Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

This reminded Tomat of something else—although they knew that the dinosaurs would eat other dinosaurs, they didn't need to put them in the kitchen refrigerator or cook them with utensils. Otherwise, it would be too much of a hassle to eat one's own kind in this way.

It might be someone like the Saltwind City people who have assimilated with the Fear Fish.

Since that's the case, they must know this area well after living here for so long. They might be able to provide some information that you're looking for. Even if you tell them there's no food left, you can ask if they have any fat, delicious tarantulas, because judging from the refrigerator, these people are eating tarantulas too.

With that thought in mind, Tomat waited for that aura to arrive.

The sound of slightly heavy, dragging footsteps rose, but slowed abruptly as they approached the door, probably alerted by the door being ripped off by Tomat.

A few seconds later, Tomart, who was inside, also saw a stealthy shadow peeking out from the edge of the door frame.

It had a head shape similar to that of an Adakistan crocodile, but also somewhat resembling that of a sea snake or eel. Its skin was pale, yet had a metallic silver sheen. Its body was slightly thin and hunched over, looking weak and listless. On its head was a large white rag and a metal woven wreath, which covered its hair-like tentacles like a headscarf.

Although the creature before them could hardly be called "human," it could be considered a "humanoid" for the time being. It was far more "aesthetically pleasing" than the bizarre imitations of the dinosaurs. At least it was clear that this was a humanoid creature that had evolved from the sea, rather than a dinosaur that imitated humans.

Tomat, now even more certain of this, waved to the native, who looked back at him with his small, eerie blue eyes.

There was a few seconds of silence between the two sides.

The creature stared at Tomat without moving, and Tomat maintained the same waving gesture.

The next second, the former made a run for it, while Thomas followed closely behind, grabbing the other's tail and dragging him back to the kitchen, while also shoving the door he had pulled off back into the door frame.

"Why are you running? I'm still asking you questions."

Thomas threw it in front of the refrigerator, and as it was about to get up, he then hurled three beams of light. However, the beams did not hit the object directly, but instead circled around it. Then, they suddenly tightened, turning into a binding circle made of energy, which completely immobilized it.

"Nod if you understand, speak if you can, understand?"

The creature struggled to break free but to no avail. Looking at this intruder of unknown origin, it seemed to be more worried about something else than its own safety.

It was difficult—or rather, it took a long time—before it finally managed to squeeze out a muffled sound from its throat:

“Intruder… what… do you want… this is the ship of honor of the Iberian hero… Captain Alfonso… and I… am First Mate Garcia. Listen, there is no… money… here that you desire…”

Seeing that the other person could indeed speak, Tomat, while slightly pleased, immediately asked:

"I looked in the fridge. Have you been surviving on tarantulas all this time? You don't eat anything else? Is there anywhere around here where you can catch plump tarantulas?"

Upon hearing these questions, the other person's small eyes immediately filled with great doubt, and even the vigilance that had shown them to be completely unyielding despite being captured vanished.

It also realized the strangeness of Tomat, because Tomat did not treat it as a monster and attack it immediately, but treated it as a negotiable person - normally, wouldn't its current appearance be a pure monster?

Does this guy really have no problem with common sense?

Or rather, only people with a problem with common sense would ask such a nonsensical question?

The other party, of course, was unaware of Tomat's way of thinking, which in some ways was even more monstrous than its own, but for now, it could only go along with Tomat's rhythm and answer accordingly.

"The once terrifying fish... has disappeared, and the hard, poisonous... creatures are becoming more and more numerous... Food has long been exhausted... We barely... survive... on these... food."

It looked at the container filled with the terror fish that even Tomat didn't really want to eat, and said the same thing as in other nearby areas.

Garcia and his companions used to be able to survive on leftover food and dinosaurs, but now, due to someone's influence, even dinosaurs have become inedible.

"Damn it, it's happening again."

Thomas cursed, then looked at the still bound man and sighed.

"Fine, that's the only way."

As he spoke, he reached out his hand towards Garcia, who seemed to be showing signs of fear—

Meanwhile, the deep-sea hunters were still exploring other parts of the ship. They noticed the movement of Garcia's aura, but after discovering that it was heading in the direction of Tomat, they decided not to pursue it, as there was no need to.

Led by Carmen, the judges' group skillfully made their way to the vicinity of the captain's cabin via various shortcuts, as Carmen indicated that he was familiar with the captain of the ship and thus knew the layout of the place.

So when Carmen and the others pushed open the side door of the captain's cabin, the Deepsea Hunters also arrived at the same location, and the aura they had sensed earlier was also in the captain's cabin.

The captain's cabin was cleaner than any of the previous spaces. The spacious hall floor was covered with mirrored glass, reflecting the exquisite artworks created collaboratively by artists from various countries on the ceiling. A spiral staircase wound its way up to the second floor, where a throne shrouded in silk faced the porthole on the second floor, overlooking the boundless sea. The figure on the throne was hidden behind the silk curtain, head bowed, motionless as if fast asleep.

"Those two horns, could they be...?"

Ennily noticed the figure on the throne, and she also saw the pair of prominent hooves and horns on the silhouette.

She had heard the name of a hero when she was a child.

Alfonso.

"Afonso under the pomegranate tree".

That heroic captain who fought alongside the fleet during the Iberian Empire's golden age, bringing countless riches to the nation.

A legendary plunderer and conqueror who paved every street in Saltwind with gold coins.

