"It's been over a month. It's finally almost over."
Tsuneo reached out and gave Genta's head a playful pat as they both gazed out at the endless horizon where the sky met the sea.
Their time in the Pirate World had been nothing short of surreal. In a few weeks, Tsuneo had led a group of elementary schoolers to seize over three hundred warships. Whenever rumors of a legendary "Boss" surfaced, they would immediately charge in and pick a fight.
For a man of Tsuneo's skills, such frequent combat—while entertaining—offered very little in the way of actual growth. The game's leveling system had boosted his stats so astronomically that even when he faced "powerful" legendary figures, the fights were over before he could feel any real sense of weight behind his strikes.
"I wonder how Conan and the others are doing?" Even Genta, despite having access to an infinite supply of eel rice, was starting to feel the itch of boredom.
The other children were even more restless, frequently clamoring about wanting to go home.
Interestingly, Ruth had taken his role as an educator quite seriously. He spent his days teaching the children how to work, how to survive at sea, and the importance of being a person of integrity. Tsuneo strongly suspected that Noah's Ark had tampered with Ruth's programming; the pirate often spouted modern ethical philosophies with surprising fluency.
However, the results were undeniable. These pampered children of the elite had become disciplined and knew how to distinguish right from wrong. Some had even gone so far as to publicly denounce their parents' corrupt business practices back in the real world, vowing to fight against such injustice.
Watching these kids stage a mini-revolution on a pirate ship left Tsuneo deeply impressed... and slightly amused. It's just a game, kid, he thought. When your parents see you again and realize their "heir" has been completely "reformatted," their expressions are going to be priceless.
As he had mused before, Noah's Ark probably should have waited until the "Cocoon" was officially launched to carry out this plan.
"London should be nearing its end too," Tsuneo remarked, recalling the group he'd seen in the tavern. "But time moves slower there. I'd guess only two or three days have passed for them."
According to his memory of the scenario, the key figure, Professor Moriarty, was due to make his appearance. After that, a certain actress who enjoyed pretending to be younger than she was would take the stage...
"Sounds like they're having fun," Genta said, a hint of envy in his voice. Even as the Vice-Captain of the greatest pirate fleet in history, he hadn't seen much actual action. Most of his time was spent listening to Ruth's lectures.
"Heh, maybe we can find a back door and go take a look."
The fishing rod beside Tsuneo twitched. He pulled it up to find another eel. He suspected Genta might have made a secret wish to Noah's Ark, because ever since they set sail, this ship hadn't caught a single thing other than eels.
It went to show that even the greatest passions have limits. After eating eel rice for over a month, Genta hadn't grown to hate it, but the initial spark of joy he felt upon seeing a fresh catch had long since vanished.
"Captain! Ship sighted in the distance!" a lookout shouted from the crow's nest.
"They look like they're heading for Sumonte Island," Ruth said, checking their bearings against the sea chart.
What a coincidence. That was exactly where they were going.
"Once we arrive, level the island," Tsuneo commanded.
He had developed a habit of doing exactly that to every pirate stronghold they encountered.
"Understood!"
Ruth nodded, showing no mercy for the pirates of the Seventh Sea. In his new worldview, some things simply needed to be wiped away.
Six hours later, the shroud of night had fully descended.
An armada of three hundred heavily armed warships closed in on Sumonte Island. Judging by the number of ships docked in the harbor, the island was crawling with pirates.
"Begin."
At Tsuneo's command, the signal was relayed. Hundreds of ships moved with practiced synchronization, turning their broadsides toward the shore to complete the encirclement.
The next instant, the world exploded.
Thousands of cannonballs screamed through the air, raining down upon the island. The primary target was the harbor.
The pirates on the island had noticed the massive fleet approaching, and their first instinct had been to run for their own ships. Unfortunately for them, they were running straight into a wall of fire. The scene wasn't particularly bloody due to the game's censors, but seeing rows of men and ships being swept away by the sheer volume of fire was a terrifying sight.
Half an hour later, there wasn't a single intact building left on the island. Sumonte was a pillar of roaring flames.
"Next stop, we resupply," Tsuneo said, taking the chart from Ruth and pointing to a nearby kingdom.
"Err..." Ruth scratched his head. This voyage felt entirely unreal. They were clearing the world with such ease that he was beginning to wonder what he would do once his dream of ruling the seas was actually achieved. Do I even want to be a pirate after this?
Meanwhile, in the London world, Conan's group had finished their search of the train.
"He seems to have vanished," Ran said, sounding puzzled.
There were only about twenty passengers on board, and none of them matched the description of Jack the Ripper. She was starting to wonder if the killer had leaped from the moving train.
"Let's find the conductor first," Conan suggested.
They gathered all the passengers into one carriage.
"Mr. Conductor, you may begin," the boy detective said, nodding to the man beside him.
"Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your hands," the conductor announced. "We need to check if anyone is carrying a weapon."
To be honest, the conductor didn't really understand the logic. If someone had bothered to wear a disguise, would they really be clutching a murder weapon in their hand? But this young boy had insisted this was the way to catch Jack the Ripper.
The passengers, though confused, complied and raised their hands.
"Now then," Conan began, stepping into the center of the aisle. "Allow me to explain the details found in Mr. Sherlock Holmes's files."
"Jack the Ripper is hiding among us. His second victim, Honey Charlest, was married in a town called Windsor. Ten years ago, she abandoned her husband and son to move to London."
Conan produced a photograph he had 'borrowed' from 221B Baker Street. "These two rings were left at the scene of Honey Charlest's murder."
"One ring belonged to Honey Charlest. As for the other, smaller ring... Mr. Holmes deduced that it belongs to Jack the Ripper himself."
The Great Detective scanned the faces of the passengers. "That's right. They are a matching set—parent and child rings!"
The police had previously tried to fit the smaller ring on the victim. It was so small it wouldn't even fit her pinky finger.
"Are you saying... she was Jack the Ripper's mother?!" Moroboshi exclaimed in shock.
"Exactly," Conan nodded. "Honey had a matching ring made for her son before she left home. The tragedy is that the second woman Jack chose to kill was his own mother."
"Honey Charlest was murdered on September 8th. On that specific day, the churches in the Whitechapel district were holding their monthly 'Parent-Child Charity Bazaar.' Jack the Ripper chose that date for a reason."
(End of Chapter)
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