Moonlight spilled down from the hole above, illuminating the dust motes floating in the air, mapping out clear "tracks" in its beams.
Amidst the dust and moonlight, Lin Qi's expression grew increasingly awkward.
Clatter!
One of the pirates, startled, dropped his tankard.
As if this was some kind of signal, the entire room suddenly erupted into noise.
"Boss! A weird guy fell from the sky!"
"Why are you yelling so loud? Do I look blind to you?!"
"Heh, I just wanted to report it to you, Boss! Isn't this how the atmosphere always plays out in those storybooks?"
"Bastard! How many times have I told you to stop reading that crap!"
"Next time we make port, you're forbidden from buying those useless storybooks!"
"You can't do that, Boss! Without those, Watashi—"
"Piss off!"
"Hahaha, Bessie, you're so pathetic. Instead of thinking about those storybooks, you should be thinking about how we're going to get out of this stretch of sea!"
"We've been circling this damned place for over ten days now!"
"Hey, why worry about that? The Boss will definitely lead us out anyway. We should just eat, drink, and be merry!"
Saying this, the pirate raised his tankard high, sloshing ale everywhere with the motion.
"Ooh—!" N
A chorus of agreement and raised tankards came from the crowd of pirates.
"Hah? Rely entirely on me? You lot can actually say something like that, you bunch of good-for-nothings with no ambition!"
"No offense, Boss, but we're all pirates here. What kind of ambition are we supposed to have?"
"Well said! Bambi, starting tomorrow, you're on deck swabbing duty. You can return to your post once you've found some ambition!"
"Ah? No! Boss—"
Bambi's howl of despair prompted the other pirates to slam the table and roar with laughter.
"Hahahaha..." *N
"...Hey, isn't the most important thing right now this guy who suddenly appeared?"
One pirate suddenly found the crux of the matter.
"How did everyone suddenly get so sidetracked?"
Having been ignored and idly cleaning up the wood fragments and dust on the table, Lin Qi looked up sharply upon hearing this.
Huh? They're finally talking about me?
Lin Qi blinked.
"Oof! Right, we actually forgot. Who derailed the conversation?!"
"Piss off! Don't you try dragging us into another pointless tangent!"
"I say, if he fell from the sky, he's definitely trouble, probably an enemy!"
One pirate said with considerable seriousness.
Many pirates nearby nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
"Damn, how can we accomplish great things with idiots like you around?"
"Can't you use your heads, which aren't much bigger than a rat's, and think carefully?"
"What enemy looks this pure and stupid?!"
Another pirate held his head, looking like he was about to faint from anger.
'Hah... For a moment, I don't know whether you're complimenting or insulting me...'
The corner of Lin Qi's mouth twitched.
"Stop! Listening to you all argue back and forth is giving me a headache. This young man doesn't look like a bad sort to me. Why say so much? Just bring him up here to talk, isn't that enough?"
Seeing the chaotic scene of everyone talking at once, Drake rubbed her temples in exasperation and hurriedly called for a stop.
"Oh! Right! The Boss has a way!"
The crowd of pirates hastily herded Lin Qi up to stand before Drake.
– Crimson King –
Drake. Adventurer and privateer captain. The first person to have accomplished the feat of circumnavigating the globe and surviving.
After her journey around the world, she was knighted by the then Queen of England and made a Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy. During her service, she was instrumental in the defeat of the mighty Spanish Armada. One could call her a model example of a pirate gone straight.
Of course, in proper history, she was a man. But in this "Moon Cell" world, she ultimately failed to keep her "gear" and became a woman.
Not that it makes much difference. Those who know her all think she's more manly than most men, this female pirate.
And the Drake now appearing before Lin Qi, just like Nero, was not a Servant, but a living, breathing human.
Which period is she from, though? Lin Qi was a bit unsure.
Perhaps this is Drake from her privateering days?
After listening to Lin Qi's explanation, Drake nodded in understanding.
"I see... It's not that I don't believe you, but isn't this development a bit too strange?"
Drake spread her hands, finding it all rather unbelievable.
"A man falls from the sky, suddenly shows up, says he's a future-person from the future, and the reason he's here is to save the world— Even the storybooks Bessie reads don't have plots like this, do they?"
"They certainly don't... But Boss, even if they did, I wouldn't believe them. If I hadn't seen with my own eyes someone take a cannonball to the head and still be alive and kicking, even if you grabbed my head and told me, I wouldn't believe it either."
"Eh, wait! If no one else has written this kind of plot, if I write it, wouldn't it sell like crazy?!"
A brilliant idea suddenly popped into Bessie's head.
"There, there, stop daydreaming. If you keep this up, I'll assign you to swab the decks too."
Drake gently spoke words that sent a chill down Bessie's spine.
"The Boss is right! With your level of needing someone to translate even the storybooks you read, Bessie, you should really stop daydreaming, hahahaha..."
