The moment the enemy charged toward Daichi, he had already anticipated this outcome, which was why he never let go of his staff.
Even as the pirate lunged forward, Daichi was already chanting, gathering magic for a Tier 2 Protection Spell.
The gun fired, just as Daichi's magic formed a faint golden shield around him.
Unfortunately, the bullet's pinpoint impact was too strong, and the protection spell—primarily designed against magical attacks—wasn't as effective against physical damage.
The bullet pierced through the barrier and struck Daichi in the chest.
A burst of blood splashed from his torso as he tumbled into the sea.
Everyone was stunned by the sight—except for Dekisugi, who, without hesitation, dove in to save Daichi from sinking.
The pirates wanted to finish them off, but the female leader barked, "The captain's already activated the submersion mode. Forget those kids, get back on board!" She quickly organized the retreat.
Everyone climbed back onto the submarine—everyone except her.
Just as she was about to leave, her eyes landed on Shizuka, who was adjusting her hair. Grabbing her wrist, she shouted, "Selah?! What are you doing here? Come on, let's go!" and tried to drag her onto the submarine.
Realizing escape was impossible, Shizuka cried out, "Nobita, help me!"
Nobita heard her and gave Doraemon a look. Doraemon immediately pulled out bamboo copters for both of them, and they took off in pursuit.
Back on the ship, only Gian and Suneo remained, unsure what to do. Their once seven-member crew had dwindled to just two, and they could only watch Nobita and Doraemon fly away.
Underwater, blood gushed from Daichi's chest. He could feel his life force draining rapidly—a sensation made even more unbearable by the life sigil etched into his spirit, making him hypersensitive to injuries.
He couldn't chant spells underwater, and his staff had been knocked from his grasp. All he could do was swim upward with great effort, but he moved painfully slow—it would take a minute or two to reach the surface.
Suddenly, someone dove into the sea and began swimming toward him.
Using his sensory magic, Daichi recognized it was Dekisugi and reached out his hand.
A moment later, he felt a strong grip pull him upward, and soon, Daichi broke through the surface.
The first thing he did was spit out all the seawater in his lungs. Seeing he was still conscious, Dekisugi urged, "Stay with me! Don't fall asleep—you might never wake up again!"
Daichi groaned, "You're really hoping I'll die, huh?"
Dekisugi gave an awkward chuckle. "I'm just worried about you, that's all."
Taking a deep breath, Daichi began chanting. He floated up to expose the wound on his chest, making sure no seawater got into the healing process.
A soft green light enveloped the wound, and within seconds, the injury had completely healed.
Dekisugi was amazed. "Your magic is that powerful? You healed such a serious wound in seconds?"
Daichi shook his head. "Not really. If that bullet had gone through my chest, I'd need at least three healing spells—and I'd have to survive long enough to cast them. The protection spell absorbed most of the force, so it only left a surface wound."
Dekisugi finally relaxed.
Meanwhile, Nobita and Doraemon were chasing the submarine. The female pirate leader, annoyed by the pursuit, muttered, "Persistent pests…"
The bearded man responded, "Leave it to me." He drew his pistol and fired a few rounds randomly.
Dodging the bullets, Doraemon and Nobita's flight paths were disrupted, slowing them down. The enemies took the chance to submerge, diving deep into the ocean.
Nobita, unwilling to give up, grabbed the tail of the submarine and tried to hold on.
But human strength was no match for machinery. He eventually had to let go due to lack of oxygen.
Doraemon dove in to search for Nobita, but instead of finding him, he spotted a blond boy in green and blue floating unconscious on a lifebuoy.
He rescued the boy, and later found Nobita, waterlogged and barely conscious. Carrying both, he flew back to the ship—an exhausting trip for one cat-robot.
Back on the surface, Daichi had mostly recovered. Dekisugi was about to call for help, but Daichi stopped him. "Wait, I've got one more thing to do."
