The B·W carried a total of twenty boats. Relying on God Hand, Law precisely located the boat Ging was on.
As for Uvogin and Nobunaga's locations, they were still on the B·W. Law didn't know which trip they'd be on to reach the shore.
Watching from afar the boat Ging was on, Law thought for a moment, jumped down from the tree, and quietly infiltrated the crowd.
The soldiers responsible for maintaining order were limited in number and completely failed to notice a man who wasn't a passenger slipping into the crowd.
Even with sufficient personnel, they wouldn't expect outsiders here.
The number of people on the open ground already exceeded thirty thousand, crowded and noisy, like countless marketplaces combined into one place, clamorous.
Law moved through the crowd like a loach, trying to get closer to the shore.
A short while later, Law reached the edge of the crowd near the shore, watching the boats about to dock.
"This terrain is indeed good."
Law looked at the surrounding environment, no reefs, only flat terrain… very suitable for building a port.
From his sides, occasional disgusted and strange looks came his way.
Law knew the reason and didn't pay much mind, simply standing there waiting for the boats to dock.
Several minutes later, the boats docked one after another.
Teams of soldiers were responsible for directing flow and maintaining order, allowing passengers to disembark orderly, then converge towards the open ground where the crowd was.
Law kept watching the boat Ging was on. When he saw Ging walking down the gangplank, he quietly moved towards that area.
Ging didn't notice Law's movement. His gaze subtly scanned the surroundings, trying to locate Law.
However, Law hadn't informed him in advance about wearing a mask, so he didn't know Law was currently masked.
Thus, Ging blended into the crowd with the flow of people, becoming one among them.
He didn't know where Law was now, nor how to find him. According to the pre-departure agreement, Law would come to him actively. He only needed to stand still and wait for Law to arrive.
'Where is he?'
Blending into the crowd, Ging's view was limited. Finding Law among thirty thousand people wasn't that easy.
Bored, he thought: 'After all passengers disembarked, there would be nearly two hundred thousand people here. Subsequent matters like setting up camp, food provisions, and arrangements weren't simple to coordinate.'
'Judging by the on-site chaotic human resources, Kakin was in for a tough time.'
Just as he thought this, a hand lightly patted his shoulder.
A trace of surprise flashed in Ging's eyes, but he didn't react at all to the hand patting his shoulder.
Because when that hand could pat his shoulder without him noticing, he knew who the hand belonged to.
Perhaps he was too absorbed in his thoughts, hence not noticing Law's approach.
Ging self-reflected this way, then looked towards the direction the hand came from. What met his eyes was a man with sparse eyebrows, lantern-like eyes, a weight-like nose with two tufts of black nose hair protruding, and a face full of pimples.
"..."
Ging remained silent for a moment, then said, "You really didn't need to wear a mask."
He was certain this ugly-looking man was Law, so he didn't react at all upon first seeing him.
"I think it's very necessary," Law replied.
Ging shook his head helplessly and asked, "So, do we leave directly, or?"
Upon hearing this, Law instinctively looked towards the B·W anchored at sea, hesitation in his eyes.
Ging knew what Law was hesitating about and patiently waited for Law's decision.
After a moment, Law said, "I want to see Machi and the others disembark with my own eyes, then leave."
Ging said, "I have no objection, but can you really put your mind at ease?"
Law looked at Ging, sighed, and said, "Of course not, but what can we do? Having them stay on the imagined continent is better than them following us to the Dark Continent."
Seeing this, to prevent Law from saying things that would mock him like Shiro did, Ging straightforwardly changed the topic. "By the way, you know a woman named Sheila, right?"
"I know her. Why?" Law looked at Ging, puzzled.
"I met her on the ship."
"And then?"
"She wants to see you."
Law sighed deeply, looking at Ging, seriously saying, "You think my current troubles aren't enough?!"
"No, no, no. I interacted with her, so I clearly know she's good material," Ging also said seriously.
"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Law was quite surprised.
'For Ging to call someone good material meant Ging believed Sheila had the potential to be a teammate?'
Although he occasionally kept in touch with Sheila, Law never imagined that the woman who once went out exploring alone and nearly starved to death in a cave would now be valued by Ging?
Seeing Law's surprised expression, Ging, unaware of the backstory, said, "She's a qualified explorer. Though I'm not clear about her Nen Ability type, it should be related to exploration."
"I didn't expect your evaluation of Sheila to be so high. Do you know how I met Sheila?"
"No, I don't."
"Once, I was descending a mountain during a blizzard and found her in a cave, nearly starved to death."
"..."
The corner of Ging's mouth twitched slightly. He didn't expect Sheila to have such a black history.
He realized the current Sheila had grown considerably.
"So, do you want to meet her?"
Ging thought it's better to see with one's own eyes.
Law pondered for a moment and replied, "I trust your judgment. Since you think Sheila has the potential to be our teammate, then let's meet her."
Ging nodded, then told Law about the perpetrator incident that occurred on the ship.
"Gaining levels by killing people?"
Upon hearing this Nen Ability's effect, Law looked astonished.
"Yeah. And I tried it… killing them doesn't transfer the 'experience points' either," Ging said.
"Is that so…" A thoughtful look appeared in Law's eyes.
"Want to check it out?" Ging asked.
"No. Rather than spending energy and time looking for them, it's better to scavenge treasures on the ship. Might even find things that can reduce the time limit," Law shook his head.
Ging shrugged. "You're the one making decisions. I have no objection."
Afterwards, the two stood among the crowd, silently watching the boats shuttling back and forth.
Time passed minute by minute. As passengers disembarked one after another, the crowd on the open ground grew larger, and the number of soldiers maintaining order increased accordingly. As for subsequent arrangements, there was no sign yet.
As expected, they'd probably wait for all passengers to land before coordinating, ensuring uniformity and avoiding chaos.
When the number of passengers on the open ground exceeded one hundred thousand, Law finally saw the figures of Machi's group of four.
Silently watching them disembark and approach the crowd, Law couldn't help but sigh inwardly again.
"Sister Salin, Sister Salin…"
His gaze fell on Sarine, Law could only smile bitterly without a sound.
Then, Law and Ging each concealed their Auras, ensuring they wouldn't be noticed by Machi and the others.
Another half hour passed. Law and Ging saw Sheila disembark.
In places they couldn't see, aside from Morena, the remaining twelve perpetrators had inconspicuously blended into the crowd on the open ground.
The Nen Exorcist, Elaine, whose words and actions were quite similar to Hisoka's, also blended into the crowd.
After an hour and a half, the lower-deck passengers were basically all arranged to land. Next were the second-deck passengers, and finally the first-deck Kakin royalty.
Beyond's team and the Kakin Expeditionary Force's combat teams were mostly on the second deck…