78: Chapter 78 Isolated Island in the Desolate SeaShortly after Luffy left, Eric awoke from his unconsciousness and, with the help of soldiers, returned to the warship.He straightened his broken nose and, filled with helpless rage, vowed to make the Straw Hat Pirates pay double the next time he saw them.Upon learning that the Straw Hat crew had already left, he stopped the colonel who wanted to give chase, saying, "Don't worry.Let the Straw Hats go for now.Don't forget the legend of the Dragon's Lair on this island.Although this is just my guess, the fact that they risked leaving the island means they may have found the way to the Dragon's Lair.In that case, aren't they the best guides?"
As he spoke, Eric went into the cabin and stopped the marine who wanted to send a telegram reporting that he knew something.On his way back to his room, Eric greedily thought, "I will not give the legendary dragon bone to that fat pig Nelson to make the elixir of immortality.I will eat it and become the perfect whirlwind Eric."
Meanwhile, on another luxurious warship, Fat Pig Nelson was furious because he had just learned that Eric had discovered the Thousand-Year Dragon but hadn't told him."That bastard Eric!Why didn't he tell me he found the Thousand-Year Dragon?Does he want to keep it for himself?Turn the whole ship around and attack the warship island!"
On the Going Merry, the crew was discussing how to find the Lost Island, but they couldn't figure out how to find the dragon's lair.The dragon opened its eyes, watching the leaping fish, and seemed to remember something.Just then, Apis's voice came over, "Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone.The food is ready." Zoro exclaimed in horror, "She cooked it again!" Usopp, seeing Sanji following behind Apis, was overjoyed, "Sanji, you prepared today's meal?"
The little girl instantly became unhappy upon hearing this, stepped forward, and stomped hard on Usopp's foot.Ignoring Usopp's cries of pain behind her, she held up the pot and said to the Dragon Lord, "Dragon Lord, the food is ready.Try to eat!"
Luffy, who was accompanying Dragon Lord on the cart, reached out and took the pot from Apis's hand.Apis tried to stop him, but it was too late.Luffy, scalded, threw the pot away, and the pot, along with the food inside, hit Dragon Lord squarely on the head, causing him to howl in pain.Apis quickly got off the cart and started cleaning up the food for Dragon Lord.Dragon Lord, seemingly remembering something after being scalded, turned its gaze to Apis, who was cleaning up its food.Following Dragon Lord's gaze, Apis looked into the distance.Noticing something amiss, Luffy looked at Apis, who then spoke up, "Dragon Lord just told me it remembered something; the Dragon's Lair is east of Gunkanjima Island."
Upon hearing this, Luffy immediately informed the crew.Nami, upon hearing this, promptly took Coby and changed course, heading towards their destination.Eric, who was enjoying a meal on the warship, also learned of the news and immediately ordered the colonel to change course and pursue the Straw Hat crew.However, after sailing for some distance, Luffy and his crew still hadn't found the location of the Lost Island.Usopp complained that he wished Dragon could recall more detailed information.As he spoke, Usopp remembered something, picked up an anvil from the ground, and prepared to hit Dragon on the head, saying he wanted to see if he could remember anything.Coby immediately slapped Usopp's arm to stop him, but Usopp lost his grip, and the entire anvil slammed into Usopp's foot.The scene.well, you can imagine it yourself!(^v^)
Meanwhile, the little girl was happily talking to the Dragon Lord while leaning against the ship's railing, "Dragon Lord, we're almost there!Once we get to the Dragon's Lair, the Dragon Lord will get better, right?" Seeing Apis talking to the Dragon Lord, Luffy and the others smiled like doting aunts.Zoro, inside the cabin, noticed the catching warship."Everyone, what's that?" Coby's voice came from ahead.Luffy and the others ran over and saw a dark shadow getting closer and closer.As the ship approached the shadow, they realized it wasn't a shadow at all, but a barrier.Coby curiously reached out and touched it.The reflection of the Going Merry appeared on the barrier, and the Going Merry was gradually sucked in until it completely disappeared from the sea.The pursuing Marines stared in disbelief at what had just happened.Eric, seeing this, ordered the captain to prepare a small boat to give chase.Meanwhile, Luffy and his crew, trapped in a mysterious sea, were in dire straits.Not only was visibility poor, but a violent storm also struck, forcing the Going Merry to struggle through the extreme weather.Nami, nestled in Luffy's arms, peered out, trying to understand the situation.Apis, ignoring Zoro's attempts to stop her, insisted on comforting Luffy.However, due to the waves, the rope securing the cart came loose, threatening to detach completely.The young woman, disregarding her own safety, grabbed the rope, her hands bleeding, but she persevered.Just as Apis was about to give up, Zoro intervened, pulling the rope back up.Even Zoro couldn't control it completely, and the cart was about to detach from the Going Merry.At the last moment, Luffy stretched out his arm and grabbed the cart's wheel, holding it firmly.Then, Usopp spotted a beam of light in the distance, with a small island in its center.Nami immediately instructed Sanji to steer the Going Merry towards the island.