Using his mental connection, he summoned his staff, which soared up from the sea and into his hand. He absorbed it back into his palm. "Okay. Now I'm good."
Dekisugi then called for help, and Gian and Suneo lowered ropes to pull them back aboard.
"Daichi, are you okay?" Suneo asked. After all, Daichi had been hurt while saving him, and he felt guilty.
"I'm fine now. But that guy—if I see him again, I'm going to kill him."
Daichi punched the ship wall, shattering a plank into splinters.
The others felt his bloodlust and shivered involuntarily.
Just then, Doraemon's voice rang out from above: "Gian! Suneo! Help me!"
Hovering overhead, Doraemon carried both kids in each arm. His strength was impressive. Everyone rushed to help.
As they landed, Gian and Suneo looked disappointed. "Where's Shizuka?" They were puzzled to see only a mysterious boy instead.
"I'll give Nobita first aid. You guys deal with the other kid," Doraemon instructed.
Just then, Daichi sensed something. The boy was waking up.
Daichi was in no mood for mercy. He regretted letting the pirates go earlier—he should've wiped them all out.
Especially the guy who shot him—that one was already dead in Daichi's heart.
Sensing the boy's soul fluctuating, Daichi said coldly, "If you're gonna do something, do it fast. He's awake."
Everyone turned to look. Realizing he'd been discovered, the blond boy gave up pretending and made a run for it.
But Gian moved fast and grabbed him.
The boy thrashed wildly. Despite his size, he was surprisingly strong, and Gian had trouble restraining him.
Daichi walked over. "Step aside, Gian. I'll handle this."
Gian flinched, whispering, "Better behave. He's not in a good mood. Surrender, and you'll suffer less."
But the boy didn't know who Daichi was and kept struggling. Gian let go, knowing better than to get in Daichi's way.
Daichi snatched the boy and twisted his right arm behind his back.
"Let go, you bastard!" the boy screamed in pain.
When he tried to break free, Daichi didn't hold back. He slammed the boy's head to the deck with a loud crack.
Dekisugi rushed over. "You can't do that! He didn't even do anything!"
Daichi said flatly, "Relax. I held back. He'll just be sore—nothing serious."
Not wanting to argue, Dekisugi helped the boy up. Blood gushed from his nose, and tears streamed down his face. Dekisugi quickly brought him to Doraemon for treatment.
Doraemon had to pause his work on Nobita and patch up the boy.
This time, the kid stayed quiet—no crying, no running.
After treatment, Doraemon said, "No fractures. Just a nosebleed from the impact. He'll be fine after some rest." Then he went back to treating Nobita.
Daichi stared at the kid, silent and expressionless.
The boy didn't dare move. He stood there sniffling, wiping tears with one hand, the other dangling limp.
Gian had thought of tying him up but changed his mind. The kid looked pitiful—and Daichi had already given him a brutal warning.
Dekisugi looked at Daichi with concern. "I know you're angry, but he's innocent. Was that really necessary?"
Daichi replied, "He was still resisting after I grabbed him. That was the easiest way to stop him."
Dekisugi sighed and said no more.
Soon after, Doraemon managed to pump the water out of Nobita, who finally came to.
The first thing he did was shout, "Where's Shizuka?!"
Then he heard crying. Turning his head, he saw the blond boy, now bandaged and sniffling.
"Who's that? Why is he on our ship?"
Doraemon gave a brief explanation of how the boy had ended up here.
"I see… So why is he still crying?"
Dekisugi scratched his head, embarrassed. "Well… we suspected he was one of the pirates. He tried to run, and Gian couldn't restrain him, so Daichi… well, slammed his face into the deck. His nose got hurt."
Cold sweat dripped down Nobita's face. Yup. Daichi's back to full power…
But then, an idea struck him. Wait! If this kid is one of the pirates, he must know where they went. Which means—he's our only lead to find Shizuka!
(End of Chapter)