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South of Plague Island: Survivors' Home.
This place, which was one of the main gathering points for survivors across the island, was essentially a series of artificially excavated caves located on higher terrain.
Nevertheless, the murky air still carried the pervasive scent of toxins.
The situation here was marginally better than in the rest of Plague Island, but the improvement was limited.
Inside the cave, dozens of figures huddled on makeshift beds of tattered rags.
Most bore visible disabilities or signs of weakness: some were covered in suppurating sores; others had twisted joints; and some had amputated their legs due to toxic corrosion. The lingering traces of the poison were still visible on their limbs.
"Good... ah... cough, cough..."
Deep within the cave, on a relatively dry stone platform, an elderly man coughed weakly as he spoke.
"Someone's come to take you away. That's wonderful."
He was clearly on the verge of collapse; his body was covered in purple, toxic welts, and even breathing seemed labored.
Yet his clouded eyes still glimmered with contentment.
"The poison hasn't spread too far in you yet. There's no antidote for Plague Island's toxins, but at least you still have many years left to live."
"We originally planned to ask Mr. Issho to take you away after we died, but since the opportunity is here now, hurry and leave."
As he spoke, Cori's voice grew somber.
"But... Grandpa Milas, everyone..."
The joy she had felt upon learning of Hitsuji's intentions moments earlier was now overshadowed by guilt and reluctance.
She looked at everyone in the Survivors' Home.
Apart from Leader Milas, almost all of them were slaves who had been abandoned here by the Celestial Dragons or nobles from nations affiliated with the World Government.
When she first arrived on the island, these people had taken her in and helped her. Without them, she would have perished long ago somewhere on the island.
"Don't overthink it, Cori."
Milas grinned, revealing his teeth. "Thanks to Mr. Issho, our lives are far better than those of survivors from years past. At least we won't die a painful death from eating poisonous things when we're starving," he coughed.
"Besides, our bodies have been completely ravaged by toxins. There's no point in leaving now."
He stated the grim reality.
A reality that meant their impending deaths.
"Go reunite with your family." As he spoke, a trace of envy crept into Milas's voice.
"But..."
Cori clearly intended to say more.
Just then,
"Get lost, brat!"
The man with the broken leg glared at her. "Good riddance! The sooner you leave, the more supplies there'll be for me! Why are you wasting this chance with such nonsense?"
"If you dare say anything about staying, I'll kill you myself today!"
The entire cave erupted into chaos in an instant.
"This is truly..."
Seeing the scene unfold, Issho, who was standing at the cave entrance, gripped his cane sword tightly.
"How deeply ashamed this old man is!" he declared, his voice heavy with barely suppressed anger and sorrow.
The separation between life and death stirs deep emotions.
"Mr. Issho," Hitsuji said, his tone remarkably calm compared to Issho's anguish.
"I'm rather curious: why did you accept the position of Guard Captain for the AdiKingdom army?"
"Furthermore, given your strength, escorting them out of here shouldn't be difficult, should it?" he inquired.
Issho remained silent for a moment before answering. "In my younger years, I gambled away my freedom and fell into debt. The Adi Kingdom's royal family paid my debt through the World Government, a debt of gratitude that I must repay."
"To repay this kindness, I accepted the World Government's condition and became the Adi Kingdom army's Guard Captain. I was ordered to guard this place for two years."
As he spoke, he clenched his teeth tightly.
Clearly, when he chose to repay his debt, he had never imagined that the mission would be like this.
Otherwise, he would never have accepted such a duty.
Given his character, even if the royal family of the Adi Kingdom hadn't shown him such kindness, he still wouldn't have stood by and watched the tragedy unfold on this island.
"I considered taking them off the island and settling them somewhere safe and then returning to the Adi Kingdom to confess my actions. Even if I were imprisoned again and lost my freedom, it would be a way to repay my debt."
Issho gazed at the survivors huddled in the cave.
"But they refused. The poison on Plague Island is extremely potent and almost incurable. By the time I arrived here over a year ago, it had already reached their vital organs. They didn't want to burden me further or trouble their families. All they asked was for me to provide them with monthly supplies."
He spoke in a low, remorseful tone, his words heavy with guilt. From the survivors' request, it was clear that none of them wanted to die.
But they had no choice.
Despite knowing they had little time left to live, they still chose not to risk offending the World Government and endangering their families by escaping. They hadn't made that choice.
As he spoke, Issho turned his gaze towards Cori.
"In less than a month, I will fulfill my promise. Had you not arrived, I had planned to leave with Cori once she had found her family and I had fulfilled my promise."
He gently stroked the blade at his side.
"I would have ended everything personally."
By this point, Hitsuji had fully understood.
