Early the next morning, Daichi woke up before anyone else. The horizon remained shrouded in fog, but a vague outline of an island had emerged.
That shadowy form in the distance was none other than their destination—Treasure Island.
Since everyone had slept in the same cabin with rather small beds, Dekisugi woke when Daichi stirred, and he in turn roused the rest of the group.
Before long, they had all gathered on deck to see the island for themselves.
"That's the island from the news!" Doraemon exclaimed in awe. "We're about to become rich!"
Gian and Suneo raced to the bow, yelling, "Here we come, gold and silver! Dock the ship already!"
Fired up by the excitement, Doraemon ran to the helm and began steering them closer.
But suddenly, a Mini-Dora zipped over with a bamboo copter, tugging on Doraemon's whiskers to get his attention.
Shizuka pointed toward several barely visible dots on the water. "Hey, what's that?"
Everyone turned to look. Dekisugi noted the dorsal fins and asked, "Are those sharks?"
Daichi, familiar with the story, shook his head. "Sharks don't usually travel in packs. They're probably something else—like submarines."
Waves surged as a group of bone-shaped submarines emerged, each piloted by someone in a black diving suit. They advanced toward the ship like a dark tide.
Daichi and Dekisugi both frowned—Dekisugi sensed trouble, while Daichi already knew what was coming.
These people hailed from another time, possessed serious combat skills, and even had ways to counter future tech.
As the submarines neared, panic began to spread among the group. "Are those pirates?" Suneo asked nervously.
"No way," Doraemon said confidently. "They must be illusions created by the captain's hat. No need to panic."
Daichi said nothing. That hat would soon serve an important purpose. Best to let things play out.
Once the attackers reached the ship, they fired grappling hooks and scaled aboard. Clad in dark wetsuits and eerie masks, each of them stood over 180 cm tall—an intimidating sight to a bunch of kids.
Daichi remained unfazed. With Might Strength active, he could easily handle them all with his bare hands.
But the others weren't so calm. They began retreating to the corners of the deck.
Still relaxed, Doraemon walked up to them. "Like I said, they're just illusions. Watch—I'll take off the hat and they'll vanish."
He removed the captain's hat.
But the red-and-green-haired woman before him didn't disappear. Instead, she ran a small blade across Doraemon's cheek.
"So," she said lazily, "what exactly are a bunch of kids and a talking raccoon doing out here, dressed up like this?"
A man with braided facial hair and a black hat stepped forward. "Who cares? They'll all be feeding the fish soon enough."
He spun a pistol in his hand for emphasis.
Only then did Doraemon realize the danger and bolted back to his group, dropping the captain's hat onto a lifeboat in the process.
Daichi sighed in relief. Good, the plot point is still in place.
Nobita began blaming Doraemon for not reacting faster. Dekisugi, more levelheaded, reminded them to work together if they wanted to get through this.
Gian, bolder than the rest, shouted, "Who are you people?!"
The braided man smirked. "Who are we? We're the most feared—"
SMACK!
The woman cut him off with a slap. "Idiot! The captain told us not to mention we're pirates in front of outsiders!"
"Sorry, sorry…" the man muttered.
Suneo tried again. "So, what do you want from us?"
The woman chuckled as she stepped forward. "Nothing much. Just thought you might like to meet the hungry sharks down below."
Her crew removed their masks and drew blades. They closed in, clearly ready to chop the kids to pieces.
Doraemon frantically searched his pocket, pulled out a cartoon-style bomb, and tossed it to the woman. "Here, a little gift for you!"
She instinctively caught it. "Thanks—wait, what is—"
Realizing it was a bomb, she immediately shoved it into the hands of the still-stunned man beside her. "Here, take it!"
He blinked. "Thanks… You're so kind…"
BOOM!
The bomb exploded in a puff of thick smoke, engulfing the deck.
Daichi facepalmed. Seriously? Clown-level pirates?
Unfortunately, Doraemon's gadgets didn't include real explosives. Otherwise, this would've wiped out half the enemy crew.
With the smoke as cover, Doraemon began handing out gadgets. Mini-Doras sprang into action, deploying tripwire devices and tossing their tiny allowances to create confusion.
As the pirates stumbled in the fog, the woman growled, "Snap out of it! Take them out!"
A few tried to rise but immediately tripped over the gadgets. The Mini-Doras had set a trap web.
Doraemon realized Daichi and Nobita hadn't received any gadgets. Weighing everyone's abilities, he prioritized Nobita's safety.
Just as he reached the stern, he saw a pirate chasing Nobita with a sword. Doraemon tossed him the Thunder Blade.
Nobita caught it and clashed with the enemy. Sparks flew—Nobita managed to get the blade to the pirate's throat.
Gian had received Power Gloves and smashed a barrel over two attackers like a bowling ball. Suneo used the Invisibility Cloak and a handful of prank gadgets to mess with enemies.
Shizuka got the Dodge Cloak and dodged attackers like a bullfighter. Dekisugi, with a Karate Black Belt, threw off enemies with a single touch.
Meanwhile, Daichi was surrounded. He activated Wind Step and blurred around them, untying their belts as he moved. Seconds later, the enemies were left in their underwear, scrambling to cover up.
He didn't use deadly force. In the source material, these pirates weren't completely evil. As long as they didn't threaten his life, he'd spare them.
Of course, if they did threaten him, that would be a different story.
The pirates were temporarily beaten back, their morale shaken.
The red-haired woman yelled, "Why are you just standing there?! Finish them off!"
Doraemon spotted her and aimed an Air Cannon.
But she was no pushover—she cut the blast clean in half with her blade. The explosion went off behind her, wind whipping her hair.
"She… cut through air?" Doraemon took a stunned step back.
Nobita's Thunder Blade started flashing red—it was running low on battery.
Gian threw a sandbag at the bearded pirate, but the man reacted with lightning speed, shooting it mid-air and reducing it to dust.
Then, his arms stretched unnaturally, twin pistols aimed at Gian and Suneo.
Dekisugi was pinned with a blade to his neck, unable to help. Daichi was also surrounded.
No more waiting. Daichi knew they'd all be fine in the original timeline, but he wasn't going to gamble with real lives—not his or Dekisugi's.
A flash of green appeared in his hand—his Wood Spirit Staff materialized. With Might Strength activated, he spun the staff and sent his attackers flying into the walls.
The enemy woman noticed and looked his way. Daichi's gaze locked onto a pirate about to strike Dekisugi. He cast Soul Disruption, throwing the man's control into chaos—he began dancing mid-attack.
"Damn you, brat!" the braided man yelled. "Don't move, or I'll blow these two away!"
He aimed his pistols at Gian and Suneo. Daichi froze. It was a stalemate.
Gian held it together, but Suneo started screaming for help. Dekisugi stared blankly at the dancing pirate, completely bewildered.
Inside the island, the real captain activated a mechanism—Treasure Island began to sink.
The ground shook. Everyone looked toward the disturbance, but Daichi kept his sensory spell active, wary of ambush.
As the island submerged, waves rocked the ship. Suneo, clinging to a rope, lost his grip and fell.
Daichi dashed over and caught him mid-air.
Seeing an opening, the braided man lunged. Daichi sensed him but couldn't dodge—letting go would endanger Suneo.
He chanted a spell mid-run.
He managed to catch Suneo safely—but the pirate slammed into him at full force. Though Daichi was stronger, he was smaller and lighter. The blow knocked him back, and he lost hold of his staff.
Flying through the air, he saw the man raise his gun and aim.
"Die!" the pirate shouted, pulling the trigger.
(End of Chapter)