Chapter 46
With Crocodile's example, even if your heartbeat and body temperature react to Mihawk's words, you calm down after a brief moment of shock and become skeptical of what Mihawk said.
You take two steps back, widening the distance between yourself and Mihawk once more. When your eyes meet Mihawk's golden gaze, the urge to look him in the eye stops abruptly, your face burning.
"What you're saying might be true... but I've forgotten what happened before, so—"
"It doesn't matter."
The unfinished conversation ended with Mihawk's reply. You carefully observed Mihawk's expression. His face, which had never shown any other expression since you first met, now seemed to have a hint of a smile in addition to helplessness.
"I have the time and the patience."
Even though Mihawk didn't explicitly say where the time and patience were spent, an inexplicable tacit understanding made you quickly look away, and you even gave the obvious excuse that "someone is looking for me," before hurriedly running back to the group still discussing the plan to cover up your strange behavior.
Fortunately, no one around you noticed anything unusual, as they were fully absorbed in the discussion between the two groups of people.
-
Normally, the Whitebeard Pirates wouldn't let nurses go on adventures, but you, who had been with them for a while, were listed as one of the nurses. However, unable to settle down on the ship, you expressed your desire to go on an adventure, which made Marco, who was in charge of mobilizing personnel, widen his eyes.
"I don't mean to discourage you, but accidents always happen on expeditions. Are you sure you want to go?"
The crew members who were with you shared the same opinion as Marco, and they all tried to persuade you not to do anything rash. Shanks laughed out loud amidst the group's persuasion, then turned to Mihawk beside him and said something. Because of the distance, you couldn't hear what they said, but from the distance Mihawk had created between himself and Shanks, and Shanks's seemingly disappointed and dejected expression, you could tell that Mihawk didn't agree with what Shanks had said.
Your attention, which had been temporarily diverted, returned to the original topic, and at Marco's and others' urging, you softened your tone and expressed your thoughts.
"I will try my best not to cause trouble for everyone. Even if I encounter danger, I have everyone by my side."
The lively deck fell into a brief silence, which was first broken by the laughter of a white-bearded man who was watching his son's maneuvering. This was followed by the crew member who advised you not to go, his expression a mixture of pleasure and restraint.
Crew member A: "I'm so embarrassed by what you're saying!"
Crew member B: "Damn it! If you encounter any danger, just come to me!"
Crew member C: "Why do you want me? Of course, you want to see me!"
Suddenly, the crew members who had recently advised you against following them changed their tune and began showing off their capabilities, trying to recruit you into their expeditions, which surprised you.
Ace, on the other hand, walked right up to you, took your wrist, and unilaterally announced your joining the team, along with the crew member who had invited you to join.
"Of course you'll come with me! We're friends who've gone on adventures together!"
Then Ace was told off by his older brothers who knew his personality.
Harta: "If I follow you, you'll lose people before we even get inside. Just stay with me."
Sachi: "While Ace is reliable, it's uncertain how long it will take to get in. Come with me; at least you won't go hungry."
Izang: "You guys are all so reckless when you fight. It'll be safer with me around, at least I won't get hurt by my own people."
Marco: "Speaking of which, it's the same when Izan starts shooting. Who knows what's going on inside? At least with a doctor, you can get immediate treatment if you're injured."
Shanks, who had lost all interest in discussing the expedition team with Beckman, burst into laughter, patting Lyme on the shoulder as he laughed: "They're so interesting! Lyme, why don't you give it a try?"
Rem, who was patted on the shoulder by Shanks, had considered the plan, but remembering the incident where Shanks caused Rem to fall into the sea and was eventually pulled out by Beckman, Rem did not respond to Shanks' suggestion.
Lyme denied ever having thought of it, and ultimately dismissed the idea because of his own problems.
Beckman, however, had a different opinion: "Even if Lyme wanted to, she wouldn't agree."
Jesus: "Perhaps if Lu invites her, she's more likely to agree."
Lu: "Let's forget it. Sachi won't let me get close. Should we send Hongo? They used to get along quite well."
As the focus of attention shifted, Hongo, now at the center of attention, glanced at Mihawk, whose gaze was piercing, and then followed Mihawk's gaze to see you looking helplessly at Ace. He then rested his chin on his hand and sighed.
"I don't want to be exhausted before I even start the adventure."
-
You entered the forest with Ace's second squad, along with Mihawk. However, not long after entering, the ground suddenly shook, disrupting your positions. Even though Ace and Mihawk reacted immediately, the ground, as if alive, swallowed you one by one.
When you wake up, the surroundings are no longer a lush green forest, but a cave illuminated by dim candlelight on the walls. And with you are not Ace and his group, but Harta, who set off earlier, and Rem, who took a completely opposite route.
