25. Set Sail—I’m Going to Be the Pirate King!

"Oh? What a coincidence."

Tai raised an eyebrow. The destination the other party mentioned was the very place he had already planned to head to next: Server Continent.

"You want to go to Server Continent as well? That is a tremendous help." Seeing the expression on Tai's face, Gennai, having caught on, remarked.

"Speak," Tai said, upholding his helpful spirit—the kind where, if you see an old man fall on the street, you help him up, provided you have evidence you weren't the one who pushed him.

"I wish for you to go to Server Continent and defeat the dark power that has entrenched itself there, a force even more formidable than Devimon."

Gennai knew this request was somewhat presumptuous, especially since Tai had only recently defeated Raremon. Although the boy appeared relaxed, he must have endured a harrowing, life-or-death struggle against such an enemy.

"I know you might not agree, but please, hear me out..."

"Fine. I'll head over right away."

Gennai frowned. "Hmm?"

"Aren't you going to ask me how I intend to return to the human world?"

Tai tilted his head. "Why would I go to a place like that?"

HolyAngemon had already explained that the Digital World he was currently in was merely a parallel space, similar yet different from the one he originated from. It lacked the friends he knew, and even the parents of the "Taichi Yagami" of this world were nothing more than strangers to him, lacking any biological connection. As for why two different sets of parents could produce children who looked exactly identical... perhaps the individual "Taichi Yagami" was simply unique.

Gennai, however, could not possibly know Tai's thoughts. He was left wondering, "Are children at the end of the 20th century all this indifferent to their own homes?"

"Well then, don't you want to ask me how to defeat an enemy stronger than Devimon?"

"I've already fought one," Tai said, looking at Gennai with a strange expression. What an incomprehensible old man. He was the one asking for a favor, and even after Tai agreed, he kept rattling on with questions.

Gennai shook his head. "No, no, no. What I mean is, I have a way to help your Digimon evolve to a higher stage."

"Oh?" Tai perked up. Through the scanning of the Digisoul by his Digivice, he already had some inkling of how to evolve Zeromaru to the Adult level. But to evolve beyond that? That would be the Ultimate level!

Could this unremarkable old man actually have a way to help Zeromaru reach the Ultimate level?

Seeing that Tai was finally willing to listen, Gennai breathed a sigh of relief. The projection changed to display a pendant and an orange tag embossed with a sun-like pattern.

"You only need to obtain a Digivice Tag, and by inserting the Crest into it, your Digimon will be able to achieve further evolution."

"Can these trinkets, which look like anime merchandise, really make Zeromaru evolve?"

Tai stared at the Crest, feeling a sense of curiosity.

Gennai continued, "The Crests are scattered across the various corners of Server Continent. As for the Tags, they have been hidden away by Devimon; you will need to find them yourself."

As he spoke, the projection began to blur. Gennai shouted in alarm, "Oh no! The dark power is interfering with the communication again!"

"Good luck, young man. I am on Server Continent... waiting... for... you..."

As the projection vanished, Zeromaru, who had been silent until now, finally spoke: "Tai, I don't like that old man."

Tai shook his head. "Neither do I."

There was no specific reason for this dislike. If he had to put a name to it, it was that both Tai and Zeromaru instinctively felt that Gennai was hiding something from them.

"Forget it. Regardless, I can't just ignore the future of the Digital World."

He had said the same thing during his conversation with HolyAngemon. Tai did not fight because he was dragged into the Digital World and had no choice; he truly enjoyed the thrill of battle and wished to use his strength to help the weaker Digimon. These were his own choices.

No one could force Tai to do what he did not want to do; he was free.

He loved the feeling of overcoming powerful enemies alongside Zero, and if the opponent was a villain like Devimon—someone who lacked morality and insulted the sanctity of life—he enjoyed the satisfaction of striking them down even more.

Leomon walked over. "That said, reaching Server Continent will not be an easy task."

Leomon began to explain. Server Continent was a massive landmass located northwest of File Island; compared to it, the area of File Island was less than one-thousandth of its size.

Hearing this, Tai thought about how much time he had spent traveling all over File Island, and now realizing that the Crests needed for evolution were scattered across the vast reaches of Server Continent, his resolve hardened.

His fists clenched.

Server Continent was not just big; it was complicated. To get there from File Island would take at least half a month by sea. Tai had no compass, and on an ocean without landmarks or any way to navigate, it was easy to drift off course.

However, going to Server Continent was a decision already set in stone. Even with such difficulties, Tai believed there would always be a way to solve them.

The first hurdle was to build a ship capable of crossing the sea. Tai first headed down the mountain to the edge of File Island.

"Before we build the boat, we have to build two wooden barrels."

Leomon nodded in agreement. "Indeed. During a long voyage, preserving food and water is of the utmost importance."

Tai waved his hand. "Ah, no, I mean if the boat capsizes later, at least Zero and I will have barrels to crawl into."

Zeromaru agreed, "That is certainly very important."

And so, under the sweat-inducing gaze of Leomon, Tai and Zeromaru began the task of chopping down trees to build their ship.

Collecting the timber took only 30 seconds—a single V-Wing Arrow from Zeromaru did the job. Next, they needed to sharpen the ends of the logs. Leomon drew his Lion King Blade from his back. Having been restored along with his data after Raremon had shattered it, the weapon was as good as new.

With Leomon's expert swordsmanship, a raft three meters long and two meters wide was quickly completed. Naturally, they didn't forget the two barrels.

Standing on the raft, now afloat, Tai looked back at Leomon. "Are you really not coming with us, Leomon?"

Leomon shook his head. "Although Raremon has been eliminated, the risk of File Island being invaded by dark forces remains."

"Tai, your mission is to save the entire Digital World, while my mission is to protect this File Island that you have saved."

As he spoke, Leomon smiled. "If you ever get tired, come back to the island to rest. Not just me, but everyone on the island will welcome you and Zeromaru."

"It's not just Leomon; we are all waiting for you here."

Without them noticing, the shore had become filled with the Digimon Tai had come to know.

A wave of warmth filled the hearts of Tai and Zeromaru. They looked at each other and smiled.

And so, under the gaze of Leomon and the Digimon who had gathered on the shore, Tai and Zeromaru officially set sail.

As the raft drifted slowly away on the wind, Tai waved his hand. "Goodbye, everyone! Goodbye, File Island! I'll come back to see you all when I'm done with my business!"

The Digimon on the shore tilted their heads in unison.

Why did that sound so familiar?