Flower Basket Island, located about three days' sail from Lantis Island, can be reached in just over a day if traveling at full speed day and night. This island is teeming with wild beasts, making it uninhabitable for ordinary people.

It is home to many extinct ancient creatures, much like "Little Garden," and is renowned as a dangerous island. Beyond that, legends speak of monsters lurking in the clouds, making it an unpopular stop for the weak or average pirates. Most choose to bypass it entirely.

If absolutely necessary to log its location, travelers would still seek the safest possible landing spot. From dawn till dusk, the island echoes with the roars of beasts. Predators reign supreme here—though the name "Flower Basket Island" sounds gentle, it stems from its terrain.

The upper half of the island features a slender, crescent-shaped landmass connected to an irregularly squared lower half, resembling a common flower basket. Additionally, the island serves as a gourmet resource for a nearby bustling trade hub, producing rare game. Despite the high risks of hunting, it's hailed as a cradle of delicacies.

However, this kingdom of beasts has recently welcomed uninvited guests—pirates who landed aggressively, feasting and reveling. The creatures drawn to them became nothing more than food for their banquet.

A once-thriving jungle has now become a forbidden zone for the island's beasts. Many animals in the pirate world possess some intelligence. Though their savage nature remains unchanged, after witnessing the overwhelming strength of these two-legged invaders, they've ceded territory to them.

Within days of their arrival, the pirates had already decimated the local predators that dared approach. Crude wooden huts now stand where campfires burn ceaselessly.

"This place is amazing—it's practically paradise!" Natalie exclaimed, gnawing on a fragrant roasted wolf leg, her face smeared with grease. These past few days had been the fullest she'd ever experienced, with endless meat and fish to gorge on.

Though some creatures were fierce or unappealing, compared to Lantis , this island was a land of abundance—safe, too. Beasts? What were they? The Lantis people were a warrior race. Even wolves, lions, or tigers were merely food that put up a bit of a fight.

Prehistoric crocodiles, savage dinosaurs, or massive brachiosaurs? If they provoked a Lantis warrior, their only fate was to become a meal. With over ten thousand elite fighters, the Lantis were a true army, battle-hardened and ferocious.

Even coordinated beast attacks posed less threat than a monster tide. So while this wasn't a human metropolis, to them, it was no different from paradise.

Having narrowly survived catastrophe, they now held a feast for tens of thousands, sourcing ingredients directly from the island. Rich in resources, the island could sustain not just a few thousand but even millions.

Queen Hathaway organized hunting, construction, and guard teams, turning this section of jungle into her domain. Seated atop a boulder, she watched her people by the firelight, her thoughts tangled. Had the Lantis truly escaped annihilation? Even days later, it felt surreal. This content belongs to novel~fire~net

Most survivors had made it, filling her with joy—yet also deep regret. Had she failed as a leader? Why had an outsider been the one to save Lantis?

Her gaze drifted to a highland where Rosen and his group rested—a tranquil spot upstream, bathed in sunlight and fragrant with flowers. Over the past few days, she hadn't spoken much with Rosen, though Alice, Natalie, and even Hoddman had visited him.

She alone hadn't. In her hands, she often clutched days-old newspapers and bounty posters featuring their exploits. She feared Rosen might one day end up imprisoned or dead because of her actions. How would she live with that?

"Your Majesty, the inventory is complete. Given the urgency during our escape, we only managed to bring fewer than ten vials of the bloodline-enhancing serum from Garden No. 9. Without the specialized equipment, we can't produce more or enhance our warriors," A soldier reported regretfully.

The serum, when used with the proper technology, could unlock and amplify a warrior's latent potential, boosting all attributes and granting unique traits. Future doses could temporarily push them to even greater heights.

"Understood. Deliver the remaining serum to them," Hathaway replied absently.

"Also, Crocodile requested we send a team to procure essentials—clothing, tools, mainly clothes—to help us blend in. Current intel suggests the World Government remains unaware of our escape. They believe most of Lantis perished on the island..."

During the clash with the Celestial Dragons, the main force had boarded ships while a smaller group attacked Marine vessels under Rosen's leadership. Witnesses likely mistook them for ordinary pirates, given the number of pirate ships present.

Thus, the World Government assumed only a handful of Lantis survived, with the majority annihilated by the Buster Call. A reasonable assumption.

"Still undiscovered?" Hathaway was stunned. Relocating tens of thousands via pirate and Marine ships should've left traces. Had distant observers simply mistaken them for pirates?

If so, it was the best possible outcome for the survivors. But she knew exposure would bring endless trouble—though now, Lantis was no easy foe.

"Yes."

"Understood. You may go."

---

Highland.

Rosen and his crew had rested here for days. He'd chosen this island based on intel—Urouge had once mentioned it as an alternate route to Skypeia.

"This rabbit is excellently roasted. You've improved, Valentine," Rosen remarked, tearing into a spiced, crispy-legged hare.

Valentine demurred, "It's the island's ingredients, Boss. They're just too rich."

"Robin, any progress?" Rosen turned to her. She sat by a rock, studying a hand-drawn map.

"Too many peaks. Searching them all would take time. But I suspect the route lies among ancient ruins—there are traces of past human habitation. Without more intel, we'll need to inquire on nearby islands for historical leads or legends," Robin analyzed logically.

(End of Chapter)