Having successfully made their escape, Sear, along with Desire and the rest of his fellow comrades, were onboard the Black Revolutionary ship, headed to Buster.
On the other hand, Saga and a few of his men had set out in a different direction.
Currently, the morning breeze was blowing on the deck as Sear was figuring out the things he had heard from Desire, having been astonished to say the least.
"So Dad was the common thread between you and Mashaku—no, between us three?" he softly asked.
"Yes. Jacob-san is my benefactor. He rescued me from being swept away during a storm, sacrificing his own life in the process. I am forever in his debt."
There was a period of silence between the two.
But Sear then broke the silence.
"Right! Is there anything I can do for you? Maybe get some of your things from Loguetown. Having to abandon all your life's work probably isn't a good feeling."
"No. I am grateful just to be able to flee with my life. All I need to start over is stored here." She pointed to her head as she went on "I just hope the people whom I care about are safe."
"Hmm, regarding that, i can't be sure but we probably should be able to contact our informants back at Loguetown soon.. That said, being involved with me has really destroyed your chances of a normal life. can't say i know how to apologize for that."
"Meh, I was bound to be found out someday. Creating engines privately without government supervision is afterall a risky work."
***
Arriving at Buster, Sear directly went to make his report to East Blue Commander.
Desire was guided to the workshop where she would be getting familiar with the people there while sorting out her thoughts on how to start over again.
Meanwhile Sear, having completed his detailed report to Bello Betty, had gone ahead and made a request.
"Orbit?" Betty asked.
"Yes, it's a cruise ship named Orbit. It should have been docked at Cozia when that incident happened."
". . ."
Betty curiously looked at the young man in front of her. She had been told to keep an eye on the boy and ensure that whatever he said was to be taken seriously. 'Dragon-san must have a reason for trusting him. I ought to do my part too,' she thought to herself.
"Alright, it shouldn't be hard finding a cruise ship. Is there something else you want?"
As expected, Sear indeed had another request.
"Well..."
The motorboat roared and moved forward, cutting a path through the water's surface.
Sitting on a chair on the deck, Sear had a certain destination in mind.
And in relation to that, he was carrying a magazine in hand, the East Blue version of the World Economy Weekly. He had subscribed to every publication of the WEJ (World Economic Journal),
wanting to be updated on all the affairs in it so as to uncover any opportunity that normal people who didn't know future events could never hope to recognize.
One of the articles in the interesting topics section of the paper talked about a serial slasher who went around Mirror Ball Island, leaving people with cat-like paw marks on their faces. It also mentioned people who had fallen into hypnosis on the island. It was currently unknown whether the two events were interconnected.
Being that Mirror Ball Island was a tourist hotspot, the events happening there were all the more interesting.
This pattern of events felt rather familiar to Sear, so he decided to investigate it. Of course, he took proper leave from the Army, though someone was assigned to him due to security concerns.
The girl was Ahiru, who in the future would go on to be the Deputy Commander of East Blue.
"This ride is very smooth. Desire really created a masterpiece, and whoever retrofitted her engine to this boat also did a great job."
"Yes, I have been helped by a lot of people..." Sear said, internally reminiscing about the past.
"Oh yeah, then that makes us very similar to each other."
Sear didn't reply, yet the girl kept going. "Betty-san, everyone back at HQ, and so many others, have helped me, a war orphan, get to where I am," she stated while caressing her prosthetic arm.
. . .
Sear and Ahiru arrived at Mirror Ball Island late in the evening when the sky was in twilight.
On the island, they found accommodations for themselves. There was no Revolutionary network here, so they didn't have any connections to rely on in case they needed any sort of help.
They booked a small house with two bedrooms for themselves.
With that, they rested for an hour before having a discussion in the living room.
"So, is this trip just for entertainment?" Ahiru had a questioning look on her face as she sat on a sofa across from Sear.
Sear sighed and avoided a straightforward answer. "It's a bother to try and explain it to you right now... just wait and enjoy the island. Think of it as a holiday break."
The girl obviously wasn't satisfied. 'This guy is certainly hiding something!'
But her stomach started to rumble before she could ask anything further, so the two went to a bar for dinner.
