Chapter 1

Great Voyage.

On an unknown island town.

"Lily, take this jug of wine to the old man."

Inside the tavern, a middle-aged woman handed a jug filled with wine to a thirteen-year-old girl named Lily.

"Is it Grandpa Carnes?" Lily took the jug, and starlight shimmered in her eyes.

The middle-aged woman smiled affectionately and gently stroked Lily's head. "Yes, it's Grandpa Carnes, who often tells you stories."

"The one who often drinks without paying and only runs up a tab, the old alcoholic Carnes." At that moment, an untimely voice interjected.

Both the middle-aged woman and Lily turned their heads.

They saw a little boy walking towards them, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Big brother," Lily called softly.

The middle-aged woman reminded, "Light! It's impolite to speak like that."

Although Light was a bit dissatisfied and glanced away when his mother scolded him, he didn't say much.

Lily blinked at Light and asked, "Big brother, do you want to come too?"

"No! I don't want to..." Light paused and then coughed a couple of times.

*Cough, cough!* "Since a little girl like you won't be able to collect the wine money, I reluctantly agree to accompany you on this trip!"

---

In a small wooden house on the outskirts of the town.

Carnes, a man in his fifties with graying hair, stumbled his way to a standing table.

His complexion was unpleasant, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead, as if he were enduring immense pain.

Trembling hands pulled open a drawer, and Carnes took out a bottle of painkillers, swallowing a few tablets in one gulp.

*Gurgle~*

After completing these actions, Carnes supported himself on the table and slowly sat down on the floor.

After a while, the pain in Carnes' body seemed to ease a bit.

Standing up again, Carnes looked at his weak and pale face in the mirror, silently chuckling.

Then, he opened the drawer again and took out a bandage and a jar of ointment.

He brought over a chair and sat in front of the mirror.

He removed his shirt.

Carnes' emaciated body was revealed.

Along with it, several scars on his body were exposed.

And the bandage wrapped around his abdomen.

Carnes skillfully unraveled the bandage, bit by bit.

Soon, the horrific scar hidden beneath the bandage was revealed.

It seemed as if a large chunk was missing from the lower right half of Carnes' abdomen.

The entire area was twisted, sunken, and collapsed!

With his emaciated body resembling skin over bones and this gruesome wound, it was hard to imagine how Carnes had survived to his current age.

Gazing at the terrifying wound in silence for a long time, Carnes finally spoke softly.

"It seems I don't have much time left..."

Applying the new ointment, wrapping it with a fresh bandage, Carnes put on his shirt and packed his belongings before leaving the mirror.

Shortly after.

Carnes sat down under the shade of a tree, enjoying the gentle breeze while sipping his wine.

He began to relish in this tranquility.

Until a childish shout broke the serenity.

"Grandpa Carnes, I've come to bring you wine!"

He turned his head toward the direction of the voice.

Carnes saw two children running towards him.

"It's Lily!"

Carnes' face revealed a warm smile as he called out softly.

"Wine, Grandpa Carnes." Lily smiled brightly and handed the wine to Carnes.

"Thank you for your hard work." Carnes took the wine and gently ruffled Lily's hair.

"It's not hard at all. I really like Grandpa Carnes." Lily's smile was radiant.

But as soon as she finished speaking, her big eyes sparkled with anticipation, fixed on Carnes.

"Grandpa Carnes, can you continue the story you didn't finish last time?"

Carnes was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but laugh. "How come a little girl like you enjoys hearing such things?"

At that moment, Light, who was following behind Lily, quietly approached.

However, he kept his back turned to Carnes.

"Because I find it interesting, that's why I like it!" Lily looked at Carnes and said it as a matter of fact.

Then she sat beside Carnes, gesturing animatedly.

"When I grow up, I want to join the Navy and capture all those bad guys."

Hearing Lily's words, Carnes couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's very dangerous, you know. The sea is filled with powerful people, and getting into fights can be very painful."

Upon hearing this, Lily hesitated for a moment, having a slight doubt about her dream.

But soon, she regained her determination.

"When I grow up, I won't be afraid of pain anymore."

Carnes burst into laughter.

"Haha, if Lily goes out to sea, Grandpa Carnes will be very bored."

"Oh, really?" Lily pondered for a moment, but soon she smiled and said, "Then I'll go out to sea when Grandpa Carnes is no longer around!"

Carnes was taken aback for a moment.

His laughter grew louder.

"Haha..."

At that moment, Light cleared his throat twice and reminded, "Old man, weren't you going to tell Lily a story?"

Carnes turned his head and glared, saying, "You little brat, show some respect to your elders, will you?"

"Grandpa Carnes~" Lily called out softly.

Carnes turned his head to look, and a smile reappeared on his face. "Alright, alright."

Light glanced at Carnes with a hint of disdain and muttered, "Ah, you old scoundrel."

Carnes didn't mind and asked, "Where did we leave off last time?"

"The pirate crew was preparing to enter the Valley of the Gods," Light continued.

"The Valley of the Gods..." Hearing this name, Carnes couldn't help but be immersed in deep memories.

After a moment, he chuckled self-deprecatingly and took a deep breath.

"The pirate crew began their journey to the Valley of the Gods. The vice-captain thought he had everything under control, believing that by knowing the future, he could change it."

"Unfortunately, things didn't go as he wished. He was wrong, very wrong."

"There, a great battle broke out between the pirates and the Marines. However, shortly after this massive war began, events unfolded beyond the expectations of the vice-captain."

"His crew, just like the future he saw, betrayed the pirate crew and abandoned him!"

"All his efforts had no effect on those treacherous crew members!"

"He couldn't change the future."

"And his crew had all left!"

"But the vice-captain was trapped and couldn't escape the battlefield."

"Then, the captain of the pirate crew died in battle, and the vice-captain was heavily injured."

"That's where the story ends."

After speaking, a faint smile appeared on Carnes' face.

However, Light seemed to be somewhat unsatisfied.

"Didn't you say the vice-captain was heavily injured? He didn't die, right?"

Carnes glanced at Light, then looked up at the sky, lost in thought.

"No, he didn't die."