CHAPTER 179: CHAPTER 143: LIFE SUBSTITUTE COMMAND

Alka committed the pirate’s answer to memory, determined to clarify it when the opportunity arose. This is important; it relates to my subsequent actions. He looked at the pirate before him, pondering what other questions to ask. Opportunities like this, to ask everything at once, were rare.

"When you became Touchers, how did Sifus control your lives?"

"I don’t know. When we became Touchers, our lives were already in his hands. We must follow the rules he established. If we violate them, punishment will befall us, up to and including death."

So, they don’t know... and punishments are delivered automatically.

Alka fell silent. Becoming a Toucher means your life is directly controlled. Could some trick have been played on them when they touched the Treasure?

Alka recalled when he touched the Treasure; he had been immediately immersed in his body’s activation. I wasn’t clear about my sensitivity to the outside world then because no one disturbed me. But since the exact reason is unknown, there’s nothing to be done. From this, I can infer that Father trusted these Touchers because they wouldn’t—and couldn’t—divulge these secrets. Therefore, the accuracy of the secrets known to these Touchers is almost certainly assured. No need for further suspicious guessing.

"How many Touchers are in your Pirate Gang, and what are their power levels?"

"There are 172 in total. Twelve are cadres, and their strength has reached Two Spirals. Another sixty have definitely reached One Spiral. The rest depends on their own efforts."

That’s quite a few Two Spirals—twelve in total.

Alka frowned. How many years has Father been a pirate? Definitely less than 10. After all, 10 years ago, Father was still on Golden Wheat Island and hadn’t obtained Jack’s Treasure. Even if he became a pirate and immediately acquired the Treasure, it still wouldn’t be more than 10 years in total.

Alka had specifically asked Andre. Andre became a Toucher 14 years ago and reached Two Spirals two years ago, though he hadn’t shown it much. So, in this sea region, taking more than 10 years to reach Two Spirals is relatively normal. Moreover, Andre mentioned he had some talent and guidance from a senior. That would be Parker from Golden Wheat Island; otherwise, his advancement wouldn’t have been so rapid. Being in the Church, with resources, ability, and guidance from seniors, allowed Andre to reach Two Spirals in 10 years. The speed of the Prayer for the Dead Pirate Gang is truly abnormal. If they had already become Touchers before joining the Pirate Gang, that’s unlikely, because Father wouldn’t be able to control them then.

Thinking for a moment, he asked, "So, how many Touchers do you have now?"

"I don’t know, but there will definitely be twelve Two Spiral cadres and sixty One Spiral individuals. As for the others, I don’t know."

What does that mean? So, the twelve Two Spirals and sixty One Spirals are fixed numbers? If one is missing, someone immediately fills the spot and reaches that strength? What conditions could achieve such an effect?

"Why is that certain?"

"I don’t know, but it just is."

It seems even this pirate doesn’t know.

Alka couldn’t help but squint slightly. That statement is interesting. Could this be an effect of the Treasure? It’s not surprising that I suspect this; it’s too suspicious. If this were in Lucilia’s sea region, I might believe it, since the Meditation Method isn’t overly rare there. How could they advance so quickly in this godforsaken place unless they also have the Meditation Method? That seems unlikely. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be only twelve Two Spirals. Even if they had the Meditation Method, that wouldn’t explain how they are never short-handed, how positions are filled instantly by someone of the required strength.

"Is this information something only Touchers can know, and revealing it means certain death?"

"Yes."

Hearing this, Alka grew even more suspicious that this ability was related to the Treasure. But that’s just speculation. After all, it’s perfectly reasonable to attribute incomprehensible phenomena and unachievable feats to the Treasure.

After asking a few more minor questions, Alka looked at the pirate before him. He walked over and reached out to pat the pirate’s shoulder.

A flicker of confusion crossed the pirate’s eyes, quickly replaced by clarity, then shock as he saw Alka in front of him. Before the pirate could react, Alka snapped his neck.

This is, after all, someone else’s Dream Realm. If he realized what was happening and resisted fiercely, who knows what problems might arise?

With the pirate’s death in the Dream Realm, the entire bubble instantly burst, and Alka landed swiftly on the rainbow-colored clouds. The bubble burst. Has the dream ended?

Alka wondered as his body began to surface.

At that moment, one of the pirates tied to the mast outside jolted awake. He was drenched in sweat, as if he had just had a Nightmare. He looked at Alka, then down at his own bound body.

"I’m not dead? WHEW! I’m not dead!"

He then glanced to the side, seeing one companion gagged and struggling, and two others still in Deep Sleep. He understood their current predicament. He looked at Alka before him, and then at Chadite and the others nearby.