Chapter 162: Water 7 – Enel in Shock

As the system notification echoed in Takumi's mind, he fell silent again.

His emotions were a bit mixed.

Every CP9 member had been through grueling, hellish training that pushed their bodies to the absolute limit. Nearly all of them mastered the Six Powers, and since they could remember, they were indoctrinated to give their lives for the government.

In short, CP9 members were like a pack of loyal assassins, meticulously trained and groomed by the government.

To get a CP9 member to betray their mission? That wasn't something easily achieved.

Takumi had assumed that Kaku would rather die than agree to Enel's demands to join the crew.

And yet…

He actually agreed!

There was no way Enel was charismatic enough to convince Kaku on his own.

So, there was only one explanation: Kaku agreed to join the ship with a hidden agenda.

And Takumi could already guess what that was.

Still, whatever.

Takumi didn't feel like stressing over it. If Kaku had agreed to join Enel's crew, he wouldn't go back on his word.

If Kaku was coming aboard, then Takumi would make sure to put him to good use.

One thing Takumi did admire about CP9 agents—they were thorough. When they were undercover, they didn't slack off in any of their duties. After all, in the original story, Lucci and Kaku had gone on to become highly respected shipwrights in Water 7, known for their impeccable skills.

All Takumi did was slightly change Kaku's original destiny, where he was meant to be a top shipwright at Dock 1.

Meanwhile, with Enel…

As soon as Kaku agreed to join the crew, Enel withdrew the lightning dragon he had summoned.

"Hmph! You better not be lying to me! If you try to trick me, you'll feel the wrath of a god's punishment!" Enel warned, clearly still in a foul mood.

Kaku waved him off. "Don't worry, I've given my word. Now, when do you all plan on leaving Water 7?"

"By tomorrow, if possible." Enel couldn't be sure though—Takumi's mood ultimately decided their schedule.

Kaku didn't know much about Enel or Takumi's backgrounds, so he asked, "So, what are you guys? Pirates, perhaps?"

"Ha!" Enel let out a mocking laugh. "Pirates? Don't insult me! Takumi's destined to become the King of Travel!"

Kaku was left speechless.

King of Travel? What the heck is that supposed to mean?

"Alright then." Kaku chuckled, nodding politely. "See you tomorrow afternoon. I'll get ready, finish repairing the ship, and then I'll be good to go."

"Long-nose, don't even think about trying anything funny!"

"Hahaha, don't worry. I've thought it over. Traveling with powerful folks like you might actually be pretty fun." Kaku grinned, laughing heartily.

Afterward, Enel returned to the inn.

Kaku, on the other hand, sought out Lucci to let him know his mission had changed.

Lucci didn't seem to mind. Even with Kaku gone, Lucci had enough confidence in himself to handle their mission on his own.

The next morning…

Takumi woke up early.

After returning the Yagara Bull he had rented, he made his way to the coast just outside Water 7 and casually started fishing again.

"Takumi! I did it!" Enel suddenly appeared at his side, beaming with excitement.

Takumi merely gave him a nonchalant "Oh."

Seeing Takumi's lack of reaction, Enel looked visibly disappointed. "Aren't you surprised?"

Takumi glanced at him, slightly annoyed. What's there to be surprised about?

"Whatever." Enel shrugged it off, his good mood quickly returning. "Yahahaha! Now, I'm not the lowest-ranked person on the ship anymore!"

Takumi: "…"

Seriously? That's your biggest concern?

"So, when are we leaving? Are we taking off as soon as the ship's ready today?" Enel asked, eager to move on.

Takumi shook his head. "Not yet."

Enel raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"By the way," Enel's tone suddenly shifted, as if something important had crossed his mind. "What's with you people from the Blue Sea? It's not just you or the Marines—how did that long-nosed guy manage to hit me too? How are you all doing that?"

Takumi answered calmly, "It's called Armament Haki."

"Armament Haki?" Enel blinked. "What the hell is that? I remember that old guy, Garp, said something about my 'Mantra' being called Observation Haki..."

Takumi: "…"

This guy talks too much.

"Go ask Kaku," Takumi replied dryly.

Enel's lips twitched. "That guy knows about this stuff?"

Takumi gave a brief nod.

Enel stared in silence for a moment before sighing. Without another word, he sped off to Dock 1 to find Kaku.

Takumi smirked slightly—there was another perk to having Kaku on board. