Slowly the fog began to clear and a relatively small island became visible, or so it seemed at first glance. Once the fog had completely vanished, the island emerged with various landscapes such as mountains in the distant background, forests here and there. All in all, a beautiful looking island, like something out of a fairy tale.
"That's it!" Perros excitedly exclaimed.
"Or so I hope..." He added uncertainly.
"You've been here before, huh?" Perros asked.
Waiting for an answer, Perros thought Koon's eyes fell on the beauty the island had to offer. Which was why he ignored him.
"Hey..." He turned to Koon only to find that he was still asleep.
"Wake up!" Perros said, smacking Koon over the head with the paddle.
"Oww!" Koon shouted in pain.
"Why don't ya pat me on the back next time... That should be plenty." He added while rubbing his head.
"Well, you know... We have a hand and a paddle." Perros said jokingly.
"Very funny, very funny..." Koon said annoyed.
"So why did ya wake me up?" He added.
"Are you kidding?" Perros pointed toward the island.
"Do I look like I can walk on water or swim? Cuz it looks to me like we still have a way to go before we get to the beach..." Koon said smartly.
Perros grunted and continued to sail the boat until they finally reached the beach.
"So, does His Majesty wish to disembark from thy raft?" Perros scoffed and held out his hand.
"Thank ya, squire..." Koon took Perros' hand.
When the two finally stepped onto the island, training slowly began to take form.
"So... What now?" Perros asked bluntly.
"We have to find HIM." Koon said and moved away from the beach.
"Him who?" Perros asked uncomprehendingly.
"The man who will teach ya how to become better..." Koon said.
"Now come, we have to find him..." He added.
"By find him, you mean go to his place, right?" Perros asked questioningly.
He looked at Koon, who paused.
"Right?" He added.
"It seems that he's not here..." Koon said thoughtfully.
"You don't know where he is..." Perros said with disappointment in his voice.
"Of course I do, right this way." Koon said, pointing to the small forest that lay before them.
"Off we go then..." Perros mumbled and followed Koon into the forest.
Together they set out to find this mysterious person, about whom Perros knew almost nothing.
First, they searched the entire forest. Thanks to its size, it didn't take that long.
"Well he's not in the forest... Any other place where he might be?" Perros said as they were slowly approaching the end of the forest.
Just before they left the forest light shone into their eyes. Perros stopped at the end.
"He won't be here either..." Koon said disappointment.
The forest ended and the desert followed. No small bushes, no trees here and there. It just ended just like that.
And so they wandered straight through the desert, directly towards the mountains.
"It's so hot here..." Perros said exhaustedly.
"And it's not gonna get any better anytime soon." Koon said in a disappointed tone.
A few more hours passed and the desert still wasn't coming to an end.
"Even the birds know we're done..." Perros nodded his head slightly to the sky.
"Ah..." Koon grunted and shot one of them out of the sky, landing on the ground nearby.
"Pick it up, we'll save it for later." He added.
Perros attached the bird to Koon's wheelchair and continued on.
"What is that?" Perros pointed tiredly into the distance.
"What? Ya must be hallucinating..." Koon stopped Perros.
"No, look!" Perros directed Koon's gaze.
In the distance was a small, vegetated area.
"Here? Not likely... That's probably a fata morgana---" Koon finished his sentence, but Perros was already hurrying towards it.
"Finally, water, shade!" Perros exclaimed joyfully.
Just as Perros was about to dive into the pond that lay in the middle of this miracle, he jumped in headfirst, his head buried in the sand. He wiggled for a moment before pulling his head out. Perros turned to Koon with tears in his eyes.
"S-So it was a hallucination..." Perros sobbed.
"Nope, ya just missed the water..." Koon facepalmed.
Perros turned his head once more and saw that the pond was in fact there. His next attempt was a success.
They spent the rest of the day in the area, using the bird Koon had shot down as food.
Early morning came and Koon was already awake.
"Should I hit him with somethin' like he did?" Koon mumbled.
