Being a Hunter was inherently dangerous. Life and death were daily realities, and losing limbs was the norm.
Linne did not specifically mention the injuries of other people. Perhaps in her opinion, this kind of risk was just part of being a Hunter.
Night fell quickly on Demon Island. As the darkness settled in, the group boldly lit a fire at the forest's edge.
Law raised his right hand and summoned Kuro.
The silver flame tattoo on the back of his hand glowed faintly, and Kuro emerged from it.
Law looked at Kuro and ordered, "Keep watch nearby. Don't let anything approach us."
Kuro glanced at the large group and felt that with so many people there, there was no need for him to stand guard. He was about to slack off when Law's next sentence came down with unyielding authority, leaving no room for debate.
"I mean anything. Go."
After saying that, Law turned slightly and looked into the darkness just beyond the reach of the firelight.
Kuro stared at Law's profile for a moment in silence, and then obediently ran to the nearby area to take up his post.
Watching Kuro disappear into the darkness, Law turned and walked toward Linne.
Machi and the others were gathered around the fire, and Sanbica was tending to their wounds in order of severity.
Linne was sitting cross-legged on a massive boulder not far away, with her eyes closed. The Aura emanating from her body was very quiet, and the flow was extremely slow, giving people a feeling of being a dead object.
Sanbica had just finished tending to Buhara's injuries when she suddenly turned her head to look at Law's back as he walked towards Linne. Buhara's eyes also fell on Law.
Not only Sanbica and Buhara, even Machi and the others were watching Law. Even the most oblivious could sense that something was off about Law's mood.
Buhara raised his right hand and gently touched his empty left shoulder, and said in a deep voice: "Boss isn't blaming himself, is he?"
"If anyone should feel responsible, it's me." Sanbica turned her gaze away from Law's back and said with her head down.
They'd come here to rescue her. That's why Buhara lost his arm. And that's why Machi and the others were wounded.
Upon hearing this, Buhara looked confused and said, "I decided to come here on my own. Even if I lose my life, it has nothing to do with you."
Buhara naively thought that the reason for losing an arm had nothing to do with others, and it was just because he wasn't strong enough.
Since he was injured because he was not strong enough, why should he blame others?
Sanbica wasn't usually great at reading people, but when it came to Buhara, she could see right through him. She immediately shook her head slightly, stood up and walked towards Uvogin.
She knew that the guilt and self-blame had to be suppressed temporarily, as her most urgent task was to treat the injuries of Machi and the others.
Among the four, Buhara's injuries were the worst. Next was Uvogin, followed by Nobunaga, and finally Machi.
As Sanbica began treating Uvogin, Nobunaga was idly poking at the fire with a sword that was mostly broken, while Machi was fiddling with a thin needle and staring at the firewood in a daze.
Law had once told her about combining needles with Nen Threads, one of which was to sew up severed limbs.
If it was just sewing flesh back together, it wouldn't be too hard, but it would also require suturing nerves, blood vessels, and bones, which would require very delicate control and precision, something she hadn't yet mastered.
Even if she could pull it off, there was no way to reattach Buhara's limb, because his severed left arm had been eaten by the artificial creature.
Crackle.
Several sparks flew out from the flames, and the bright light reflected in Machi's eyes.
The battle from two days ago had revealed just how unprepared they were. It was hard to imagine how Law had managed to protect Sanbica and fend off the enemy at the same time while he was on his own.
Back by the boulder, Law approached, leaped lightly onto the boulder, came to Linne's side, and sat down.
Linne slowly opened her eyes. She was still listless and her eyes were still cloudy and lifeless, but there was that same quiet intensity, as if she could see right through whoever looked back at her.
"You want to know what happened?" Linne looked at Law and asked.
"Yeah." Law nodded.
Linne paused for a moment, then began to slowly recount the events, while Law just listened in silence.
After listening to Linne's narration, Law finally understood how Buhara and the others had gotten hurt even with a veteran like Linne. It turned out that they encountered the full enemy force head-on in the plains.
That had happened right around the time the green smoke began spreading.
Most likely, the enemy had gotten fed up chasing him, as it's like trying to catch a slippery eel, so they decided to unleash a large-scale biochemical weapon and pull their troops out of the forest entirely.
That retreat ended up bringing them straight into the path of Linne's group coming from the plains.
If Linne hadn't demonstrated enough of a threat, the outcome could've been far worse than just injuries.
Judging by Linne's pale face and drained presence, she hadn't just taken a physical hit and her spirit was worn down too.
Although she was around the same age as Netero, her physical condition and mental sharpness were clearly far below his.
"Those mutants are indeed strong and difficult to deal with. For you to hold your own against them in a forest full of poison takes real skill." Linne raised her eyes and stared at Law's blank face.
"There are many things in the forest that can be used. For example, I can spread the juice of the Spitleaf plant in a few areas to attract littlasps, and then wait for an opportunity to consume the enemy's manpower."
"You've already fought those artificial creatures. You know very well that artificial creatures have strong defenses and there are many of them. When they gather together, even killing one becomes a problem."
Law lifted his head and looked up at the moon. He referred to them as artificial creatures, while Linne called them mutants.
"What about food?"
Linne's eyes flickered slightly. She was curious about how Law, at such a young age, had managed to build up such a broad knowledge base to exploit the dangers of an unfamiliar, poison-filled forest. But what intrigued her more was how he managed to eat.
That forest was one of the harshest survival zones on the entire Demon Island. Whether it is plants or creatures, even a small insect, they all contain all kinds of strange and poisonous poisons.
Not to mention that a universal antidote absolutely does not exist, just avoiding the poisons was already a massive challenge.
Even the Hunter Association's information on Demon Island was sparse, and what little existed said next to nothing about the specific areas Law had been navigating.
Surviving in such a place took an exceptional level of survival.
However, the biggest issue was still food. The ratio of edible to inedible life forms was shockingly low, especially while being hunted by enemies who weren't affected by poison and could even eat toxic creatures like regular meals.
"My ability takes care of it." Law replied. With his God Hand, food had actually been the easiest problem to solve.
Linne lifted her eyelids slightly, and after a moment of silence, she said, "I'm curious about how you did it, and about the green smoke covering the forest. Can you tell me more about it?"
Law kept staring at the moon, and nodded when he heard it. Then, he briefly told Linne about his experience after rescuing Sanbica, including the underground space and the matter of Void.
He figured that with her age and experience, Linne might know something about it. Though he didn't say 'Void' directly, and just described it as a humanoid wrapped in bandages.
After hearing Law's narration, Linne remained silent for a long, long time. Her raised eyelids kept pressing against the edge of her eye sockets, as if reluctant to close.
The Dark Continent...
Her greatest regret in this lifetime.
Linne didn't speak, and neither did Law. There was only silence on the top of the boulder.
After a long time, Linne finally pulled out her phone and called Netero, asking him a single question.
"How long?"
"Two days, give or take."