Back on the boat, their idle chatter had kept them distracted, but once they took in their surroundings, they realized the entire island was shrouded in a heavy gloom — almost oppressive, even frightening.
And then, in that instant, Bobo vanished.
Natsu and Gray looked around, but there was no sign of him anywhere.
"Did he fall overboard?" Happy asked curiously.
"No — he didn't fall. He just disappeared all of a sudden," Noel said. He'd seen it with his own eyes.
He'd been watching Bobo closely, especially that demonic-looking arm, which fascinated him. But in that moment, Bobo had simply vanished.
Noel still couldn't figure out how — perhaps some kind of demonic magic?
The sea was no stranger to big waves, but unfortunately, their small boat was caught up in a massive one.
And this wave was no joke — one hit from it and their boat would splinter apart. Noel was tempted to use magic, but he wasn't the protagonist of this mission.
He wanted to see how Natsu and Gray would handle it… though clearly, both of them were panicking.
"Big wave incoming!" Happy cried.
"What do we do?!" Lucy shouted.
Neither of them moved. In truth, Gray could have simply used his Ice magic to freeze the wave.
But Gray didn't seem to think of it. Just as the wave crashed toward the boat—
"Wind Burst!"
The sea spray hit them, but the gust propelled the boat straight onto Galuna Island's sandy shore.
"That was close! We were nearly smashed to bits!" Lucy panted heavily, still shaken by the ordeal.
"Scared me half to death!" Happy agreed.
"Let's go exploring!" Natsu said excitedly, waving his arms at the sight of such a big island.
"Natsu, I'm hungry," Happy complained, rubbing his belly.
Natsu, hearing that, realized he was hungry too.
"Then let's go fishing!" he said, changing plans on the spot.
Aside from Noel and Gray, who had eaten earlier, the others hadn't had a bite in a long time.
"Now that Happy mentions it… I'm hungry too," Lucy said.
They quickly divided the tasks — Gray and Happy would gather firewood, Lucy would handle the cooking, Noel would fish.
The group bustled about noisily, but from Noel's observation, the beach seemed safe enough — no threats in sight.
Rolling up his pant leg, Noel stepped into the chilly seawater. Looking out over the deep blue ocean, he couldn't shake the strange feeling — the purple moon overhead cast an eerie tint over everything.
Still, seeing the ocean was exciting. He rarely got the chance, and the endless expanse was breathtaking.
And, of course, the sea offered many gifts — like the fat fish swimming by right now.
With quick reflexes, Noel caught one and tossed it to the shore. Lucy began cleaning it skillfully, showing she had plenty of survival experience.
Gray returned with the firewood, then joined in the fishing. Standing still on the shore, he waited until several large fish swam past.
With a sudden surge of magic, he froze all the fish around him solid.
Watching this, Noel thought to himself that Gray's method was way more efficient than his own. Maybe he should've gone for the firewood instead.
"Hey, there are coconuts up in that tree! I want coconut water," Happy pointed out.
Noel glanced up. Coconuts were a great source of hydration, and Happy was perfect for getting them.
With his wings sprouting, Happy flew up and plucked several ripe coconuts.
Once they were on the ground, Noel used Wind Blade to neatly slice them open — just enough to open the shells without spilling a drop.
There were exactly five coconuts — one for each of them, perfectly fair.
Gray's fishing method had brought in quite the haul — between the two of them, they'd caught over a dozen fish, more than enough to eat.
Lucy skewered the cleaned fish on sticks, and Natsu got the fire going strong.
When the fish were set over the flames, there was an instant sizzle. White steam rose as the moisture evaporated, the skin gradually turning a golden brown.
The rich aroma filled the air. Sea fish already had a natural savory flavor, so even without seasoning, they were delicious.
Each of them took a fish and dug in greedily, washing it down with big gulps of coconut water.
"This fish is amazing…" Natsu mumbled through a full mouth.
"Yeah! Lucy, you're great at this," Happy said, complimenting her grilling skills.
"Didn't expect such high-quality food on a job… it's like a blessing from the heavens," Gray said, alternating bites of grilled fish with swigs of coconut water. It was like discovering a new world.
"You guys should try it — bite of fish, sip of coconut water. It's perfect," Gray suggested.
Everyone tried it.
"You're right! The fish was a little heavy on its own, but the coconut water's sweetness balances it perfectly," Lucy said, completely won over.
When they were done, they were at least half full — enough to get their strength back for exploration.
"So good… I want more. Let's catch more fish!" Natsu said eagerly.
Whether it was because he wasn't quite full or because the fish was just too tasty, Natsu wanted seconds.
"We've eaten enough. We should get moving," Noel decided. If they didn't find the village soon, they'd have to camp outside.
If they could reach the client's village, they might get a night's rest, which would be better for the next day's work.
"Right. The client for this mission is the village chief here," Lucy said, holding the request slip.
What caught her eye the most, though, was the reward — the Celestial Spirit key of Sagittarius.
That was one of the Zodiac keys, and Lucy wanted it badly.
So they began searching the island for the village. But the island was enormous, and after a long time, they still hadn't found anything.
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