Nobita was gleefully spinning the wheel, while Doraemon quietly reassured everyone, "Don't worry. This ship is self-navigating. It won't sink just because Nobita's at the helm."
Everyone finally relaxed. But not long after, the ship drifted under a high-speed rail bridge, and tension filled the air once more.
Nobita was visibly nervous—at this rate, the mast would collide with the bridge.
Doraemon quickly flew into the air and used the Shrink Light to shrink the ship just enough for it to pass safely underneath. Once they were clear, he used the Enlarging Light to return it to its original size.
Only then did Nobita let out a sigh of relief—disaster averted.
Soon, they reached the coastal waters. Nobita and Dekisugi looked around—there were ships everywhere, people eating, drinking, and playing. The adventurous mood disappeared instantly.
"Sigh... Doraemon, do you have any gadget that can make this feel more like a real adventure? This just feels like a vacation," Nobita complained.
Everyone agreed. It felt more like a pleasure cruise than a treasure hunt.
Doraemon thought for a moment, then clapped his hands. "Got it!"
He rummaged through his pocket and finally pulled out a hat. "Captain's Hat! Just wear this, and it'll feel like a real adventure!"
As soon as the blue robot donned the hat, the scenery around them changed—pleasure boats transformed into pirate ships, and everyone's outfits changed into pirate attire.
Doraemon now wore a fiery red captain's coat, while the others were dressed as sailors.
Daichi couldn't help but marvel, "What a magical gadget." Dekisugi nodded in agreement—future gadgets were truly astonishing.
"Wearing this hat changes nearby ships into pirate ships and transforms the scenery into something like the Caribbean Sea. Take it off, and everything reverts," Doraemon explained.
He demonstrated—removing the hat returned the sea to its normal coastal view; putting it back on returned them to the Caribbean fantasy.
"Now for this: Outfit Fixing Spray!" he said, spraying everyone so their new outfits would stay in place.
"The one wearing the captain's hat is the captain, and the captain's orders must be obeyed—no exceptions!"
He suddenly turned toward Nobita. Nobita snapped to attention and saluted, "Yes, Captain!"
He blinked, realizing only afterward—why did I just say that?
Doraemon explained, "When you wear the Captain's Hat and look someone in the eyes while giving an order, they're compelled to obey. That's the captain's authority."
Dekisugi raised a concern. "So… what if the captain orders us to jump overboard or do something dangerous?"
"Don't worry!" Doraemon waved his hand. "The hat can't issue commands that would endanger someone's life. No suicide orders—it's perfectly safe."
They sailed further. The nearby ships gradually thinned out.
Nobita and Shizuka were happily chatting, while Dekisugi and Daichi stood together admiring the view.
Suddenly, Dekisugi pointed into the distance. "Daichi, look over there—what is that?"
Following his gaze, they saw two kids in strange clothes—one fat, one thin—paddling a tiny boat with all their might.
"That height, that build… don't tell me that's Gian and Suneo, those two troublemakers? And they dared to set out in such a tiny boat? I don't know whether to scold them or admire their guts," Daichi muttered.
Dekisugi agreed. "Yeah, one bit of rough sea and that boat would flip. We should let them come aboard."
Daichi thought for a moment. It wasn't a bad idea—after all, in the original storyline, they definitely boarded the ship. As for how… oh, right! Nobita had tried to ditch them, and the mast snapped.
Well, better to be proactive this time. Clean up your own mess, right?
Nobita finally spotted Gian and Suneo and started mocking them—then ordered the Nobita Mystery to sail full speed ahead.
But this time, there was no broken mast.
Daichi called out, "Doraemon, stop the ship. Gian and Suneo need to get aboard. It's too dangerous for them to be out here."
Doraemon agreed and brought the ship to a halt. Daichi threw down a rope and helped the two aboard.
As soon as they stepped on deck, their tattered pirate rags transformed into flashy, wild pirate costumes—levels above what they had before.
