Chapter 220 (Bonus Story)

[Ahhhhhhhhhhh!]

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

The two scurried away from each other in shock.

Through the skeleton’s appearance, Agony quickly realized where he had brought Seol.

[Isn’t this a ghost ship?! The ship is super messed up!]

“Huh? A ghost ship? I’m not a ghost, though?”

[You’re a skeleton!]

“Yeah, I am a skeleton. But I’m not a ghost.”

Agony quickly shifted to a relieved expression.

[Phew... So you were just a skeleton.]

- So skeletons are safe? LOOOOOOOL

- What are Agony’s standards? LOL

- He just accepted it?

The skeleton then asked Agony a question after seeing Seol.

“Is that a corpse?”

[A corpse? Ah! He isn’t! He isn’t a corpse yet!]

It then added an unnecessary comment.

[Well... maybe he might turn into one soon?]

“Isn’t that really bad then?”

[Is that... really bad?]

“It is! Because then he would die!”

[Is that really something a skeleton should be saying, though?]

“Why wouldn’t I be allowed to say that?”

[I guess you’re right, you should be allowed to say that! Dying is a big deal! Save him!]

“Okay! But there aren’t any doctors on board.”

[Huh? Why not?]

“Because we’re dead. Did you think it was a ghost ship for nothing?”

[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]

"Don't worry! Meeting a great pirate like me in this vast sea is proof that your friend is not destined to die!"

[Great... pirate?]

Agony confusedly looked at the skeleton.

[You were a pirate?]

"Yup, I'm a pirate! If you were bold enough to venture out into the sea, you must have heard my name at least once."

[What’s your name?]

“Nope, Not yet!”

[Your name is... Nope Notyet?]

"No, I just needed a friend's help to say my name."

[A friend’s... help?]

“Yeah. Come on out, Pupu!”

Fwoooooooosh...

A black shadow swiftly glided beneath the boat, passing the ship in an instant.

It was like a scene from a horror movie.

And then... it rose up from the waters.

Splaaaaaaaash!

A massive octopus, often called a kraken in Pandea, rose from the waters, though it appeared to be a baby.

“Puupuuu!”

Though it might have been a child, it certainly wasn’t small.

Even though the ghost ship Agony was on could be considered a large galleon, Pupu was still large enough to compare to it.

[I-It’s bald...]

“No! Pupu hates hearing that more than anything!”

“Puuuuu!”

Slap!

Pupu swung a massive tentacle onto the boat to snatch up Agony. Agony's eyes spun as it became entangled in Pupu's sticky tentacles, dangling from them.

“Pupuuuuu!”

“Pupu’s only going to forgive you this time. If you do it again, they’re going to tickle you.”

Drop.

Agony was once again back on the boat.

The skeleton then took a strange stance with Pupu.

“Now, it’s time to introduce myself! You know what to do, right, Pupu?!”

“Puuuuu!”

The two began to dance while singing a strange song.

“With just one ship, we’ll conquer the sea~ Loyalty!”

“Puupuu!”

“Friendship!”

“Pupu!”

“And love, too!”

“Puuuu!”

“We’re the great men of the sea~ Now, let me introduce you to the crew of S.S. Men of the Sea!”

- Wh-what kind of song is this...

- It’s actually not bad...

- Why is the chorus so good?

- WHY IS THE KRAKEN SO GOOD AT HARMONIZING????

The two continued their strange dance and song.

“Helmsman~ Bridon!”

“Puuu!”

“Ah, right! He died!”

“Puu...”

“Boatswain~ Malle!”

“Pupuuu!”

“Ah, I forgot! He died too!”

“Puuuu...”

“Cannoneer Jenin! Of course, he’s dead too!”

“Puu!”

The skeleton continued to list more names and positions afterward as well.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com

“Chef... dead... doctor... dead, too... navigator, also dead.”

“Puuuurgh...”

Agony continued to watch the skeleton’s dance and song as if it were possessed by them.

“And lastly... the captain of the great S.S. Men of the Sea! Drumroll, please...”

Rumble rumble rumble!

Pupu began carefully tapping on the ship with its tentacles to imitate a drumming sound.

“Me, Santos!”

[S-Santos!]

“You know who I am?”

Seol had definitely mentioned Santos’ name at Laven’s pier.

[Nope! I don’t!]

“Shocking!”

However, Agony was asleep when it happened, so it hadn’t heard it at all.

Agony was currently looking at Santos with gleaming eyes.

“What do you think?! How does it feel to be on the great S.S. Men of the Sea’s deck?!”

[A-Amazing!]

“Bwahahahahaha! I bet it does! Now, watch this... Glorious Biceps Pose!”

“Puuuu!”

Santos flexed his arms while Pupu flexed their tentacles. After doing so, Santos had a shocked expression on his face.

“Ah! I forgot I don’t have any biceps!”

- He’s fucking powerful!

- This won’t be easy...

- Agony’s getting pushed back! You got this, Agony!

- It’s too late! Agony’s already swayed by him!

[What was that...]

“Huh? You didn’t like it?”

Surprisingly, Agony showed a normal reaction to Santos’ strange actions.

“Yeah, thanks!”