The bar was lively. The two hadn't quite noticed it before, but the bar, and the whole island in general, was jam-packed with people. It was a travel destination after all.
The two took a seat and ordered spaghetti, pineapple juice, along with other dishes.
The whole time while eating, Sear was observing everything and everyone around him.
The table next to him was occupied by a group of locals. His attention fell on them as his sharp ears overheard their conversation.
Though most of it was stuff he already knew. 'Seems like the locals are trying to suppress the news as much as they can.'
That night, while the island was deep asleep, Sear stalked the streets, keeping a watch out for the serial slasher.
But while his eyes were busily scouring one part of the island, the attack happened on the other side of where he was.
He only became aware of it from the screams of the victim.
It was a middle-aged man this time who got slashed in the chest. Again, the weapon was supposedly some kind of claw.
It was a miracle no one had died until now, but it was only a matter of time.
The following morning, Sear encountered a man he recognized pretty well. Present at the scene of the crime among the many onlookers was Jango, a man who dressed like a cocaine-addicted hippie.
The conversation was awkward at first because, while attempting to befriend the guy, Sear was trying a little too hard, even putting his hand on Jango's shoulders, which all made the poor guy slightly nervous.
Though after a few drinks at the bar, everything was brotherly.
Both men were getting tipsy, their cheeks having turned red.
In that moment, Sear made a few queries. "Hick!! Yo buddy, do you know of a guy called Kuro around here?"
"Kuro?? Kuro, huh!!" Jango paused.
"Oh! You know him?" Sear had his hopes high.
But then Jango continued, "Who?" He didn't yet know Kuro.
Our hero was thoroughly disappointed at this turn of events. 'Kuro might not even be his real name, so even if this guy knows him...'
He was lost regarding what to do next.
Therefore, with no other choice, like the previous night, he again scoured the streets under the moonlight.
Despite drinking during the day, using his Breathing Arts, even the effects of alcohol could be remedied.
But for drowsiness he had no cure. Leaning on a tree, his eyes appeared heavy. 'I didn't get proper sleep during the day.' Just when he was about to doze off, a strange sound caught his attention.
tap! tap! clip!
Having been alerted, his lazy eyes suddenly flared up.
'Someone is sprinting on the roofs!!'
Sear followed the sounds to their source, locating the origin to a masked individual who had now gotten down to street level and was busy snooping around a luxurious house.
Sear sprinted toward the figure, who in turn also noticed him and began fleeing. Sear chased him to a nearby bush, then dove straight and tackled the suspicious man to the ground, they rolled a few rounds through the tall grass before coming to a stop.
Thereafter, Having taken control over the situation, Sear removed the mask covering the guy's face.
"Jango, you?"
The thief Jango looked away and started whistling a soft hum. "Piew! Piew! Piew!!"
Then, with utmost seriousness, he spoke.
"I don't know who you are talking about... my name is Michael Jacksong though."
Just as he finished speaking, the kukri on Sear's waist started to be unsheathed.
"Eek!!" Seeing this, a shriek escaped Jango's mouth. "My bad buddy!! I was just kidding, haha!"
"You aren't the serial slasher, right?" Sear's tone was serious as he talked to the guy.
"Absolutely not!!" Jango, knowing he was in deep waters, didn't attempt to bullshit his way out of the situation and became truthful.
"Besides, I am also a victim here. I happen to be a small-time thief, you see. Just trying to survive somehow... but lately my earnings are down because everybody is extra careful, all thanks to that serial slasher. Even tourist numbers have dropped."
Sear nodded. 'To think, he was actually a thief, but I guess it's expected.'
"Please keep this a secret, OK!! I swear I will change my ways!!" the guy begged.
"I have no interest in catching some petty thief. What I am interested in is the serial slasher. Do you know their identity? His name might be similar to Kuro or Klahadore."
"Like I said previously, I don't know anyone with that name, but there is a guy who likely has something to do with those cases. His name is Klad. Occasionally, when I get wounded, Klad stitches up my wounds. He's something of an underground surgeon."
"Klad, you say?! Well then, take me to his place. The night is still young."