One Piece Quest Fruit – Read Fanfic

The restaurant owner paused, waiting for Eust to prompt him before he continued speaking.

“At that point, people started to believe that the small boat might be a ghost ship, born from the souls of the fishing boats that perished at sea.

Some even thought this ghostly fishing boat was a guardian spirit that would protect us from future shipwrecks.

Others didn’t buy into the ghost ship theory, but most called it that, and the name spread. The boat’s mysterious movements, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, confirmed people’s suspicions.

It’s true that the boat would consume small birds, fish, and other animals. I’ve seen it myself. Birds perched on the ghost ship would vanish without a trace, definitely not flying away. They weren’t fast enough to escape my well-trained eyes.

The ghost ship’s ability to self-repair is also true. After consuming a bird, it repaired damage to its edge, likely caused by hitting rocks. The damage was gone after the boat consumed the bird.

I believe the boat gains its self-repair ability from consuming living creatures.

Because of this life-consuming ability, people began to fear the boat. The earlier notion that it was a protective ‘spirit’ was abandoned.

Recently, the ghost ship has been seen less frequently, leading some to think it avoids humans.

I can’t say if that’s true, but the ghost ship didn’t initially avoid people. Whether it has consciousness or the ability to learn and grow is unknown.

However, if you stay here for a while, you’ll likely see it.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, it’s my rule to explain these things to anyone asking about our island’s ships.

I only share the general information if someone can’t even notice the obvious lack of boats on the island. You can consider it the quirk of an eccentric old man.”

The restaurant owner waved his hand, signaling Eust to leave, adding a dramatic piece of advice, which lost some impact with his final remark.

“Go, young man, embark on an unknown journey and discover the mysteries of the world!

…And don’t forget to pay for your meal.”

After lunch and gaining insights from the restaurant owner, Eust understood more about the island’s lack of boats and the ghost ship’s origins.

Despite this, Eust didn’t change his morning plan. He decided to search for the “treasure” first, then the ghost ship.

Eust also thought they might encounter the ghost ship while treasure hunting and shared this with Lyra and Sunny.

Lyra was skeptical, thinking the treasure map might be fake. Even if the ghost ship was real, what could they do with it? She doubted both leads.

Sunny claimed she was responsible for being cute and fighting, not for giving advice. Though Eust said she didn’t seem like a strategist cat, Sunny aspired to be the strongest strategist cat, which was confusing to Eust.

Ignoring Lyra’s pessimism and Sunny’s lack of suggestions, Eust prepared to start the treasure hunt with them.

Back in their boat’s cabin, Eust examined the treasure map again, pondering its clues.

With Lyra’s help, they deciphered the clues and pinpointed the treasure’s location near a cliff on Spike Island.

Excited, Eust set sail for the destination.

Upon arrival, they initially found nothing. After careful searching, Eust discovered a hidden cave obscured by a large rock. This seemed to be the spot indicated by the treasure map.

Eust called for Lyra to follow. They ventured into the damp cave with Lyra in a green shirt on his left and the white-furred cat Sunny on his right shoulder.

The cave wasn’t deep, only about a dozen meters. They reached the end without finding anything.

This cliffside matched the clues on the treasure map. Why was there nothing? Unconvinced, Eust rechecked the cave but found nothing valuable.

The only unusual thing was a beam of light at the cave’s end, indicating the former presence of a plant that had long since disappeared.

Maybe the map was wrong, or someone had beaten them to it, accidentally discovering and taking the treasure.

Eust speculated that the treasure might have been a rare plant, given the roots and the beam of light.

Despite his thoughts about celestial plants and treasures, the empty cave meant they had wasted their time. Though the map was a lucky find, Eust felt disappointed.

With no treasure, they left to search for the ghost ship. It would be fantastic if they could capture it as their vessel.

Thinking of the ghost ship revitalized Eust. Though unsure how to capture it, he wanted to find the legendary “self-navigating,” “bioenergy-absorbing,” and “self-repairing” ghost ship.

Eust wasn’t worried about being devoured by the ghost ship. Were the rumors and the restaurant owner’s stories reliable? Could someone already have been “eaten” by the ghost ship? Truth often lies beneath a shiny exterior. What would Eust encounter next?

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