The next day, the sun was beginning to rise, and the ship was already approaching solid land.
"Captain, we're almost there!" exclaimed Buggy, holding a pair of binoculars as he looked ahead with excitement.
"We should slow down," mentioned Ahu calmly, gazing at the horizon.
X nodded slowly, still half asleep but focused.
Minutes later, the ship stopped in front of the island. A huge stone wall rose in the distance, completely blocking the entrance to Gosa Village.
"This is a bit high," said Ahu, looking up with a serious expression.
"Ha, that's easy to climb," replied Buggy with a confident smile.
Snap.
In the blink of an eye, the three of them appeared at the top of the wall. The wind struck their faces as they looked out over the landscape from above. X walked calmly, hands in his pockets, followed closely by his two officers.
But suddenly, all three stopped in their tracks. Their faces reflected the same confusion—they had expected chaos, destruction, smoke… but instead, everything was peaceful.
Children played carefreely in the streets, laughing as if nothing had happened. The villagers worked calmly—some repairing houses, others selling fruit or chatting among themselves.
"X… this is very strange," said Ahu, frowning as he looked around. "Wasn't Krieg supposed to have been here?"
"I'm just as confused," commented Buggy, crossing his arms and stroking his chin. "It's not normal for a pirate to leave a village like this… so calm."
X watched silently for a few seconds, his gaze serious. Then he spoke in a neutral tone: "Don't lower your guard. We'll gather information first."
His two officers nodded, and the three began walking through the village streets, alert to any suspicious movement.
When an elderly man leaning on a cane crossed their path, they stopped. The old man looked at them with a small smile on his face.
"Hello, young ones. What brings you here?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, squinting with curiosity.
X observed him carefully. In that instant, he confirmed his suspicions: this wasn't an ordinary village. There was something strange in the air… and in the old man's smile. Still, he chose to hide his doubts behind a polite smile and extended his hand.
"A pleasure, sir. We've come for a visit, wanting to see new places," replied X calmly.
"Ohh, I see… so you're new around here," murmured the old man, frowning for a second before smiling again as if nothing had happened. "Well, follow me. I'll be your guide."
Without even shaking the protagonist's hand, the old man turned and began to walk slowly, leaning on his cane. Ahu and Buggy remained silent, looking around. They noticed that most of the villagers were watching them closely—some even stopped what they were doing just to follow them with their eyes.
"This place is so weird…" muttered Buggy quietly, with a nervous smile.
"Stay calm," replied X without turning around. "Just act normal."
The old man guided them along a small dirt path while speaking in a calm voice.
"As you can see, our village is small and humble. We don't have much, but we manage to get by," he said, pointing to the houses made of wood and stone. Some looked worn out, and others seemed to have been repaired many times.
"Every day we must work hard to find something to eat. Fishing helps us the most, though lately, the sea hasn't been very generous."
Ahu listened attentively, looking at the smiling faces of the children playing with balls made of old cloth and the women washing clothes in buckets, chatting and laughing together. But even so, he felt something didn't add up.
"It looks too peaceful for a place that was attacked by pirates," thought Ahu, frowning.
Buggy also noticed something strange: some men were following them from a distance, pretending to carry boxes or sweep the ground.
"Captain… don't you think there are too many people watching us?" whispered Buggy, keeping a smile on his face to disguise it.
"Yes," replied X softly. "Stay alert. Something's off here."
Several minutes later, the old man stopped in front of a huge red tent with blue stripes. It was a circus, though something about it seemed odd—the entrance was completely dark, as if no one had been there for a long time.
"This is a place where the children can have fun, and we villagers can set aside our work for a while… to enjoy ourselves a little," said the old man with a calm smile.
Ahu tilted his head, observing the large, half-broken sign hanging above. The letters were faded, but one word was still clearly readable: Circus.
Buggy narrowed his eyes. "A circus, huh? Reminds me of the good old days…" he murmured with a nostalgic smile, though deep down, he felt uneasy.
"And why is it so dark?" asked Ahu, frowning.
"Oh, don't worry," replied the old man, leaning on his cane while looking at the entrance. "It's just that… it's been a while since any show has been performed. Ever since our new leader arrived, things have changed a little."
"Leader?" repeated X.
The old man nodded slowly, his smile becoming more strained. "Yes… a very strong man. Thanks to him, the village has been able to live in peace… though, of course, there are rules we must follow."
Buggy and Ahu exchanged glances, sensing that something didn't add up.
X, with his hands in his pockets, took a step forward and looked at the dark entrance of the circus.
"I see…" he murmured. "Then why don't you introduce us to this leader?"
The old man froze for a few seconds, his smile tightening even more.
"Of course… if that's what you wish," he said finally, in a tone so calm it was unsettling.
A few seconds after the old man spoke, a net shot out from inside the circus, trapping X, Ahu, and Buggy. In an instant, the three were dragged inside as if an invisible force had pulled them mercilessly.
Snap.
X reappeared in the center of the place, looking around calmly. Around him, a group of pirates began to laugh loudly, armed with swords, pistols, and makeshift spears.
In front of him stood a dark-skinned man with a blue-and-white bandage on his forehead. In his hands, he held the weapon with which he had captured Ahu and Buggy, who were now struggling, trying to free themselves from the net.
"Gin, you idiot! I told you to aim properly! One of them got away!" roared a voice from the back.
From the smoke emerged a tall man wearing golden armor and a massive cape flowing behind him. His presence inspired both respect and fear in equal measure.
He was the captain of all those pirates.
Captain Krieg.
"My apologies, Captain Krieg," replied Gin, bowing his head and sweating slightly. "For a moment, I thought I had caught all of them… but that guy disappeared out of nowhere."
He pointed at X, who kept a confident smile upon realizing that he had finally found what he was looking for: not only Krieg, but also the perfect number of pirates to complete his mission.