Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 355 Departure

"Death, death, death!"

"Tough luck, bad luck, bad luck!"

"Why, why did things turn out like this?!"

On the boundless wilderness, Taolong was running at the fastest speed he had ever seen, with a large pack of gray wolves behind him.

These gray wolves were not much different from what he remembered, except that the lead one, for some reason, was running on its two hind legs like a human...

However, none of this matters, because they are not hunting Talons; on the contrary, they are just like Talons, fleeing for their lives!

"Can anyone tell me why that dragon can still fly even when it's just a skeleton?!"

"And what exactly is this place?!"

bang~
Tao Long, who was shouting and venting his emotions, wasn't paying attention and suddenly lost his footing. His heart skipped a beat.
[No way...]
call out--

The pitfall was triggered, and Taolong fell uncontrollably downwards...

"Damn it! Damn it!"

The pitiful screams echoed in the dark, narrow cave, sounding so long and drawn-out... The white light at the cave entrance was growing fainter, meaning that Taolong was getting further and further away from the ground.
He didn't know how long he would continue falling like this, perhaps all the way to the legendary hell.
With that in mind, Taolong's thoughts began to wander uncontrollably...

Hell!
Hell—judging from the name, it must be underground, right?

...Could it be referring to an underground prison?

But why do people go to jail after they die? Is it to atone for their sins in life?
No wonder everyone goes to hell after they die!
That's not surprising.
……

Hey~
If only I could fly, then I could fly straight back to the ground!
Ok……

Speaking of which, it seems like Kaido and his crew can all fly, right?

Kaido, King, Ocean, Obey... and even Ragnarok!
啊↑
Brother Bourfat doesn't seem to—

Bang!

Before Taolong could even begin to ponder the somewhat mystical aspects, his entire body slammed heavily against the bottom of the pit.

The pit didn't seem as deep as Taolong had imagined, nor did it connect to hell, but the damp and realistically tactile soil still left him feeling dizzy and disoriented.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"Hey~ it hurts!"

"What kind of place is this? Why are there craters in the middle of a perfectly normal open field?"

Taolong rubbed his head, preparing to scramble to his feet, while muttering a complaint.

"This is the pit dug by that annoying Yoyo..."

An unfamiliar voice spoke.

"long?"

"Yes, look, He's still smirking at the cave entrance!"

It was yet another unfamiliar voice.

"?"

Taolong blinked and looked up toward the cave entrance.

There, a creature shaped like a block of tofu was waving its tiny arms, seemingly celebrating yet another prey falling into its trap.
"yoo~"

"This……"

Seeing the other party's smug look, coupled with this sudden series of changes, Taolong couldn't help but want to jump up and kick him.

"Never mind, bro."

A hand was placed on Taolong's shoulder, and he was gently patted to comfort him.

"We can't afford to mess with that thing. Don't let its harmless appearance fool you; it's terrifying when it gets angry!"

Before Taolong could say anything more, he was patted on the other shoulder.
"This is your first time, you'll get used to it eventually~"

"Forget it? Habit? I've never been—!"

"..."

"……Um?"

"wrong!"

Just as Tao Long was about to break free from the hands on his shoulders and retaliate, he suddenly stopped.

"Who are you?!"

Two talking creatures suddenly appeared at the bottom of the dark cave, and Taolong's hair stood on end when he realized this!
He didn't think there would be any 'people' in this godforsaken place.

"Ah~ I'm so sorry, I forgot to introduce us to our new friends."

"I am the Blue Demon."

"I am Huang Gui."

"We are both goblins." *2
Tao Long: "..."

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Leaving aside the bizarre adventure that has just begun on Tao Long's side, outside, with Kaido's command, the Beast Pirates, this behemoth that has been entrenched in the Fenrir Sea, seems to have finally awakened from its years-long slumber.

Inside a small building next to a warehouse on Fenrir Island.

"The departure time is three days from now at 10:00 AM...?"

After glancing at the calendar on the wall, Wright put his hands behind his back and made way for the general affairs department members who were moving back and forth, as well as the pirates who came to help.

Beside him was Dante, who was in charge of command and coordination.

"Dante, are all the documents and files packed up?"

"Yes, everything is packed up. I personally oversaw the loading onto the ship."

"That's good. These are the core secrets of all beasts, and we can't afford to be careless in the slightest."

"I know, teacher."

……

"Quick! Quick!"

"Move faster!"

On a small island under the jurisdiction of the Beasts, outside the Fenrir Sea, an officer was loudly urging them on.

