Riddle dragged the Celestial Dragon along like a pig on a leash, a rope tied around him, walking ahead without a single care for the wretch stumbling behind. In his eyes, a Celestial Dragon was no different from livestock.
Still dressed in that same bloated, obese way.
After getting Taeyeon aboard the ship, Shirakawa had Lisa look after her, while he himself led the crew back onto the island to bury the dead inhabitants, giving them a proper rest in the earth.
"These bastards... they're worse than animals."
While digging the pit, Riddle cursed in fury. What this Celestial Dragon had done—was there any difference between this and slaughtering the whole island?
"Who knows what's on this island that attracted a Celestial Dragon."
"Or maybe someone on this island offended him."
After all, they were people of volatile temperament, unable to tolerate even the slightest speck of dust in their sight. Perhaps the Celestial Dragon was simply in a bad mood and decided to wipe out the entire island.
With Riddle's abilities, a large pit was quickly dug, and all the bodies on the island were buried within.
Only Taeyeon's father was given a separate grave.
By the time Shirakawa and the others finished handling these matters, it was already past two in the afternoon. They had spent two whole hours taking care of the island's aftermath.
If it had been any other pirate crew, who would have done such a thing? Other than the Silver Pirate Crew, there was probably no one else in the world who would.
"How is it? Still not awake?"
Walking into the ship's infirmary, Shirakawa looked at Taeyeon, still lying in bed fast asleep, and asked Lisa.
"Yeah..." Lisa shook her head. "This incident dealt too heavy a blow to her spirit. She'll probably need a good rest before she wakes up."
"Mm."
Shirakawa glanced at Taeyeon once more before walking out. He went straight to the Celestial Dragon and crushed the bubble atop his head with a single stomp.
"What are you doing?! I'm telling you, I am a Celestial Dragon! If you dare lay a finger on me, the Navy won't let you get away with it! I'm telling you, the Navy will send an Admiral to capture you all!"
The Celestial Dragon, who had been somewhat dazed, snapped back to his senses at the sound of the bubble bursting.
But though his words were fierce, his eyes betrayed a fear he couldn't hide no matter how hard he tried.
"Speak. Why did you slaughter this island?"
Shirakawa still felt a trace of relief in his heart. Had they not come to this island, Taeyeon likely wouldn't have survived either.
Shirakawa's icy tone once again stunned the Celestial Dragon into silence.
"Speak." Shirakawa kicked him directly. Had he not controlled his strength, the Celestial Dragon would likely have died on the spot from that single kick.
"Because in a few days it's my father's birthday! I heard there was a treasure here, so I wanted to obtain it and give it to him!"
Seeing that Shirakawa was about to strike again, the Celestial Dragon hastily answered. He was a Celestial Dragon, but he wasn't stupid—he at least had basic intelligence.
"And the treasure?"
"I didn't find it. The islanders said there was no treasure."
"So for a treasure that doesn't exist, you slaughtered this entire island."
"I thought they were lying to me, so I wanted to force them to confess."
He didn't need to continue—Shirakawa already knew what came next. The villagers said nothing, and in a fit of rage, he ordered the massacre of everyone here.
"What a beast."
Shirakawa suppressed the urge to beat this man to death.
After getting the full story, Shirakawa walked back into the infirmary. He looked at Taeyeon, who was frowning even in her sleep, as if trapped in a nightmare.
Seeing this, Shirakawa sat down beside her and placed his hand over her forehead. A silver-white glow emanated from his palm.
Taeyeon's complexion grew rosy, her furrowed brow slowly relaxed, and a smile appeared at the corners of her lips—she looked completely at peace.
"Well, well. I didn't realize the bond between you two ran so deep."
Lisa remarked teasingly as she watched.
"I don't know why either. This little girl gives me a strange feeling."
Shirakawa explained to Lisa. He'd felt it the very first moment he laid eyes on her.
"Is that so? Though she seems very attached to you as well."
"Maybe she feels something different toward me too."
After saying this, Shirakawa left again. His crew was busy hauling treasures from the Celestial Dragon's ship onto their own.
The most enthusiastic among them was Eurythm. Sure enough, even after five years, her nature hadn't changed one bit.
"Captain, this Celestial Dragon's hoard is truly something else."
Seeing Shirakawa emerge, Riddle said to him. As the person on the ship who could carry the most in one trip, Riddle had naturally taken on the role of transport officer.
"Is that so?"
"Absolutely. There are several famous swords, and the gold, diamonds, and other treasures are countless. There are even several Devil Fruits. This time, we've really lucked out."
And so, the Silver Pirate Crew anchored by the island for the night. The next morning, as the sun rose, Taeyeon, who had been sleeping in the infirmary, opened her eyes.
"Where... is this place?"
She seemed a bit groggy after just waking, not yet fully aware of her surroundings.
Suddenly, her expression changed. The events of yesterday flooded back into her mind, and her face instantly turned pale.
"You're awake?"
At that moment, the door opened, startling Taeyeon so badly that she yanked the blanket over herself, as if it could offer her even the slightest bit of security.
It was Lisa who walked in.
"Now that you're awake, have something to eat. Salar just finished making breakfast. Don't worry, it's safe here. Have you forgotten who it was that rescued you?"
At Lisa's reminder, a white-haired figure suddenly surfaced in Taeyeon's mind—the one she'd seen before losing consciousness.
She'd originally thought it was a hallucination, but looking at the situation now, he really had appeared last night.
"Where is he now?"
"If I'm not mistaken, he should be in the dining hall eating breakfast. Would you like me to take you to him?"
"Yes." Taeyeon nodded.
As they walked, Lisa deliberately led her around the spot where the Celestial Dragon was tied up, afraid that seeing him would stir up bad memories.
When Lisa brought Taeyeon into the dining hall, Taeyeon immediately spotted Shirakawa seated at the table.
Then, as if possessed, she ran over and threw herself into his arms, tears bursting forth in an instant.
"You... why couldn't you have come sooner? Why couldn't you have come just a little sooner!"
She wept as she pounded her fists against his chest.
"I'm sorry. I came too late."
Shirakawa pressed Taeyeon's head against his chest, and now she simply cried helplessly.
Amid the sound of her weeping, even the delicious breakfast Salar had prepared seemed to lose its flavor.
/-\
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