Chapter 172: Fu Island

Ben got to the dining hall and saw all the girls were there. Honey, Alvida and Vivi had particular wide smiles on their faces. Honey in particular was distracted by her own thoughts. They were all at various stages of eating breakfast. 

"Good morning," Ben greeted. The girls greeted back.

"Some people look very satisfied," Mikita teased. 

"My love offers the best service," Alvida said with a smile on her face.

"Pervert," Kaya said. 

"I don't see too many people complaining," Robin noted. She giggled. 

"Ben did say it was going to be your turn today but I guess you do not want it," Nojiko teased.

"No," Kaya yelled. She looked a little flustered. 

The girls laughed. 

"They are just pulling your leg," Ben said.

"Nojiko, be nice," Ben added.

"I am always nice to my friends," Nojiko said. 

"I guess it will be your turn," Ben said, referring to Kaya.

"Am I next?" Marianne asked. She looked eager. 

"You will be," Alvida said.

"Someone is popular," Zala said. 

"I try," Ben said.

"Anyway, today we will explore the second island. We may encounter the same crew again," Ben said.

"I will make sure they join," Kaya said. Mikita and Alvida nodded.

"They were treated badly," Mikita said.

"Ben, why did you not just force them to join us?" Honey asked. 

"It would have not worked," Ben said and added, "They have other issues from what I could tell." 

"My love is right, if we forced them, they would have hated us," Alvida confirmed.

"We have sowed the seed of doubt and hope," Mikita said.

"Okay, let's finish breakfast and start exploring," Ben said. They started eating breakfast. The girls made small chats between each other. 

Ben thought for a second. All of them had a battle yesterday and trained as well. He thought some of them might be tired. "Does anyone want to stay on the ship?" Ben asked. 

The girls looked at him curiously. "Why would we? Vivi asked.

"Incase anyone is too tired. I don't want to force anyone," Ben replied.

The girls laughed. "My love, we will tell you when we are not ready," Alvida said.

"Yeah we will," Marianne said.

"Ben, I can see they trust you," Robin said.

"Also, did we have any more thoughts on those drawings?" Zala asked. 

Ben thought Zala was always the curious one. "Well, Robin and I talked and we think there is something more," Ben said.

"Something more?" Zala asked.

"I am all ears," Nojiko said.

"The theory is that those little monsters may not be working with the big one," Robin said.

"We don't have much to go on besides a hunch," Ben said.

"Interesting," Zala said.

"I am now curious," Honey said.

"A good mystery," Vivi said.

"Okay, let's finish eating and then we can explore," Ben said. The girls shouted yes back.

They finished eating and got up. Zala was serving them again. "You like serving?" Ben asked Zala. 

"Yes, I do," Zala replied. She picked up the plates and took them to the kitchen.

"Okay, HQ is the water deep enough for the Miss Love to get closer to the island?" Ben asked?" Ben asked. 

"No Master, this island is as small as the previous one we visited," HQ replied. 

"Okay, same plan as yesterday. Me and Kaya will ferry two people each while the rest will come via Lexie," Ben said.

"We should get more like Lexie," Kaya said.

"She is cute," Robin said.

Marianne nodded.

"Lexie is not only transport. She also can fight," Mikita said.

"Yes you are right. She can be useful against the robots we are fighting," Ben said. The girls nodded. 

"My love, who is going with you?" Alvida asked. The girls all looked at Ben. 

"Vivi and Robin, you both are with me. Kaya, you can take Alvida and Mikita. The rest with Lexie," Ben ordered.

The girls nodded. Vivi looked excited. Robin was neutral but smiled. 

"My lord, I will stay on the ship this time and HQ will take them," BM said.

"Are you sure?" Nojiko asked.

"We can swap around," Kaya added.

"Thank you for your kindness but that is not needed. We have more capability on the ships so we can rotate between us two," HQ said.

"Okay, let's move," Ben said.

Ben, Robin and Vivi with Kaya, Alvida and Mikita headed to the deck of the ship. HQ, Honey, Marianne, Nojiko and Zala headed down to the Third floor where Lexie was.

Ben transformed into his hybrid form. He opened his arms. Vivi and Robin went into his arms. Vivi hugged him. Robin put her arm around him. They both smiled. 

Kaya transformed into her beast form and took Alvida and Mikita. Ben and Kaya flew towards the island. 

As they approached the island, the air was thick with the scent of salt and exotic flora, as waves gently caress the rugged shores. The island was a sanctuary for low level lush vegetation, with towering palm trees that sway in harmony with the sea breeze.

Behind the few palm trees were a series of ancient ruins. Weathered stone structures adorned the area. Moss and vines intertwine with the cracks in the walls, as nature slowly reclaims its territory. The central plaza of the ruins featured a grand, crumbling temple, its ornate columns and faded frescoes told of a rich cultural heritage. Surrounding courtyards were scattered with the remnants of statues and fallen pillars. Narrow pathways winded through the ruins, 

"This island is very small, you can see the main building," Vivi said. 

"The treasure is probably in that temple," Robin said.

"I agree," Ben said. 

They landed on the sandy beach. Kaya was right behind them. Mikita and Alvida got off.

"Thank you for the trip," Mikita said. 

"It was my pleasure," Kaya said. 

"It looks creepy my love," Alvida said.

"It does," Ben replied. They looked at the temple. There was a large staircase leading to the top. 

"I don't expect these places to look good," Kaya said. 

"I expect there to be large spiders and creepy bugs there," Robin said. 

"It will be fine," Alvida said. 

They looked behind and saw Lexie coming towards them. They waited until Lexie got to the shore. The doors opened and Honey, Marianne, Zala, Nojiko and HQ exited Lexie. 

"This place looks scary," Marianne said.

"Robin said this place had large spiders," Mikita said.

"Spiders," Marianne said in surprise. 

"We will take them on," Alvida said.

"Ben, there are footprints here on the sand leading to the temple," Mikita said. 

"They look fresh as well," Zala said. 

"We are not alone," Honey said. 

"This could be Gad and his crew," Ben said. 

As they were talking they saw a ship sailing towards them. The ship sailed from around the island. It was a small pirate ship. Its compact frame was both agile and swift, designed for navigating through narrow channels. The ship's wooden hull bore the scars of battle, with patches and repairs hinting at a life of daring escapades.

The ship's mast proudly supported a tattered Jolly Roger, its skull and crossbones weathered by the elements. A crow's nest perched at the top. There was a figurehead of an animal with horns. 

The deck was cluttered with barrels, crates, and coiled ropes, Cannons protruding from the sides, indicating the ship's capability for swift and deadly raids. 

On the deck they saw five dozen pirates with Gad. They could also see Rubis, Saphir and Emeraude. They looked sad at first however as soon as they saw Ben and his crew a smile appeared on their face. 

"Looks like it has worked," Ben said. Alvida, Mikita and Kaya nodded.

"But who do these footprints belong to?" Marianna asked. As Marianne said this a cannonball was fired towards them. HQ jumped into action and kicked the cannonball away from them. It hit the water and exploded. 

"I don't know but we can't keep talking about this," Ben said.