Clearly, the two men, who seemed to have just had a fight, were surprised by your appearance. This surprise lasted only a few seconds before their sapphire blue eyes scrutinized your presence, and their usually gentle tone turned cold.
What have I given you?
Be prepared to take action if you answer incorrectly while asking questions. Lem, standing to the side, didn't say anything, but judging from his posture, he seemed to be assessing whether you were friend or foe.
You feel a momentary unease, still not fully understanding the situation, but the fact that they haven't attacked you suggests that things aren't dangerous enough to threaten your life. Recalling the Harta incident, two gems of different colors and shapes, both appearing very expensive, come to mind.
“Sapphire and emerald gemstones.”
Upon hearing the answer he wanted, Harta breathed a sigh of relief and put down his sword. Lym, however, rushed to your side before Harta could and asked if you were in any danger.
"We encountered no danger, thank you for your concern."
Lem, who had initiated the conversation, paused for a moment before replying in a low voice, "...That's good."
At the same time, Harta, naturally walking between you and Lem, physically separated you from Lem and shielded you behind him, accusing Lem of jumping the gun amidst Lem's displeased smacking of his lips.
"You rascal, you got distracted by her the moment you weren't watching her. Are all redheads like this?"
The second half of the question was directed at you, but Rem, whose chances of speaking to you were repeatedly snatched away by Whitebeard's men, ultimately revealed his true nature.
"Huh? That's enough. You're just like that kid Fire Fist, will you die if you don't pick a fight with me?"
In contrast to Lem's gritted teeth tone, Harta's voice was one of feigned surprise.
"Looking for trouble? Who wants to cause trouble for you? It's you who disturbs her the moment you see someone from our ship, okay?"
"What do you mean by 'your people'? She never said she was a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. If we're talking about seniority, she should be on our ship."
You no longer care about correcting which side you belong to in their conversation; you just want them to stop arguing and exchange the information they already have.
Seeing that the two were about to continue fighting, you walked between Harta and Lyme, and with their astonished expressions, you reached out one hand and pressed down on their hands that were gripping their weapons.
"Stop, put my question aside for now. The most important thing is to figure out what the situation is, okay?"
You gently ask for their opinions, but the two who were just fighting and arguing back and forth are now like guns that have gone silent, unable to utter a single word.
They only gave you a positive response when you were about to withdraw your hands from holding them down.
Lyme: "Okay."
Harta: "I'm only doing this because of you."
Once you've confirmed that the two won't argue or fight anymore, you withdraw your hand from the back of their hands and explain your situation first. Both of them show varying degrees of surprise upon hearing this, and you then learn from them that their situation is similar to yours.
"so--"
Before Harta could draw a conclusion, a faint but loud sound rang out, and Harta, who was closest to you, pulled you into his arms with one hand. The feeling of weightlessness and the sound of the ground breaking apart overlapped.
When Harta put you down, you thank Harta, who made an intrigued monotone sound, and then look at where you had been standing. You see a staircase leading underground through the open floor.
"Ha, I'm becoming more and more interested in this island."
With an interested gleam in his sapphire blue eyes, Lyme, who had been silent and whose face was filled with the word "adventure," clearly shared the same idea as Harta.
Before you could look away, Lem, realizing something, looked at you and asked, "Do you want to go in?"
It was a question in tone. However, before you could answer, the ground behind you began to slowly collapse, clearly not intending to give you a chance to refuse.
Seeing this, you gave Lyme a wry smile: "Even if I said I didn't want to, I had no choice but to move forward in this situation."
Lyme, who had been asking for your opinion, coughed awkwardly when he saw the collapsed ground behind him: "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
At the same time, Harta, who was closest to you, reached out and grabbed your wrist, the sensation in his hand drawing your attention. Harta raised his head, his face radiating smug satisfaction at his own strength.
"Stay close to me and you'll be fine."
Harta may not have meant anything by it, but judging from Lem's snort, Lem interpreted it as meaning that following him would lead to trouble.
-
You and the two people walked for a while, and then you were stopped by a wall. But calling it a wall isn't quite right, because there were words carved on it that looked like clues.
"Seeing is not always believing?"
Harta read the words aloud, while Lem noticed the single dose of potion below them. Combining the clues on the wall with the items on site, Lem made his conclusion.
"Does drinking this mean I can get through this?"
"No need for that, just cut out a space where one person can pass through."
As he spoke, Harta drew his sword and, before you could utter a word of warning, he had finished hacking away. However, aside from a few scratches, there was no sign of any damage to the wall.
As you breathed a sigh of relief that the wall remained still and that you weren't buried underground, Harta, whose idea hadn't been verified, let out a sound of disbelief.
"Impossible! I used my domineering aura!"
As Harta spoke, he wanted to continue making moves to test his conjecture, but the eager Lym reached out and stopped Harta, drawing his weapon.
"You've chosen the wrong spot."
