"There are a total of four cave entrances here." Kuro glanced at the group. "Captain, we have six people. Should we split up? That way we can search each passage faster."
But Davy Jones waved his hand dismissively.
"There's no need. Splitting up only makes it easier to run into danger, and rescuing someone would waste valuable time. If we stay together, we'll be able to respond better to whatever unexpected situations arise."
Buggy, who had been dreading the risk of being sent off on his own, felt a warmth in his chest at those words: So the Captain does care about our lives, after all…
Davy Jones went on,
"Besides, if the humans trapped in this spire have failed to gather the keys for all this time, it proves that the difficulty doesn't lie in the number of searchers, but in something else."
"Then which entrance do we take?" Kuro asked again, offering no objection.
Davy Jones glanced at him, noting that Kuro was more proactive than usual. He wasn't surprised; most of those who had boarded the Terror Ghost had gone through a similar phase.
His cold gray-blue eyes swept over the four caves. Then, trusting his instinct, he pointed at one.
"We'll take the one on the far left."
The crew exchanged looks — it was obvious the captain had chosen at random. But since none of them had a better idea, they all answered, "Aye."
They entered the leftmost tunnel in formation: Alvida and Kuro in the lead, then Davy Jones and Mikita, with Buggy and Hachi bringing up the rear.
The cave was a broad, winding passage, lit here and there by glowing mineral fragments.
They walked in silence.
Mikita, walking beside the Captain, was under tremendous pressure. She kept her parasol folded, terrified of poking him with it. The girl who usually smiled so brightly didn't dare show it now, for fear the captain would take it the wrong way. Even swallowing nervously, she forced herself to do it as quietly as possible.
She cast a longing glance at Alvida walking ahead and thought:
I should have volunteered to walk up front with her… at least I could've chatted a bit…
But if I suddenly run forward now, won't it look way too obvious?
No, I can't. The Captain will definitely think I dislike him. The truth is I'm just… scared…
Better to just stay quiet. Invisible. No one sees me, no one sees me…
As she repeated this in her mind, Alvida's voice called from the front:
"Captain, the tunnel's opening up ahead."
"Keep moving," came Davy Jones's cold reply — right beside Mikita's ear.
Though she knew the tone wasn't directed at her specifically, she still shivered.
Hachi stepped up from behind, worried.
"Mikita, are you cold?"
Davy Jones's gaze also shifted toward her.
"Yahaha…" Mikita hurriedly forced a nervous laugh, waving her hands.
"No, no! I just didn't sleep well last night. A little tired, that's all."
"I see," Hachi said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, make sure you rest tonight."
"Y-yes…" Mikita nodded awkwardly.
Once she saw that Davy Jones was no longer looking at her, she finally exhaled in relief — then immediately turned and shot Hachi a glare.
Hachi blinked in confusion, utterly lost as to why Mikita was angry. He was about to ask when she turned away.
Buggy had seen the whole exchange. He covered his mouth to stifle his laugh, though his white gloves couldn't hide his wide red grin, making him look downright lecherous.
The crew emerged from the tunnel into a vast cavern.
Here stood a cluster of stone dwellings, though most of their walls had long since collapsed. The place was utterly silent.
Alvida and Kuro, scouting ahead, searched the houses first. Soon they returned to report.
Kuro pointed behind the ruins.
"There are several graves and headstones back there. This must've been one of the spire dwellers' camps, abandoned later on."
"The houses were empty too," Alvida added. "I did see a human skull resting on a decayed bed. The rest of the body was long gone."
Then her tone shifted.
"But I did find a mask… and a box."
She handed the mask over to Davy Jones.
He glanced at the crimson hawk-like visage, tapped it with his finger — iron. He immediately recognized it as one of the masks depicted on the murals.
Those four figures on the murals likely represented four schools or factions. The masks or weapons were their simplest, clearest insignias. It didn't mean that only those exact four individuals had braved the tower.
Next, Alvida placed a long iron case on the ground and opened it. Inside lay an oddly shaped longsword.
Its blade was gray and ancient-looking — straight until the tip, where it curved up like a sickle.
"Whoa!" Hachi's six arms snatched it up eagerly. He examined it, gave it a few swings, and split a stone apart with one strike.
"This is a fine blade! I'd say it surpasses Shichiseiken. Out in the world, it might even be ranked among the Great Grade 21 Blades!"
Davy Jones found it odd that the people of this world lumped swords and all other bladed weapons under the single name "katana" or "blade." But it wasn't worth dwelling on.
"Then keep it."
"Really, Captain? You're giving it to me?" Hachi asked, wide-eyed.
"Take it," Alvida said with a laugh, hands on her hips. "You're the only real swordsman among us. If you don't use it, who will?"
"Fantastic!" Hachi beamed, overjoyed. He cradled his new weapon lovingly.
"I don't know what your old name was, but from now on, you'll be called 'Scythefang!'"
Since "Scythefang" came without a sheath, Hachi strapped it to his back alongside Shichiseiken.
Buggy promised to craft a scabbard for him later — though whether he'd ever bother to follow through would depend entirely on his mood.
But just as Hachi secured "Scythefang," he was forced to draw it again — along with Shichiseiken and four other swords. Only one old blade was left discarded on his back.
Because out of the darkness, a swarm of strange creatures had emerged, glaring hungrily at them.
Davy Jones, calm as ever, had long since anticipated it.
His crew, however, tensed up and drew their weapons.
The creatures were insects, about the size of small crocodiles.
Their pale-blue bodies had no eyes, seemingly degenerated away, supported by two thick legs, their thin whip-like tails swaying behind them.
These were one of the spire's monsters — the Jawworms.
They were named for their enormous mandibles, which opened unnaturally wide and bit down with terrifying force — their most fearsome weapon.
Though eyeless, they seemed to scent the newcomers. Gnashing their mandibles, they scuttled rapidly forward on their legs, charging the crew.
In moments, they were upon them.
Without needing orders, the crew engaged at once.
Hachi, thrilled with his new weapon, charged in first — Scythefang in one hand, Shichiseiken in the other, four more swords at the ready.
But when he struck a Jawworm's carapace with one of his ordinary blades, the steel cracked apart instantly.
Staring at the chipped weapon, he gasped,
"That tough?!"
The monster roared and lunged at him, gaping jaws ready to snap him in half.
Hachi caught its mandibles with Shichiseiken, then swung Scythefang down. The curved edge smashed through its shell, splitting it open to raw flesh. One more slash finished it, leaving the beast twitching on the ground.
He stared in wonder at Scythefang. He hadn't expected it to be so effective against such armored foes.
The others quickly realized just how durable the Jawworms' shells were.
Still, Alvida's slippery body made her immune to being bitten. Buggy, Kuro, and Mikita each had their own ways of avoiding those jaws, so no serious accidents occurred.
One Jawworm did lunge at Davy Jones — but he merely pinned it beneath his boot. The creature thrashed as though nailed to the earth. Without even looking down, Jones coated his leg in Armament Haki and ground his heel. The monster's shell shattered, and it died instantly.
The battle was short but fierce. When it ended, not a single Jawworm was left alive.
From the shadowy corner the beasts had come from, two more cave entrances now revealed themselves — one to the left, one to the right.
The tunnels looked much the same.
It was time to choose again.
The crew turned to their captain.
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