"Name?" in the harbor of the island, the clerk in front of me, who was holding a list and a pen, asked.
"Hayama," I answered without missing a beat in my voice.
"Age?"
"15…"
"…You look older than that." The guy looks at me with a 'Really, dude?' look.
"I get that a lot," I said in an even voice, my StoicHiki skill doing its magic.
"…Whatever. Your profession?"
"A fisherman." Not the best, but it is something I am sure I can do perfectly well.
'And there is no way I can say I am a student. That would be stupid, I don't know if systemic education was even a thing now.'
"So, what is a fisherman like you trying to do here?" The clerk asked, this time looking at me directly as if trying to find any flaw in me.
"Trying to be a merchant."
"…A merchant? Didn't you say you are a fisherman?" the Clerk asked in puzzlement.
"Because lately, I was starting to think it is not for me," I said in a fake but not so fake tiredness, and even sighed at the end.
"Heh! Now I get that a lot. Anyway, that would be a 200 Beri for you." The clerk gave a laugh and told me the entry fee.
"That's a bit too much." Those words came out of my mouth, but the 200 Beri bill was also out of my pocket.
"I know, the new Mayor is a dick! But this is the rules." He took the bill from me while cursing his Mayor and stamping something on his list.
"Welcome to Pearlag!" the Clerk welcomed me to the island with a professional smile while handing me a half-stamped ticket.
As I finally could pass, I pocketed the ticket and walked into the big city by the shore.
Moving in the streets, the city looked like a European city from the 17th century.
The buildings didn't go beyond the fourth floor, they didn't look like artistic marvels, but they looked neat enough. And the streets were stone-paved and surprisingly very clean.
People were coming and going on the bustling road, and you could see carriages pulled by horses on the street.
Some people, like history mania and Chunibyo, will be very excited at this sight.
However, I am not.
All I felt was the heart-crushing depression and despair looking at this city.
'I am really in another world…'
The feel of being a loner, a feeling I should have been very familiar with, returned to me in a dozen folds.
I stared almost blankly in front of me until someone bumped into me, saying something about moving out of the way, that I got moving.
Looking around and walking on the streets, I saw all kinds of people, and they were wearing all kinds of clothes with different styles, and they looked like they were from all kinds of geographic regions.
It was only then that I remembered what Swanwick, the old Navigator of the pirate ship, said about this island.
Pearlag! Or the full name, Pearl Lagoon Island.
A bustling island known for being a trading hub and a place for the rich people to flaunt their wealth.
Before, it was known for its pearl farms and tranquil waters. Especially their pearl, which had a very unique Ruby-like color.
However, all of the Ruby Pearl calms disappeared due to the excessive hunting. But one of the mayors of the town was smart enough to turn the city into a trade hub with the money they got, making it a bustling town.
They still farm pearls, and they had the specialty of making fine and expensive-looking jewelry, but it was not the same as the legendary Ruby Pearl.
Nevertheless, I didn't care about any of that, almost an hour walking down the streets of the city, I asked a local as he was outside of his store if there was any inn I could stay in, and he gave me the directions to one.
Honestly, seeing so many foreign-looking people speaking Japanese is still strange, seeing the people in the anime taking Japanese made me think it was just for the translation convenience, as this was a work of fiction. But for them to actually speak Japanese? It made it very hard for me to swallow.
The only thing I remember is the history professor with that funny-looking hairstyle from Nico Robin's backstory saying something about the world speaking the same language.
'But to project something said from a character in a manga on the real world is…'
Weirdness and absurdness in my heart were crushed by the pure sadness, sourness, and tiredness.
My mind was so troubled and tired, as I haven't slept in days now since I woke up on the pirate ship. I couldn't trust them, so I didn't sleep and occupied myself with other things like knowing about islands, navigation, and making plans for myself.
I admit I was paranoid, I made plans for what I would do if I couldn't get to the island. Thankfully, I didn't need them.
Reaching the inn, checking in a room, paying, getting the key, and entering the room happened in a very fast and auto pilot mode action.
The host was looking at me strangely by the end, but I didn't care as I headed to the assigned room directly, not wanting anyone to see me like this.
I knew why she was looking strangely at me, it was clear from the heat in my eyes and the blurriness in my vision.
'I was crying…'
Entering the room, taking down the big bag, and before I reached the bed, I was down on my knees.
My sobbing voice was clear to hear now, and I tried not to be loud, but part of me just didn't care.
I…I never felt so lonely, so vulnerable, so sad, so frustrated before.
This is something even a veteran loner like me would struggle with.
Everyone I knew, everything I knew, everywhere I knew is no longer here,
And even if there is a way for me to go back, who knows how long I have to deal with this.
I am soooo completely out of my depth.
'So cruel…'
***
Two days.
After two days of moping in my room, I decided to finally leave and walk around.
I even gave myself tasks to accomplish.
Being stuck in this world for who knows how long, there is no way I would allow myself to become a Hikikomori. Even if I loathe everything outside, I unfortunately have to Work.
'Damn, I hate that word.'
I finished wearing the outer jacket and strapped the sword belt around my waist.
Yes, I decided to wear the Barbossa Sword openly and walk the street with it.
Seeing so many people doing the same gave me courage, and there were a lot of people—mainly men—doing it.
They were all sorts of people, from soldiers, sailors, bodyguards, wandering swordsmen, bounty hunters, and surprisingly, pirates.
Unexpected, isn't it? For pirates to be roaming in the street like that.
Nevertheless, not for people in this world.
Apparently, pirates can also enter cities and wander around as long as they don't cause trouble, and people will 'conveniently' forget they are pirates.
This is why they call it the Great Pirate Era.
Of course, it made me a bit uncertain of going out, but as I said, I had to do it.
Moreover, I took down a whole pirate crew by myself—Yeah, Hachiman, keep telling that to yourself—and also I still have this with me.
Sheeeng!
The Barbossa Sword, as I decided to call it as there is a character known as the black beared in this world, has more powerful abilities than I remember from the movie.
Pointing the sword at a chair in the room, the chair started to move backward, albeit with the chair legs moving strangely, as if the chair were an animal with stiff legs trying to move.
From my tests, this is the ability of the sword, Puppeteering.
Yes, it is puppeteering, not telekinesis, as I couldn't lift and suspend the chair in the air, only make it move like it gained life, or I could control it like a puppet.
I don't know the limit of this ability, or why it didn't appear in the movies. But I shouldn't use the logic of the shows I watched to judge my reality anymore, using it as a reference, maybe, but that's it. And for now, this ability is enough for me to protect myself.
After checking the blade of the Barbossa Sword and sheathing it back to the newly made sheath, I also check the cover I made for the jeweled handle.
Fearing that the jewels on the Sword handle would attract unwanted attention, a cover made out of leather was 'Ordered' from the Box to cover it.
'This will do, and unless they hold the sword from the handle, they can't use it anyway.
With everything in place, I took the smaller bag filled with some gold, jewels, and cash over my shoulder and headed out.
The task I gave to myself required these things, so they should be my mission items.
After a simple greeting to the host, I exit the inn and walk on the street.
I was a bit stiff and anxious at first, but relaxed a lot when I saw I was not gaining attention.
StealthHiki was on, and I started roaming around the city.
Restaurants, cafes, bars, groceries, clothes shops, an open market with street vendors, weapon shops that I will check later, this city has everything.
'Even theaters, banks, and auction houses. The city was like a big hub, almost close to a trading center in the big cities from my world.'
The navigator's words were true, what I wanted right now was this.
Radiant Grace was the name of the shop, it was easy to guess it was a jewelry shop.
Pearlag is now known as the capital of jewel crafting in the East Blue, so I can see if the material made by The Box is authentic or not.
Pushing open the door, the bell on the front rang and I was inside the shop.
I could see that the shop is very large, various people were standing in front of wide showcases, and an employee was standing close to them.
"Welcome to Radiant Grace! Are you looking for something special, or just browsing?"
A shop clerk in a neat outfit and professional smile approached me, asking for my order.
"Y-Yes, I wanted to make a custom order. Is that possible?"
They have a very professional service, how surprising! Looks like the Capitalist were still ahead of everyone when it comes to money, no matter the world.
'Damn Capitalist!'
"Of course! Please come with me to the waiting room, one of our finest craftsmen will be with you in minutes."
She led me to an elegant-looking room with two couches and a table in between.
Not much later, a polite and tall-looking middle-aged man entered the room and introduced himself as Lawrence wanted to take my order.
"Well, actually, I have the material with me here. I want to know if they are suitable materials for the request."
This is why I am here. If they see this material from The Box as okay and can process it into different items, then there is no doubt about it.
"No problem at all, but I will have to inform you that we need to check the material before we proceed with the request. This is to avoid inconvenience to the customer, of course." He said it with his usual professional smile, but I could guess the reason behind this.
'This is to make sure that I didn't scam them with fake materials, and give them a better advantage when discussing the fees.'
I, however, have no problem with this, in fact, I would have asked for it if he hadn't suggested it.
"Sure, these are the materials."
From my small bag, I take out two identical casts of gold and two pairs of gems. Each pair is of identical color.
One cast and one pair of gems are from The Box, and the other is from the pirates.
'Like this, I can know if they can be identified from the normal ones.'
No need for me to say anything, Lawrence took all the things on a platform and excused himself to fully check the materials.
Minutes later, he returned with the things, the smile on his face was unusually bright.
"The materials are perfect for crafting! Especially these gemstones, I would recommend not cutting these gems, they are of excellent craftsmanship!"
'Translation: the material is genuine and we can proceed with the next step.'
What is more interesting is that he referring to the gems made by the Box.
"Will the gold be okay for a high-quality product too?" I had to ask as he was more interested in the gems.
"Yes, definitely! The gold is of high purity and can be used with ease. Now I would have to ask what type of items you would like to be made?"
'So there is no problem with the gems nor the gold for now, that is a relief, and also has a very scary/amazing meaning.'
"If possible, I want two full sets of a ring, bracelet, necklace, and earrings, one for an adult woman and one for a younger one."
'This way, there will be too much to work on the materials, and if there are any problems. I would know.'
…
A/N: Well, That's it for now.
Thank you all for reading! Hope you enjoyed this one!
Have a good day!
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