If Seol had been awake right now, he would have definitely sympathized with Santos.

“One day... my entire family was poisoned.”

[Suddenly?]

“Yeah, and they suspected me for it.”

[Oh... Did you do it, though?]

“I didn’t. I liked my family, after all.”

[Family... I don’t have a family.]

“Really?”

[Yes, really! So, what happened next?]

“I left the fief. I was at my end, and I couldn’t endure it anymore.”

[Isn’t that just admitting... that you ran away?]

“I am! You’re smart, aren’t you?”

[A sea urchin should be at least this smart, you know!]

"I tried to kill myself. I thought it would be easier if I were dead... That's why I went to the sea. I was too scared to hang myself, and I thought jumping off a cliff would hurt less."

[You’re a coward, aren’t you?]

“Yup, I’m a coward!”

[You’re just a kid! You shouldn’t be allowed to be the captain of a ship!]

“Mutiny, is it?! Then I should also punish...”

[You’re going to punish me?]

“Are you going to revolt?”

[No.]

“Then I won’t either.”

- What the hell are the two of them talking about? LMFAO

- I think we need a new patch admin... We’re not understanding their conversation at all LOL

- I can feel my brain cells dying with each word...

Santos continued to recall his past.

“I fell into the sea with a big splash.”

[Was that how you died? Is that why you’re a skeleton?]

“It wasn’t! I couldn’t breathe underwater, so I just chose not to die!”

[What?!]

"But when I resurfaced and looked around, everything was peaceful except for me."

[...Peaceful?]

"Yeah, I got so upset that I didn't want to die anymore. That's why I chose to live. But that moment also ignited a great desire within me, and that's when Santos, the man of the sea, was born!"

[A great... desire?]

“Yeah, like a dream.”

[What’s your dream then, Santos?]

Stand...

Santos quickly stood up before pointing at the sea.

“Taking over the sea!”

[Is that even possible?]

"The only thing that can cool down the fiery heart of a man of the sea like me, Santos, is the seawater!"

[Woah...]

“Do you have a dream, Agony?”

[...No?]

“Then why don’t you think of one now?”

Agony closed its eyes, thinking hard, before opening them and pointing at Seol.

[Corrupting him?]

“You can’t do that! That’s not cool!”

[Does it have to be cool?]

“Of course! The crew of the S.S. Men of the Sea all have grand dreams! You should have one as well!”

Agony tilted its head in confusion before giving another answer.

[...To become an even greater sea urchin?]

“That’s perfect!”

- I’m leaving the stream.

- Wake up, Snowman! Please wake up! We need you, pleeeeease...

- That Time Demonic Spirit Agony Became the Greatest Sea Urchin...

Though Santos complimented Agony’s improvised dreams, a dark expression remained on Agony’s face.

Noticing that, Santos asked Agony a question.

“What’s wrong?”

[I just... don’t like it...]

“Don’t like what?”

[I don’t know what my dream is. Dreams are reasons to live, right? Agony doesn’t have things like that.]

"Hahaha! I can solve that for you right now! Dreams don’t need to be something as grand as that! It could start with something simple. Dreams always grow bigger with time, after all! What do you want the most right now?"

[What I want the most right now...]

“Yup! A dream that’s within arm’s reach! Men of the sea always begin with a dream that’s close!”

Agony glanced at Seol.

He had been continuously on its mind.

“...Are you worried about your friend?”

[He’s not my friend... He’s someone I need to corrupt...]

“......”

[Or at least he used to be, but... I guess he’s just someone close to me now?]

“Agony, what do you want?”

[...I want him to wake up.]

“And?”

The elf who used to pull on its cheeks, the intelligent spirit who always seemed shocked when speaking to him, and the human who used to pet him from time to time.

Agony came to a realization after organizing its thoughts.

[Captain!]

“Yeah?”

[Agony has a family. I just realized!]

“Really?”

[Yeah! Agony’s family is inside there!]

Agony then pointed at Seol.

Santos failed to understand what Agony meant, but he still nodded his head as if he understood.

“Then what Agony wants is...”

[I... I want it to get loud again! It does get too loud from time to time, but...]

“But...?”

[I can take better naps when everyone’s loud! I like that more!]

Santos then raised his right hand into the sky.

“Alright! Then let’s make your dreams come true, Agony!”

[Yeah!]

“But for me to help you... I want you to help me with my close dreams first!”

[What are your dreams, captain?]

Santos' jovial mood quickly grew cold.

[Captain?]

“It’s to... get back my crew.”

[That’s it?]

“Yeah. Right now, it’s a much more important dream than taking over the sea.”

[Then we have to make them come true, no matter what! What do you need me to do?!]

“Will you be helping me?”

[Yeah!]

“That’s good, but in truth... this ship had been heading there from the start!”

[There?]

“Yeah, where my crew is!”

[And where’s ‘there’?]

The crew of the S.S. Men of the Sea had their souls stolen by Vitona.

Santos, the ship’s captain, managed to escape successfully but failed to take his soul with him, leaving him with only his body.

And now... he was trying to return.

To Vitona, the Soul Reaper.

“The Alfrina Strait,” answered Santos.

To the Alfrina Strait, where she was.