Chapter 146

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The refreshing sea breeze brushed against them, and standing on the deck of the Endless Dream, they could even catch a whiff of the resin from the red trees lingering in the air.

The peculiar and wondrous island of the pirate world, the Sabaody Archipelago, was now within sight!

"Wow, those red trees are huge, and those bubbles rising up, that's the unique feature of this island?" Aqua stood at the bow, shading her eyes with her hand as she looked into the distance.

The gentle breeze made her blue hair flutter, and under the warm sunlight, her delicate, fair face looked incredibly cute and beautiful. It must be said, when the foolish goddess wasn't causing trouble, she did live up to the title of "goddess."

Of course, this is provided you don't look into those eyes filled with an air of intelligence.

"Bubble cars, bubble Ferris wheels, houses built on bubble trees, this really is an amazing island, meow," Meowth said, lying on the ship's figurehead, holding a finely crafted monocular telescope.

This was a special viewing tool it had crafted, which, when necessary, could instantly transform into a rocket launcher. As for the principles behind it, Zyhark, leaning on the rail nearby, couldn't fathom them...

"Wait, is that a pirate ship, meow?" Meowth suddenly exclaimed in doubt.

Following its gaze, Zyhark and Aqua indeed saw a single-masted pirate ship sailing away from the Sabaody Archipelago, heading directly toward them.

As the pirate ship drew closer, the ship's construction became clear: a well-maintained and intact hull, a cabin with cherry trees planted on it, and a pirate flag bearing two boxing gloves.

As the two ships' crews made eye contact, the distance between them rapidly decreased, and soon they would pass each other.

"Hey! You guys! It's best not to go to the Sabaody Archipelago at this time. There's a really strong Navy captain there who can easily capture you!" a lean teenager on the pirate ship shouted to Zyhark, waving a red boxing-gloved hand earnestly.

It was hard to imagine such kind and straightforward words coming from the mouth of a pirate captain.

Behind the pirate captain stood five or six crewmates, each with distinctive appearances.

From their setup, it seemed they were going for a streamlined route, not too many in number.

Before Zyhark could respond, a voluptuous woman beside the pirate captain suddenly sprang up and punched the captain on the head.

"You idiot, look closely at their ship. They're clearly a legitimate sea restaurant, not pirates like us. What's there to be afraid of from the Navy?" the woman scolded, her teeth turning into jagged saws in her anger.

"Oh, right!" The foolish pirate captain clapped his gloved hands, belatedly realizing his mistake and giving a silly grin.

"Sorry about that! We thought you were pirates like us trying to enter the New World through Fish-Man Island!" he even bowed deeply and apologized with a laugh...

At the same time, another female pirate walked up, staring intently at Zyhark.

"Handsome guy, can I see your abs?" she asked.

"Of course, if it's the blonde guy with the cool scar on his face, that's fine too~" This comment instantly drew saw-toothed scolds from her crewmates: "Lustful doctor, stop being such a perv!!!"

"What about the lovely cat over there? Can I date you?" A black-furred dog leapt to the bow, winking at Meowth.

"Stop being a perv, it's really embarrassing!!" their normal crewmates shouted again.

Amid the sudden chaos, Zyhark and King were speechless.

Even Aqua, usually madcap, was stunned by the bizarre scene.

Were these weirdos really pirates? Despite the initial shock, Zyhark quickly regained his composure, calmly watching the chaotic pirate crew. For some reason, there was a strange sense of déjà vu.

Yes, this crew was remarkably similar to the Straw Hat Pirates, who pursued adventure and dreams.

Squinting his eyes, Zyhark thought.

Neither the pirate flag nor the crewmates appeared in the original story. In other words, these people likely perished in the Grand Line before Luffy set sail, just like most pirates buried in the Grand Line! Ultimately, the resemblance was only in style. These adventuring pirates without any significant background or plot armor were doomed to a tragic end...

Looking at the noisy, harmonious pirate crew, Zyhark sighed softly and stepped forward.

Feeling a sudden impulse, he decided to show these naive "adventurers" the harsh realities of the world!

Through his Observation Haki, he easily gauged their strength.

"Hey, what's your name?" Zyhark asked the pirate captain.

"Jeff Lagg, the man who will become the Pirate King!" Lagg raised his gloved fists, smiling confidently.

Upon closer inspection, the red gloves bore an electric symbol on the back.

Seeing this, his companions stopped their chatter, smiling slightly.

They even had the same dream...

The familiar boastful tone piqued Zyhark's interest in knocking some sense into him.

It would be a pity if such an interesting pirate crew perished at sea.

Moreover, hearing his name triggered a memory for Zyhark.

Due to an attack on the nobility of a World Government member nation, he had a bounty of 56 million Berries, one of the supernovas of this era, the Electromagnetic Kid—Jeff Lagg!

(In this timeline, bounties haven't inflated much, so it's roughly equivalent to 150 million in the original.)

Since he didn't know much about this crew's style before, Zyhark had just skimmed over the news without paying special attention.

"Lagg, huh? I'm the owner of this sea restaurant, Endless Dream. How about having a meal here?" Zyhark asked with a smile.

"No need! We have a chef on board!" Lagg was about to introduce his chef but couldn't find him, "Where's Moswin?"

"Probably lost on the ship again..." The fierce woman earlier held her forehead, evidently accustomed to this.

"Be careful," a steady, vigilant voice came from the corner of the pirate ship.

A strong swordsman with seaweed-like hair slowly unsheathed his blade.

Before the others could understand his cryptic warning, Zyhark, with slight electric sparks on his body, had already appeared on their ship!

"Sorry, but we're not a normal restaurant."

"If you catch a whiff of our ship, you have to stay and pay!"

(End of Chapter)