The workers began to sing as they set sail. Brook was accompanied by instruments and the piano.

As Lynn stood by the side and read the physician’s note, the deck became raucous once more.

yohohoho, yohohoho
yohohoho, yohohoho
yohohoho, yohohoho
yohohoho, yohohoho
binkusu no sake wo todoke ni yuku yo
umikaze kimakase namimakase
shio no mukou de yuuhi mo sawagu
sora nya wa wo kaku tori no uta
sayonara minato tsumugi no sato yo
don to icchou utao funade no uta
kinpa-ginpa mo shibuki ni kaete
oretachya yuku zo umi no kagiri

“Hey, Lynn! Come hither and join us in song!” Barbaro yelled as he grabbed Lynn to dance with them.

“Excuse me, I’m studying!”

“Do it later; we need to get drunk and dance all night!”

“Stop right now! Who do you think cleaned the deck after you guys puked all over it?”

“Don’t be a snob about doing some housework! Because you’re the youngest, of course you’ll do it! Hahaha!”

“Urgh… You’d better keep this in mind, Barbaro… I’ll make sure to treat you well later.”

“Huh? You think I’ll be scared!”

Lynn’s words seemed to irritate Barbaro, who released him from his grip.

“Of course I will! You can go anywhere you like, Sir Lynn; I’ll be sure not to puke all over the place!” He shouted as he hurried away, punching another crew member in the head and spreading the word about what Lynn said. When the others on the deck heard Barbaro’s words, they all stopped drinking and stared at Lynn with horror in their eyes.

“Ignore what the youngster said and go get some beers!” Brook continued, and the party resumed as people clutched each other’s shoulders and sang while swigging booze.

Lynn couldn’t help but sigh in sorrow as he watched the scene. They all had the choice to abandon the perilous voyage aboard the ship, but they chose to continue, risking death in the process. Lynn had witnessed numerous deaths on the ship, as well as the wailing survivors as they docked in the city.

Water Seven is their next stop.

This party seemed like a way for them to part with the current ship, as they would ask the shipwright in Water Seven to create a better vessel. The party’s goal was not only to calm the ship’s spirit but also to lay their companions’ spirits to rest alongside the ship.

“Don’t you get tired sitting here by yourself?” Brook inquired, bringing a pair of liquor bottles with him and handing one to Lynn.

It had been a year since they set sail together. Lynn had initially refused the drink but had complied later, as he had become accustomed to it. He wasn’t a fan of drinking, as the more he learned about medicine, the more he disliked alcohol. Not to mention, the taste was just peculiar in his opinion.

“Thanks, teacher…”

“Not a problem.”

“Hey, Captain Brook,”

Hearing the unusual way of address, Brook looked at the boy and asked, “What is it?”

“Why would they waste their time and energy partying like this when they could be training to improve their survival skills?” Lynn said, looking at the revelers. “Wouldn’t it be better for them to train harder rather than waste their time partying?”

Brook sighed as he looked at his concerned disciple. “If you’re thinking that way, you should stay on the island instead of following us out to sea.”

“Why?”

“None of us on this deck wish to live a conventional life. We chose to set sail because we want to explore the great world. We never wanted to be confined by our village or country, so we chose to sail. We would never be upset if the water claimed our bodies since we chose to do so.”

“Choice…”

“That’s correct. We sail the sea because we want to. In some ways, we seek the place where we will die. While parting may be painful, we will undoubtedly die with smiles on our faces.”

“What a suicidal bunch, hahahaha.”

He laughed at the audacious assertion. Lynn chugged his drink and smashed the bottle on the floor.

“That’s correct! It’s my choice to follow you and join this club of suicidal maniacs! I will undoubtedly find a way to return to my homeland and provide you with a better life in my country! You had better trust me, teacher!”

Brook remained silent, smiling at the kid who was now leaping around with the crewmates and bopping them on the head, threatening them to take better care of their bodies.

“You better do it correctly, or I’ll deal with your body!”

“Noo, Cap’n. Lynn started to like men, save us!”

“Who says that! I’ll gouge your tongue out!”

“Hahahaha!”

…

Days flew by, and the expedition proceeded with chaotic encounters of pirates assaulting each other.

Every day, there was undoubtedly a swarm of wild pirates attacking from nowhere. Lynn’s swordsmanship improved, allowing him to handle foes more effectively.

“What inspired you to become a pirate?”

That simple question sparked another heated debate among them.

Lynn’s question was met with passionate responses about their backstories.

“I want to travel throughout the world!”

“I don’t want to stay where I can’t get a full stomach!”

“Because being a pirate is awesome!”

“I want to live my life to the fullest, and becoming one is unquestionably the best way to do it!”

The majority of the 47 crew members shared similar reasons. They also had additional backgrounds.

“Unlike you, who appeared out of nowhere and desired to return, I don’t want to go back home. There is food scarcity in my town, so they chose to sell the youngsters to pirates to limit food consumption. Some of us were brought here with a meager supply of food, which was a good thing because our former captain, Yorki, decided to provide for us. Those who came from another pirate ship, however, were tossed onto the pirate ship…”

“That’s correct! I heard more about the story in the pub while gathering information. However, the majority of pirates are just a gang of hooligans who were sold or thrown away by their families. They, unlike our crewmates, have tragic pasts. That won’t stop us from killing them, though; such is the life of a pirate!”