"Has the fleet not been fully assembled yet? We're among the first to set off!"

"Hey! Throw away all those bottles and jars! We have to get to Fenrir Island by eight o'clock tomorrow!" "Boss, the ship is ready."

……

"Hmm? Are we going to the main island too?"

On Hattie Island, Skepgate, reverting to his old ways, held up his chubby belly and asked somewhat impatiently.

Beyond his increasingly frizzy afro, a bespectacled pirate, holding an order from the General Affairs Department, answered after confirming it several times.

"Um... the orders from above are as follows."

"The Governor's intention is to place you in charge of all affairs in the Fenrir Sea from now on."

"Huh? Me?!"

"Let me...let me manage the entire Fenrir Sea?!"

Upon hearing this news, Skipgate's face twitched slightly.

"This, this, this..."

Skipgate began to regret his years of indulgence and started to consider the possibility of exercising for twenty five-hour days every day.

……

"Captain, Governor Kaido's orders are that I need to be on the main island by the day after tomorrow. But Boss Tōrō hasn't returned yet..."

"Still haven't you been able to get in touch with the Den Den Mushi?"

"No. But I heard that Boss Tao Long has returned from that Wano Country, but he didn't come back here; he went straight to the main island."

"Um……"

"Let's wait a bit longer and see if we can get in touch with the boss."

"Let the brothers pack everything they need to pack first. We'll wait until tomorrow morning. If there's still no news, then we'll set off immediately."

"Okay, Captain."

……

Fenrirben Island, in Ra's backyard.

Taolong remained lying quietly on the rattan chair, his eyes closed, as if he were having a nightmare.

La sat quietly beside him, flipping through a history book in her hands, as if all the noise of the surrounding sea had nothing to do with them.

……

"Old Man Cook, here is today's newspaper."

"Ah, okay. Thanks..."

On a tranquil island far from the Fenrir Sea, old Cook, reclining in his rocking chair, received his daily newspaper as usual.

But just as he was about to thank the Beast Pirates for delivering the newspaper as usual, he felt something was off... The person delivering the newspaper today didn't seem to be the same young man as before.

"……Um?"

"You are……"

Old Cook groped in his pocket and put on his reading glasses, squinting at the person in front of him...

"Uh-huh?"

"Dirk?! Why are you delivering the newspaper yourself today?"

"Sorry, I'm getting old. Not only are my eyesight bad, but my hearing isn't good either. I didn't recognize your voice."

Old Cook, with his frail and aged body, tried to get up from the rocking chair, but Dirk stopped him.

"Alright, Mr. Cook. You're getting on in years, so just rest in peace."

"That's...ok."

Old Cook nodded upon hearing this and sat back down.

He wasn't a pretentious person to begin with, and given his age, he was too lazy to put himself through that.

"You came here today because you need something, right?"

Old Cook sat back down in his chair, opened the newspaper, and looked closely at the contents as he spoke.

Are you leaving?

"..."

"……Correct."

Dirk nodded.

"I received orders from above to head to headquarters immediately; the pirate crew is about to set off."

"That's it..."

"Are the beasts finally giving up on this useless, remote island?"

Old Cook said this, but his head remained buried in the newspaper.

"That's not the case. It's just that my pirate crew and I will be leaving, but we will still have people stationed on this island."

"Of course, I will let the next stationed officer on the island know, so don't worry."

Dirk explained.

In fact, given his strength, which ranked second only to Tauron, he could have moved to one of the richest islands closest to Fenrir Island long ago.

However, because of Ra's entrustment to guard the island, and because he himself still cherished the 'starting point' of all beasts, he had always refused to move his territory.

But now that Kaido's order has come down, he has no choice but to leave the island he has guarded for six years and set foot on new land.

Fortunately, the Beasts have enough members now. Even if some of their elites are moved to Wano Country, the rest can still station a team on each island.

~

After saying goodbye to Old Cook, Dirk went straight to the port and boarded his ship.

Because it is quite far from the main island, he must set sail immediately.

"..."

Half a day after Dirk left, old Cook put down the newspaper in his hand; he hadn't read a single word since then.

Trembling, Old Cook took off his worn-out reading glasses and looked toward the harbor with his cloudy eyes... He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no one, including himself, heard him.

On an inconspicuous corner of the newspaper he had folded, a new pirate crew called the 'Chef Pirates' was quietly setting sail from the East Blue...

(End of this chapter)