"Ahhhh!!!"
Amidst the exclamations, the Shark Emeralda rapidly descended along with the seawater, finally crashing onto a 'sea surface' emitting a faint, strange odor.
Olga and Elizabeth were being carried by Karin, so they didn't feel much discomfort. But the drunken woman and Mad Treasure suffered.
The drunken woman clung desperately to the mast to avoid being thrown off, while Mad Treasure, tied up with chains all over, couldn't exert any strength at all. He couldn't even use his Devil Fruit ability because his hands were bound. Because of this, during the violent turbulence just now, he directly fell into the 'sea' in front of him.
Sizzle!
A sound like raw meat being fried came from the water, and white smoke rose from where Mad Treasure had fallen.
"That water…"
Karin's gaze at the water below slightly froze, while Olga explained from the side,
"This is Lord Lantern's first stomach. What's below is all digestive fluid. If you fall in, you're definitely dead!"
Hearing this, Karin was momentarily stunned, then quickly flew towards the sea surface below, causing the little girl and the big lizard to scream in fright simultaneously. But Karin didn't pay them any mind, instead focusing entirely on observing the Shark Emeralda's hull.
"Good, good, no major issues."
This large ironclad ship, which Karin had designated as [Stranded Turtle Mark II], quietly floated on the ocean of digestive fluid. There were only slight corrosion marks on its surface armor. Given this ship's armor thickness, it was nothing.
"This… this ship was modified by Toreja… I mean, the [Mad Treasure]. The armor plates are made of composite metal."
Suddenly, a trembling explanation came from the deck. It was the drunken woman. Hearing this, Karin decisively flew back, first putting down the little girl and the lizard, then walking towards the drunken woman who had barely stood up.
"You're really lucky, huh? So, want to avenge your captain?"
Karin could have saved Mad Treasure earlier. But she didn't. The moment the other party showed killing intent towards her and acted on it, Karin had already put him on her must-kill list. Once bitten, twice shy. She didn't think every person on this sea who plotted against her would be as harmless as Olga. If she wasn't careful, she might silently die in someone's scheme next time.
Hearing Karin's question, the drunken woman quickly shook her head like a rattle drum, keeping her hands away from her weapons to show she meant no harm.
"N-no, it's not like that. Toreja never really treated us as companions anyway… I wanted to say, if you don't mind, could you take me along to get out? I'm a navigator. I… I can also pilot this ship for you!"
Saying this, the drunken woman mustered her courage, standing straight and pointing at the operations room not far away.
Actually, as early as when Mad Treasure chose to abandon Psycho P, the drunken woman had begun to wonder if she should leave him. After all, she didn't know if she would be thrown away as cannon fodder by this boss at some point. So, seeing Mad Treasure die in the digestive fluid, the drunken woman actually felt more relief.
Hearing the drunken woman's self-recommendation, Karin raised an eyebrow but didn't refuse. After all, apart from attacking them in panic when she first boarded the ship, this woman hadn't truly tried to kill them. Moreover… she really needed a navigator who could read nautical charts and understand weather phenomena.
Karin stared at this woman, watching as sweat dripped from her forehead onto the deck, before finally nodding. No malicious intent. What she said was true. She passed the initial test.
…
"Naomi, see that island to the starboard? Head there!"
On the lookout platform, Karin saw a small island not far away and immediately gave orders to the drunken woman… Naomi.
"Y-yes, Boss!"
"I said, call me Captain!"
In the operations room, Naomi was spinning around like a top, frantically operating the controls of the Shark Emeralda.
The ship's sophistication was not something an ordinary wooden ship like the Stranded Turtle could compare to, but similarly, its operation difficulty was not ordinary either. At least for Karin, who was completely ignorant of the written language and knowledge of this One Piece World, freely operating this ship was absolutely impossible.
Jumping down from the lookout platform, Karin saw Olga and the big lizard Elizabeth wandering among the various gold, silver, and jewels left behind by Mad Treasure.
"Wow, Elizabeth, look at me, do I look like a queen?"
Saying this, Olga wore a crown, her fingers covered in rings, and a large pearl necklace hung around her neck. The lizard Elizabeth opposite her had somehow found a golden scepter and was waving it around.
"Alright, Olga, time for serious business. Don't forget what you promised me: to take me to find the Pure Gold."
Karin carried the little girl, adorned in gold and silver, to the edge of the deck, pointing at the increasingly close island.
"Is that island Alchemi?"
Hearing this, Olga first squinted to take a look, then exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes! This is where I lived before."
From Olga's account, Karin roughly learned about Lord Lantern and Alchemy. About two hundred years ago, a scientist on the island of Alchemi invented Pure Gold.
The glow of Pure Gold attracted the giant island-eating fish, Lord Lantern. Lord Lantern swallowed Alchemi. During digestion, the island split into three parts, each located in one of Lord Lantern's three stomachs. According to Olga, aside from the small piece of Pure Gold in her ring, more Pure Gold should be stored somewhere on these three islands… including this first island where Olga lived for a hundred years.
"You're saying that in the two hundred years you were here, you could only move around in this small area?"
Karin, Naomi, Olga, and Elizabeth landed on the island. Following Olga's lead, they arrived at her shelter here… a seemingly very crude shack.
"There was no other way! I couldn't beat them, so I could only live here. You have no idea, for these two hundred years, I could only eat fruits that drifted over with the currents…"
Olga wanted to say more but was interrupted by Karin.
"The 'them' you're talking about… do you mean these-"
Karin's finger pointed at several dinosaurs that had appeared around them at some point.
'Not lizards like Elizabeth, but real dinosaurs. It seemed Alchemi might not be the first island Lord Lantern swallowed. This prehistoric big fish might have lived even longer than that Imu guy.'
"Yeah, yeah! That's them!"
Olga confirmed Karin's guess, then happily said,
"I've waited two hundred years. Now I can finally taste them!"
Saying this, the little girl's sparkling eyes looked at Karin, the meaning clear.
"…Alright. Naomi."
"Yes! Boss!"
"I said, call me Captain."
Naomi might have been under Mad Treasure for too long and couldn't change immediately, or she might simply still be somewhat afraid of Karin, hence her nervousness.
But this person's skills shouldn't be underestimated. She drew her bow and nocked four armor-piercing arrows, firing them simultaneously. They traced beautiful arcs in mid-air before accurately landing in front of the dinosaurs' heads.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The arrowheads precisely pierced the dinosaurs' skulls without causing further damage. It was clear that even without using those explosive arrows, Naomi's archery skills were quite superb. At least mixing in the New World wouldn't be a problem.
Olga and Karin were both amazed by this archery skill, clapping appreciatively.
"Wow… impressive!"
"Really impressive!"
Receiving such direct praise, Naomi felt a bit embarrassed. In her non-drunk state, she seemed more… timid, or introverted. Or was this why she was always drunk?