Captain – Chapter 694 – The Reason for Departure, The Leaving Gray Cat

The young man naturally didn’t know that the order came from a cat.

And when his lean figure disappeared at the giant ship’s side rail, the pirates also transmitted the ceasefire signal to a nearby tower ship, then extended it to the entire fleet.

So before long, cannon fire could no longer be heard within the ring island.

Only that ghost ship remained, still howling continuously. But those unsettling sounds, even the tolling death bells, had become intermittent and weak from some unknown point.

And through external appearances, anyone could see that the ship of the dead was in an abnormal state.

First of all, despite losing the threat of cannon fire and even having the Goddess Hestia and Nightmare King around it withdraw, that thing still lingered in place.

It showed no intention of taking the opportunity to leave or counterattack.

It was only writhing madly, with bones and flesh on the ship’s hull constantly colliding and pressing against each other. From the holes that had been blasted open earlier and hadn’t had time to heal, countless faces were churning, as if wanting to compete to escape that chaos.

All the upper torsos hanging on the outside stretched their hands toward the sky in piercing wails.

They looked exactly like travelers trapped in a swamp, struggling desperately.

This scene was naturally shocking.

So much so that those who had originally been very puzzled by this order, even harboring hidden resistance, no longer had any objection in their hearts. They only watched that direction in slight bewilderment.

Not knowing what exactly had happened.

Looking across the two warships and the entire tower ship fleet, only a few people understood or could guess the approximate truth. But even ordinary sailors could figure out…

This must be Roy and her companion who had gone to the “meeting” taking action.

In the eyes of the crew who regarded her as divine, since the captain could even terminate specters like the Hydra, a mere ship of the dead naturally wasn’t a problem either.

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The current scene naturally meant its good luck had run out.

It must be said that although many people didn’t understand the inside story, their guesses were close to the answer.

Precisely because it “saw” that the wind and snow in the dark sea had stopped, knowing that everything was entering its final phase, including the fate of those souls on the ghost ship, the cat had given the order.

It didn’t want those “old friends” to still suffer the disturbance of cannon fire when they were about to depart at the end.

That wouldn’t be good.

Finally, the cat withdrew its gaze from that father and daughter, looking toward the strangely contorting ghost ship, watching countless souls weeping sorrowfully, thinking silently.

The fate of those people, the birth of this thing, and… everything that person had done for it, the path he finally walked—none of it was good. The cat had never liked it.

So that’s why it had watched him suffer under the seal while it waited alone for hundreds of years?

Just to see if there would come a day when he would have a change of heart, when he would suddenly realize his mistakes. In that case, it might have had reason to forgive him and take him away from there.

Persuade him to abandon the great power that never belonged to him in the first place, help him lift the curses from the Lady and the great ones, then find a peaceful place like a thousand years ago.

To accompany him through this life just as it had accompanied him through his childhood.

But in the end, it was just wishful thinking.

Thinking this, the cat’s usual indifference was no more. Slight dejection and disappointment appeared in its eyes, and in the depths of that blue, traces of self-blame could even be faintly found.

Yes, that person’s view of it wasn’t actually wrong. It truly didn’t care about worldly affairs and all living things. It could sit and watch tsunamis rage and coldly observe the extinction of the siren race.

Precisely because of this, he couldn’t understand until the very end why it would leave him.

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Even turn against him as an enemy.

Because everything had prerequisites. The cat didn’t care about any unfamiliar fates, but it was sufficiently nostalgic. He shouldn’t have been like that to those who trusted him.

Because among them were also its loyal “servants” and very, very good friends.

This was the reason—simple and powerful.

The slight sound of flapping wings rang out behind it, then disappeared again. Knowing the raven had returned, the order had naturally been delivered. So the cat knew it was time.

Time to make a choice.

“Where to, where to?”

Before it had time to fold its wings, Alfie’s attention was drawn to the cat that had risen and was walking along the crossbeam toward the direction of the ghost ship. So it hopped along to follow.

Flapping its wings while urgently asking questions.

If it were in the past, the raven definitely wouldn’t have asked, knowing it wouldn’t get an answer.

But this time was different. Looking at the cat’s back so close at hand, walking slowly, it felt the distance between them growing farther and farther, gradually becoming irreversible.

That intuition from being a mortal spirit.

But from another perspective, it was also a premonition that the present world was sending to the living beings here, telling them that the cat that never belonged here might be leaving.

Not knowing if it would ever return.

But no matter how the little one behind it flapped and questioned, until finally falling into sorrowful silence, the cat never stopped, much less showed any intention of answering.

Even when it had reached the end of the crossbeam, it still didn’t stop, but lightly stepped into mid-air, then followed an invisible, slanted bridge toward the ghost ship.

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What supported it were naturally the silken threads of fate, carrying it toward the endpoint of everything.

Perhaps not wanting the only one seeing it off to be too sorrowful and aggrieved, after walking several steps on the invisible silk threads, the cat’s footsteps finally paused.

Then it turned its head slightly and called out softly.

“Meow.”

The cat said it was leaving.

Though it wasn’t really an answer and contained no promise of meeting again, the raven that had stopped at the end of the crossbeam still became happy like a child who had received candy.

Because this was a rare genuine response from the other party, aside from finding it annoying and scolding it.

So it cast aside its sorrow, flapped its wings, and called out sharply a few times “I’ll miss you,” then no longer bothered or tried to persuade it, only standing quietly and obediently as if seeing it off.

Perhaps through it, remembering those equally annoying but well-related fellows from many years ago, the cat’s gaze became gentler. It turned back and continued forward.

Not forgetting to respond with a low call, saying it knew.

The cat left quietly and soundlessly.

Forget the people on the tower ship fleet—even the Crown Prince with his exceptional perception, and the people on the Goddess Hestia who had spent a long time with it, didn’t notice.

Only the ghost sitting on the pilot house railing and the sea maiden standing at the side rail on the same side, gazing toward the ghost ship, had some vague sense and cast their gazes in that direction.

Whether they saw that inconspicuous gray figure or not was unknown.

Before long, the cat passed through the light mist, walked to the end of the silk threads, and silently landed on the edge of the ghost ship’s hull. When its first cat paw lightly touched it…

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All sounds disappeared, and the ship became quiet in an instant.

Those struggling, contorting faces, the upper torsos and bone claws reaching upward, all became quiet. This ship of the dead seemed to be isolated from the world again.

Only this time, even time departed from it.

If Roy were here now, she would probably know the reason and feel those silk threads.

They didn’t arise from nothing, but extended from every soul deep within the bones and flesh, crossing wooden planks, doors, and quiet mist to connect distantly to the cat.

As if bearing witness that it was the instigator of everything, the one who created this thing.

Feeling the souls that, despite being suppressed by that jade seal, still became peaceful when it arrived, its gaze swept across that bone sea, penetrated the strange mist, and fell on the giant statue that was also reaching toward the sky. The cat couldn’t help but lower its eyelids slightly.

Among those bone bodies and souls, some were very unfamiliar, but some were very familiar and dear old friends—like the people on the isolated island, like that giant statue.

That monster that bore the name “Drowned Captain” was actually very gentle in the past.

That giant had once been Edward’s close friend, unconditionally trusting and supporting him.

Yet this was how he ended up.

Thinking this, the cat turned to look into the distance, its gaze seeming to penetrate the mist and ring island, falling on that unnamed island, falling on the brilliant throne. It watched quietly for a long time.

Without speaking, but its expression, posture, and appearance here had already made everything clear.

As if silently saying: Edward, I’ve come to end all of this, for myself…

And for you.