"No, I'm awake!" Perros jumped up.
"Come on, the sooner we get there, the sooner ya can start trainin'." Koon said and already continued on his way.
"Alright, alright..." Perros rubbed his eyes and caught up with him.
And again the hours passed and it seemed that the desert was not coming to an end. But a little later, something began to take shape in the distance.
" Is that..." Koon said.
"A lake?" Perros added.
"And a meadow..." Koon said.
"I think we're gettin' closer..." He added thoughtfully.
"Oh, YOU think so..." Perros said doubtfully.
"Somethin' wrong?" Koon said sharply.
"Nothing at all." Perros said and started whistling suspiciously.
"Don't doubt me and move your ass." Koon said in a slightly louder voice.
They finally came out of the desert area. There it was, a beautiful valley with a lake, a meadow, and covered by mountains from behind.
"Hey, there is a cabin!" Perros pointed to the lake.
"That must be him." Koon said with all seriousness.
"I'm sure of it." He added.
"Oh, are you?" Perros said doubtfully.
"Yes and you can go on ahead." Koon responded.
"Okay, but before I go..." Perros said.
"I have to ask you something." He added.
"What's on ya mind?" Koon asked.
"What are we going to do when we finish the training?" Perros asked.
Koon paused and sighed.
"Ya goal is to get the Bandazai title. I'd advise ya to make a name for yourself before ya do anything else..." Koon explained.
"The Noon tournament..." He added.
"Tournament, huh?" Perros wondered.
"I suppose you don't know what the tournament is about... A certain number of competitors come together in a field that is different every year. And to put it simply, they duel until the strongest, fastest one remains..." Koon finished explaining.
"And I bet only one survives." Perros mused.
"Kinda, the weakest usually die, the stronger usually get away with some injuries..." Koon said.
"Now stop this chit-chat and go see if he's really there." He added.
Perros smiled and ran off.
"Hey, is anybody here?" Perros shouted.
"Hello~?" He added before opening the door.
Perros walked in, but no one was there.
"I hope at least someone lives---" Perros was cut off by an unknown person.
"Don't you think it's a little rude to go into someone else's house?" The man said.
"Oh, you must be the man I'm looking for." Perros said and put his hat on his chest.
"Is that so?" The man smiled.
"What's your name, boy?" He added.
"Perros, the man who will become a Bandazai." Perros introduced himself.
--- Back at Tera ---
"I'm so freaking weak!" Nazo slammed his fist into the ground.
"Don't worry about it, that was the sheriff, they're supposed to be strong..." Esco stated dejectedly as he tended to the wounded.
"I already know what I want to do..." Nazo realized.
"And what would that be?" Bruno asked.
"I'm going to train with Rosa." Nazo said it quite seriously.
"Yep, but as you can see, it might take a while..." Esco looked at Rosa.
"And it will be some time before she wakes up... She has lost a lot of blood." He added.
"I have time till Perros gets back." Nazo said.
"I think we should all find something to get better at." He added.
"Maybe I could improve my cooking..." Bruno thought.
"That's not what I meant..." Nazo grumbled.
"You, for example, should take an excursion around this island... To be more... brave." He added as he looked at Bruno.
Bruno wanted to say something, but he only took a breath, knowing that Nazo was right.
"Esco could use some fighting training too..." Nazo continued.
"I'll stop you there, cuz I can kick your ass anytime..." Esco said sharply.
"Maybe my arse, but not me as a whole." Nazo corrected Esco.
"Well, maybe, but I won't admit it..." Esco stood his ground.
"A week should be long enough, I'll take care of Rosa from then on." Nazo said.
"So you're saying we should all go somewhere and then come back. How do we know when and where?" Bruno asked.
Nazo reached into his back pocket and pulled out two phones.
"I'll call you when HE gets back..." Nazo handed the phones to Bruno and Esco.
"And I will say it now and I will say it later, but don't you dare die out there." He added.
A week went by like nothing and Nazo, Bruno and Esco parted ways. The training of the Six Pistols began.