Kon Ta, appearing like a ghost at the palace entrance and blocking their path, caused Indigo to brake sharply, stopping in a panic.
"What is it?"
The background pirate captains following behind him stopped as well and asked loudly.
Following Indigo's gaze, they saw Kon Ta blocking their way. Their bodies trembled in unison, and then they turned and scrambled back into the palace, wishing they had two more legs to escape faster. Their demeanor was as pathetic as it could get.
They had thought that joining the legendary pirate Shiki's ranks meant they could do whatever they pleased from then on. But they never imagined the drastic change would come so suddenly, with the legend falling without any warning. They were completely unprepared.
Indigo ignored the fleeing background captains. He knew that running any further was useless against the terrifying monster who could kill Shiki.
As expected.
Two crescent-shaped slashes, crossing each other, grazed his body as they shot towards the rear. The sharpness of the slashes made his hair stand on end and cold sweat pour down his face. Then, the slightly noisy corridor instantly fell silent.
Listening to the dull thuds of bodies falling behind him, Indigo's pupils contracted, and he swallowed hard. In the moment the slashes arrived, he had thought he was doomed.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip...
Just then, slow footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. Though the footsteps were light, to Indigo, they felt like heavy hammers striking his heart, one after another. As Kon Ta walked closer, Indigo involuntarily lowered his head and hunched over.
He knew Kon Ta had spared him because he was useful, so he didn't have to worry about immediate death. But facing the monster who had killed Shiki, the invisible mental pressure made him dare not look up, or even meet Kon Ta's gaze.
Kon Ta, wearing slippers, walked up to Indigo and smiled at the comical juggler who towered over him. He actually intended to recruit this guy as his ship's doctor. Despite his comical nature, Indigo's medical skills were quite high. However, he still needed to observe him.
Looking at Indigo, he smiled and said, "You are Dr. Indigo, Shiki's second-in-command, right? Could you trouble me by taking me to your infirmary and Shiki's treasury?"
He wanted to destroy all the data on the various "IQ" drug experiments Shiki had researched. He wouldn't leave such dangerous things for the World Government. He also wanted to see if Shiki had conducted human experiments. If it was only on animals, it wouldn't be much of a problem. But if it involved humans, it would be different. In that case, no matter how high Shiki's medical skills were, he wouldn't be able to keep him.
Indigo forced a smile that was uglier than a cry, staring at Kon Ta. He knew he couldn't refuse. Despite Kon Ta's smiling, seemingly accommodating demeanor, this was the man who had just killed Shiki!
"Yes, sir, please follow me. I will take you to the laboratory right away." His laboratory was actually his infirmary.
Indigo quickly turned and led the way into the palace. Kon Ta, hands clasped behind his back, followed Indigo to a massive iron door. Indigo pulled a key from his pocket, inserted it into a lock on the door, and with a firm twist, the iron door slid open to both sides. Standing before the door, he turned to Kon Ta and said, "Sir, we have arrived at the laboratory."
Kon Ta, without paying much attention to Indigo, slowly walked into the vast space behind the door. The first thing that caught his eye were about a dozen large glass cultivation tubes, shimmering with a cold blue light.
Seeing Kon Ta standing before the cultivation tubes, Indigo quickly stepped forward to explain, "Sir, these are the remains of animals used to research a plant called 'IQ'."
"Hmm! I understand. Take me to where you record your experimental data."
He was relieved not to see any human remains, but he still needed to check the experimental records.
"This way, sir."
Following Indigo to his workbench, Kon Ta saw an entire wall covered with notebooks. He couldn't help but sigh at the madness of scientists. If he had to write so much, he'd rather die. He casually pulled out a notebook and started reading.
Hmm! He couldn't understand it. His expression unchanged, he casually tossed aside the notebook and picked up another.
Hmm! Still couldn't understand it.
"What's with these scientists! Can't they write something comprehensible?" He threw down the notebook in his hand, turned to Indigo, and remained silent.
Seeing Indigo break out in a cold sweat, he finally smiled and said, "Dr. Indigo, may I ask you a question?"
Indigo looked at Kon Ta cautiously, shivering at his sudden smile. "Sir, whatever you wish to ask, just... just ask. I will tell you everything."
"Did you ever experiment on humans?"
Kon Ta's expression suddenly changed, and an immense aura pressed down on Indigo. Feeling the sudden surge of power from Kon Ta, Indigo flusteredly sat down on the ground. He trembled, then remembered Kon Ta was waiting for his answer. He quickly looked up at Kon Ta and shouted, "No, sir, no. I... I have never experimented on humans."
Kon Ta's eyes flashed red as he stared at Indigo for a moment before retracting his gaze and his aura. He could sense from Indigo's emotions that he likely wasn't lying, and he hadn't seen any human remains in this laboratory. Moreover, Indigo wasn't a truly wicked person; he was just a doctor.
Kon Ta then formally extended an invitation. "Dr. Indigo, as the captain of the Free Adventurers' Guild, I now formally invite you to join my ship as its doctor."
Indigo, having breathed a sigh of relief when Kon Ta withdrew his aura, was now stunned by the even more shocking words. He looked up at Kon Ta's earnest gaze and was dazed. "You, you, are you serious?" He couldn't believe he could be the doctor on this man's ship. Even if the man was a newly-embarked pirate, he was the pirate who had just killed Shiki! An invitation from such a pirate felt like a dream.
Kon Ta looked at Indigo and smiled. "My ship is in need of a doctor. Would you like to come, Dr. Indigo?"
This time, Indigo reacted. He quickly nodded and accepted Kon Ta's invitation. Despite spending decades with Shiki, he didn't have strong feelings for him, nor could he be considered a traitor. After all, Shiki was dead, and he needed to find a new place to be. If he refused, not to mention whether Kon Ta would let him go, even the Marines wouldn't spare him.
"Oh, right, Dr. Indigo. Since you've joined my ship, you can no longer research these things!" Kon Ta helped Indigo up and said sternly, "From now on, you will only research healing medicines and cures for various diseases."
"Can you do that?"
"Yes, yes, yes, sir," Indigo replied hastily, still not accustomed to the situation.
"Call me captain."
"Yes, Captain."