I'm a Immortal Tavernkeeper, But My S-Rank Daughter Doesn't Know That!

The meeting between Victor and Franky brought back old memories and a bond of friendship that had stood the test of time. With Franky’s promise of help to repair the damage to the ship, they set off in the direction of the "Traveling Mermaid", anchored in a quieter part of the island to avoid attracting unwanted attention from pirates.

As they reached the edge of the forest that divided the wilder part of the island from the pirate-dominated city, they spotted the majestic ship at anchor.

The clouds over Naeross had finally cleared a little, so the moon shone with a silvery light over the bay, reflected in the calm waters that gently caressed the hull of the docked ship.

The "Traveling Mermaid" was a large vessel, with sturdy masts and a hull capable of withstanding the sea for years to come, but the damage from the battle against the Devourer of Ships was evident on its carcass. Despite this, the ship was already being repaired by its crew, and the sound of wooden hammers could be heard throughout the bay.

Victor and Franky walked along the fine sandy beach until they were very close to the ship.

The naval carpenter examined the damaged hull with a critical eye from a few meters away. His yellow eyes ran over every inch of the ship’s outer area in sight as he mentally calculated the time and resources needed for the repair.

"I have to be honest with you. This is going to take some time, Victor," said Franky, crossing his arms. "The hull needs substantial repairs, otherwise the whole structure could give way. I can see from the outside that there’s damage to the internal structures too."

Victor had a serious look on his face. "How long do you think it will take?"

The Iizardman scratched his chin thoughtfully. "It’s hard to say right now, I need to take a closer look."

One of the ship’s wooden dinghies approached the beach to take them to the ship, preventing them from getting wet. On boarding the "Traveling Mermaid", Franky immediately continued his analysis, crouched down and ran his fingers over the damaged floor, assessing the extent of the damage to the deck structure.

"Oh, Franky! I’d say it’s a pleasure to see you, but I only see you when my little ’Traveling Mermaid’ is hurt!" The ship’s captain said, approaching.

"Then I say: it’s always a pleasure to see you, Captain Demetrius," said Franky with a greedy smile. "I see you’re not taking very good care of this jewel you have in your hands."

"You see..." The captain tried to explain himself, but quickly gave up. "Argh! Please give me a discount on the hand labor this time, Franky. We almost died bringing supplies to this damn island."

"I’ll see what I can do." Franky winked and began to walk around the deck, this time analyzing the damage to the masts.

Victor crossed his arms and leaned against a wooden part of the deck to let Franky assess everything without pressure.

"Seriously, Victor, you really did fight and kill the Devourer of Ships, didn’t you?" Franky asked again, still incredulous at his friend’s audacity. "Only a monster like that could do so much damage to a ship I built."

"What? Did you make that ship?" asked Victor, slightly surprised.

"Yes, ten years ago, for a group of fishermen. They died and Captain Demetrius bought it at an auction." The naval carpenter explained. "Well, we’ll need a few days to do all the repairs. At least a week."

"A week? The captain had said a day."

"As I said at the time, the entire structure has been damaged. The hull has been severely compromised, and from what I can see several parts of the deck have also been hit. Fixing it here is going to be more difficult than just banging planks where there are holes. I’ll need specific materials to ensure that the ship is seaworthy again. And it also depends on the extent of the internal damage, as I’m still only looking at the superficial. Normally, I’d recommend that a client buy another ship, but knowing Demetrius, I doubt he’d go for that," said Franky, looking at the captain of the "Traveling Mermaid" as he gave orders to some of the crew.

Victor was surprised by the estimate. "I can’t stand still for that long."

If he took longer than twenty-four hours to deliver the brain of the Devourer of Ships to Mari Dundragon, the brain would quickly start to rot and become useless.

"I could take a passenger ship, but given the number of pirate ships docked, I doubt they’ll be working properly until at least midday tomorrow. I wouldn’t have time to get to Klento..." Victor muttered, trying to think of a solution.

"Captain Demetrius," Franky called out, turning to the old man in charge of the ship. "I need a glass jar and some water right away."

The captain raised his eyebrows, surprised by the unexpected request. "What do you need that for, Franky?"

"It’s a matter of urgency," replied the naval carpenter, without giving too many details. "Trust me, it’s crucial for the repairs."

Demetrius nodded in agreement, recognizing the seriousness in Franky’s expression. He gave a few orders to the sailors nearby and, before long, one of the crew returned with a glass jar and some water.

While Victor watched the scene curiously, Franky took the glass jar of water in one hand and with the other brought the tip of one of his Claws close to the edge of the jar.

"What are you doing?" asked Victor.

From the tip of Franky’s Claw, a few drops of a viscous liquid began to drip and fall into the jar.

"A paralyzing substance that I learned to develop inside my own body a few years ago. Quite uncomfortable most of the time, but it’s useful for battles and a few other things," replied Franky.

Carefully, Franky closed the jar and mixed the viscous liquid with the water inside it, creating a unique solution.

"There you go. A pot of preserves," replied Franky, smiling slightly. "This will allow the Devourer of Ships’ brain to remain intact and convertible for a long time. After all, that’s what you’re so worried about, am I right?"

Victor took the pot and was speechless. "Thank you." That’s all he managed to say.

"You’re welcome, now you owe me one more. If you want to pay me back, stay in town during this time and help me fix this ship. We haven’t seen each other for years, we still have a lot to talk about."

"Of course I accept your offer. I’ll help you fix the ship."

Franky smiled, satisfied with the answer. "Good, I’ll need strong hands."

*

While Victor and Franky were getting ready for work, somewhere high up, with a perfect view of the bay where their ship lay, two men watched from afar.

One of them, smaller and thinner, pointed to the "Traveling Mermaid" and said:

"Boss, there’s the ship I was talking about. It’s a merchant ship, probably full of food, cloth and whatever else we need. Best of all, it’s out of sight of the other pirates. It could all be ours."

The man next to him had a claw with three crooked teeth in place of his left hand and was a pirate known as Captain Claw. "Hmm, that sounds tempting. But, Rat, we can’t be too hasty. We need a solid plan to loot that ship without being detected. They may only be merchants, but they are almost twenty. We’ll observe, wait for them to lower their watch and attack them during the night."

"Of course, boss. I can round up a few more men and start working on a plan right now."

Claw nodded. "Do that, but don’t take any risk. The last thing we need is to attract the attention of other pirates in this area. Let’s wait for the right moment."