The atmosphere inside the Mushroom House instantly became tense due to the villager's urgent report.
Upon hearing the words "pirate ship," Aldo almost reflexively gripped the mace leaning beside him.
However, Sammy, who was beside him, reached out and calmly pressed down on his shoulder, shaking his head slightly.
"The western beach... We landed from the southeast, so it seems these are another group of uninvited guests."
Aldo received the signal from his boss's eyes to stay calm. Although he was somewhat puzzled, he resentfully suppressed his impulse to break out immediately.
By now, the emotional look on Old Mushroom Head's face had been replaced by deep concern. He sighed heavily, as if he were long accustomed to such sudden trouble.
"Sigh... Speak of pirates, and they appear. Quick, sound the alarm! Tell all the villagers out gathering to return to the village immediately! Where's the Patrol Team? Assemble at once, bring your gear, and prepare for defense!"
Old Mushroom Head skillfully issued orders, then turned to Sammy and the others with a bitter smile.
"Guests from afar, I'm sorry you have to see this. But don't worry. Although we are just ordinary people who grow mushrooms, Rongrong Island has been living with mushrooms for years, and we've developed a defense system using the island's special mushrooms. It's enough to deal with some Great Pirates worth thirty or forty million. I just hope this group's strength..."
Sammy saw the worry and the forced composure on the village chief's face.
"Village Chief Old Mushroom Head, we've just enjoyed your hospitality and heard some information about Sky Island, which saved us a lot of trouble. If you can't handle these uninvited pirates, we can help defeat them."
...Unlike the gentle southeast coast, the west coast was mostly made of jagged rocks, with waves crashing against them and splashing white foam.
A pirate ship, its entire body an unhealthy grayish-green, forcefully crashed onto a relatively flat rocky beach in a nearly pathetic manner.
A skull pattern with a mushroom in its mouth was painted on the pirate ship's sail.
"Hey! Captain! Finally... we've finally found this legendary island!"
A pirate as thin as a bamboo pole looked toward the lush mushroom forest on the island.
"Yeah! To find this Rongrong Island, how many islands did we search, how many storms did we endure, and how many brothers did we lose... *sob sob*..."
Several sallow and emaciated pirates nearby actually started crying with their heads in their hands. Their sorrowful appearance didn't look like fierce pirates, but rather like refugees who had survived a shipwreck.
Their emotions infected those around them, causing many to have reddened eyes. Clearly, this journey to find the island was filled with unimaginable hardships.
"What are you crying for! Pull yourselves together!"
An excited voice suddenly rang out, drowning out the sounds of grief.
The crowd parted, and a man wearing medieval Captain's attire walked out.
"We've gone through untold hardships, crossed mists and storms, and endured hunger, thirst, and illness to finally arrive here! Look at this place! Endless mushrooms! This is the cradle of my dreams, the cornerstone of our new era! Next, we will occupy this place and rule it! We will establish a great kingdom belonging to me, Morris!"
His words were highly inflammatory, and combined with his fanatical posture, they made the subordinate pirates temporarily forget the hardships of the journey, as greed and ambition rekindled in their eyes.
"Long live Captain Morris!"
"Occupy Rongrong Island!"
"Establish the Mushroom Kingdom!"
However, just then, the lookout slid down from the mast, scrambling.
"Captain Morris! The Marines... that warship is also approaching!"
"The Marines?! Those annoying flies, we just can't shake them off!"
"They've been chasing us for so long, I haven't had a proper meal in days!"
As if to confirm his words, the sound of rumbling stomachs rose and fell among the crowd.
"What's the panic!"
Instead of panicking, Morris became even more excited. He licked his chapped lips and actually started laughing softly.
"They've come at the right time! This is my home turf! Now, even if a Marine Admiral comes, I'll dare to fight him!"
He waved his hand sharply. "Let's go! Follow me onto the island! Before those annoying Marine flies arrive, we need to get that thing first!"
Led by Morris, the group of pirates quickly left the beach and entered the dense and eerie mushroom forest.
As soon as they entered the forest, Morris's entire aura changed.
He no longer seemed like an impatient invader, but like a pilgrim returning to a holy land, a monarch returning to his throne.
He took a deep breath of the damp forest air, his face full of intoxication. He reached out a trembling hand and gently stroked mushrooms of various shapes.
"Ah... wonderful! Simply wonderful! Do you hear them? These mushrooms, they are whispering, cheering! They are singing! They have been waiting, waiting for their true king to arrive!"
An Executive approached and whispered, "Captain, these seem to be... fairly common non-toxic or low-toxicity varieties, though their numbers are staggering..."
"Of course I know that! But there must also be countless rare, powerful, and even unrecorded species sleeping here! However—"
Morris's hand suddenly shot up, pointing toward the center of the island, toward that Super Giant Mushroom.
"Our main target now is that thing! Once I get it... no matter who comes, whether it's the Marines or other blind pirates, as long as I'm on this island, I'll be the strongest! I will be the undisputed king of this Mushroom Island! Hahaha!"
*Boom! Boom! Crack!*
Heavy running sounds and the crisp noise of trees being snapped, accompanied by a beast's roar mixed with anger and pain, approached from afar. Like muffled thunder, it shattered Morris's intoxicated speech and the newly ignited fanaticism of his subordinates.
"Hmm? What's that sound?"
"What's going on? An earthquake?"
The members of the Morris Pirates looked up in alarm, glancing around.
The huge canopies blotted out the sun, and the light in the forest was dim. With only scattered Lamp Mushrooms as light sources, it was difficult to discern the specific source of the sound.
*BOOM!!!*
Right in front and to their side, at the edge of a forest clearing where fluorescent blue giant mushrooms grew, the tall fungal stalks and bushes suddenly exploded outward!
A behemoth charged out like an out-of-control chariot!
It was a wild boar of exaggerated proportions. Its shoulder height when standing was likely over three meters, and its length was nearly seven meters. It was covered in steel-needle-like dark brown bristles, and two curved, hideous, pale tusks protruded from the corners of its mouth.
Yet at this moment, this giant beast, which should have been the overlord of the forest, looked quite pathetic.
Its robust body was strikingly covered with several deep, bone-deep sword wounds with mangled flesh. The smooth cuts were clearly the work of extremely skilled swordsmanship.
Blood was continuously gushing from these wounds, staining half of its body dark red.
The intense pain and the weakness from continuous blood loss had driven it into a complete frenzy. Its small red eyes had long since lost all reason, leaving only the mad instinct to charge blindly.
The direction it charged was straight toward the position where Morris and his group were!
"Waaah!!"
"Get out of the way! Quick, get out of the way!"
Morris's subordinates were scared out of their wits and scrambled to dive to either side.
But the giant boar's speed was simply too fast!
"Bang! Crack!"
Two unlucky pirates who couldn't dodge in time were hit head-on by that massive body and terrifying impact. They flew out screaming and crashed heavily into the distant mushroom thickets.
Without even a pause, the frenzied boar crashed into the pirates' loose ranks, scattering the group.
"Bastard!"
Morris was both shocked and furious as he saw this rampaging giant boar about to completely disrupt his carefully planned landing operation.
A glint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes as he pressed both hands onto the ground covered with mycelium and fallen leaves.
"Don't be so arrogant, you suicidal beast! I'll show you who the master is on this island!"