A soldier who disappeared and was presumed dead during the Great Silence sixty years ago.

"If anyone could stay on the Fool's for sixty years and clean her deck day after day, I think it would only be you, stubborn old Fool's."

Carmen spoke to the figure above.

And at this moment, the motionless shadow finally reacted:

"Is it...Carmen?"

[Event] Fool's Tale: Chapter Thirty-Two Hahaha, Fish Soup is Here!

The figure slowly stood up and stepped out from behind the curtain.

Even if only the outline hidden behind it could be seen, people could still tell that it was a burly, well-built man with thick hooves. The sword at his waist clattered against the metal of his clothes with each step, making a crisp echo in the hall. Alfonso descended the steps with firm strides.

"Although the Iberian fleet no longer exists, you still dutifully serve as captain."

"However, I still have one question."

"Who are you now, Alfonso...?"

Carmen arrived at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for her old friend to appear.

Meanwhile, the deep-sea hunters behind them stood at a distance, seemingly deep in thought.

"Or is it something else?"

As soon as Carmen finished speaking, Alfonso, who had come downstairs, turned around, revealing the left side of his body.

That was the left arm, which had been completely transformed into a sea-like structure, and it was now expanding and contracting repeatedly as if it were breathing on its own.

Alfonso said in a tired but firm tone:

"Hmph, of course I am, at least for now."

As he spoke, he glanced at Carmen's sword and continued:

"Besides, I don't need you to do anything. When I realize that I am no longer human, I will choose to go to that world with the last bit of humanity, just like I promised the other crew members."

Alfonso explained the whereabouts of the other crew members in a very casual manner.

"...You made each of them die as humans in their final moments, instead of becoming pathetic monsters fighting against their own kind."

Carmen also closed her eyes and spoke more directly about the many deaths that had occurred on the Fool's Ship.

Carmen makes no comment on this behavior.

The methods these dinosaurs use to drive people mad go beyond simply assimilating them. Marine toxins, psychological stress, and nerve damage can all cause people to become "no longer themselves" with prolonged exposure.

After the Great Calm, the isolated and helpless Fool was naturally subjected to wave after wave of attacks from the Earth-Destroying Fish.

They all persevered time and time again, but more and more people died in the process, or fell into a situation more terrifying than death.

With insufficient troops and a severe shortage of food, the loss of personnel became more and more obvious as the game progressed. Alfonso also began to execute his comrades who did not want to become monsters but were only one step away from it.

However, the very act of trying to prevent someone from going insane seems insane in itself.

Even Alfonso only realized that there was no one left on the ship for him to execute after a long period of not having executed any of his companions.

He and a companion who had been assimilated but had not lost his humanity have persisted to this day, surviving by eating terror fish and taking the protection of the ship as their reason for living.

However, the edible dinosaurs have become increasingly scarce recently. Fortunately, for some reason, their attack frequency has also dropped significantly. So, thanks to their marine-transformed bodies, they have been able to survive until now even without food for a long time.

"So now you're all alone, is that it?"

Carmen looked with a sense of melancholy at the once magnificent deck where sailors and soldiers once strolled, but which was now deserted, and sighed to Alfonso.

"Alone? No, I still have Garcia, he's my first mate—Garcia?—Garcia!? Where are you!?"

However, no one responded to Alfonso's increasingly agitated shouts.

"Old man, where's Garcia?!"

"I do not know!"

Alfonso, looking somewhat flustered, rushed up to Carmen and demanded to know if she had seen Garcia.

After all, given Garcia's appearance, it wouldn't be surprising if they mistook him for a terror fish and wiped him out.

Then, he looked at Jody and the Deepsea Hunters, and said with even greater rage:

"Agorians!? Why are there Agorians on my ship? I only squinted for a moment, why is not only Garcia missing, but also so many small fry from the sea!?"

"Haha, you use Agorian technology to build ships, and then complain that the Agorians are on the ships. It seems that your foul-mouthed hero is just as over-packaged as this broken ship."

The displeased Specter retorted mercilessly, while Alfonso, also looking ready to fight, seemed inclined to use force to drive them away. However, thinking of Garcia, he lost all interest in fighting and immediately questioned:

"Did you encounter a guy wearing a white cloth on your way here...? What did you do to it!?"

Perhaps using words like "fearfish" or "monster" would more accurately convey Garcia's appearance, but Alfonso was unwilling to use that term to refer to his companion.

If Carmen and her group did not encounter Garcia, then the Deepsea Hunters are more likely suspects.

"No, but maybe it was so inconspicuous that it was mistaken for a bug and stepped on without being noticed."

Judging from Alfonso's tone, the Deepsea Hunters had already deduced that Garcia, whom he was talking about, must be a heavily evolved being from the sea, otherwise they wouldn't be so worried about whether he would be killed by the two groups of people.

However, Specter Shark, in her reply, did not intend to honestly recount their ordeal. Instead, as a response to the verbal humiliation she had suffered at Alfonso's hands, she deliberately spoke in an ambiguous manner.

"you!"

"What do you mean, 'you'?"

Provoking the opponent and then knocking down this reckless hoofed man with one punch—that's what Ghost Shark hopes for. However, before this actually happens, Grandia and Carmen dissuade him from both sides.

"Shark, stop messing around."

"Alfonso, calm down."

Skadi sighed, looking at the two sides who were still arguing with some headache, and said: