chapter 13

After my last fight with Wilson, we spent the last two weeks stockpiling both food and drink while scouring every inch of the carvel I had built for any holes or flaws that would lead to us drowning in the middle of the sea.

And even though I call her a carvel, she was, in fact, just the log of a freakishly large tree that I cut down and carried to the shore with Wilson's help, and then carved her to what she looks like now, she mostly looked like the small ship that silvers rayleigh was living in when he met roger, except that she was slightly larger and her sails were a patchwork of tiger hides stitched together with plant fiber rope.

She wasn't much to look at, to be sure, but she'll have to do for now as we just needed her to make one trip and deliver us to the next island.

'I can't believe it's been almost an entire year since I came to this world', I sighed while standing in front of the small ship, looking at her appreciatively.

'dying young like that and leaving my family and friends behind really sucked, I bet they were very sad about my death, especially my mom and best friend. but they'll get over eventually, I know they will, they're even more persistent than I am after all.' I think to myself again while reminiscing about my past life.

'whatever it's all in the past now and I can't really complain about my current situation, I got a second chance at life, a life in my favorite anime world to boot and I even have the chance to reach for greatness and make something out of myself.' I thought as I shook my head to clear the negative thoughts away, choosing to look the bright side instead and halting my brooding session at that point.

"I think we're as ready as we can be Wilson, it's finally time to bid this island farewell and set sail," I said as I turned my eyes to Wilson, who was double-checking our rations which we had stored inside barrels also carved from the logs of large trees.

"it's about time, I was thinking you were gonna keep us on the island checking our rations and looking for holes and flaws that don't exist until we both died of old age," he said as he got behind the small carvel and rested his hands against the ship's rear right on the side of her rudder.

"haha, come on big guy don't be like that you know it's all necessary so we don't end up drowned or starved to death in the middle of the sea." I laughed and explained as I stood next to him on the other side of the rudder.

We both started to push at the same time until our ankles became submerged in seawater, forcing Wilson to jump over to the ship's deck, leaving me to push the ship to the deeper parts of the sea on my own.

After the ship was finally in deep enough water to set sail, I also jumped over and began to check around the ship in search of any leaks. And after five minutes of waiting and not finding any, I geppoed my back to shore and started to haul our rations and luggage into the ship.

"Everything seems to be in order. now is as good a time as any and there's no need to delay any further, you go and man the rudder while I hoist the sails, keep a steady hand, and make sure we're always heading to the east," I ordered as I jumped over the mast and started to untie the ropes holding the sails.

Once I was done, the ship finally started to move. And after taking a last glance at Wilson to make sure he was keeping us going in the right direction, I moved to the brow of the ship and took out my guitar to commemorate our departure with a song.

Feeling the salty sea breeze hitting me and sending my hair flying backward and a splash of seawater impacting my face. I smiled at the pleasant feeling as I started to play my guitar in a soothing melody and sang. (author note: I recommend playing Johnny Collins - Leave Her Johnny before continuing to read)

"oh the work was hard and the wages low", I sang while gazing at the waves as they crashed against the ship's forecastle (front), splashing even more water onto my face.

"leave her johnny leave her, I guess it's time for us to go, and it's time for us to leave her." I sang again while turning around to look at the island that I had spent the last year of my life on one last time.

"oh the voyage is done and the winds don't blow, and it's time for us to leave her..." I sang with even more emotion than before. And then resolutely turned around to face the sea once again and continued to sing, not giving much attention to a certain water droplet of seawater that got stuck in my eye and chose that exact moment to slid down my face.

We continued to sail peacefully in that manner while taking turns to sleep and man the rudder to keep us in course for an entire week. We luckily didn't go through any large storm or a sea beast large enough to devour us along with our ship in one bite, but it seemed that our luck was at an end today.

The sky above our heads started to darken as numerous black clouds started to gather, and the winds raged hard enough to make our mast screech in protest as it started to bend because of the pressure.

"keep your hand at the rudder and don't let the ship stray off course no matter what happens", I ordered as I geppoed my way up the mast and started to tie the sails in preparation for the quickly approaching storm. And only heard a severe grunt of affirmation from Wilson's direction.

"keep her steady and going forward she can take it, I'll handle anything she can't," I said as I quickly took satori and stood at the brow.

I tucked satori's sheath in my belt to make sure I didn't lose it as I stabbed its blade into the deck besides for ease of access.

I then tensed my body and pointer my left prosthetic arm forward while holding its forearm with my left hand, prepared to use my arm projectile system at a moment's notice.

I stayed in that position for half an hour until what I have been waiting for finally came. As the raging wind changed its course, a giant wave made its appearance right in front of me, its towering figure seemingly preparing to engulf our small ship and devour it and us along with it.

"Brace for Impact", I shouted at Wilson and waited until we were a mere five meters distance from the wave to unleash the projectile and watched as it impacted the wave tearing a hole through it just large enough for our small ship to scale it.

And as our small ship finally scaled the wave that had already mended its self at this point, I felt the wind change course again, this time in our favor.

My mind started to process our situation at superhuman speeds, and it didn't take me too long to come up with a plan to get us out of this storm. I reacted immediately once I was done formulating my plan as I picked up satori and started to swing it quickly in the direction of the mast, sending several small flying slashes to cut the ropes and unfurl the sails.

When the wind finally hit the sails, it pushed us forward, and along with the momentum of sliding down the back of the wave our ship was riding, we advanced at a speed that would have been impossible in any other situation.

And even though the speed we were moving at and the wind pressure were very difficult for the ship to endure, it still held for an entire hour nonetheless until we were finally able to see the end of the storm.

But the storm simply had no intention of letting us go this easily. and soon, another gigantic wave formed and filled my vision. Sighing, I picked up satori and started to chant.

"sudden enlightenment is the beginning and rooting of all heavenly wisdom. and so with the root of wisdom as my sword, There is nothing I can not cut." I chanted as I raised my sword above my head, planning to unleash a vertical flying slash and bisect the wave in half.

"satori no kakyoko (song of sudden enlightenment)", I shouted at the top of my lung, swung my sword down, and watched as a ten-meter-long slash bisected the wave right in half dissipating it and revealing the blurry and far silhouette of an island hidden behind it.

"the rest is up to you.." I said to Wilson. And that was the last thing I remember as I fell unconscious on top of the deck.