Fate's End
From the outside, the shipwreck looked ready to sink at any moment. But inside, it was in surprisingly good shape aside from one massive hole.
A shipwreck just appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the ocean...
And there's no one aboard... The whole ship is empty...
I think I read about these in a book. They called them ghost ships...
Ngh... Ghost ships are nothing more than a baseless maritime superstition...!
This is merely an optical illusion... caused by the moonlight and reflections off the waves...!
Hmm? You're not just saying that because you're scared, are you, kiddo?
Negative...! I'm not scared. I only discuss phenomena backed by scientific evidence.
While the two bickered as usual, Ayla looked up from the map and surveyed the wreck's interior.
Still... it really is creepier than I expected...
She was right. The sea breeze moaning through the massive hole made even the otherwise well-preserved wreck look unsettling.
...Are you sure the treasure's this way?
Hmm... Yes. I'm sure...!
This route leads below deck... right where we are now.
And according to the map, somewhere around here...
*Clank!*
Aaaagh!
Luna jumped and wrapped her arms around Smile.
Ugh... You're heavy, Luna...
What was that?! What happened?!
S-sorry...! I stepped on something...
Still focused on the map, Ayla lifted her foot, revealing a loose piece of metal plating on the deck.
Phew... So that's all it was? You scared me...!
...Luna was the one scaring everyone with all that ghost ship talk just a minute ago.
All right, you two. Let's focus on finding the treasure.
...Of course, I was just as eager to get off this wreck and away from its eerie howling...
*Sigh...* Where could it be?
We've checked everywhere it could be, but there's nothing...
Hmm... Maybe we can't pinpoint it with only half the map...
I'm sorry. If only I'd taken better care of it...
Don't be so hard on yourself, Ayla.
The Pirate King's treasure is definitely somewhere nearby.
Fortunately, this unusual phenomenon has improved nighttime visibility. Locating the treasure should not take long.
Exactly! It's not like we can leave the island anyway.
So don't worry, Ayla!
Okay. Then I'll keep looking for it...!
...At least no one seemed too discouraged by the fact we had no way off the island.
With our resolve renewed, we split up to search the wreck for the Pirate King's treasure.
I'll search over here. Keep at it, everyone.
Okay. I'll search the same area again—
*Clank!*
Once again, I turned toward a sound coming from somewhere unexpected.
I figured Ayla had gotten lost in the map again and stepped on another piece of plating.
...
Oh, Ayla. Did you step on another chunk of plating?
That's what you get for walking around with your eyes glued to the map.
Keep that up and you'll trip. Watch where you're going—
Luna had apparently reached the same conclusion. Without even glancing toward the noise, she kept digging through a chest in the corner.
...Luna...
Yeah. Don't just stand there, Captain. Back me up.
What if she trips and—
*Bump*
Luna casually replied as she rummaged through the crate. Finding nothing, she turned to move on, only to walk straight into something and bounce back.
Hmm? What's this? There's something here... It's squishy, but firm...
Glurp.
Huh? Huh? It makes noise too. Where'd this thing come fr—
Kaaargh!
...
After enduring one poke too many, the enormous shape turned and bared its vicious jaws at Luna.
Sha...
Not that shark again!
Kraaawr!!
The shark let out a thunderous roar, and heavy footsteps closed in around us.
Countless torches surrounded us, illuminating the area.
Found you at last.
Several familiar faces emerged from the surrounding men, walked over to the shark beside us, and patted it on the head.
Good boy, good boy. All those burgers and spoiling you rotten finally paid off.
Come on. It lazes around all day, does one thing right, and suddenly it's a hero?
That's why you reward good behavior. Now he'll know to do it again!
Glurp!
One pirate tossed a burger into the air, and the enormous shark snapped it up with the practiced ease of a trained pet.
...So that shark belongs to you.
You had it tail us?
Yeah. Your course and our half of the map were enough to get us to Grave Island, but...
We had no clue where to go from there.
We only had it tail you just in case. Never thought it'd pay off this well.
Heh heh... Time to find the Pirate King's treasure.
So hand over the map before you get hurt!
The pirates fanned out around the shark in practiced formation.
Come on, big guy. Time to show them what you can do again!
Pull this off, and you'll get more burgers than you could eat in a lifetime!
Graaah!
Luna! Smile!
Hmph. Perfect timing. We need the other half of the map anyway!
Yeah. Our chance to recover the missing half of the map...!