69novels 13: Under the Stars
13: Under the Stars
On the boundless sea, a pirate ship is burning fiercely.
The remaining pirates stared in terror at the figure in the center of the ship, a hand gripping their captain's neck.
Monster! A monster wearing leather armor!
They inexplicably jumped out of the sea and inexplicably tore down their ship's flag.
After watching it, he didn't say a word, and immediately started a killing spree!
No one can stop it, no one can stop it!
The captain, the first mate, the ship's captain... none of them could withstand a single blow!
Monster! It's a monster!
Then, the monster spoke:
"Honestly, why did you come to such a remote place? It's so far from the naval branch."
"If they were closer, we could just cut down the ships and call the navy. Instead, we have to deal with them one by one. It's really annoying."
"Gails was supposed to make seafood paella today, but you guys have wasted so much of her time. We'll just have to eat faster..."
"Sea... seafood baked rice? What kind of monster are you...?"
"Click."
With a gentle squeeze, Lingling snapped the captain's neck and tossed him aside.
"Auro said he wants to leave no one alive, so let's hurry up."
Lingling's pretty face, still a little chubby, looked somewhat ferocious in the firelight.
Just thinking about having seafood baked rice when she got home made her smile involuntarily.
To the pirates around them, the monster who had just snapped their captain's neck was standing amidst flames and blood, inexplicably grinning and laughing!
monster!
……
"Baked rice~ Baked rice~ Seafood baked rice! Hehehe~ Delicious!"
"Slow down, slow down, these are all for you. Nobody's going to take them from you, Lingling!"
Seeing Lingling finish her bowl of rice in just a few bites and even start gnawing on the bowl afterward, Gails quickly snatched the bowl from her and filled it with a large bowl, handing it to her.
"Hmm? Auro~ Why are you drawing nautical charts again? Huh? What's this?"
Lingling finished another large bowl of baked rice. While serving the rice, she saw Auro lying on the large wooden table, writing and drawing on the nautical chart with a pointer she had never seen before, which piqued her curiosity.
"The old man gave it to me before he left. This pointer is the reason why the Icebreaker Pirates came to them."
Oro raised the pointer in his hand.
According to the old man, the permanent pointer points to an island that his older brother calls "Treasure Island." The island is plain and barren on the outside, unsuitable for living, but underground it is full of all kinds of rare mineral veins.
"This island is what gave the old man the confidence to not return to Elbaf after the Giant Warrior Pirates disbanded."
After Auro finished speaking, Lingling also finished another bowl of rice. To be honest, the little story was quite appetizing.
After finishing three large bowls of seafood baked rice, Lingling finally put down her bowl, not because she was full.
Three bowls of rice was the amount she intentionally controlled. She had finally grown taller and thinner, and her figure was now well-proportioned. She didn't want to go back to how she used to be.
"So, shall we go explore this island?" Lingling's eyes lit up.
Oro didn't answer directly, but instead looked at the giant girl who was silently clearing away the dishes: "What do you think, Gails?"
"Go ahead, Lingling said sailing is too boring, let's go and change our mood."
Gail expressed her support without hesitation, and Lingling cheered, hugging Gail and jumping around.
"Wow! Gals is so nice!"
"Lingling! Stop fooling around! If you don't let go, you're coming with me to wash the dishes!"
Seeing this scene, Auro couldn't help but smile.
He smiled and buried his head to continue studying the nautical chart.
Since we've decided to go, we need to hurry. Expectations fade with time, and we can't keep Lingling waiting.
……
The sea breeze tastes saltier at night than during the day.
Oro sat beneath the Tarol statue at the bow of the ship, gazing up at the starry sky.
The starry sky in this world is beautiful, with blue and purple Milky Way stretching across the night sky and countless stars twinkling.
"Why isn't Oroko asleep yet? Didn't we set up security measures before? The whole ship is covered in them, there's no need for a night watch."
"Hey! Gals. Is Lingling asleep?"
"She slept so soundly."
Auro turned around and saw Gails walking over in her pajamas, wearing a white wool coat, and carrying a folded blanket.
"Gails, do you know why we're going to sea?"
"You and Lingling never asked any questions before running away with me. Aren't you scared?"
Oro shifted his position and patted the person next to him, gesturing for her to sit down.
Gails sat down next to Oro, unfolding a blanket as she said, "Do we need a reason to go to sea with Oro?"
"Young lady, you should read less of those romance novels."
Oro smiled and accepted a corner of the blanket that Gales handed him.
"Is Oroco shy?"
"..."
Auro changed the subject somewhat helplessly: "Lingling and I killed Carmelo and a CP9, breaking up a human trafficking network that had been operating for nearly 50 years."
"Especially since this network can access giants, the world government will find out about us sooner or later."
"Let's wait until they find out! The world is so big, do you think the World Government would go to such lengths to search for us just because of two dead people?"
Auro patted Gals's hand to calm her down. They had grown up together, and he knew why Gals was so upset.
"I will never abandon you, but I don't want you to spend your whole lives following me, hiding and running on the sea."
"Auro..."
Gails stared intently at Oro, who returned his gaze with unwavering determination.
"I have a backup plan. We will go from Mermaid Island below Mariajois to the first half of the Grand Line."
There are islands floating in the air, very high above the sea.
"I will transform that place into a new home that you will love and that is safe for you."
"We can still explore the ocean, but when we get tired, there will be a safe harbor."
Auro's tone was filled with undeniable confidence.
"It's such an exciting future, but I don't think we'll ever need this backup plan."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because I believe Orogo can definitely achieve his first goal!"
Oro chuckled, feeling a warmth in his heart. He was certain that this warmth did not come from the blanket covering him.
"I haven't even said what my primary goal is yet."
"So, Oroco, what's your first goal?"
"Would you believe me if I said I would rule the world?"
"I believe you!"
"Hahaha, silly girl..."
Under the starry sky, at the bow of the ship, the laughter and chatter of childhood sweethearts had not yet ceased.
This is a beautiful picture.
An ordinary painter would simply make a rubbing of this scene onto a scroll.
But a true artist would paint a picture of Charlotte Linlin sleeping soundly under a blanket and title it "Aurora and Gale's Heart-to-Heart Talk Under the Stars".
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
P.S. There have been many speculations that the giant vines on the Sky Island are connected to Elbaf, but since it's just fan speculation and there's no official confirmation, I'll just leave it at that.