Flying the Ship for an Hour

Upon hearing Rayleigh's question, Reno glanced at Kozuki Oden with a look of disdain and replied smugly,

"My ability doesn't consume much stamina. I can keep the ship in the air for one to two hours with no problem!"

"Now you have two options. First, I can fly the ship along with all of you directly into the target area, but that will alert the Marines. They'll likely figure out a countermeasure."

"The second option is for you to sail in normally, pick up Shanks and Buggy, and then I'll fly the ship out afterward."

As he finished, Reno shot another taunting glance at Kozuki Oden, as if saying, Big guy, you're losing this one for sure!

Oden, whose face was already dark with anger, now looked even more frustrated. He glared at Reno with a mix of helplessness and annoyance.

Ignoring their silent exchange, the rest of the crew began to discuss the feasibility of the two options.

Rayleigh turned to Reno and asked seriously,

"Little Reno, are you absolutely certain your telekinetic ability can keep the ship airborne for one to two hours?"

This was a matter of life and death, and none of them could afford to be careless.

Reno, however, didn't directly answer. Instead, he asked,

"How much farther until we reach the destination?"

"If all goes smoothly, we should be there in about three hours," the ship's navigator quickly responded.

Everyone looked at Reno in confusion, but he didn't bother to explain. Why waste words when actions speak louder?

With that thought, Reno's entire body began to emit a green energy that enveloped the ship, making it glow with an emerald hue. Moments later, the ship lifted off the water and floated into the air.

"Captain Roger, the ship is flying!"

A startled crew member, just stepping out of his cabin, screamed in shock upon seeing the floating ship.

"Calm down," Roger said. "We're just testing an ability. Go inform everyone inside not to panic."

The startled crew member quickly ran off to spread the message, while Roger and the others on deck continued to watch Reno closely, curious about what he planned to do next.

Unlike their initial surprise, the crew quickly adjusted. Having witnessed Shiki's Float-Float ability before, they weren't too stunned by a flying ship.

Reno raised the ship to a height of ten meters before propelling it forward at several times its previous speed.

Looking at the navigator, he said,

"Since I'm the one flying the ship now, let me know if I'm off course. I'm no navigator, you know!"

"Oh! Got it!" the navigator stammered, still somewhat dazed.

Controlling the ship with his telekinesis, Reno spoke to the crew,

"Explaining it won't do much good, so I'll just fly the ship for an hour to prove it!"

This is my way of repaying the Roger Pirates for saving my life, Reno thought to himself.

Roger was the first to break the awkward silence, laughing,

"Haha… Little Reno, it's not that we didn't trust you, but this is a serious matter. We had to be cautious!"

The rest of the crew, still feeling guilty about their earlier doubts, quickly chimed in.

"Exactly! Reno, we really appreciate this!"

Reno rolled his eyes and replied,

"I never said I blamed you. After all, I'm only five years old. If I were in your position, I probably wouldn't trust me either. Don't worry about me—just focus on planning the rescue."

Hearing Reno's words, the crew sighed in relief. They quickly began discussing which option would be the safest and most effective.

After some debate, Roger turned to Rayleigh and asked,

"Rayleigh, which plan do you think is better?"

Rayleigh thought for a moment before answering,

"Sailing in normally is safer. The Marines are likely hoping we'll enter the encirclement, so breaking through shouldn't be too difficult. This way, we can keep Reno's ability hidden, ensuring no surprises when it's time to escape."

Everyone agreed with Rayleigh's analysis. As long as Reno's ability remained a secret, escaping would be a breeze. But if the Marines discovered it in advance, they might come up with a countermeasure or target Reno specifically, putting them all at risk.

Roger nodded, satisfied with the reasoning, and issued his orders.

"We'll go with this plan. No one is to reveal Reno's ability during the fight—got it? If the Marines catch wind of it, we'll all pay the price!"

Jabba was the first to respond,

"Captain Roger, you know me. My lips are sealed when it comes to things I don't want others to know."

"Same here!"

"Us too!"

The crew all echoed their promises, eager to prove their loyalty.

"Alright, meeting adjourned. Everyone, prepare for battle!" Roger commanded.

"Yes, Captain Roger!"

With that, the meeting ended. The crew scattered to their respective quarters to make final preparations, leaving only Roger and Rayleigh on deck.

The two exchanged a glance before walking over to Reno, who was sitting on the railing, gazing out at the sea.

Hearing their footsteps, Reno turned his head slightly and, seeing who it was, smirked.

Without waiting for them to speak, he lazily said,

"I knew you two old foxes would come find me. Go ahead—ask your questions."

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T/N:

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