I noticed when you get “Pirate King in Waiting 1/3” in Skyreach Steppe, then head over to Mokoko Village to get “Pirate King in Waiting 2/3,” you can interact with the water barrel, BUT the curiosity doesn’t get updated. it remains at “Pirate King in Waiting 1/3” and the remaining time doesn’t get updated either.
If you still decide to go to “Pirate King in Waiting 3/3” spot within the time limit, interaction with 3/3 is not possible, so it’s not just a visual bug–You can NOT complete this story.
Tried it 3 times, thinking maybe it’s a server issue, but still doesn’t work.