He looked at the crowd gathered inside the cave; his abilities told him that none of them would survive the month.
Even though Issho was blind, he knew that his powerful Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) made his senses far sharper than those of ordinary people.
This future Marine Admiral could undoubtedly sense that the survivors' time was running out.
"I remember from the original story that Issho did indeed serve as the Kingdom Guard Commander for a certain kingdom. When that kingdom fell and its entire royal family perished, he was branded the primary culprit behind its destruction and imprisoned. It wasn't until the World Military Draft four years later that he was released and promoted to Marine Admiral."
As Hitsuji pondered, he pieced together the cause and effect.
Clearly, the kingdom that Issho had served as Kingdom Guard Commander in the original story was the Adi Kingdom.
The reason for its destruction stood right before him. This blind swordsman had chosen to take revenge for the suffering of the people of Plague Island.
Hitsuji thought this somewhat absurd.
The Adi Kingdom's King must have been a remarkable fool to entrust someone like Issho with overseeing this island, only to lose his entire kingdom as a result.
"Your blindness... is also a result of this. My inability to see is, in truth, a blessing. The filth and ugliness of this world are truly unbearable to witness. I would rather not see them at all." Issho spoke calmly.
"Understood." Hitsuji smiled. "However, Mr. Issho, some things don't cease to exist simply because you close your eyes and refuse to see them."
As he spoke, he patted his rear and stood up.
"If you ask me, it's better to change it than ignore it."
With that, he turned and walked into the cave.
"Everyone, put down those little snacks; bread won't satisfy your hunger. I caught plenty of prey today, enough to share with all of you.'
As he spoke, he gestured towards the enormous beast carcass that he had dragged outside the cave.
"..."
The survivors remained silent. Only Cori whispered hoarsely to Hitsuji: "Lord Hitsuji, I was trying to tell you earlier that the beasts in the Miasma Forest are highly poisonous and shouldn't be eaten..."
"Nonsense!"
Before she could finish, Hitsuji retorted indignantly.
"To my shame, I have some knowledge of poisons."
"A mere lethal toxin? It's nothing to worry about."
Cori stared in disbelief.
But before she could react, Hitsuji casually waved his hand. Where the corpses of the massive monsters lay, a small hill suddenly rose up, pushing the carcasses right to the entrance of the cave.
Before Cori could gasp in surprise, Hitsuji materialized beside the corpses.
He reached out and gently tapped the carcasses.
The next moment...
Buzz!
A dark purple liquid began to slowly flow from his hand. But as soon as the liquid emerged from Hitsuji's hand, it began to transform. It gradually became clearer and more transparent, eventually reaching an almost impossibly pure state.
Then it dripped onto the corpses.
"Hm!?"
Sensing something was amiss, Issho stood up abruptly. "What's this?"
He wasn't the only one to notice. Cori and the other survivors in the cave also witnessed the corpses changing.
The iridescent, multicolored, venomous blood flowing across their armored scales and the purple, toxic flesh oozing from the seams were all rapidly transforming. Their blood remained iridescent but now possessed a breathtakingly beautiful lustre.
The poisoned flesh shimmered with vibrant, iridescent hues, looking irresistibly delicious.
At the same moment...
"Smells so good!"
An indescribably exotic aroma instantly permeated the entire cavern. It wasn't the scent of any known spice or flower but a sweeter and more alluring aroma. The mere inhalation of this aroma seemed to alleviate the pain and weakness caused by the toxins in their bodies.
Gulp. Gulp.
The sounds of swallowing saliva and rumbling stomachs rose and fell together.
Indeed, just as previously stated.
Although Issho had been providing for them, his past gambling habits had left him with only a small amount of money saved up.
Consequently, the food he brought them was never particularly appetising.
And just at that moment, They watched as Hitsuji gracefully raised his hand in an elegant gesture.
"My fellow comrades," He announced, "I've come to take Cori away."
"However, as both the "Doctor" and "Legion Commander" within the organization, I cannot ignore your plight. Moreover, I have my own objectives on this island. Therefore, please dine first, eat your fill, and I will then detoxify and heal each of you individually.'
The crowd stared in stunned silence.
"A doctor who's also a legion commander?"
The two professions seemed utterly unrelated.
Moreover...
"Did you say... detoxify? Heal injuries?"
A quick-thinking survivor, his voice trembling, had already seized on the key phrase in Hitsuji's words. The realization dawned on everyone, and they turned incredulous gazes towards Hitsuji.
Even Cori, despite never having met him before, now looked at this enigmatic powerhouse with growing anticipation.
Then, they saw Hitsuji nod firmly once more.
"As I said before. A mere incurable poison is just a trivial matter."
(End Of This Chapter)