Kael didn't wait for an answer; he bolted for the exit. His sudden movement startled everyone in the guild. It looked like Kael was genuinely set on hunting down Natsu and the others.
Gray and Elfman reacted instantly, grabbing him to stop him. One wrapped an arm around his waist while the other blocked his path.
"Kael… don't be reckless. Calm down!"
"Yeah! Don't lose your head! They don't deserve to die for this!"
Makarov sighed, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple as he watched the chaos. He knew how obsessed Kael was with S-Class missions, but he was sending him to save his guildmates—not to bury them.
Mira quickly stepped in, trying to de-escalate things. "Wait! Natsu and the others left in secret. Since they didn't officially register the quest, it technically doesn't count as them taking it. That means the mission is still available."
Kael stopped struggling at once. "Really?"
"Of course."
"Good. Master, I'm taking that S-Class mission."
"Alright! I approve it!" Makarov barked.
[Ding! S-Class mission accepted: Save Our Island!]
Seeing the system prompt, Kael finally exhaled in relief. If he had lost an S-Class opportunity because of Natsu's antics, he wouldn't have actually killed him—but he absolutely would've given him a beating he'd never forget.
"Kael, I'm leaving this to you. Bring Natsu and the others back."
"Don't worry, Master. I'll bring them back alive," Kael said, baring his teeth in a fierce, jagged grin. "As for whether they'll still have all their limbs intact… I can't promise that. I'm heading out."
As Kael walked away, the guild members shivered as one. Kael was usually easygoing and friendly, but seeing him snap over an S-Class mission was terrifying.
"Gray, go with him," Makarov ordered, still looking uneasy. "Keep an eye on Kael. Make sure he doesn't actually cripple Natsu."
"On it!"
Gray agreed without hesitation. He'd been itching to see an S-Class mission for a long time. Even if he was just tagging along, the chance to see the legendary "Demon Island" was too good to pass up. Watching Elfman go on one earlier had left him burning with envy.
Hargeon Port
"Wow… this brings back memories. This is where we first met," Lucy sighed, taking in the familiar docks. "I remember you completely trashed this place. Everything's fixed now—except for that massive fist mark Kael left on the cliff."
Natsu blinked, confused. "Didn't that happen just a few days ago? Why are you being so sentimental?"
"Whatever! Let's just find a boat to Galuna Island."
The moment Lucy said "boat," Natsu's face turned pale. "A boat?! No way! Can't we just swim there?"
The Eisenwald incident was still fresh in his mind. Between the train ride and Erza's Magic Four-Wheel Vehicle, Natsu felt like his stomach had been through a blender.
Lucy gave him a deadpan look. "Your ideas are always the worst."
They approached the local boatmen, but the reaction was the same every time. The instant they mentioned Galuna Island, the sailors' faces filled with dread. Even the bravest pirates avoided the place people called "Demon Island."
The last boatman they spoke to shook his head. "I don't know what you're planning, but no one here will take you. That island is cursed."
"Sigh… now what?" Lucy slumped. Without a boat, she could kiss that Golden Key goodbye.
Natsu, however, started cheering. "See? We have to swim!"
"Aye!" Happy agreed.
The boatman overheard them and scoffed. "Swim? Are you trying to get yourselves killed? The waters are crawling with giant sharks."
"I'm not scared of fish!" Natsu shouted, flames bursting from his fists. "I'll roast them into jerky!"
The boatman's eyes widened at the sight of the fire. "Fire…? You—you're Mages? Are you here to break the island's curse?"
"Yeah!"
"Then get on board."
The two cheered and rushed onto the deck. As soon as the boat set sail, the reality of the situation hit them.
"Blergh… save me…" Natsu groaned, already leaning over the railing, completely incapacitated by motion sickness.
"I don't know why, but I'm starting to get really nervous," Lucy muttered. She remembered this was an S-Class mission—the kind where even elite Mages could lose their lives.
"Hey, mister," Lucy called out. "You refused us at first. Why did you change your mind when you found out we were Mages?"
The boatman, Bobo, didn't look back. "I used to live on that island. I'm one of the few who managed to escape that nightmare."
"Mr. Bobo, if you're from there, then you know what the curse is, right?" Happy asked.
"This is the curse…"
Bobo pulled back his cloak, revealing his arm. The trio gasped. It wasn't a human arm anymore; it was covered in black, jagged scales, ending in sharp, wicked claws. It looked exactly like a demon's limb.
"If you set foot on that island, the same disaster will fall on you. Can you really break a demon's curse?"
Back at Hargeon Port
"They left about three or four hours ago."
"Those idiots. They're faster than they look."
Kael and Gray had just arrived. Finding Natsu's group was easy—a guy with pink hair, a blonde girl, and a flying blue cat stood out like a sore thumb in a place like this.
"None of the boatmen will take us to Galuna," Gray said, frustrated after asking around. "What's the plan?"
"It doesn't matter. If they won't take us, we'll make our own way."
Kael took a deep breath and activated his magic.
"Full-Body Take Over: Ace!"
Freckles appeared across Kael's cheeks. An orange cowboy hat materialized on his head, and his clothes shifted into black shorts and boots. On his back, the flaming tattoo of the Whitebeard Pirates glowed with power.
With a surge of magic, Kael summoned a sleek, compact craft onto the water. It was a Striker—a one-man wave-runner powered by fire. Three heavy nozzles at the rear handled extreme propulsion and steering.
"Get in," Kael commanded, his eyes glowing with the power of the Flare-Flare Fruit. "We're catching up."