The salty sea breeze swept across the Iron Anchor—the recently acquired two-masted schooner.
Several bundles of supplies lay haphazardly on the deck, spoils that Kyle and Killua had "received" from the unconscious Gray and his crew.
"Kyle, what should we do with these people?" Killua lightly nudged the former Captain Iron Anchor Gray, who lay sprawled like a dead pig, a playful, cat-and-mouse smile on his face.
Gon had struck with precise control, ensuring these guys wouldn't wake up and cause trouble before reaching the next island.
Kyle was counting the last box of Beri, and without lifting his head, he said, "Just leave them here. The coastline isn't far, and the tide won't reach them. The Marine will 'take care' of them."
His movements were swift as he closed the box with a dull thud. "Supplies accounted for. Food and fresh water are enough for half a month. Most importantly,"
He straightened up, holding a constantly swaying glass instrument in his hand, a needle inside pointing steadily in a certain direction. "We got the Log Pose."
Killua whistled, his eyes lighting up. "So this is our ticket to the next stage, huh?"
"You could say that." Kyle carefully put away the Log Pose. "Let's go, it's time to get this ship moving."
The three boarded the former pirates' vessel.
The ship wasn't new; its hull was covered in marks from swords and axes, and its sails were a bit worn, but its frame was still sturdy.
Kyle saw a few old cannons on one side of the deck. He walked over, touched the cold barrel, and an idea flashed through his mind.
"Let's leave a farewell signal for our Marine friends on the island."
The corners of his mouth turned up as he expertly loaded gunpowder and cannonballs.
Killua and Gon watched curiously from the side.
Kyle adjusted the cannon's aim towards the uninhabited depths of the beach. "Boom—!" A deafening roar echoed through the bay, flames and thick smoke erupted from the muzzle, and the cannonball whistled as it slammed into the distant sand, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Wow!" Gon shouted excitedly, while Killua looked thrilled at the large hole blasted open by the cannonball.
The cannon shot was like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
Almost before the smoke had fully dispersed, sharp whistles and faint shouts could be heard from the direction of Shells Town's port in the distance.
"The Marine will probably be here soon," Killua said casually, gazing into the distance.
"Perfect." Kyle clapped the black ash from his hands. "Let them handle the aftermath. Gon, Killua, prepare to set sail! It's time for us to depart!"
"Understood!" Gon moved as nimbly as a monkey, climbing up to the main mast's crow's nest in a flash and loudly reporting the hydrological conditions ahead.
Killua, along with Kyle, untied the ropes and pulled hard on the heavy sail ropes.
The huge sails slowly unfurled on the mast. The moment they caught the sea breeze, the ship shuddered slightly and began to slowly pull away from the shore.
When a dozen Marine soldiers, led by an officer wearing a "Justice" coat, arrived at the scene, panting, they saw the Iron Anchor sailing towards the blue horizon with the wind, leaving a white wake behind it.
"Sir! Look, that's… 'Iron Anchor' Gray! How are they all…" A young Marine soldier discovered the unconscious pirates on the beach and swallowed, incredulous.
The officer squinted, watching the pirate ship gradually become a small black dot, then looked at the obvious shell crater on the beach, understanding dawning in his mind.
He snorted coldly: "Hmph, a case of pirates preying on pirates? Either way, they're all scum! Cuff them all and take them back to base!"
His gaze returned to the sea. "As for that new ship… immediately report it to headquarters and record its characteristics. On the high seas, there's another group of restless newcomers."
"Yes, Sir!"
...At this moment, the Iron Anchor at sea had fully entered sailing mode.
"Kyle, turn the rudder 30 degrees to the right!" Gon shouted from the high crow's nest, his voice somewhat faint in the sea breeze.
"Understood!" Kyle, at the helm, took a deep breath, gripped the heavy wooden steering wheel with both hands, and began to turn it hard to the right.
This was his first time truly steering a pirate ship, and he wasn't yet familiar enough with the force required for the rudder and the ship's response.
"No, no! Too much!" Gon anxiously corrected him. "You've already turned almost fifty degrees! Turn back twenty degrees to the left!"
"Received!" Kyle didn't hesitate for a moment, immediately reversing the action. The rudder creaked in his hands.
Killua leaned against the ship's rail, watching Kyle's slightly clumsy but incredibly serious demeanor, his own hands itching to try. "Hey, Kyle, how about I try it later?"
Gon reconfirmed the direction of the Log Pose and the distant horizon reference points, shouting, "All clear! Maintain this direction! Lock the rudder!"
Kyle and Killua together used the nearby locking mechanism to secure the rudder.
The ship, under steady wind and a fixed course, began to autonomously cut through the waves.
"Is that all?" Kyle released the rudder, wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead, and asked with a smile.
It was a strange feeling, entrusting direction to the sea and wind.
"Yep!" Gon slid down from the mast, landing steadily on the deck. "According to the Log Pose's direction, this sea breeze will carry us all the way to the next island!"
Just as they relaxed and enjoyed the novelty of their first voyage, a News Coo flapped its wings, circling above them, letting out "Ooh-ooh" calls.
It clutched a fresh newspaper in its talons.
"A News Coo of this world?" Kyle immediately took some Beri from the recently counted money box and tossed it upwards.
The News Coo precisely caught the Beri in the satchel on its back while simultaneously releasing its talons, and the newspaper floated gently down.
Killua's body flashed like a silver lightning bolt, effortlessly snatching the newspaper in mid-air.
"Kyle, is this how news is conveyed in this world? It looks pretty old-fashioned," he said with a laugh as he flipped through it.
"That's right, this is a newspaper from the World Economy News Paper. It doesn't just have news, but most importantly,"
Kyle pointed to a certain section of the newspaper, "it has bounties issued by the Marine. Anyone with a bounty, whether pirates or other dangerous individuals, can be captured and brought to a Marine base to exchange for the corresponding Beri."
For the three from a more technologically advanced world, a newspaper as a medium did indeed seem somewhat ancient, but its contents were full of the wild spirit of this world.
"Huh? Isn't this that guy I defeated, the one called Luffy?" Gon leaned in and immediately saw the wanted poster on the front page, featuring a smiling man with a straw hat. "Monkey D. Luffy… Bounty of 30,000,000 Beri!"