Adrift
...Everything sounds muffled.
Everything around me is chaos, but down here, it's quiet. I feel like I'm just floating.
It doesn't feel so bad. Maybe I could just let myself drift...
Through my blurred vision, I make out that same old beach.
Except this one's a little different...
The shoreline is littered with shattered wreckage and the bare frames of ruined ships.
...
Hrrph!
Pwah!
Stop. He's awake.
Are you all right, Captain?
*Cough!* *Cough!*
A few hard coughs forced the seawater from my throat.
When I came to, Luna stopped the chest compressions and patted my back until my coughing finally began to subside.
You okay now, Captain?
W-well...
Ahaha...
*Sigh...*
...Ugh...
Hmm...
Everyone's face fell.
What's wrong...?
...Captain. One piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
Which do you want first?
No, no! Never mind that. Just start with the good news!
Captain, listen up. The good news is... I think we finally made it to Grave Island.
Yes. The current was unusually rough and fast. Wrecked ships are scattered everywhere...
Every detail matches the old man's description of Grave Island.
If that was true, the Pirate King's treasure had to be close. I turned to Ayla with a smile.
...
...But Ayla gave me an awkward smile.
Ahaha... You still haven't noticed.
Well, at least you got to feel good for a moment.
...?
...Think back to what we were told about Grave Island.
Come to think of it, the old man had said...
...Old stories tell of ships swallowed by a strange current off Flora's coast...
They say there's a small deserted island surrounded by old ships.
Grave Island was supposed to be deserted...!
If no one lives here...!
Even if we find the Pirate King's treasure, there's no way off this island...!
Noooo!!
My head was spinning. Stranded on a deserted island with nothing around us...
The one thing we'd dreaded most on this voyage had happened.
...Is there really no way off this island?
Well... While you were out, Smile and I left you with Ayla and took a look around.
We were hoping to find a seaworthy ship to take us back.
Yeah. But we couldn't find anything seaworthy.
Conclusion. No way back at present.
Food, water, warmth... All basic survival needs must be handled independently.
On top of that, we'd just been attacked by the pig shark and the pirates, and our ship had sunk.
After everything we'd been through before washing up here, we were a complete mess.
Oww...
Ugh...
...
...None of us knew how we'd get through this.
I let out a sigh of my own and took stock of the situation.
But dwelling on our predicament wasn't going to change anything.
R-right...! There has to be a bright side somewhere!
Like... Oh! The map you got back for me...!
I could've lost it in the water, or it could've torn even more. But luckily, I managed to hang on to it.
Doing her best to sound upbeat, Ayla reached into her clothes and took out the torn half of the map.
Sure enough, the map looked no worse than when the pirate tore it in half.
At least this is something to be glad about... right?
We came all this way to find the Pirate King's treasure, after all...!
We've been through a lot, but we made it to Grave Island, the ships' final resting place. Now we just have to find the stone marked with a moon.
After that, all we have to do is follow the map. It shouldn't be too hard...
So let's hang on just a little longer... and get through this together...!
Her voice trembled, but Ayla was clearly trying to lift our spirits.
...
...I guess she's right. Moping around won't change anything.
Yeah. It's a small island. Finding the stone marked with a moon should not take long.
We can worry about getting off the island after we've followed the map and found the treasure.
All we have to do is find a way.
Thanks to Ayla, Luna and Smile shook off the gloom and found their resolve again.
Now that the Captain's up, wanna get back to hunting for the Pirate King's treasure?
Yes. I can head out again right now...!
All right! Let's start fresh and go find that treasure!
We can do this!!
Ooohh...!
W-we can do it...!
Let's go!
Under the blazing sun, we found our resolve again.
A few hours later...
Too hot...
Rapid fluid loss due to outdoor activity in extreme heat...
Another half day without water... Difficulty concentrating, headaches, and dizziness expected.
Current recommendation... Ice cream. Also effective at lowering body temperature...
Here. Drink this, Smile...
Mmph... Lukewarm...
Still seated, I dribbled coconut water into Smile's mouth as she lay limp at my feet.
We'd spent hours combing the beach despite our exhaustion, but the stone marked with a moon was still nowhere to be found.
*Cough... cough...*
Ayla, your cough's been getting worse... Even with the medicine...
Here. Have a sip.
Thank you, Luna...
Ayla sat down beside us and reached for the coconut Luna held out.
Huh? Wait. Ayla, your hand...
As Ayla reached for the coconut, Luna grabbed her hand and froze, eyes wide.
I followed Luna's gaze to Ayla's fingertips. Her nails were cracked and spotted with blood, and the scraped skin around them was red and swollen.
Oh, I thought the stone marked with a moon might be buried in the sand, so I got a little carried away digging...
I-I'm fine...! You don't need to worry... It doesn't hurt at all... *Cough...*
Like she'd been caught hiding something, Ayla pulled her hand free and hid it behind her back.
What do you mean you're fine? Your cough's only gotten worse.
Agreed. At this rate, you may collapse from exhaustion even sooner.
Ayla. I recommend you stop pushing yourself.
I-I know, but...!
...But I'm not tired at all...
For years, all I did was wonder how long I'd be stuck in my room...
But now I'm outside, searching for treasure with all of you...
I've never felt more alive than I do right now...!
...
*Cough...* Besides, thanks to all of you, I've gotten a lot better... I'll go back to looking for that stone.
So rest a little longer and join me when you're ready!
Ayla coughed softly, smiled, then dashed back into the blazing sun.
...That kid is stubborn as a mule, I swear.
You know she was pushing herself even while the rest of us were passed out?
Before I even came to, I felt someone pressing down on my chest. When I finally opened my eyes, there she was.
I asked what she was doing, and she said there might still be seawater in my lungs.
All while she was coughing even worse than me.
Luna...
She's so frail, but she tries so hard it breaks your heart.
...Ugh. Now she's gone and given me one more thing to worry about.
Luna grumbled playfully, then broke into a smile.
So we're not letting her show us up!
Come on, you two! We'll have to hustle to keep up with her!
Whoa...!
Above Luna's radiant smile, the sun continued to blaze overhead, as if refusing to be outshone.
I gathered my strength and was just getting up to resume the search when...
...Huh?
What's wrong, Luna?
Wait, Smile... Doesn't it look like there's something under the Captain?
...!
Luna, maybe...
Yeah. Maybe we've been focusing too much on the areas out in the blazing sun. Ayla!
...?
Luna, Smile...! What is it...?
At Luna's call, Ayla returned from where she'd been digging through the sand.
Recommend you stay calm and listen.
We may have found the stone marked with a moon.
Really...?!
Huh? But I don't see it anywhere around here... Where could it be...?
Right there.
Smile and Luna raised their hands and pointed in one direction.
They were both pointing at...
There! Right where you're sitting!
I thought I saw the stone marked with a moon peeking out from under you!
Captain, lift your butt. We need to dig underneath.
I-If that's the case, please move...!
W-wait...!
*Thud* *Scrape*
The three of them charged at me, shoved me aside, and began digging furiously where I'd been sitting.
Hyah! Hup! Hrah!
Hole now fifty centimeters wide...! Next, I'll use a nearby branch to probe inside.
Right here... Just a little deeper...!
...And so, the three of them got completely carried away digging.
Their three separate holes kept widening until they merged into one massive pit.
Then, once the pit was nearly as deep as Smile was tall...
*Tap*
*Cough...* H-here...! There's something here...!
At last, deep in the pit, we found a bulging cloth pouch and a notebook whose owner was unknown.