Kuro finally found Sheila, but Law and Ging couldn't immediately go see her.
Because the incidents involving the unidentified snakes continuously killing people led the Kakin military to implement several measures, one of which was a weakened version of a curfew.
During sleep hours, no one was allowed to move around freely.
Moreover, the military sent out patrols in shifts during the night. If someone needed to relieve themselves, they had to inform a patrolling soldier, who would then escort them.
Their freedom of movement was restricted, so Law couldn't go see Sheila immediately. They could only wait until daytime work assignments began and then find an opportunity to contact Sheila.
Although immediate contact wasn't possible, Law could have Kuro act as a messenger to notify Sheila in advance, letting her be mentally prepared.
Thus, Kuro, who had just returned to Law's side, turned into smoke again, following the ground towards Sheila's location.
In the deep night, the black smoke that Kuro transformed into silently passed by sleeping civilians. Including the patrolling soldiers, no one noticed Kuro's presence.
Fifteen minutes later, Kuro arrived beside Sheila. Just as it entered within a ten-meter range, Sheila opened her eyes. Sharp, vigilant eyes instantly swept towards Kuro.
Clearly, she was only in light sleep, maintaining high alertness. After all, she was a woman traveling alone, plus the incidents involving the unidentified snakes. Such high vigilance was normal.
Upon discovering Kuro, Sheila's first reaction was to associate the snake incidents with the black smoke she saw.
But quickly, she suppressed that possibility because she felt no malice from Kuro at all. So upon discovering Kuro, she didn't immediately take any drastic defensive actions.
Despite sensing no malice, Sheila remained highly vigilant. Her Aura quietly surfaced, covering her body.
Kuro looked around, confirming no one was paying attention, then transformed into its cat form under Sheila's gaze, though smaller than usual.
Seeing Kuro's appearance, Sheila immediately recognized it, a glimmer of joy flashing in her eyes.
She was about to speak but saw Kuro raise a paw to its mouth.
Seeing this, Sheila swallowed the words at her throat. Watching Kuro gingerly approach, she whispered, "Why are you here?"
Hearing this, Kuro rolled its eyes, annoyed. "Other than being sent by Law, what other reason could there be?"
Sheila smiled slightly. She knew of Kuro's existence but wasn't familiar with it, so she didn't engage further on this topic.
"Tomorrow, Law will come to the forest to find you. Ging seems to have given you quite high praise, so Law intends to invite you to join the team. It's up to you whether you're willing," Kuro stated its purpose.
"To the real Dark Continent?"
The light in Sheila's eyes could almost outshine the stars in the night sky. She learned from Ging that the B·W's destination wasn't the Dark Continent but the imagined continent, meant to deceive the public.
"Yes."
Kuro looked Sheila up and down, not seeing where she had become so capable, and said, "Even if you're willing to join the team, you'd definitely have to-"
"I'm willing!"
Sheila's immediate, resolute reply made Kuro stop mid-sentence.
Kuro looked at Sheila, her excitement overflowing, and its cheek twitched.
'This person… truly, as Ging said, shares the same mindset as Law.'
Nowhere could one see any apprehension Sheila held towards the Dark Continent. There was only the same fearless, newborn-calf-bold drive she once saw in Law.
'They were the same kind of people.'
Kuro thought silently to itself, then before turning to leave, tossed out a sentence: "Even if you're willing to join, you might not necessarily pass Law's interview."
Sheila suppressed the excitement and anticipation inside, watching Kuro turn into smoke and disappear into the night.
Early the next morning, another ninety-nine bodies were discovered.
This continued for several days. Rumors with the words 'curse' began spreading among the crowd because, aside from unscientific phenomena, there was no other explanation for the recent events.
Not to mention this open, grassy plain where they camped… even the forest cleared during the day showed no signs of snakes.
So, where did the snakes that killed so many people daily come from?
Even if you turned the ground upside down, you wouldn't find even a small burrow.
People began to fear. This was natural, as no one knew if the next person killed might be themselves.
The underlying panic, combined with brewing rumors, left the military helpless. The patrols they set up at night covered all areas. Even so, they found nothing unusual.
Because each victim died silently, with no signs of struggle before death. Under such circumstances, what could they do?
If not for the tangible wounds on the victims, they might even doubt the killer was snakes.
The black snake incident stirred unease among the people. Law and Ging, detached from the matter, had no interest in it. As the people began work, they entered the forest to find Sheila.
Since three-fourths of the forest had been cleared, fewer people were assigned to logging today.
Under Kakin's coordination, human resources began shifting towards building houses… processing the felled timber to construct homes.
At the moment, Sheila was in the forest, felling a large tree.
Those who boarded the ship weren't distinguished by gender, only by capability.
Regardless of being male or female, since you boarded the new continent, you had to contribute.
Crack!
With the final axe swing, the large tree fell with a sound. The noise didn't bother nearby people, as they were used to it.
'When will Law and Ging come?'
Looking at the fallen tree, Sheila thought to herself.
She couldn't wait to see Law… Currently, she was a devoted fan of [L. Hunter]. As for that more fictionalized [D. Hunter], she had no idea where she tossed it long ago.
"Huh?"
Sheila's eyes slightly changed. She sensed faint malice coming from behind. Unperturbed, she continued working, picking up the axe to chop off excess branches from the tree trunk.
During her solo travels in the past, she had long become accustomed to this kind of malicious peeping, so she was quite sensitive.
Behind a large tree, a man with spinach-like hair peeped at Sheila, enveloped in a thin layer of Aura. Hesitation and struggle appeared in his eyes.
He was one of the twenty-three infected, named Sodom, currently at Lv48, a relatively high level.
There were noticeably fewer people logging today, so not everyone was everywhere. And he discovered Sheila.
A Nen User's experience points could equal at least a thousand ordinary people's experience.