Clearly, crew members had access to better outfits than outsiders.
Gian and Suneo were only mildly surprised. After all, they'd seen plenty of Doraemon's bizarre gadgets before.
Their first order of business? Getting revenge on Nobita, who had nearly ditched them.
Nobita looked to Daichi for help, but he was just leaning on the railing, whistling, showing no signs of stepping in.
Nobita had no choice but to run to Doraemon, snatch the Captain's Hat, and put it on himself.
Facing Suneo, he said, "Captain's orders must be obeyed!"
Suneo resisted for a few seconds, but in the end stood straight and saluted. "Yes, Captain!"
Just as Nobita was feeling smug, a pair of hands snatched the hat from behind—and plopped it onto his own head.
Nobita turned to see Gian grinning. He mimicked Nobita's tone and pointed at him. "Captain's orders must be obeyed!"
Nobita had no choice but to salute. "Yes, Captain!"
Gian was amazed by how effective the hat was—and immediately decided to keep it for himself.
"This ship is now under my command!" he declared, arms crossed like a true sea general.
Doraemon tried to take the hat back, but Gian used the captain's authority to stop him.
It was clear—he wasn't planning to give it up.
Daichi sighed. Time to step in. These kids were so much trouble.
He calmly walked toward Gian.
Seeing him approach, Gian panicked. This guy's strength was on a whole other level. If he got close, the hat was as good as gone.
So Gian quickly ordered him to stop.
Daichi felt a strange force strike his sea of consciousness, compelling him to halt.
He scoffed inwardly. A soul-based attack, huh? I could do that to normal people too. But it doesn't work on me.
He kept walking, unfazed.
Gian had no idea why it wasn't working, but by then Daichi was already standing before him.
Knowing better than to push his luck, Gian handed the hat back to Doraemon without a fuss.
Daichi returned to his spot by the railing.
Nobita whispered to Doraemon, "Hey… isn't this like, the third time your gadgets didn't work on Daichi? The armband, the raccoon costume… and now this hat!"
Doraemon scratched his head. "Strange… the only reasons future gadgets wouldn't work are if someone also has future tech, or if their willpower is abnormally strong. Probably the latter."
Seeing the group fall quiet, Daichi spoke up. "Since you two are now aboard, mind telling us where you were headed?"
"Hmph! To Treasure Island, of course!" Gian said proudly.
Suneo chimed in. "Yeah! That newly appeared island in the Pacific! Who knows—maybe it has pirate treasure!"
Doraemon was surprised. "You're going there too? Perfect! That's where we're headed!"
"Wait, why are you going there?" Suneo asked.
"Because of this!" Doraemon pulled out the treasure map from earlier. A big treasure chest symbol marked the island's location.
"This thing is never wrong. There's definitely undiscovered treasure there!"
Gian, Suneo, and Shizuka were stunned. Shizuka had thought this treasure hunt was just for fun. She never imagined it was real.
Gian and Suneo had just been gambling on a chance—but it turned out there really was treasure.
"In that case," Dekisugi said, "since we're all headed to the same place, we might as well go together."
"Exactly!" Nobita pumped his fist, giving a rousing pirate-style speech. "As long as we work together, the treasure will be ours!"
He ran to the prow of the ship and pointed forward. "Let's go! The unknown treasure awaits us just beyond the horizon!"
Shizuka's eyes sparkled. "I wonder if there'll be piles of gold and jewels!"
"We'll be rich for sure!" Gian and Suneo cheered.
Dekisugi mused aloud, "I wonder if there'll be books made of gold…"
Daichi: …Is that all that's in your brain?
Doraemon stepped up to the platform. "Everyone ready?"
They all gathered around. "All crew members ready and awaiting your command!"
"Alright! Heading southeast with the wind at our backs! Destination: Treasure Island—set sail!"
"Yes, sir!" Even Daichi couldn't help but shout with excitement.
(End of Chapter)