subtle curve appeared at the corner of Ryoma's lips. 'That's an interesting place."
He knew the truth about this island. The so-called "cursed villagers" were actually demons.
The real problem lay with Gray's deeply obsessed senior, Lyon.
He had gathered a group of people on the island to perform the "moon drip" ritual, attempting to melt the Iced Shell Ur had cast with her life.
Over the years, magic particles condensed in the air to form that strange purple film, which in turn interfered with the residents' own memories.
"Let me think, I believe Deliora was sealed on that island." Ryoma rubbed his chin, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.
"It's a good chance to witness a legendary demon, even if it's half-dead. This errand won't be a waste."
When he arrived at the port, he indeed saw the scene he expected.
Gray was standing in front of the dock, blocking the bewildered Natsu and Lucy.
"Bringing you two back is the old man's order."
Natsu's eyes widened, almost blurting out, "Have we been exposed already?"
Gray said with a chilling smile, "If you go back now, you might still avoid being expelled from the guild. Go back."
Ryoma didn't show himself immediately but found a hidden corner, observing the confrontation with interest.
The show had just begun, and he was waiting to see the live version of Gray being knocked down by Natsu.
Thinking of this, he almost laughed out loud, but then suddenly paused, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"Damn, I should have brought a camera before I came out. What a huge loss."
With a recording of such a moment, he could definitely extort a decent sum from those two idiots.
"No, I want to do an S-rank quest." The stubborn Natsu did not back down, determined to complete this mission.
"You guys aren't strong enough." Gray's tone grew cold, eventually even using that name to pressure them.
"If Erza finds out about this, you..."
Hearing that name, the atmosphere instantly solidified.
Happy's fish dropped to the ground, and he immediately defected, flying behind Gray. "Gray, save me. I was forced to come by these two."
However, Natsu still looked stubborn. "I want to prove myself, I can't back down here."
Ryoma silently shook his head from afar.
Sure enough, Natsu was still Natsu, his stubbornness at full display.
"It's Master's personal order. I have to drag you back, even if it means by force."
Gray finally lost his patience, and cold air began to emanate from him.
"Don't blame me if you get hurt."
Immediately after, a large amount of ice crystal condensed in Gray's hands.
"Huh? Want to fight? Bring it on."
Natsu's fists ignited with scorching flames.
Just as the two were about to clash, the silent middle-aged captain nearby suddenly spoke in surprise, "Magic? Are you mages? Are you here to lift the curse on the island?"
After Natsu and Lucy responded, the middle-aged captain, who had initially been unwilling to take them, suddenly changed his attitude.
"Get on board."
Gray frowned, feeling that something was amiss. Just as his attention shifted to the captain, Natsu suddenly moved.
He was caught off guard, hit on the back of the head, and his vision went black as he fell to the ground.
Natsu hoisted the unconscious Gray and was about to get straight onto the ship.
"Hey! Natsu, what are you doing?!"
Lucy hurriedly followed. "Why are you taking Gray too?"
"If he goes back to the guild, Erza will come next time." Natsu imagined the scene with a terrified expression.
To be honest, even if Gray wasn't sent back, Erza would still follow to catch them.
Ryoma watched the ship gradually move away from the shore, calculating the time and distance.
"It's about time to act."
He walked to the edge of the port, took a deep breath, and the magic power in his body began to surge. A solid block of ice instantly condensed under his feet, floating steadily on the sea surface.
Immediately after, he began to walk forward step by step. With each step, new ice blocks automatically formed beneath his feet.
This was a magical technique he had developed himself, creating temporary footholds by rapidly solidifying seawater, theoretically allowing him to walk indefinitely on the sea.
"Although it's not as fast as a boat, it's convenient and discreet." Ryoma muttered to himself as he advanced on the ice blocks.
"And this also trains my magic power control, killing two birds with one stone."
...
On the sea, Bobo's ship was sailing steadily.
Lucy sighed helplessly, "Even though it's come to this, I'm starting to get scared."
Meanwhile, on the ship, Gray finally woke up, rubbing the still throbbing back of his head.
"You bastard, how dare you say that after dragging others into this?" Gray, tied up with ropes, said resentfully,
"And you, why did you even start the ship?"
Just then, Bobo began to recount his origins—he was once a resident of Galuna Island but had escaped from that cursed island. He pulled up his sleeve, revealing an arm mutated like a demon's.
At this moment, they could already see Galuna Island in the distance. As their attention was drawn to the light source on the island's mountaintop, the deck behind them was already empty. Bobo had vanished without a trace, as if he had never existed.
"Ah! Where's that old man?" Lucy cried out in panic.
Just then, the ship suddenly rocked violently.
"What's going on?" Everyone stumbled, grabbing onto the ship's railings.
Huge waves surged from all directions, and the small boat tossed like a leaf in the raging sea.
"Where did he go?" Happy clung tightly to Natsu's head. "He didn't fall into the sea, did he?"
"No, he was clearly on the deck just now." Gray's expression was grim.
"Could it be..."
"A ghost?" Lucy's voice trembled.
The giant waves roared, pushing the small boat far away, and in the vast ocean, the outline of a gloomy island gradually appeared.
On the sea surface, hundreds of meters away from the ship, Ryoma was steadily advancing on ice blocks, watching the small boat being swallowed by the waves in the distance, a subtle smile appearing on his lips.
"It seems the plot is still developing as planned."
He quickened his pace. "Well then, it's time to go to Galuna Island and see."