The next day—
The Traveler had already left the Ilusia Kingdom far behind, continuing its journey across the vast sea.
On the deck, Perona stood beside Arashi, holding a wine-red parasol, looking aggrieved.
Even though Arashi had lectured her, she still didn't understand what she had done wrong.
Didn't Arashi like games?
Then why was it wrong when she played around?
Not understanding where she went wrong only made her feel more wronged.
In truth, she hadn't exactly done anything wrong.
But her sudden appearance on the ship meant Arashi had to establish rules early—just in case problems arose later.
Raising a loli was one thing.
Proper "family education" was another.
Wearing a straw hat, Arashi sat at the edge of the deck, quietly fishing, ignoring the sulking little girl.
Robin, meanwhile, sat on the other side, calmly reading a book.
It was a rare moment of peace—
Warm, almost like a small family.
But Perona was still just a child.
There was no way she could sit still for long in such a dull setting.
Seeing Arashi fishing and Robin reading, she pouted, walked over, and sat beside him.
"If you're fishing… shouldn't you stop the ship first?"
"Sounds about right."
Arashi nodded thoughtfully, then frowned.
"But we're traveling. If the ship stops, we can't keep moving. Got any ideas, Perona? Something that lets us sail fast and catch fish?"
"Nope!"
Perona turned her head away arrogantly.
She had no interest in answering such complicated questions.
Anything that required thinking? Not her problem.
"Well, then this will have to do."
Arashi smiled.
"Besides, I enjoy the process of fishing, not the—oh! Got one!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly stood up and reeled in the line.
Soon, a strange-looking fish weighing over ten pounds was dragged onto the deck.
It flopped wildly, its appearance downright ugly.
"Ew! What kind of fish is that? It's so ugly!"
Perona stuck out her tongue in disgust.
Arashi tilted his head and examined it.
"This should be… well, actually, I have no idea what this thing is."
Truth be told, he had long accepted the limits of his knowledge about the bizarre creatures of this world.
From the East Blue to the West Blue, he had already encountered hundreds of strange species he couldn't name.
At first, he had tried to keep track.
Now?
He didn't care anymore.
Flying, running, swimming—
All that mattered was one thing:
Can it be eaten?
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Suddenly, a series of deafening explosions echoed across the sea like thunder.
Robin and Perona immediately snapped their heads up, alert.
Looking toward the source, they saw a vast area covered in thick fog.
Within that fog—stretching for hundreds of miles—the sound of cannon fire rang out continuously, followed by explosions shaking the sky.
"Mr. Arashi!"
Robin quickly stepped beside him, her gaze fixed on the fog.
"Those sound like naval cannons… it might be the Marines!"
"Then it's probably the Marines chasing pirates."
Arashi nodded casually.
Then—
He grabbed the ugly fish and slammed it onto the deck.
Smack!
The fish went limp.
The sudden action startled both Robin and Perona, their eyes widening.
"It's dead! The fish is dead—wait, it's still moving!"
"Quite resilient."
Seeing it flop again, Arashi waved his hand.
"Go cook it. Let's see if it's edible."
"Mr. Arashi…"
Robin hesitated, glancing nervously at the fog.
"If it's the Marines… should we avoid them?"
Meanwhile—
Within the fog-covered sea—
Seven or eight massive warships surged forward, firing relentlessly at ships fleeing ahead of them.
Unlike typical pirate ships, these vessels bore no skull flags.
Instead—
Each sail displayed two bold characters:
"Happo."
The Happo Navy.
A violent pirate force from the Kano Country of the West Blue—an official pirate organization under the nation itself.
"Hahaha! They're no match at all, Lao Cai!"
On the lead warship, a young elite of the Happo Navy laughed arrogantly as he looked at the fleeing pirate ships ahead.
"Don't get careless, Abu."
At the bow stood Lao Cai, tall and imposing, wearing a green cloak with a wave-patterned collar and wielding a guandao.
He glanced back at Abu and spoke in a steady tone:
"As long as they're still alive, they can still fight."
After a brief pause, Lao Cai raised his weapon high and shouted:
"Pass the order—finish them in one push!"
As the next successor of the Happo Navy, Lao Cai was only eighteen or nineteen, yet already a formidable figure.
In the past year, he had led the younger generation across the seas without a single defeat.
And this battle—
Was already his.
As long as he crushed the fleeing pirates ahead, he would become the undisputed strongest among Kano Country's younger generation.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Under the relentless barrage, the pirate ships ahead finally slowed, unable to withstand the bombardment.
Seeing this, Lao Cai's eyes lit up.
"Brothers—charge! Kill them all!"
"ROAR!!!"
With a thunderous shout, the Happo Navy's ships accelerated, rushing toward their prey.
At the same time—
On the battered pirate ships, over a hundred pirates poured onto the deck, weapons in hand, staring grimly at the approaching forces.
A decisive clash was about to begin.
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