Chapter 185: Sabaody: Takumi, You've Changed

Sabo's "unreasonable" request made Takumi feel awkward.

Just a few minutes ago, Mumu had been sliced into pieces in the wilderness. Even if Takumi wanted to summon that troublemaker again, he'd have to wait until the next day.

"No," Takumi flatly refused. "From now on, you're not allowed to meet my 'sister' again. If I catch you with her, I'll beat you up. Every. Single. Time."

With that, Takumi bypassed Sabo and continued walking toward the ship.

Sabo blinked, turning to look at him, muttering, "She must've been injured… otherwise, he wouldn't have said something like that…"

Looking at the pipe in his hand, Sabo hesitated for a moment before chasing after Takumi. "Wait a second, Takumi. Can you give this to your sister?"

Sabo handed over the pipe. "This is what Mumu asked for. It might not be worth much, but I gave it to her, so it's hers now."

Takumi gave him an exasperated glance. To avoid further pestering, he took the pipe and continued walking.

Sabo didn't follow, but instead smiled and waved. "I owe both of you now. If you ever need a favor, just ask. As long as it's within my power, I'll do whatever I can to help."

Ignoring him, Takumi quickly disappeared into the night.

Sabo didn't linger. He headed back to where the ship was hidden. Along the way, he suddenly remembered something and took out a second den den mushi (transponder snail), dialing a number.

It didn't take long before the call connected.

A sleepy female voice answered, "Sabo? What's going on? Did something happen?"

Unable to hide his excitement, Sabo said, "Koala, I met a really interesting pair of siblings today. Especially the sister—she's… well, she's fascinating."

Koala: "…"

Koala was the girl who grew up alongside Sabo after he joined the Revolutionary Army.

Back on the ship, Takumi went straight to bed.

The next morning, he left the ship to roam around Sabaody like usual. By the time he returned in the evening, Kaku was already waiting, looking particularly excited.

"Captain Takumi, guess who I saw at the shipyard today?"

Takumi: "…"

I don't want to guess, thanks.

Unbothered by Takumi's silence, Kaku continued, "I saw Rayleigh! He's working as a coating craftsman now! They say he's one of the best."

"Oh," Takumi responded with indifference.

Kaku scratched his head and chuckled. "Heh, I'd love to learn from him, but I don't know if he'd be willing to teach me."

Takumi glanced at Kaku and, after thinking for a moment, said, "I'll talk to him."

After all, Kaku was the ship's carpenter now, and learning more ship-related skills wouldn't hurt. Plus, if Kaku learned the coating process, they'd avoid the hassle of coming back to Sabaody just to find Rayleigh when it came time to head for Fish-Man Island.

So with all that in mind, Takumi was willing to approach Rayleigh on Kaku's behalf.

Kaku hadn't expected Takumi to agree so quickly and was overjoyed. "That's great! Thank you, Captain Takumi!"

Takumi waved his hand dismissively and headed back out, making his way to Shakky's bar.

Soon, he arrived at the bar. The first thing he saw was Rayleigh, sitting at the counter, drinking with his back to the door.

Rayleigh didn't even bother turning around. Setting down his glass, he smirked. "Well, isn't this a rare occasion, you coming to find me."

Takumi sat down in the empty seat next to him, his expression calm.

The bar was empty of other customers.

Truth be told, Shakky's bar didn't get much business. But that was no issue—this place wasn't really meant to be a bar in the first place. They could easily make up for slow days by shaking down a few unwitting customers who wandered in.

It was one of those "make enough in one day to cover three months" kind of deals.

"Takumi, you're here." Shakky smiled. "Want something to drink?"

"No, thanks," Takumi politely declined before turning to Rayleigh. "Interested in taking on an apprentice?"

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What, you want to be my apprentice?"

"Not me," Takumi replied. "Kaku wants to learn coating."

"Kaku? You mean that polite, long-nosed kid from your crew?" Rayleigh asked, scratching his chin.

Takumi gave a slight nod.

Rayleigh chuckled. "Well, I didn't see that coming. You, going out of your way to negotiate for one of your crew members."

Takumi sighed, irritated. "So, are you going to teach him or not?"

Rayleigh shrugged casually. "Coating's not that complicated. Sure, if that long-nosed kid wants to learn, I don't mind showing him the ropes. How about this: starting tomorrow, I'll train him for three days. However much he learns in that time is up to him."

Takumi nodded. "That works. Thanks."

Rayleigh waved it off. "No need to thank me for something this small. But since you're here, why don't you have a drink with me?"

Takumi stood up, declining immediately. "I'll pass. I'm heading back."

"Oh, come on, Takumi, you've really changed." Rayleigh teased with a grin. "Turning down a drink, just like that?"

Takumi rolled his eyes.

Drinking at Shakky's bar cost enough to get a month's worth of drinks elsewhere…

Without another word, Takumi left the bar.

Over the next few days, Rayleigh stayed true to his word. He took Kaku around Sabaody, teaching him how to coat various ships.

As for Enel, after a few half-hearted protests—each of which was shut down by Takumi—he grudgingly followed Kaku, acting like a bored overseer as he watched Rayleigh and Kaku work on ship after ship.

Meanwhile, Takumi spent his days roaming every corner of Sabaody. The owner of the celestial dragon's pet dog that he had killed had sent people to search the island several times but found no trace of the culprit. Assuming the perpetrator had already fled, they finally called off the search.

During the day, Kizaru kept an eye on the female celestial dragon, given that the person who killed her dog had shown an impressive level of skill. His job was to protect her in case the culprit decided to target her next.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Takumi had been on Sabaody for a week.

Early that morning, Rayleigh met Takumi outside the Auction House in Area 1.

"That long-nosed kid surprised me," Rayleigh remarked. "In just three days, he's grasped the essence of the coating process. With a little more practice, he'll be a great coating craftsman."

Takumi wasn't surprised. He had confidence in Kaku's ability to learn.

"Yeah, that's one of his few talents," Takumi replied nonchalantly.

Rayleigh laughed heartily. "You're being modest. It's been a long time since I've met a kid with such a passion for shipbuilding and the ability to learn so quickly. I can see why you brought him aboard."

Takumi just smiled and said nothing.

Rayleigh glanced at the Auction House ahead of them and then turned to Takumi. "So, what exactly do you want?"

Takumi replied directly. "The Bounce Fruit."