Adala's home wasn't far. Otherwise, she and her father wouldn't have been able to target their ship in the first place. After all that chaos, no one on board felt like sleeping anymore.
Shirakawa and the others gathered on the deck, playing little games while keeping an eye on Adala and her father. If those two slipped out of sight, they might vanish without anyone noticing.
As the sun was about to rise—around four or five in the morning—an island finally appeared before the Silver Pirates. According to Adala, her home was on this very island.
In the early morning, few people were by the shore, and most of them were heading out to fish, so Shirakawa's arrival didn't cause much of a stir.
Shirakawa and his group walked together into the island's small town, which was called Bura Town.
"I know this place," More suddenly spoke up. He had woken up and followed along.
Although he'd been surprised to find two strangers beside him when he woke, once he remembered he was on the Silver Pirates' ship, he stopped worrying. After all, these were the people fierce enough to drive off the Navy.
"You actually know this place? I remember you've never set foot outside Laye Town."
"That's true, but I've heard others talk about this island. They say there's a divine doctor in this town—someone who can cure any bizarre illness. But I hear her fees are pretty ruthless."
"A divine doctor?" Shirakawa's interest was instantly piqued. What their ship lacked most right now was a doctor.
"The person you're talking about—I know her."
Just then, Adala, who had been staring at Saral with starry-eyed infatuation, suddenly spoke up. She finally had a topic she could chime in on and wanted to show off a little in front of Saral.
"You know her?" Shirakawa asked, eyeing the eager Adala with some doubt.
"That's right. That divine doctor is my mother."
"What?" Everyone looked stunned, and the room fell into dead silence.
"What's wrong? Don't you believe me?" Adala puffed out her cheeks, a little offended.
"No, we're just… a bit surprised."
Shirakawa hadn't expected the two people he was looking for to coincidentally turn out to be one and the same. This made things so much easier. He could just bring the whole family of three aboard. Now that would be perfect.
Soon after, Adala, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped and pointed at a large villa beside them. "This is my family's house. So? Pretty huge, right?"
Looking at Adala's house, Shirakawa and the others all fixed her with skeptical eyes. Your family's this loaded—so why'd you go and become a thief?
That was the silent thought running through all their minds.
And her father was a bounty hunter, too. Judging by his skills, he'd probably taken down plenty of pirates himself.
"Hehe, that was… purely a hobby. A hobby." Adala seemed to read their minds and offered a sheepish grin.
"Your family just keeps getting richer, huh."
A thief, a pirate hunter, and a black-hearted doctor—there was probably no end to the money they could burn through.
"Mom, I'm back!"
Adala pushed the door open first. Shirakawa and the others followed her in, and Adala's father entered last.
But no one inside answered her.
"Looks like we came too early. My mom isn't up yet."
"Wait here. I'll go find her. I'm sure she'll be thrilled I brought you home."
With that, she bounded up the stairs, practically skipping, as if she'd completely forgotten she was more or less a captive.
Adala's father, meanwhile, had barely said a word the entire journey, as though he'd sunk into a deep depression.
"What's wrong? You look wound up tight."
Yuristin clapped him on the shoulder, making the man jump with a start.
"I'm done for. If she finds out Adala and I have been taken captive, she'll definitely make me pay."
His voice was trembling.
"You're really that scared of her?"
"Of course! Do you have any idea what kind of person she is? The kind who'll slip laxatives into your dinner—odorless, tasteless, and lasts forever."
Everyone in the room except Saral shuddered at that. The thought of that in your food was pure horror.
Then, one by one, they all turned their eyes toward Saral. He was the cook here, after all.
"Relax, I'd never do that," Saral said with absolute certainty.
"Of course, special circumstances being the exception." That part, Saral kept to himself.
"Do I hear someone talking behind my back?"
A voice drifted down from the second floor. It clearly wasn't Adala's voice, so that left only one possibility—Adala's mother.
At the sound of that voice, Adala's father shivered and spun around, his face twisting into a strained smile as he looked at the person slowly descending the stairs.
"How could that be? My dear wife, you must have misheard."
"Hmph. At least you know your place. I'll let you off this time—no drugs in your food."
"Thank you, my dear wife!"
At those words, Adala's father broke into a grin as wide and bright as a blooming chrysanthemum.
"So you must be Adala's friends," the woman said to Shirakawa and the others. They finally got a clear look at her face.
Adala resembled her mother by more than sixty percent. Anyone could tell at a glance they were mother and daughter—they could've even passed for sisters.
She looked remarkably young. As expected, doctors had their own methods for preserving youth.
"More or less," Shirakawa replied.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Adala's mother. My name is Lisa."
"Hello, Madam Lisa." Looking at Lisa, she didn't strike them at all as a black-hearted doctor—but the facts were the facts. You really couldn't judge a book by its cover.
"Hello." They exchanged greetings, and then it was time to get down to business.
"So, tell me—what brings you to my home? I assume you're not here to see me as patients?"
Lisa sat on the sofa across from Shirakawa's group. They all looked full of vitality, not a single sign of illness or injury among them.
"Shall you tell her, or shall we?" Shirakawa signaled with his eyes toward Adala and her father.
"You tell her." Adala's father simply couldn't bring himself to say it. Even if she was his wife, he couldn't very well admit that they'd been taken captive.
"Alright, I'll be direct. I want your husband and daughter to join our Silver Pirates, and we sincerely hope you'll join us as well."
A great reputation is never undeserved. Even though Shirakawa's group hadn't witnessed Lisa's medical skills firsthand, the fact that she was so renowned had to mean something.
/-\
Enjoying the story? Want to read ahead?
Support the novel and unlock early access to unreleased chapters!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon! (+1 Chapter daily)
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access Patreon normally)