Captain – Chapter 677 – Embrace and Fish Treats

Roy didn’t know the cat’s thoughts.

And that “sleeping companion” treatment came to an end the next day when morning light entered the room.

Since that night, the cat had never gotten on the bed again, and even the heavy responsibility of watching that ship of the dead was returned to the young woman after the fleet sailed into the mist.

After that, it left the captain’s cabin, but didn’t enter the ship’s hold to return to the sea maiden’s embrace. Instead, it climbed the mainmast to the highest crossbeam.

No matter how Roy called out or how the raven flew over to persuade it, it showed no intention of changing its mind.

As if adapting to solitude, distancing itself from the mortal world and all the bonds within it, returning to the pride and indifference it had possessed over a thousand years ago when it first entered this world.

As if it might leave any day, returning to where it came from.

Never to look back again.

This elusive and distant feeling was very unpleasant.

Though the cat had always been capricious, when it became stubborn, Roy truly had no way to deal with it. Therefore, despite some worry, after trying several times without success, she let it do as it pleased, even reducing the number of times she looked toward the mainmast.

Because there were more important matters at hand.

After sailing into the mist, they had traveled nearly ten more days. They were now very close to the ring-shaped island that was planned as their battlefield—extremely spacious inside but with only one narrow entrance—and could gradually see its vague outline.

And that formless, insubstantial ghostly mist and ship, like departed souls, was also drawing near.

Every deep night, whether those keeping watch on deck or those staying in the cabins could faintly hear a gentle, ethereal bell tolling in their ears.

The rhythm was slow and the source unknown, like a lullaby personally played by the god of sleep.

But even the least informed sailors wouldn’t naively think it was a hallucination.

Because when the battle plan was finalized, they had already been told that their enemy on this expedition was the most mysterious and terrifying undead ship in the legends of the islands.

The ship of the dead.

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And the bell… was naturally the soul-stealing death knell that rumor said forever followed it.

Time passed particularly slowly in this eerie atmosphere.

But no matter how slowly, there was always an end.

When the dawn sun of who-knows-which morning penetrated the mist and became dim, thread-like skylight that fell through the porthole into the captain’s cabin, the two sitting side by side on the bedside looking at that mystical sea chart simultaneously raised their heads.

After exchanging glances toward the bow direction, they turned to look at each other.

Sensing the questioning intent in her first mate’s eyes, Roy nodded slightly, rolled up the sea chart, stood up and placed it back on the desk, then reached for her captain’s coat while saying:

“Get ready. It’s time.”

Having confirmed from the captain that the moment was near, Caine engaged in no further conversation.

The two quickly changed into their gear, preparing to go to the deck. As they walked toward the wooden door, voices of pirates shouting came from the bow direction at just the right time.

Naturally, the ring-shaped reef had arrived.

But just as they approached the wooden door and prepared to reach out and push it open, with a light “creak,” the door opened by itself, and those painting-like mists surged in.

No, it should be said that after meeting no obstacles, the captain’s cabin happened to reach the position of the mist.

It was welcoming them in.

And the cat sat upright in the mist, letting the world’s scenery change around it while remaining as still as a sculpture.

This was true from every angle, because even in the depths of those azure eyes that reflected the young woman’s figure, there wasn’t the slightest trace of emotion.

As if looking at strangers.

After a brief silence, seemingly disliking that feeling, Roy half-knelt down, extended both hands toward the Siamese cat, and smiled: “You finally decided to come down?”

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“Want a hug?”

Want a hug, just like when they first met on the Satin, when it had nuzzled against her leg asking for a hug—in some sense, that had been an active choice. But this time… it was the captain rarely extending goodwill.

Perhaps because of its deliberate distance in recent days, she seemed somewhat careful. That appearance was very much like a child who had angered an elder but didn’t know the reason.

Carrying some appeasement, even approaching…

Pleading.

The captain didn’t know what had happened, or rather, what was about to happen, but whether it was Mango’s behavior or her intuition, everything made her feel uneasy.

But faced with the young woman’s kindness, the cat showed no response, only looking at her quietly.

