Chapter 223: Kuraigana Island: Landing

Enel was still fuming over the bounty issue, staying upset for days.

The person who suffered most from this, however, was Kaku. Not only had he become Enel's punching bag, but he also had to spend time placating and soothing Enel's bad mood. Already busy enough with his usual tasks, he now felt like he was on the verge of burnout.

"Captain," Kaku finally couldn't hold back any longer after being zapped by another of Enel's lightning strikes. He grumbled to Takumi, "At this rate, I'm going to drop dead... Can't we recruit one more person onto the ship?"

"No," Takumi flatly refused.

Kaku's face fell.

Enel fired off another bolt of lightning in his direction. "Hmph! Do you think just anyone can come aboard this ship? Stop dreaming, just accept your fate."

Kaku leaped onto the ship's railing to avoid the blast, landing beside Takumi, who was casually fishing. "Captain… help…"

If even Kaku—who was known for his patience—was starting to crack, it meant Enel was really driving him mad.

"Hey, you think you can rat me out and get away with it?" Enel grinned and, with a flicker of lightning, appeared in front of Kaku. His hand crackled with electricity as he reached out. "Today, I'll teach you a lesson about who's the real boss here!"

"You're being completely unreasonable!" Kaku's face darkened as he dodged.

But Enel wasn't playing around this time. He appeared right where Kaku landed, grabbed his shoulder, and with a loud zap, Kaku let out a painful scream before collapsing, unconscious.

"Hahaha! With your weak skills, you'll never beat me in your life," Enel boasted, laughing loudly.

Takumi reeled in his fishing line and glanced at Kaku, now lying unconscious on the deck. His voice calm, he said, "From now on, you'll help share Kaku's workload."

The smile on Enel's face slowly froze.

"Huh?" Enel twitched, unable to believe what he just heard. "I'm a god! How can I do mundane tasks like a commoner?"

Takumi punched Enel squarely on the head. "If Kaku dies of exhaustion, you'll be the one doing all the work."

"I wouldn't let him die!" Enel protested, clearly frustrated. "Why would I let a jack-of-all-trades like him die? I'm careful when I zap him! Have I ever seriously hurt him?"

"Every time you hit him, it could be the last straw that breaks him. Think about that."

With that, Takumi turned and walked back toward the cabin.

Enel stood there, dumbfounded, rubbing his temples as he stared at Kaku, now unconscious on the ground. "Could this guy really be that fragile?" he muttered to himself.

When Kaku eventually woke up, he was surprised to find himself in his room.

Usually, when Enel knocked him out, he'd wake up wherever he fell.

What had changed?

As he sat up, trying to figure out what had happened, Enel suddenly appeared at the doorway, his expression blank. "From now on, as long as you don't annoy me, I won't hit you for no reason."

Kaku blinked, confused. "Huh?"

What was wrong with this guy? Did he suddenly grow a conscience? Or was he plotting something?

"Also," Enel added, annoyed, "If you ever get overwhelmed with work, just call me. If I'm in a good mood, I'll help you out."

Kaku stared. "..."

What in the world was going on with him?

Was he trying to get rid of Kaku? Maybe kick him off the ship?

No, that couldn't happen. Kaku hadn't finished his mission yet!

Kaku forced a dry laugh. "I can manage, as long as you don't cause trouble. There's not that much work on the ship anyway."

"You long-nosed fool!" Enel snapped. "I'm already making a huge concession here. If you keep pushing it, I'll knock you out again!"

Kaku chuckled. "When have you not knocked me out?"

Enel: "..."

"Anyway, I appreciate the gesture," Kaku smiled. "If there's nothing else, you can go back to whatever you were doing. Too much anger isn't good for you. You should take a lesson from Captain Takumi—keeping calm will do you some good."

"Ugh, you're so annoying," Enel grumbled. "I've already said my piece, and if Takumi asks later, it's on you for turning me down, not me for refusing to help."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Kaku looked puzzled.

Enel waved dismissively. "Exactly what it sounds like. Now, I'm going to take a nap."

With that, Enel turned and left, leaving Kaku standing there, bewildered.

After another week at sea, the ship finally approached a rather eerie island, shrouded in dense mist and filled with dark, sprawling forests.

"This is where we're headed?" Enel asked, his face scrunched up in disgust. "It looks just like that creepy ghost island we visited before. I bet this place is full of weird undead creatures too, right?"

"No," Takumi replied coolly.

Using his Observation Haki, Takumi could sense nothing but a bunch of baboons on the island—no sign of Mihawk or any other humans for that matter.

Enel, using his own Observation Haki, sensed the same thing and repeated his earlier question.

"This is Kuraigana Island, right?" Kaku asked, stroking his chin as he examined the island. When Takumi nodded, Kaku added with a grin, "It looks pretty spooky. Seems like a fun place."

Takumi: "..."

Enel: "?"

Kaku burst out laughing. "After drifting at sea since we left Amazon Lily, it's great to finally be able to set foot on land. I'm actually looking forward to it."

"You've got issues, long-nose," Enel muttered. "Your idea of fun is seriously messed up."

"Right back at you," Kaku shrugged.

As the ship approached Kuraigana Island, Takumi hopped off the deck and landed on the shore.

The moment his feet touched the ground, a notification rang in his mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully arriving at the sign-in location, Kuraigana Island. Sign-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 10%. Reward: Shunpo level +1. Current Shunpo level: Lv6.]

Takumi immediately felt his body become even lighter.

Though the reward wasn't swordsmanship, improving his Shunpo was still a nice bonus.

"You two are free to do as you like," Takumi said, glancing back at Kaku and Enel, who were still on the ship.

"Wait, I don't have to keep an eye on Enel?" Kaku asked, surprised.

"What did you just say, long-nose?" Enel snapped. "Want to say that again?"

Takumi shrugged. "No need. There's no one else on this island."

"Uh, where are you going?" Kaku asked, puzzled.

Takumi pointed straight ahead. "To the castle."

"The castle?" Kaku followed Takumi's gaze, but all he could see was a dense forest. No sign of any buildings.

Enel smirked and mocked, "Long-nose, your Observation Haki is garbage."

Kaku: "..."

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