The sudden incident aboard the ship made the skeletal figure Brook a prime suspect, but Joey Fello quickly dismissed any doubts about him.
When everyone had first exited the dining hall, Joey Fello hadn't suspected Brook at all, nor had he been particularly vigilant. If Brook had wanted to leave, that moment would have been his best chance. Given the speed and agility Brook had displayed earlier, no one aboard could have stopped him. There was no reason for him to stay on the ship and risk being surrounded by a crew of sailors.
Soon after, a team inspecting the stern reported back with startling news: in the direction opposite the island, a strange gate resembling a water lock had appeared. The gate was tightly shut, and along with the walls stretching into the mist on either side, it had effectively trapped the Starlight near the island. The earlier violent shaking of the ship had been caused by the sudden closure of the gate, which had disrupted the ocean currents.
The leadership of the merchant ship—Portia, Joey Fello, and Karslana—found themselves in a difficult position. The island that had mysteriously appeared exuded an eerie and ominous aura. Even Portia, who lacked experience in such matters, felt that setting foot on the island was a bad idea. If it were possible, Joey Fello would have ordered his crew to fire cannonballs to blast open the gate and escape. But with the gate sealing their path, the rudder sabotaged, and the ship's doctor gravely injured, there was nowhere to run.
The rudder could be repaired, but the doctor's condition was far more pressing. On a long voyage, the absence of a doctor could spell disaster. Joey Fello couldn't imagine the chaos that might ensue—an outbreak of disease could easily cripple the entire ship.
After much deliberation and a brief discussion with Portia, Joey Fello decided to send a team ashore to investigate the island and seek help. At the very least, they might find tools to aid in repairs.
Though Joey Fello often treated Portia with indifference, his arrangements in this critical moment demonstrated his sense of duty. He would personally lead the team to explore the island and head for the manor in search of assistance, leaving Portia to guard the Starlight. If anything went wrong, she was to find a way to blast open the gate and escape the island.
Joey Fello brought Karslana along, reasoning that having someone in a Marine uniform might make it easier to gain the trust of strangers.
In addition to Karslana, Joey Fello called upon William, Gin, and Selkirk to join the expedition. In the back of his mind, he couldn't entirely dismiss the thought of using these three freeloaders as cannon fodder if necessary.
Brook, hoping to find materials to repair his own pirate ship, volunteered to join the group. Joey Fello readily agreed.
Standing at the bow of the ship, Portia watched anxiously as the small boat carrying Joey Fello and his team slowly made its way toward the island, eventually disappearing into the mist.
After watching for a while longer, Portia prepared to return to the cabin. However, her bodyguard Clark called out to her, "Miss!"
Clark, looking surprised, pointed toward the island. Following his gaze, Portia noticed a faint yellow light glowing through the mist. Moments later, a small, unfamiliar boat came into view, heading toward the merchant ship.
Portia was startled and wary. Her bodyguard Clark had already drawn his twin swords and urged her to hide behind the bulwark. The remaining sailors on the ship also armed themselves and stood ready.
The unfamiliar boat stopped at a distance from the merchant ship. A man stood at the bow and called out to the sailors, who were peeking cautiously over the bulwark, "Hello! I am Hogback, the owner of the manor on the island ahead. My servant informed me that a ship had suddenly stopped near the island. May I ask if you're in trouble? Do you need assistance?"
"Hogback?" Portia, still hiding behind the bulwark, repeated the name, finding it vaguely familiar. Ignoring Clark's attempts to stop her, she approached the bulwark and peered at the man standing on the small boat.
The man had a bizarre appearance. His upper body was corpulent, while his legs were unusually thin and long. However, it wasn't his physique that stood out the most—it was his face. Below his small eyes was a sharp, carrot-like nose, and as he spoke, his wide mouth opened and closed, revealing unnaturally sharp canine teeth.
In short, the man was hideous—so uniquely hideous that anyone who saw him once would never forget him. It didn't take long for Portia to recall who he was.
"The genius surgeon?" Portia, who had received a good education, quickly remembered Hogback's identity and whispered in surprise, "He disappeared years ago. So he's been here all this time?"
Meanwhile, Hogback continued, "If you don't need any help, I'll be on my way. But I live in the manor on the island. Feel free to visit me if you need anything."
"Wait!" Portia called out as Hogback turned to leave. "Are you the renowned surgeon, Hogback?"
Feigning confusion, Hogback replied, "Yes, that's correct. I am a doctor. Do you know me?"
"We have an injured crew member who desperately needs your help. Can you save him?" Portia pleaded.
"Miss?" Clark interjected, his tone cautious.
Regardless of whether this Hogback was truly the celebrated genius surgeon, his identity and intentions were highly suspicious. Clark couldn't ignore the fact that the Starlight was trapped by a sealed gate behind them—a situation he was convinced wasn't a coincidence. It was highly likely that Hogback was involved.
"He's the only one who can save our doctor now," Portia sighed, aware of Clark's concerns but left with no other choice.
After a moment's hesitation, Hogback finally agreed to Portia's request. As the small boat drew closer, Portia and the others noticed that he was accompanied by only one person—a young, beautiful maid. There were no guards or escorts, and Hogback seemed entirely unconcerned about the merchant crew's potential hostility.
Clark frowned deeply. As Hogback clumsily climbed the rope ladder to board the ship, Clark wrestled with the idea of seizing the opportunity to subdue him. However, he also understood how critical the doctor's survival was to the entire crew. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to act on mere suspicion.
Once aboard, Hogback appeared completely unbothered by the wary glances cast his way by the crew. Instead, he immediately turned to Portia and asked anxiously, "Where is the injured man?"
Portia quickly led him to the infirmary, with Clark following closely behind, positioning himself protectively between her and Hogback.
Hogback didn't seem to notice Clark's guarded behavior. He hurried after Portia, his demeanor suggesting genuine concern for the patient's condition.
The ship's doctor was unconscious, his wounds poorly bandaged by sailors with no medical expertise. The bandages were already soaked through with blood. After a brief examination, Hogback's expression turned grim. He told Portia, "His injuries are severe. He requires professional surgery. The conditions here are too crude, and there are no proper tools. You must bring him to my manor immediately. If we delay any longer, he won't survive."
(End of Chapter) ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📚 BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!📚
This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
🔥 Full story available now
💎 Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
👉 Join my Patreon community today!
[✨ patreon.com/GoldenLong]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━