Dalton listened to my words and frowned, deep in thought as he juggled the implications in his head.
"I do not understand what you mean, but as long as you don't go out of your way to harm civilians, then we will have no problems," Dalton said a second of silence, standing up.
"Now, if you'll excuse me. I have duties to attend to," Dalton concluded as he turned around and left.
"What's all this about, captain?" Laffite asked with a raised eyebrow after Dalton left. "Do you think that Dr. Kureha person is going to cause us trouble?" he asked again, seemingly confused.
"Well, that's the thing," I said with a chuckle. "I have no idea what Kureha will do when we go to her," I added, shrugging my shoulders.
"Do you think she will refuse to help Doc and Chinjao?" Laffite asked again, pouring himself a drink with a thoughtful expression.
"She'll probably agree," I said with a smile. "But I have no idea what that crazy old hag would ask in exchange for her services," I added, shaking my head.
"You seem to hold her in high regard, captain," Laffite remarked in amusement. "I didn't think you were that into older women," he added jokingly with a light chuckle.
"I'd have to be a necrophile to be into that old hag," I replied with twitching eyes, causing Laffite to chuckle in even more amusement.
"You're spending way too much time with Wilson, Laffite," I said with a sigh, massaging my forehead. "He's a bad influence, and it's starting to show," I added, smiling despite myself.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, captain," Laffite said with a smile as he took a sip of vodka, shrugging my remark.
"Just let me know if you start getting urges to fight everything that moves," I said with a chuckle. "Anyway, it's getting late, so let's get out of here and meet up with the rest of the crew," I added as I stood up, leaving a stack of belly notes on the table.
...
We quickly located the inn Doc Q found and made our way inside. I smiled as I spotted everyone there, already seated in front of the fireplace, drinking, eating, and chatting as they were.
"Yo," I carelessly greeted as I brought a chair of my own and sat between Kozue and Byron in front of the fireplace.
"Oh, captain, you're back," Kozue remarked with a smile as she turned to look at me. "Did you have fun exploring the town?" she asked, still smiling.
"Not as much as Byron, it seems," I replied with a chuckle as I gestured who was grinning in bless like an idiot. "So the brothels here are that good, huh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement as I nudged the blonde musician.
"Ahem, I don't know what you're talking about, captain," Byron replied in a solemn tone, his gaze shifting nervously, only heaving a sigh of relief when he noticed Elly wasn't paying attention.
I just laughed it off, shaking my head as I took out my whisky bottle, intending to indulge in it for some time before calling it a day.
...
"Is this what you asked for, captain?" Byron asked as he put down two boxes worth of pickled plum and plum sake.
"Good job," I said with a nod after inspecting the two boxes.
"Is this perhaps for Dr. Kureha, captain?" Laffite curiously asked while looking at the Plum products Byron brought.
"It is," I replied with a smile. "I hear Kureha enjoys this stuff, and we need to make a good impression to make sure she doesn't ask anything crazy for her services," I added as I closed the boxes with a satisfied smile.
"So we might as well not show up empty-handed at her house," I added, shrugging my shoulders.
"Now that you mention it, where does Dr. Kureha live, anyway?" Laffite asked, suddenly remembering that we didn't know where she lived.
"She lives somewhere on the outskirts of Gyasta town," I replied with a shrug, earning a raised eyebrow from my navigator.
"I won't even bother how you know that this time," Laffite murmured with a rare exasperated expression, making me chuckle as I shrugged my shoulders.
"Byron, go and get Doc, law, and crocus," I instructed as I turned to look at the blonde musician. "It's we go visit the good doctor," I concluded, and Byron nodded as he turned around and left to look for the three doctors.
"I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out, Laffite," I remarked as I turned to look at my navigator. "We don't want to send the wrong message by going with too many people," I added while waving my hand to the side.
"That's why I'm only taking the doctors and Byron to carry them on his back while keeping them warm," I concluded, and Laffite nodded in understanding.
...
"This should be the place," I said while looking down from Byron's crow form back at a small-ish town next to a frozen lake full of people ice skating.
And to say the said people were shocked at the sight of giant, flaming crow in the sky would be an understatement as they all stopped what they were doing, pointing fingers at us and murmuring.
"Take us down a distance away from them and revert to your human form before you give these people a heart attack, will you?" I instructed with a chuckle, and Byron obliged without any complaint.
"I kind of wish you were that considerate when told Byron to transform in front of me," Crocus said with twitching eyes. "Old people like myself are more prone to having heart attacks, you know," he added, giving me a side glance.
"Forgive me for thinking the pirate king's doctor wouldn't be phased by the sight of some giant bird," I sarcastically replied with a grin, causing the old doctor to shake his head in further bemusement.
"I wonder what kind of person this Dr. Kureha is," Doc Wheezed as he leaned on Byron's shoulder as we had to leave his horse, stronger behind.
"She's as strange as they come," Crocus replied, with a smile, seemingly reminiscing about something.
"Do you really feel it's okay for you to say that about people when you have a flower stuck in the back of your head?" Law asked while looking at
Crocus in a sarcastic tone.
"Youngsters these days don't know the first thing about respecting their elders," Crocus replied, shaking his head in disapproval, but he still didn't seem offended by Law's remark.
"Let's get going," I instructed with a sigh. "You guys can roast each other all you want once we get this over with," I added as I started walking towards the Gyasta town.
...
"Who are you people, and what do you want?" asked a man from Gyasta town as he approached us, nervousness apparent on his face as his gaze alternated between the various weapons we were carrying.
"We're pirates," I replied, which might not have been the best answer as the man took a step back in panic. "Relax, we're not here to cause trouble," I added, making the man pause as he was getting ready to make a run for it.
"We're looking for Dr. Kureha because our friend here some expert medical help," I concluded while pointing towards Doc, who by mere accident puked a mouthful of blood at that exact second.