As soon as Nobita had the idea, he turned to grab the blond boy's limp right hand—only for the boy to cry out in pain.
Dekisugi quickly pulled Nobita away and checked the boy's arm. Doraemon hurried over with the first aid kit.
His arm was dislocated—likely from when Daichi had twisted it too forcefully earlier.
Even Daichi felt a pang of guilt. After all, the grudge was between him and the pirates; he shouldn't have taken it out on the boy.
He'd let the rage from nearly being killed overwhelm him, and the boy had borne the brunt of it.
Thankfully, Doraemon was a professional parenting robot and highly skilled in treating injuries. Before long, the boy's arm was bandaged properly.
"Uh, hi there. I'm Nobita. What's your name?" Nobita asked.
The boy didn't want to respond, but when he saw Nobita's sincere gaze, he finally said, "My name's Flok."
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Nobita pressed on. "Then, Flok, can you tell me where those pirates took Shizuka?"
Flok thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know."
Daichi quietly used his sensory magic and confirmed: the boy's spirit didn't waver—he was telling the truth.
"Darn it, what even is that island?" Nobita scratched his head in frustration.
Just then, a round ball popped out of Flok's pocket and started flying around. It bonked Gian and Suneo right in the face, knocking them flat.
They sat up groaning, red-faced.
The ball then zipped toward Daichi—who caught it mid-air and squeezed it tightly. This was clearly that cheeky, riddle-speaking mechanical parrot.
The ball transformed in Daichi's hand, sprouting wings, a head, and legs—turning into an actual parrot.
"Daichi is bad! Bad, bad!" it squawked the moment it finished forming.
Veins popped on Daichi's forehead. This little punk… Without a word, he casually smashed another plank of the ship.
The deck went silent.
Flok finally realized that Gian's warning earlier hadn't been a joke. Meanwhile, Doraemon and Nobita now knew exactly how that other hole had been made.
Dekisugi quickly stepped in. "Daichi, you've smashed enough things today. Your emotions seem unstable. Come with me—let's go cool off a bit."
Daichi paused, nodded, and let go of the parrot. The two of them headed into the ship's lounge.
Dekisugi pulled out two books and handed one to Daichi. Reading together was something they often did, and it really helped Daichi settle down.
He'd been a little out of control that morning. Nearly dying would rattle anyone.
Dekisugi understood and didn't stop him from venting. But when Daichi crossed the line, someone had to rein him in—and Dekisugi was the only one on board who could.
With the storm gone, the oppressive atmosphere on deck finally lifted.
Flok introduced the parrot: "That guy's Quiz. It's a mechanical companion for kids. Loves using riddles to answer questions."
Quiz chimed in with a riddle: "A ship made for a thousand passengers sinks with only nine hundred and ninety-nine aboard. Why?"
Doraemon pondered, then answered confidently, "Because it's a submarine!"
"Bing-bong! Correct!" Quiz cheered, showering the group in confetti and tossing down a piece of paper with a red circle.
"Stupid raccoon robot got it right!" it squawked again, as infuriating as ever. Doraemon, furious, tackled it.
"So that island… is a giant submarine?" Nobita pieced it together, turning to Flok.
Flok finally snapped out of Daichi's shadow and stopped sniffling.
"Yeah. That so-called island is actually a massive submarine. They've already submerged and vanished."
Nobita wanted to ask more, but his stomach growled loudly.
Thinking about it, none of them had eaten since morning, and everyone else was clearly hungry too.
Doraemon noticed. "Let's pause the questioning. First, we fix the ship, then we head to the lounge for breakfast."
No one objected.
He used a repair beam to mend the two holes Daichi had smashed into the deck, and then they all went to the lounge.
Daichi and Dekisugi put their books away as everyone entered.
Doraemon took out his Gourmet Napkin and whipped up a lavish breakfast.
Daichi's stomach was growling too, so he joined the others in devouring the feast.
Even Flok was drawn in by the delicious smells and dug in. Soon, everyone was full and ready to get back to serious matters.
"Flok, who are those people, really?"
Flok stood, walked to the window, and said, "They're time-space pirates."
The group looked confused, but Doraemon's reaction was different—he knew exactly how dangerous time-space pirates could be.
Flok continued, "They pilot a shapeshifting pirate ship that travels between the past, present, and future. Their goal is to plunder all the treasure buried beneath the oceans. Their greed… knows no end!"
He slammed the windowsill with his fist. "I used to work as a mechanic on that ship. But I ran away."
"Why?" Nobita asked, curious.
Flok hesitated, then slammed the windowsill again. "Because I was sick of it! I didn't want to help him anymore!"
His hand was bleeding from the impact, but no one noticed—except Daichi, who sensed it with his magic.
"Who is 'him'?" Nobita asked.
Flok gritted his teeth. "The pirate captain. John Harbor!"
Immediately, Dekisugi raised a question. "Wait, that doesn't make sense. You're just a ten-year-old. Why would a pirate captain hire a kid as a mechanic? That sounds like a lie."
But Daichi shook his head. "You're wrong, Dekisugi. I can confirm—he's not lying."
"Oh?" Dekisugi trusted Daichi's judgment and began to think deeper.
"If he's telling the truth, then the most likely explanation is…"
Daichi sipped his coffee, then continued, "...that they're related. Like, father and son."
He put his cup down, picked up a roll of bandages, and walked toward Flok.
Everyone tensed—aware of Daichi's grudge against the pirates and fearing he might hurt the boy.
Dekisugi stopped them. "Don't worry. He's not angry anymore. I don't sense any hostility from him."
Still, Daichi's emotionless face didn't exactly inspire confidence.
Flok instinctively backed away, but there was nowhere to run.
Daichi stopped in front of him. "You're the captain's son, right?" Flok nodded.
"Looks like you had a falling-out and ran away from home in a fit of anger." Flok remained silent, then nodded again.
Daichi took his left hand. "First of all—your body is your own. If you don't care for it, why would anyone else?"
He gently opened Flok's hand, revealing the cut on his knuckles. Daichi started bandaging the wound.
"Second, running away solves nothing. All it does is make the people who care about you worry. At best, your dad might panic and give in. At worst, you could die drifting at sea."
Everyone was surprised by Daichi's words—but seeing how Flok was listening, they let it play out.
After finishing the bandage, Daichi cast a minor healing spell to speed up recovery.
"Whatever your dad did to upset you, the most important thing is to talk to him. So many families fall apart because of misunderstanding and silence."
"I think what you should do now is go back and have a proper conversation with him. Tell him how you feel. Don't you agree?"
Flok stared at his newly bandaged hand, thought for a moment, and finally made up his mind. "Alright. Let's go find him!"
(End of Chapter)