Timothy's crew reached the bottom in the most dangerous way possible, but it worked out for them. Tarot was the first who arrived, using his cloud before the others and holding back the pirates who swathed the bubble island.
Timothy stepped forward, inserting his hands into his pockets, and traded eyes with the ship's captain. Another pirate stood beside him, having devil-red hair and eyes.
"What's the meaning of this? Who are you?" Timothy inquired, seeing their captain had a wooden leg with a black beard and hat. He laughed, sharing eyes with Timothy's crew.
"Don't worry about us, matey. I'm Upshaw, the 'cannon arms' pirate. Worth 350 million bolts. If you don't mind, I'll be swapping ships, selling this piece of junk." Upshaw claimed, pointing his hook hand behind the tied robot.
The robot seemed to present a mechanical jester wearing a black and white coat and a hat. It had a black-patterned design on the outside and red inside the uniform.
"I usually don't intend to ask for others' help. But, pirates. Would it be possible to untie me before I get sold? I promise to entertain you if you fulfill my request." The robot claimed motionlessly. And despite his mechanical layout, he spoke like a human.
Timothy looked into the robot's triangular, upturned eyes. He could tell the robot wasn't an enemy and witnessed good inside him. Timothy narrowed his stare on Upshaw and flicked his head onward, hinting at Yumiko to release him.
"My pleasure, captain." Yumiko swiped her arm behind her rear and summoned an energy lasso that materialized from the blue particles. She swooped it forward and paused, bewildering Upshaw pirates.
She lowered her chin and suddenly vanished from their view. Blue energy flowed and weaved between the pirates, tying them together and dropping them on the deck.
She blazed the lasso around them in a river's flow and, within seconds, emerged on the contrasting end behind Upshaw, who looked in her direction in astonishment. "Good times never last..." She gently tugged her lasso and smiled mischievously, "Time to say bye..." momentarily, she didn't react, and then, "Boom..." her voice resonated, and instantly, an explosion occurred, throwing the pirates into the seawater.
The lasso dispersed into particles as Yumiko turned around and sat on the bench with a crossed leg over her thigh and waited for the ropes around the robot to untie themselves after she sliced them.
The robot noticed his ropes and stood up. "Oh? That was snappy. Thank you, ma'am.." he bowed before to express gratefulness and turned in Upshaw's direction.
Upshaw and the red-haired pirate remained the only two on the deck. Upshaw became astounded, speechless to see his entire crew collapse in a single momentum.
"You're..." he realized something, "You're Yumiko! The moon knightess! That means..." he redirected his stare onto Timothy and became terrified, but shortly after, grinned.
"I didn't expect to run into the Phoenix pirate so soon! Timothy! I've been hoping to find you, so I could strike down your crew and earn that precious bounty!"
Timothy scratched the rear of his head and became unimpressed, turning out to become dumbfounded. He stood in a carefree demeanor and pondered. "You're a pirate. Why would the world government pay their enemy? Do you even hear yourself? You're just as dumb as Tarot."
Tarot's ears pricked as he latched his eyes onto Timothy. "Hey, come on. If I'm dumb, then he's even dumber." Kyora observed Timothy and Tarot with eyes dead as fish, folding her arms while judging them in silence.
"And you know there's something off when there's a person dumber than me." Tarot ended their discussion.
"Cinnamon... Take care of the swordswoman." The red-haired pirated folded his arms, irritated, and tilted his head. "The name's Onnamon. Also... no can't do. They outnumber us. We stand no chance. If I were you, I'd leave them be."
Onnamon traded eyes with Timothy as if they experienced an odd sensation. However, neither reacted. "Are you ignoring my orders, Cinnamon? As the second in command, you're obligated to do as I say."
Onnamon peered at Aurora and noticed the whistle in her hands she found. It seemed he knew it and became grave. "The divine whistle... Say... if you give me that whistle that girl holds in her grasp, I'll allow you to take Upshaw ship's wealth."
