Chapter 66: The Amazing Voyage
"Caw... caw..."
Two black crows circled lazily in the sky, their shadows flitting over the gruesome scene below.
Beneath them was the wreck of the airship, tangled amidst the mountain of Pariston Hill corpses that formed the grotesque "island."
Near the wreckage, on the shore, Rock Sparrow was perched on Kai's shoulder, chirping indignantly while simultaneously pecking at the food Shizuku was offering.
The crows circled a few more times, then dove toward the blood-red water at the edge of the island.
Shark fins were circling in the gore.
As the crows skimmed the water, the surface erupted. A massive shark head, jaws wide, lunged for the easy meal.
The crows flapped, braking hard in mid-air. One dropped a small, glowing bubble into the shark's mouth. Then it banked and flew away.
Gulp. The shark swallowed the Flying Star Bubble. It sank silently back into the depths.
Nearby, the second crow repeated the maneuver. Dive, bait, brake, drop, escape.
The water churned as the two marked sharks vanished. Moments later, the red water began to froth as a violent, unseen battle raged beneath the surface.
It didn't take long.
The water settled. Then, a line of shark fins broke the surface, swimming in a neat, orderly formation toward the "shore" of Pariston Island.
On the beach, Kai fed Rock Sparrow and addressed the huddled group of survivors. "So, that's the situation. The Phantom Troupe blew up the ship. We got lucky and didn't die. You have a signal now, so rescue should be on the way..."
"Aren't you going to wait with us?" someone asked, their voice trembling.
"Nope," Kai said. "We're taking one of the life rafts. And enough food and water for one meal."
The survivors stared at him, stunned.
Kai turned to Kortopi, who was standing silently like a statue. "Hey. Copy the rafts."
Kortopi didn't even blink. His body moved on its own, walking over to one of the inflated rafts. He placed his left hand on the rubber hull and raised his right hand toward the open space of the corpse-island. His Aura surged.
Pop-pop-pop-pop...
Dozens of identical, fully inflated life rafts materialized out of thin air.
The survivors gaped. But after seeing an island made of dead bodies, a few duplicating boats seemed almost mundane.
"With this many rafts... we don't have to wait! We can paddle to shore!" someone shouted.
Hope flared in their eyes.
"Just a friendly reminder," Kai cut in, checking his phone. "These copies only last 24 hours. It's almost 7:00 AM. That means tomorrow morning, right around 6:00 AM, this island we're standing on is going to vanish. And around 7:00 AM, those boats will vanish, too."
'This boy knows my ability too well...' Kortopi thought, his single eye narrowing.
'He knows the Troupe's abilities too well...' Pariston thought, watching from the sidelines.
Kai did the math. The flight was supposed to land at 8:00 AM. It blew up around 6:00 AM. That meant they were only two hours from the coast. They were close.
He didn't want to deal with the official rescue team. He was either a total ghost or a missing prince. Neither was good.
He just wanted to get to land without any more drama. Why was taking a vacation so hard?
"...So if you take a copy-raft, keep that in mind," Kai finished. He glanced at Kortopi again. "Copy the food, too. As much as you can."
Kortopi obeyed. Mountains of packaged food appeared on the beach.
It's Nen-food, but it should still fill you up until it vanishes, Kai reasoned. I've done my part. Good luck to you all.
"Shizuku, let's go." Kai waved his hand, sending his three birds into the sky. He hooked his foot around a real raft, dragging it across the Pariston-corpses and kicking it into the bloody water. He grabbed Kortopi by the collar and tossed him in. Thump.
Beneath the surface, the pack of controlled sharks began to circle the raft, waiting for their orders.
Shizuku grabbed a few bags of real food and hopped in after him. She glanced at Kai. Her Blinky was stocked with supplies, but grabbing some extra food was just polite.
Thump. The raft rocked. Another person landed on board.
Kai stared. "Hey, you pervert. Do you have nothing better to do? We are not friends."
Pariston smiled, settling back against the rubber side. "Don't mind me. I just feel like we have a connection. Besides... if I insist on hitching a ride, can you stop me? You don't have the strength, do you?"
The survivors on the shore watched, hesitant. They wanted to go with the powerful Nen users, but... Pariston Hill was on that boat.
His reputation was poison. Stranded at sea with a man like that? Who knew what he'd talk Kai and Shizuku into doing when they got desperate?
The group split. About half decided to stay on the corpse-island and wait for rescue, keeping one of the real rafts. The other half, emboldened by the mountain of supplies, took the copy-rafts and set off on their own, paddling furiously toward the horizon.
...
"You know, your 'everyone hates me' aura really saved me some trouble back there..."
The raft was speeding across the water, leaving a white wake as the sharks pushed it forward like a motorboat.
"But you really have thick skin, don't you?" Kai asked, glaring at Pariston.
Pariston lay back, hands behind his head, looking like he was on a luxury cruise. "It's spacious enough. Besides, I can be useful! I can navigate! You two don't look like you went to school much..."
He looked up and saw the three birds circling high above. "Ah, right. I forgot. You can control animals. Like the sharks pushing us right now."
I can't beat him. Getting angry is exactly what he wants.
Kai took a deep breath, smiled, and flipped Pariston the bird.
He looked around. Kortopi was silent, staring at nothing. Shizuku... was reading her book again.
"Borrowing your lap," Kai said.
"Oh." Shizuku lifted her arms slightly so he could lay his head on her legs.
He closed his eyes. He wasn't sleeping. He was projecting his consciousness into Rock Sparrow, soaring high above the ocean, searching for land.
It might have been Kai's bad sense of direction, or just bad luck, but they spent the entire day on the water.
The ocean was rough, the waves tossing them around. It wasn't until the sun began to dip below the horizon that Kai, through the bird's eyes, finally spotted a dark shape on the horizon.
An island.
Finally!
Kai pushed the sharks to their limit, racing toward the distant landmass.
By the time they arrived, night had fallen. The sky was a blaze of stars, reflected in the black water.
The boat cut through the starlight, approaching the dark, ominous silhouette of the island. It looked uninhabited.
Kai groaned internally. Great. No civilization.
Pariston stood up, balancing easily on the moving raft. He looked at the looming island.
"You know," he said, his voice thoughtful, "I've heard a rumor... that the game Greed Island... actually takes place on a real island in the real world."
"What's your point?" Kai asked, giving him a flat look.
Pariston just smiled and didn't answer.
...
Greed Island. Starting Point.
Eta, one of the Game Masters, dressed in her signature sci-fi bunny outfit, was typing furiously at a console.
Suddenly, her fingers stopped.
"Intruders..." she whispered, looking at a blinking light on the map.
She had detected a breach on the island's coast.
(End of Chapter)