Chapter 255: Enies Lobby: The Reason Takumi Got Stronger Is...

In truth, what Takumi valued most in Kaku was his stubbornness—once Kaku committed to something, he would stick with it to the end.

As for Kaku's intelligence, his ability to quickly learn new things, and the fact that he was hard-working and capable of handling nearly every task on the ship—these were all secondary.

The most important thing was that if Kaku died, Enel would definitely start nagging about getting more people on board, given that Enel was utterly incompetent when it came to most things.

Rather than dealing with Enel's whining, Takumi figured it would be easier to keep Kaku around.

And so, Takumi made his decision to recruit him.

The two of them quickly left Spandam's office. As they passed Fukurou, who was still unconscious in a pile of rubble, Kaku quietly asked, "Should I take care of him?"

Takumi glanced at Fukurou briefly and said indifferently, "Do what you think is best."

With that, he continued walking. He had no interest in fighting someone who had already lost and was unconscious.

Kaku stared silently at Fukurou, hesitating on whether to finish him off.

Though CP9 members had little emotional attachment to each other—most of them had blood on their hands—Fukurou had still been Kaku's comrade once.

As he wavered, Enel returned.

"Hmph, looks like Takumi spared your life," Enel said with a sly grin.

Kaku turned to him and said, "The old Kaku is dead. I've already sworn to never betray you again. From now on, I'm officially part of the crew. Please take care of me."

Enel sneered. "Don't think that a few words will make me forget you got me captured, long nose! Takumi might forgive you, but I won't. I trusted you before, which is why I didn't keep using my Observation Haki on you. But now, if I even suspect you of anything, I'll kill you on the spot!"

"Alright, alright," Kaku said with a wry smile. "As compensation, I saw a new recipe for a fruit pie recently. When we get back to the ship, I'll make it for you."

There was a moment of silence before Enel barked, "Hey! I'm not a kid! You can't bribe me with food!"

Kaku shrugged. "If you don't want it, that's fine."

"Damn it, are you asking for a beating?" Enel growled.

Kaku simply smiled and asked, "So, do you want it or not?"

Enel: "..."

Enel: "I want it…"

"Hahaha… cough, cough…" Kaku began to laugh but quickly started coughing, his injuries flaring up again.

"Did Takumi not heal you?" Enel asked, confused.

Kaku shook his head and replied, "This is my punishment. It's fine."

"Tch, I was planning on beating you up myself, but if you're this messed up, one punch might kill you," Enel muttered before noticing Fukurou. "Tch, a loose end."

Without hesitation, Enel unleashed a lightning strike, killing Fukurou on the spot.

Seeing this, Kaku couldn't help but comment, "Your abilities are quite convenient."

Enel smirked coldly. "You're pretty heartless, aren't you? Didn't you feel anything about killing your former comrade?"

Kaku shrugged. "What is there to feel? The CP9 members are the few who survived countless death battles to make it into the team. I only became an official member of CP9 less than a year ago, and before that, I spent most of my time in secret training, fighting for my life. I barely spoke to the other members. I've probably said more to you than I did to the rest of CP9 in a year."

"And?" Enel yawned, digging a finger into his ear. "I don't care about your past. Let's go."

With that, Enel followed the path where Takumi had gone, tracking his aura.

Kaku didn't linger any longer either and followed quickly, saying as he walked, "Captain Takumi is a really good man, isn't he?"

"Hmph, you're only realizing that now?" Enel said proudly. "He's one of those people who acts indifferent but actually cares a lot. He's the kind of guy who does more than he says. I figured him out long ago."

"You'd better watch out—talking like that might get you punched," Kaku laughed before adding, "By the way, there's a supply warehouse on Enies Lobby. Since we're here, why not ask the captain if we can take some supplies? It'd save us a lot of money."

"Heh, taking some supplies isn't stealing—it's an offering!" Enel laughed smugly.

Kaku chuckled. "Sure, you're a god, so whatever you say goes…"

"Hey, Takumi! Did you hear what Long Nose said?" Enel shouted, looking far ahead where Takumi had gone.

Takumi's calm voice echoed in their minds: *Sure, you two go ahead.*

"Alright," Enel said, turning to Kaku. "You lead the way."

Kaku nodded, but after a few steps, something dawned on him. "Wait a second… Did the captain just speak?"

Enel looked at him in confusion. "Obviously, you heard it too, didn't you?"

"No, something's off," Kaku said, thinking carefully. "He's still some distance away from us, but his voice sounded normal, not like he was shouting. With your Observation Haki, you could hear him even if he whispered, but my Haki isn't as strong. How could I hear him so clearly?"

Kaku's words made Enel realize something. "Now that you mention it, it did seem like his voice went directly into my head…"

"Exactly," Kaku agreed, starting to feel a little spooked. "How much more power does the captain have that we don't even know about? I used to think that he could at least escape from an admiral if he had to. But now… I'm starting to think he might be even stronger than an admiral."

Puzzled, Kaku asked, "But I've never seen him train. Every day, all he does is eat, sleep, fish, and drink. If he can, he'll lie down instead of sitting, and if he can sit, he won't stand. So how does he keep getting stronger?"

"You just don't get it," Enel said with a smug grin. "Takumi is the one chosen by the heavens, acknowledged by the mighty god himself—me. He doesn't need training to get stronger. He just has to drink and sleep to grow in power!"

"Uh… are you sure about that?"

"Of course!" Enel said with utmost confidence.

Kaku couldn't help but laugh. "Why does that explanation sound so unreliable to me…"

************

Please support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi. com/gered to read up to chapter 322!