His brothers-in-arms, never missing a chance to stir the pot, immediately chose to throw stones at him while he was down.
Deeply hurt, Bessie went to a corner to sulk.
"Big deal, I'll just tell my idea to someone who can write, and have him give me a cut of the money..."
He muttered under his breath as he walked.
This prompted another round of raucous laughter from those who heard him.
"■! We got sidetracked again!"
Drake, who had also been laughing heartily, suddenly remembered something, slapped her forehead, her face full of regret.
To the side, Lin Qi, once again ignored, had a slightly resentful look in his eyes.
Noticing Lin Qi's gaze keenly, Drake immediately gave an awkward laugh:
"Ahaha, don't mind it, don't mind it. This is just how pirates are, unruly and uninhibited! Personally, I do quite believe you!"
Drake wasn't lying to Lin Qi. She took a liking to him the moment they met; her initial favorability wasn't low.
"It's just... Don't you think this is a bit strange? Saving the world actually has to rely on pirates?"
Drake scratched her head, her expression seeming to say, "Can you understand how ridiculous this is?"
"It is strange. Otherwise, I wouldn't have appeared here alone."
Lin Qi said with a deadpan expression.
Sensing Lin Qi's resentment reaching critical levels, Drake coughed twice and stopped joking around:
"Ahem, alright, alright, no more jokes. So, saving the world, huh? For us, this is an adventure we've never experienced before either— Right, mates?"
Drake's last words were addressed to all the pirates present.
"Damn right!"
"Hahaha, saving the world depends on pirates? This is way too interesting! Don't forget to take me with you when we set sail, Boss!"
"Ooh ooh! We just fought some seal-like guy a while back, then flew in that storm, and now we're off to save the world, woohoo! Just thinking about it gets me pumped!"
"Hell yeah! A new grand adventure!"
...
Under the dim lamplight, the pirates cheered and chattered noisily, not a single one of them showing any fear or hesitation.
Standing next to Drake, Lin Qi felt a little envious of their mental state.
Seeing her crew was so supportive, Drake grinned widely and said:
"Good! That's the spirit! Since no one objects, the next target is— Saving the world!"
"Of course, having fun is the most important thing! Even saving the world has to be done happily, okay?!"
"Ooh ooh ooh!!" *N
Responding to Drake were the rising and falling cheers of the pirates.
It was as if, in their eyes, saving the world was just another ordinary adventure.
Immersed in such an atmosphere, feeling a bit out of place, Lin Qi couldn't help but ask Drake:
"So what now? What do we do now?"
Drake repeated Lin Qi's words, giving him a look as if he were a weirdo.
Then she grinned and said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world:
"Now? Of course— We throw a banquet!"
"It's night! We're on land! What's more, I have this Holy Grail that can conjure food at will! No matter how you think about it, it's the perfect time for a banquet, right?"
Surely no one would be thinking about moving out at a time like this?
Lin Qi remained silent.
If this were land, he really would choose to operate at night...
As for how Drake knew about the [Holy Grail]?
Of course, Lin Qi told her.
"...Speaking of which, isn't this a bit too unfair?"
Drake suddenly stroked her chin, looking thoughtful.
"Unfair...?"
Lin Qi was a bit slow to follow Drake's train of thought.
"Think about it. Saving the world or whatever doesn't have much to do with us. We only got this idea because of you, young man. No matter how you look at it, it's unfair, right?"
Drake winked at Lin Qi.
"...I don't have anything on me except for a few swords..."
Lin Qi instinctively felt his pockets, which only contained a few Black Keys.
"Hey, if we're going to save the world, who cares about paltry money anymore?"
Drake laughed and threw an arm around Lin Qi, dragging him to the front facing all the pirates.
Although Lin Qi had no particular feelings for a woman who was more manly than most men, Drake's substantial assets still made him somewhat uncomfortable.
He couldn't stop himself from wanting to tilt his head away.
Drake, however, paid no mind and pressed her hand down on Lin Qi's head.
Smiling, she looked at her crew below and said:
"Isn't this easy to solve? If as an outsider we need to talk about payment, then wouldn't making him one of us solve it? If we're all on the same ship, then helping our own brother is only natural!"
"So, from now on, he's our crew member!"
"Show some seniority and take good care of the newbie, you bastards!"
Huh? I'm the newbie?
Hearing Drake's words, completely unexpected that this would be the development, Lin Qi's brain short-circuited.
"Ooooh oh oh! Fresh meat!"
"A newbie! We've been hoping for a newbie to join for ages!"
"Quick, let me get a look at the fresh newbie!"
...
The crowd of pirates all stared at the little cute newbie held by the Boss with shining eyes. Their wolf-like, tiger-like expressions made Lin Qi freeze up completely.
Don't misunderstand. This isn't about the British Empire's traditions.
Their feelings were more akin to seasoned veterans, bored out of their minds, searching the world for non-existent cute newbies to mentor...
...