So from its posture and gaze, Roy understood its meaning. She withdrew her hands, and the smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by some bewilderment.

“What’s wrong, Mango?”

And just as the young woman asked in a somewhat aggrieved low voice, something suddenly swept past her eyes. When she turned to look, she discovered it was an extremely small snowflake.

It fell on the wooden floor with a light “pop,” then quickly melted. Strangely, it left nothing behind—not even a water stain.

Accompanied by someone’s exclamation, the pirates on deck all looked up.

The gloomy sky, blocked by mist and invisible to its end, began snowing without reason.

Even the sea breeze became several degrees colder.

Roy didn’t know the cause, because neither her perception nor the world’s response to her contained any existence of this “snow”—it didn’t even have substance.

“Meow.”

And just as the young woman’s attention was drawn to this falling phenomenon, a cat’s meow suddenly sounded.

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Hearing that completely emotionless call and “reading” the thought-provoking meaning within it, the captain turned her face back to look at the cat, her brow involuntarily furrowing.

If this were the past, when such strange phenomena suddenly appeared, the cat would certainly explain a thing or two.

But not this time. It only expressed its attitude with a short phrase.

This time I won’t help you.

These words weren’t hard to interpret. The cat’s meaning was simply that in this confrontation between her and that ghostly ship—or rather, her father—it wouldn’t intervene as it usually did.

Roy didn’t think there was anything wrong with this. Its help and sacrifices for her had been more than enough, all born from selfless love. She had no reason to expect more.

What truly puzzled her and made her frown wasn’t these words, but the hidden meaning behind them.

Though the cat had seemed somewhat distant and even cold toward her since they had slept together that night, the captain knew there must be hidden circumstances. She could clearly sense that this seemingly heartless notification was actually a severe test.

The ship of the dead and her father, even standing on opposite sides, were each terrifying enough. When they joined forces, even the Hydra would pale in comparison.

This would undoubtedly be the unprecedented strongest enemy she would encounter on this journey of fate—even her sealed ancestor might be slightly inferior.

Naturally, it was an excellent trial.

If she couldn’t overcome even this obstacle, there was no point in talking about facing the devil Edward directly.

Roy understood all these principles. She just didn’t understand why Mango had to present this matter with such an attitude and emotion, almost as if…

Entrusting everything, like an elder before departure, wanting to see the child’s capabilities for peace of mind.

This made the captain very uncomfortable.

She wanted to ask about everything, so that when the outcome arrived, she could be prepared rather than knowing nothing, only able to abandon distracting thoughts and throw herself into battle afterward.

With no time to do anything, no time to say anything.

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But looking at the cat’s cold expression, the young woman ultimately asked nothing, knowing there would be no answers. So her furrowed brow gradually relaxed and drooped.

She lowered her head slightly and said softly: “I know. This was always my own affair.”

“Watch me, Mango. I’ll do beautifully.”

“I promise.”

With these words, Roy delayed no more. She stood up and, with her first mate whose expression also looked none too good, walked around the Siamese cat. Before long, they had left the superstructure.

Accompanied by signal-like shouts, the largest ship in the tower ship fleet, carrying that Crown Prince, slowly departed through the passage the warships had made.

Facing the increasingly fierce wind and snow, it advanced toward the ring island that was as deep as an inverted abyss.

As for the cat, it naturally didn’t follow Roy’s departure, but climbed to the highest point of the superstructure—the unmanned pilot house—and then settled steadily on the railing.

It looked toward somewhere in the distance, its gaze lingering for a long time, because that thing was there.

But if the other party didn’t show itself, even as the creator, it couldn’t do anything. Of course, the cat had no such intention anyway, only wanting to confirm certain things through this.

Those things it had long since figured out.

After some unknown time, the cat seemed to tire, unwilling to continue looking at or thinking about those troublesome causes and effects, fates. So it curled up its body, wanting to indulge in a few more moments of deep sleep before everything ended. But before closing its eyes…

It couldn’t help but glance once toward the bow, its gaze falling on that familiar slender figure.

Not knowing whether it was remembering the embrace from their first meeting…

Or the fish treats from even longer ago.

Feeling somewhat reluctant to part.