Aurora earned everyone's attention, becoming befuddled. Timothy and Chiaki revealed their surprise but didn't say anything about it.
Timothy honed his stare on Onnamon, witnessing Upshaw agitated.
He permitted not and stretched his arm before Aurora's chest, protective and ensuring Onnamon wouldn't get near her, "Sorry, pal, but I'm afraid that's ours. We don't care about your wealth."
Onnamon grinned, keeping his arms reserved on his torso. He shrugged his shoulders and found a different solution. "I don't need it then. That's not enough of a power source to achieve my goal anyway. I'm sure the Uncanny Nexus will have what I'm looking for. Perhaps we'll see each other again. But, until then, see you." Onnamon leaped into the ocean and swam deep underwater, abandoning his crew.
Timothy's crew and Upshaw misunderstood the situation. Unfortunately, Upshaw stayed alone, facing a number of people at once. He swallowed his irritated saliva and swung his hook. "Fine, I'll destroy you myself!"
Suddenly, Yumiko and the robot stepped behind Upshaw. Yumiko neared her sword beside his neck while the robot wielded three cards, sharp as a blade.
They immobilized him as Yumiko planted her foot into his back and pinned him against the wood while the robot tossed his cards and pierced them into Upshaw's sleeves, preventing him from fleeing.
"You..." Upshaw tried to complain, but the robot placed a sharp card between his teeth. If he spoke and bit, it would shred his mouth and cause him to bleed.
"Please, refrain from speaking..." the robot stated, straightening and wiping the dust off his gloves. Timothy leaped atop Upshaw's ship and sat on the fence, keeping his arms leaning on it and staring at the robot.
"So, you're a robot, right? You've gotta have a cool code name." Timothy smiled, expressing politeness. The robot nodded and bowed to introduce himself.
"I'm Augustus Joker, but you may call me Joker. I'm an entertainer. I was a member of the circus Pirates, but we encountered Upshaw's crew, who wiped out most of our crew members. They learned about me, stole our ship, and chose to kidnap and sell me to a mechanic. I appreciate your assistance."
Timothy enjoyed Joker's presence and smiled excitedly. "So, you don't have a crew anymore? I'm sorry to hear that. And this might be the most random question, but... Why don't you join us? Some entertainment would be nice."
Joker exchanged eyes with Timothy, trusting him. "You're the phoenix pirate, correct? I've heard some good things about you. I've followed the news and learned you've rescued many islands from Golden Wasakona all the way to confronting the foremost agents at the Forbidden Chain. I would love to join your crew, but I can't right now."
Timothy gazed at him sideways and asked what Joker meant. "You see, there's a woman I need to meet. She's a guardian at Suying Country. Her name's Fu Jin. Unfortunately, Suying Country collapsed under Sea Noble's possession with a 4,5 billion bounty. It's not secure, and the country's in a terrible setting. I'm afraid Fu Jin needs assistance. But Suying Country's far from the bubble island."
Timothy held a nonchalant expression, looking at Joker. "Well then, that's even better. Now we have a destination to reach. But, if it's possible, there's a goal I had in mind. I heard that red-haired pirate mention an island dubbed the Uncanny Nexus. I was planning to go there."
Shanya's eyes broadened in surprise as she interrupted the conversation. "Burnsy, you're insane. The Uncanny Nexus was once a battlefield among the gods. It's isolated, and there ain't a single life. What're you tryna to do? I don't think there's anythin' for you to search there. If anyone sets foot on that island without a protector, the gods will put you on trial and most likely punish you. Not one life's permitted to visit the Uncanny Nexus."
Timothy looked over his shoulder, unfazed, and displayed no care. "Protector, you say? Kate, hand me the whistle." Nobody understood his goal, but Aurora did as requested and tossed the whistle into Timothy's hand.
Without hesitation, he blew into it, and a thunder struck.
To be continued...