[Since they might be pirates, why do you still help them?]
Rogel was a bit puzzled.
Logically speaking, islanders should avoid pirates, so why was Lina so calm about it?
Upon hearing this, Lina explained to Rogel.
It turned out that the Five Major Seas all belong to a unified maritime nation, the Thousand Islands Kingdom.
Within the Five Major Seas, pirates who raid islanders and cause trouble will be pursued and hunted by the Royal Fleet, so most pirates usually don't raid islands; at most, they might rest there for a while.
Of course, there are also some ruthless and lawless pirates who are not afraid of the Royal Fleet, but the probability is relatively low.
Looking at it this way, the Five Major Seas are relatively peaceful.
Indeed, it's like a Newbie Village.
Rogel thought to himself.
[However, if you leave the Five Major Seas in the future, you must always be cautious, as pirates outside these seas have fewer scruples.]
After bandaging Rogel, Lina reminded him.
Rogel nodded, chatted with Lina for a bit more, and then left the clinic.
Before leaving, Rogel deliberately switched perspectives to take a look at Lina.
Her short, smooth blue hair, her intellectual and sweet appearance, and her long legs that couldn't be concealed even by the white coat.
This made Rogel more determined in his thoughts.
I need a ship doctor on my bed... ahem, ship!
Rogel thought.
After treating his wounds, Rogel went to Felik's shipyard to continue learning skills.
...
After a night, the sun rose as usual in the Harmony Sea Area, with bright sunshine and gentle sea breezes.
At the dock, just as Rogel was preparing to set sail, Old Nelson called out to him.
[Rogel, how long can you hold your breath underwater?]
Rogel scratched his head in surprise at the question, wondering why Old Nelson would suddenly ask this.
Thinking it over, he gave a conservative estimate.
[About five minutes.]
Old Nelson paused for a moment, looked at Rogel several times, and then spoke in a deep voice.
[Can you do me a favor?]
[Sure.]
When Rogel heard this, he didn't ask what Old Nelson needed from him and just nodded.
Old Nelson had helped him quite a bit, and Rogel was willing to do what he could to help.
Seeing Rogel agree so readily, Old Nelson didn't say more and patted his shoulder, then climbed into his small boat and picked up the oar.
[Let's go.]
Rogel thought for a moment and then took Big Orange off the boat, intending to leave it in the little cabin.
But as soon as Rogel closed the door, Big Orange squeezed out from a gap in the window and came to Rogel's feet.
"Meow~"
Big Orange meowed angrily, as if saying, "You've got some nerve thinking you can just leave me behind!"
Then it jumped back onto the small boat, found a comfortable spot, and curled up to sleep soundly.
Rogel was at a loss for words but didn't force the issue and got onto the small boat himself.
Seeing this, Old Nelson smoked silently, lost in thought.
After a while, the old man, the young man, and the cat rowed the small boat in a certain direction.
[Aren't you curious about what I need your help with?]
Old Nelson, with his back to Rogel, exhaled smoke.
[Of course I'm curious, but I'm waiting for you to tell me.]
Rogel replied honestly.
Old Nelson was speechless for a moment, but didn't say much. He slowly began to speak.
[Sea Serpent Island is actually guarded by two people.]
[One is me, and the other is Holly, an old woman with a death wish, who is also my wife...]
Then, Old Nelson began telling stories from the past.
He and Holly grew up together and were childhood sweethearts.
Holly was bold, sunny, and adventurous, while Old Nelson was shy and kind.
They once sailed together, fought pirates, and searched for treasures.
Ultimately, they returned to this native island to guard the dock and watch young people like Rogel set sail toward the dawn of a new life...
Perhaps because he mentioned his wife, the usually concise Old Nelson became unusually talkative, frequently adding his own opinions.
[Holly, that old woman, loves drinking and always makes the room smell of alcohol, she's unkempt and careless, frequently losing money...]
[But I always knew she just spent the money on alcohol or lost it in the tavern...]
[She also loved flowers, especially sunflowers. I once planted some for her, but she kept dousing the flowerbeds with alcohol, killing all the sunflowers...]
[And the old woman especially loved doing dangerous things, like trying to catch a sea serpent barehanded,]
Old Nelson laughed heartily.
Though he appeared disdainful and helpless when talking about Holly, the sorrow and affection in him were unmistakable.
After a long while, Old Nelson fell silent for a moment.
[But then, five years ago, she excitedly told me she'd found a cave near a small island and was determined to explore it.]
[I was busy taking care of Lina at the time and didn't pay attention to her words.]
[But the next morning, she left a letter, packed her gear, and set off alone.]
[I've never seen her since...]
[A year later, I found one of her bottles on a small island, but I couldn't find the cave on the island.]
Saying this, Old Nelson lowered his head, gazing at the turbulent sea beneath the small boat.
Hearing this, Rogel understood.
No wonder Old Nelson asked him how long he could hold his breath.
The goal was to find the cave Holly had mentioned.
At the same time, a small island slowly appeared in Rogel's view.
The island was indeed very small, with a diameter of no more than a dozen meters at most.
However, there were some exposed hard gray reefs on the island, with algae growing underneath, and a few scattered pebbles buried on the surrounding beach.
The two docked their small boat on the shore of the island and tidied up their things.
[Rogel, you're a good kid. Although I wish to find Holly, your safety is more important.]
[If you can't find it, come back up immediately, got it?]
Old Nelson's expression was serious.
Rogel nodded in response and didn't say much, just agreed.
Then he took a deep breath and dove into the sea.
Once in the water, Rogel retrieved an octopus from his item inventory and, after controlling it, they split up to search the sea.
Soon, Rogel had a general view of the underwater area beneath the island.
In fact, calling it an island wasn't accurate.
More precisely, it was a rocky mountain in the sea.
After diving deeper, Rogel saw steep exposed gray rocks, and in one direction, there was an abyss-like undersea cliff, deep, dark, and cold.
Rogel thought the cave would most likely be beneath this abyss.
But he didn't rush in, opting to explore around the island first.
Before long, the octopus clone discovered an extremely hidden dark entrance in another dense patch of seaweed.
Found it!