Chapter 29: The Lawless Zone Beckons
The source of the pleasant fragrance was the fine, dust-like powder the bullet had become.
"What is this? It smells wonderful!" T. Peng remarked, cautiously sniffing the scented air.
Peacock stood silently, showing no particular surprise, as if she had been privy to the bullet's nature all along.
"Vegapunk's handiwork," Ian stated coldly. "The 'Hibiscus Peace Prize's' masterpiece... Gunpowder Flowers. Skylark, give me one reason why your primary magazine is loaded with these."
His tone had shifted to one of icy authority, causing Skylark to freeze mid-breath.
"Because... because I yearn for peace," she stammered, voicing her inner conviction. "If we encounter a large group of enemies, rendering their gunpowder useless should reduce casualties significantly."
Ian shook his head in clear disapproval. Another soul shackled by a naive ideal of peace. She believed that by disarming the world at its root, she could achieve her goal. But the root of war wasn't weapons; it was people.
"Skylark," Ian's voice was sharp. "What if your comrades are surrounded by enemies wielding swords? Can this floral pollen save them then?"
He rose from his seat, looming over the smaller girl.
"Using... a sword..." It was obvious Skylark had never considered this scenario.
"Me, Nami, Peacock—any one of us," Ian pressed on. "Imagine one of us is gravely injured, on the brink of death, desperately needing rescue. And you're using this? The enemy will not show mercy. They will not give you a second chance. It only takes a moment—"
As he spoke, he moved with blinding speed, thrusting the barrel of the specialized rifle toward Skylark's left armpit in a simulated killing blow. The sudden, violent motion was so realistic it made her heart stutter, and she fell backward onto the deck with a soft thump.
"—It only takes a moment... to die!" Ian stared down at her, his gaze as sharp as a honed blade, making her tremble.
Behind them, T. Peng and Peacock remained silent. Neither moved to help Skylark up nor to stop Ian's harsh lesson. In their hearts, they knew he was speaking the brutal, unvarnished truth of life at sea. You could afford to be kind, but never naive. The enemy would never grant you a chance to start over.
"Skylark," Ian's voice was final. "I don't need admirers on my ship, nor do I need officers who are incapable of saving their comrades. If you aren't prepared to follow me with that understanding, you are free to leave at any time."
He turned his back, picking up the lunchbox from the table. His stern facade crumbled the moment he was out of their direct sight.
So exhausting, playing the tough guy. Did I go too far with her? She just gave me a lunchbox, and I acted like a beast. Sigh, there's no other way.
The more comrades he gathered around him, the less he could protect them all personally. Those constrained by a fragile kindness were the most vulnerable. It was necessary to correct the sapling's growth before it bent too far.
Just as he was about to head to his cabin to finally try the lunch...
Click-clack!
Ch-ch-chunk!
The sound of a rifle being reloaded came from behind him.
"Hm?" Ian turned.
Skylark had scrambled to the ship's railing. Bracing the rifle's barrel with her left hand and anchoring her right elbow firmly against the rail, she took aim at the empty sea and pulled the trigger.
The moment the bullet struck the water's surface...
BOOM!
A scorching ball of flame erupted from the sea, wreathed in thick, black smoke. The intense heat created billowing clouds of steam that intertwined with the smoke, resembling a massive fireball spell cast upon the waves.
Hiss! Ian drew a sharp breath. So the little one wasn't playing with a sniper rifle—she was wielding a portable artillery piece! Now he didn't have to worry about her failing to save her comrades; there was a high probability she'd vaporize them along with the enemy!
"Reporting to Commodore Ian!" Skylark announced, her voice firm despite the two tears tracing paths down her cheeks. She straightened her posture stubbornly. "That was a Lava Incendiary Round! I don't want to be incompetent! I don't want to see my comrades get hurt!"
Ian was taken aback. He'd thought she would be despondent for days. Had she grasped the lesson so quickly? And if she had this kind of firepower, why hide it? Was there a loose connection somewhere in her head?
"Return to the team," Ian said, his voice returning to a normal cadence as he waved a dismissive hand.
"Yes, Commodore Ian!" Those simple words seemed to ignite a new fire within Skylark.
With the confessions concluded, Nami stepped forward, holding a navigational chart. "Commodore Ian, based on our current speed and heading, we will make landfall at the port in Grove 44 in approximately forty minutes."
Upon hearing this, T. Peng immediately stepped forward. "Commodore Ian, the Marine base on Sabaody is located in Grove 66. Grove 44 is a civilian landing port. Is this an error? The current base Commodore is awaiting your arrival to conduct a formal handover. Procedure dictates he should act as your guide, familiarizing you with the archipelago's terrain."
Ian nodded. "I'm aware. I've already had Nami contact the stationed Commodore and instructed him to stand down and report back to Headquarters immediately." He looked at T. Peng. "Uncle T, you've been stationed on Sabaody before, correct? You will be sufficient to guide us and familiarize us with the terrain. We are landing at Grove 44 because it is closer to the first thirty groves!"
T. Peng: "!!!"
Peacock: "!!!"
Skylark: "!!!"
The three of them stared at Ian in unified shock.
T. Peng, certain he had misheard, asked again, "The... the first thirty groves? Those are the lawless zones!"
Ian let his justice cloak flutter back from his shoulders, a leisurely smile gracing his lips. "Hah. Now that I'm here, the law is here too, isn't it?"
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 44.
The three warships slowed to a crawl, docking one after another like great, slumbering steel beasts. Before his cadres could even disembark, Ian became a blur of motion, leaping from the bow of his flagship and landing on the island's soil ahead of anyone else.
The air was filled with the soap bubble balloons unique to the Sabaody Archipelago, drifting lazily across the groves.
End of Chapter