“Won’t being caught by the Marines be better than staying a pirate then? Must be what you’re thinking, right?”

“Hahaha! Being pirates is far superior to being bound by those pompous nobles! Being a prisoner and getting apprehended by a Marine is the same as throwing yourself at the mercy of those aristocrats! They claim the World Government is just, yet they are the evilest of all!”

“That’s the reason, Lynn. Beware of those nobles; they are nastier than pirates.”

“You know, our town’s nobles aren’t all that horrible. We steal their things, and they say nothing. Gyahahaha!”

“Your family was decapitated as a result, you dunce!”

“Oh, right…”

Amusingly, they had tales to tell. None of them were mere filler characters but people with histories.

Lynn’s days were no longer limited to just studying medicine and training with Brook. From then on, he’d occasionally converse with others to learn about their histories.

After another six months, they arrived at Water Seven.

“Hey, Tom, please assist me in repairing this ship!”

“Sure thing, pops!”

Brook and his crew, surprisingly, could not afford to acquire another ship due to their extravagant spending. So, the best shipwright in Water Seven, Fisherman Tom, was the present apprentice of the shipwright.

Lynn couldn’t help but stare at the apprentice, having witnessed a Fishman for the first time.

“What type of biology do you have? It’s fascinating that a Fishman can survive above ground…”

Lynn said as he touched Tom all over.

“Knock it off, kiddo! If you keep doing that, I’ll beat you with the hammer!”

“Try it, Simpson…”

Lynn tried to mock his yellow body, but Tom didn’t even know about the yellow human from the animation, Simpson. It didn’t stop him from becoming enraged and trying to punch Lynn in the face.

Lynn quickly evaded the onslaught, having assessed the strength of the incoming attack. While calculating the force, he observed Tom’s posture and continued to mock him. Based on his observation, without putting much force, the Fishman had the ability to hit harder than a normal human. It was interesting that these demi-humans were physically stronger.

His eyes glinted with new information as he made a mental note while evading the apprentice shipwright’s attacks.

“This kid is looking down on me!”

Tom muttered as he employed Fishman Karate techniques to attack Lynn with increased zeal, only to be stopped by the shipwright.

“Stop playing, and get your a$$ to the materials!”

“But, pops!”

“No, but you should go there!”

Tom grumbled as he walked away, while the shipwright apologized to Lynn.

“I’m sorry, doc. I’ll educate that kid to be more obedient.”

“No, it’s fine. How is your injury doing? Did it get worse?”

“No, thanks to your medications, my previous injury is getting better. I’ll do my best to repair this ship, but you still have to pay.”

“Of course, my captain will cover the payment. Okay, then, contact me if you want another treatment.”

“Sure thing!”

Lynn walked into the tavern, waving to the old shipwright. There, the group began another concert, sang many songs, and received payment from a pleased and drunk customer. They played their instruments and drank, just like they always did. Lynn couldn’t help but sigh at the sight.

It took two weeks for the ship to be repaired. During this time, Tom was constantly harassed by the young doctor and became his first experimental Fishman.

Tom and Lynn began to form a friendship in their own way. Furthermore, Lynn never performed any laboratory experiments on him, simply observing. Tom didn’t dislike the doctor, so he invited Lynn to stay.

“If you want to stay, I can teach you Fishman Karate!”

“No, that’ll come later. I still need to complete my sword training with my commander and find a way home…”

“Okay, your loss. Remember to come back every year to repair the ship!”

“Okay, see you later, Tom.”

“Yeah, see ya, Lynn.”

They both stated this while bumping fists and smiling broadly.

“Come back more often, little doctor! I need to check on my hips frequently!”

“You should stop banging women every night for that to heal, pops!”

“Shut up! You should hit a woman to realize their magnificence!”

Lynn could only smile awkwardly as he heard the squabbling between the master and apprentice.

As they moved away from the shipwright island, Lynn would never realize that the world is not a kind place where promises can be kept…

Character Status: Lynn Sadogashima

• Level: 1
• Class: [Unknown]
• HP: 50/50
• MP: 20/20

Attributes:

• • [STR]: 40 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬜ (Intermediate)
  • [VIT]: 35 ⬛⬛⬛⬜⬜ (Intermediate)
  • [AGI]: 40 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬜ (Intermediate)
  • [INT]: 85 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ (Expert)

Passive Skills:

• [Dexterous Hand]:

Active Skills:

• [Locked]: Magical skills yet to be discovered or unlocked. These powers have the potential to be trained and enhanced.

Techniques:

• [Swordsmanship Lv. 3]: Intermediate
• [Herbology Lv. 4]: Advanced
• [Medics Lv. 3]: Intermediate
• [Music Lv. 2]: Beginner

Technique Levels: 1: Novice, 2: Beginner, 3: Intermediate, 4: Advanced, 5: Expert, 6: Master, 7: Advanced Master, 8: Grand Master, 9: Advanced Grand Master, 10: Unknown