As soon as he finished speaking, you saw Lym strike at what he considered the most opportune spot in the dim light. Despite the force that shook the underground passage, the wall standing in front of you remained completely undamaged.
As Lym stares in disbelief at the undamaged wall, you, barely managing to recover from the slow-moving underground passage, let out a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Harta, seizing the opportunity to mock Lym, strikes up a conversation with a rather surprised tone.
"Looks like finding the right spot isn't all that great after all."
"Tsk, you dare to criticize me when even my domineering aura can't cut you down?"
This led to another argument between the two over the wall. Not having the energy to mediate, you walked over to where the medicine was kept, picked it up, and examined it.
Based on the clues and the transparent liquid, you boldly deduce that whoever drinks this potion will go blind. Whether the blindness is temporary or permanent, you are unsure.
What you've thought of, Harta and Lyme, who have seen it all, can certainly think of as well. As for why they haven't mentioned drinking, it's probably because of the uncertainty surrounding the potion and the hints.
Whether it's blindness or other side effects, pirates, who already find it hard to trust others, will not consider taking this risk unless absolutely necessary, without a trustworthy comrade present.
Considering the consequences of refusing to drink and simply wasting time here, and the fact that either Lyme or Harta would either suffer permanent blindness or die from poisoning if either of them drank it, you, lacking any spirit of self-sacrifice but unwilling to be hunted down by either side afterward, decide to drink the potion.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you won't have anything priceless to offer in return for the two groups of people. At least when it comes in handy, you can't back down.
"I'll drink it."
Your voice caught the attention of Harta and Lyme, and the former, after seeing the item in your hand, voiced its disapproval.
"Aren't you afraid it's poisonous? Even if it's not poisonous, what will you do if you never see again in your life?"
Harta walked towards you, trying to snatch the potion from your hand. You smiled back at Harta, who was frowning, and hid the potion behind your back while he looked on in surprise.
"I'm scared, but we can't get out now. Rather than letting Harta and Lem drink it, I, who have no ability to protect myself, might as well try it. If it's poisonous or has some other effect, you can come up with other solutions, right?"
Even so, Lyme, who shared the same opinion as Harta, frowned and walked towards your direction.
"If you absolutely must drink it, then let me—"
Before Lem could snatch the potion, you took two steps back to create some distance and smiled back at the frowning Lem.
"That won't do. I still need you guys to get out of here. Between two capable fighters and two liability players, you should know better than me who has a better chance of winning, right?"
Seeing that the two were stunned by what you said, you hurriedly unscrewed the stopper, and after confirming that the medicine in the bottle did not smell bad, you drank it all in one gulp.
It didn't taste bad, but when the medicine flowed down your throat and into your stomach, your eyes, which had been able to see the dim environment before, went completely black. Even though you had mentally prepared yourself before drinking it, when you actually lost your vision, you still frantically groped around with your hands until you grabbed one hand in each hand, and only then did you breathe a sigh of relief.
"You're really reckless... Aren't you afraid you'll never see again?"
It was Harta's voice. Judging from his voice, he must have remembered his previous blindness.
Lyme, who was holding your other hand, sounded very angry, but he wasn't angry at you.
"Don't let me find out who did it."
Clearly, this is the tone of someone who, once they get out and find out who the mastermind is, will tear them to pieces.
-
After losing your sight, you walk very carefully with every step. But your body seems to be conscious, moving towards a place where you can vaguely sense light.
You don't know which road you're on; you can only hear hurried footsteps and knowing monotones.
Little did you know that, in Harta and Lyme's eyes, you walked slowly straight through the wall that they thought was unbreakable. The two, still surprised that you could get in, hurriedly followed when they realized what had happened.
After seeing the view before him clearly, Harta exclaimed in understanding.
"So that's how it is. No wonder it couldn't be broken."
As you spoke, Harta took your right hand and guided you forward. Meanwhile, Lym, who had been momentarily stunned by the sudden openness of the view, took your left hand in response.
Unable to know the current situation, you can only thank the two people and follow them forward.
Perhaps because you couldn't see them, the two, who had been arguing over trivial matters not long ago, remained quiet throughout, and when faced with a potentially dangerous situation, they clearly divided their roles: one was responsible for repelling the wild beast, while the other stood by to protect you.
Even without sight, you can still hear the aggressive growls of wild beasts, as well as the sounds of electricity and the drawing of sharp blades.
At the same time, the pitch-black vision seemed to be illuminated by light. Before you could tell the two who were still fighting the troublesome strange beast, a familiar vibration came from your feet, and the two realized what was happening and hurriedly turned around.
Harta, who always wins with speed, runs towards you as soon as you realize what's happening. However, the island, which intentionally scattered your positions, prevents Harta from succeeding; her hand, about to touch you, is blocked by a raised earthen wall.
After Harta cut through the earthen wall, there was no one in the open space behind it.
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