122 Bon Voyage (2/2)

”But Captain!” The sailor desperately protested, retreating several steps backwards.

”Get on with it ye scallywag!” The Captain rushed forward and grabbed the sailor by the collar, hurling the man into the ocean with all his strength.

Ed watched silently in confusion, wondering what the Captain was up to.

It took nearly two hours for the sailor to find all the teeth that were covered in Ed's disgusting black sludge.

”Mm. Good.” The Captain grinned. ”Now go attach them to the bottom of the ship. It's going to be smooth sailing from here on out!” He glanced at Ed. ”You don't mind, right?”

Ed was slightly speechless. He simply nodded, not wishing to discuss the topic any more than necessary. ”I'll need a new room...” He whispered.

”Of course.” The Captain hurriedly agreed.

”ANOTHER MUTANT!” The sailor atop the mast shouted.

A blue streak whooshed through the air and landed atop the deck. It was over 2 meters long, and it glared towards the nearby sailors as it moved forward. They hurriedly activated their powers, preparing to attack and defend themselves as necessary.

”Tao!” Ed yelled. ”Little bastard! Running away from me the one time I really needed help!”

”Humph!” The croc snorted as it turned away. It proudly held its head high as it walked to the front of the deck and laid down. By now, the sun was just starting to rise high in the sky, and Tao had seemingly decided to sunbathe for the remainder of the day.

”Tsk.” Ed clicked his tongue. ”Immoral pest. Abandoning me as soon as things get a bit tough.” Suddenly, he felt his stomach grumble loudly. He felt incredible hunger, as if he hadn't eaten in months. It reminded him much of his early days in the cage, when he was always desperate for a meal. Leaving Tao and the crew behind, he headed for the mess hall and ordered twenty meals.

The sailors in the mess hall stared in disgust as Ed wolfed down a ridiculous amount of chicken, vegetables, and bread.

”Is that what governors are like?” One sailor whispered to another.

”Maybe it's related to his powers...?” Another guessed.

”Humph.” A burly sailor snorted. ”This is what happens when rich sloths are promoted to high positions without merit. They live in another world and see us as ants fit only to serve them.” He lowered his voice and whispered towards the others. ”Have you heard about Harmony and Forge opening recruitment in California recently? I'm thinking of joining!”

Ed rose his eyebrows in surprise as he overheard them but continued on with his meal as normal. After he finished, he returned to his room and entered a deep sleep.

...

THUD! THUD! Someone pounded strongly upon Ed's door.

”Ugh...” He lazily groaned as he stood up and answered. ”Yes?” He questioned the sailor outside.

”Sir!” The sailor saluted. ”We've arrived at Hawaii. The Captain ordered me to fetch you so we can board the island!”

”Eh?” He rose his eyebrows in surprise. ”How'd we get there so fast?” He rubbed his head. ”We only left a day or so ago.”

The sailor tilted his head in confusion. ”Sir, what do you mean? We left over a week ago. You've been in your room the whole time.”

”A week?!” He replied in shock. He hurriedly lowered his head, carefully examining his own body. He sighed in relief as he realized the black sludge hadn't returned. 'It must have been related to my cultivation breakthroughs.' He realized. He nodded towards the sailor and followed him towards the deck.

As he climbed up the stairs, he shielded his eyes from the bright sunshine. He could hear seagulls squawking as they flew overhead. In front of them was a lush island, covered in all sorts of colorful vegetation. However, it seemed completely abandoned. There wasn't a single person in sight. Unfortunately, the island had been abandoned fairly early on during the beginning of the Mana Apocalypse. The islanders simply weren't equipped to handle the frequent mutant floods. It wasn't just Hawaii either, as this was the case for most island states and nations.

”Good morning!” The captain enthusiastically waved towards him. Tao and Flair were right next to him, seemingly ready to leave the ship.

”Morning.” He yawned in reply. ”Any mutant attacks or anything while I was sleeping?”

”Nope!” The Captain grinned. ”Those teeth really did the trick at scaring em all off! If the smell lasts long enough, I bet I could sell them for a fortune!”

Ed frowned in disgust but chose not to comment on the matter. ”I guess this is where we part?” He questioned.

”Mm.” The Captain nodded. ”I saw your friend's ship a bit to the north. It was an interesting vessel I suppose...” He hesitated a moment before continuing. ”Are you sure you'll be alright on that ship, Governor? If need be, I can send you the rest of the way.”

”I'm sure it'll be fine.” Ed dismissively waved his hand as he jumped off the ship and landed in the water. Tao dived in behind him and swam underneath him, lifting him up to the surface. ”Good croc.” He smiled as he patted Tao on the head while chuckling to himself. 'Can't say I ever pictured myself riding a crocodile.'

Flair didn't seem to want to join them, as she instead relied on her water-powered jetpack to fly over.

The Captain silently watched as they vanished towards the island. Finally turning away, he yelled towards the crew. ”Set sail ye drunken buffoons! We're returning to Cali!”