“Let’s go. There shouldn’t be anything else you need on this island, right?”
Arceus walked toward the camp. The unique characteristics of the Grand Line gave rise to islands of all shapes and sizes, yet these uninhabited islands always had some similarities.
After the Red Arrows Pirates returned to where they belonged, this place turned into just an ordinary tropical island with nothing particularly appealing to him.
“Coming, Lord Sacred Beast.”
Shayna was about to follow Arceus, but her eyes glanced at Baron Omatsuri’s corpse, and after a moment of thought, she threw his body into the Red Arrows Pirates’ cemetery, adding a new grave mound to the site.
Using the carnivals as bait, he had been luring others and hunting them for years to maintain his companions’ existence. Given the consumption rate of Lily Carnation, the number of the dead was significant. So, killing him was not a mistake.
He wasn’t a good person, but he had genuinely cared for his companions. Therefore, Shayna took a bit of time to bury him.
It wasn’t hard for her; a single punch could create a suitable pit.
The word “companion” has held significant importance on the seas since the pirate era began.
There were violent groups like the Rocks Pirates, where everyone had their own agendas. The only thing holding them together was Rocks’ strength; there was no true camaraderie among them.
There were also exceptions, like Moria, but he wasn’t the only one. The downfall of the Gecko Pirates was a huge blow to him, and he had been in a slump ever since.
Back at the Beasts Pirates’ camp, the pirates were relaxing. Although the thought bodies of the Red Arrows Pirates were undying, they couldn’t harm the Beasts Pirates’ members.
The power gap between the two sides was too large. They had encountered Roger, but that didn’t mean they had the corresponding strength. Baron Omatsuri’s men believed their captain was stronger than Roger, which was a common thing in the pirate world.
Most people believe that their own captain is the strongest. The ambitious Blackbeard is no exception. The moment he chose to join Whitebeard’s ship was a bold gamble. If not for the Dark-Dark Fruit, he might have always played the role of a “good son.”
With Lily Carnation destroyed by Shayna, the battle came to an end. At first, they didn’t let their guard down, as those undead monsters were still worth being cautious of.
It wasn’t until Darkrai appeared that they let down their guard. These people were the same ones who had inadvertently entered the underworld and were among the few in the Beasts Pirates to have seen Darkrai’s true form.
Arceus and Shayna hadn’t returned yet, so they were chilling.
“Hey, are you really going to drink that liquor?”
Seeing someone grab the rum from the table and take a swig, a person nearby looked worried.
“Huh? What’s there to be afraid of? It’s just alcohol. The rum here tastes pretty good.”
“No, aren’t you afraid of turning into one of those monsters?”
“If drinking this could give me an undying body, I’d consider it a good thing. You’re too cautious. Didn’t Sir Darkrai say the situation over there is resolved? With the boss and Lord Arceus there, what could go wrong?”
“That might be true… but why are you drinking rum? Isn’t there better liquor?”
“…..”
The person holding the bottle hesitated for a moment, then tossed aside the rum and started looking for other types of alcohol.
Rum’s popularity among pirates was high, partly because it was cheap and easier to store, and also because it can help with the issue of fresh water on ships.
Not all pirates have luxurious ships with electricity generators and large refrigerators. Smaller pirate ships had terrible conditions, and fresh water would “spoil” quickly, breeding some nasty mucous-like bacteria.
In this situation, cheap rum became their first choice.
The drunk pirates took turns resting according to a schedule, with others nearby standing guard. Usually, they would envy the resting pirates, but today was different.
After a few bottles of strong liquor following the battle, some started bragging and then fell asleep, dreaming about their futures. However, today, all the sleeping pirates had nightmares, with screams echoing one after another.
Watching these pirates wake up in a cold sweat, the ones on night watch couldn’t help but laugh.
“Ah!”
“Hey, another one. So, what did you dream about?”
“Ah… I dreamt that Boss Kaido got drunk and wanted to spar with me…”
“You’re lucky. I dreamt I found a plate, but it turned out to be fake…”
Listening to their nightmare tales, the ones who weren’t sleeping laughed heartily. Tonight’s collection of nightmares could be turned into a storybook. Only Darkrai, hidden in the shadows, could do nothing but rub his forehead in exasperation.
He knew very well why these people were having nightmares, but there was nothing he could do. It was his passive ability and the source of his nickname, God of Nightmares.
Nightmares were Darkrai’s sustenance, and he could actively pull people into nightmares. At the same time, he has a passive aura, similar to a “nightmare field,” which causes anyone sleeping within a certain range to fall into a nightmare.
This was Darkrai’s nature and his way of protecting himself and marking his territory. As long as you didn’t sleep, there was no issue, but once you fell asleep, nightmares were inevitable unless you had some special items to avoid the nightmares.
The two kids, however, were unaffected. Their energy levels were absurdly high. Just like any other child, they only needed around six hours of sleep a day. Even after a full day of playing, they were still full of energy and were currently “fighting” each other.
Their sibling relationship wasn’t always harmonious. Situations like this would sometimes arise where they would fight over something. As siblings, their strength was currently evenly matched.
Setsuna didn’t stop them and even encouraged such fights. As long as they didn’t hold grudges afterward, they could brawl as much as they wanted. The combat skills of Mink youths were often honed through such playful fighting.
The cycle of people waking from nightmares continued until Arceus and Shayna returned.
“My lord, you’re back. Then, I’ll continue looking for that thing.”
“Go ahead. Don’t be too rigid with the route. Sometimes, it’s better to go with the flow. Besides, the location of that entrance isn’t fixed.”
“….Understood.”
Then, without saying anything else, Darkrai transformed into a shadow and teleported from the island. As for where he went, even he probably didn’t know.
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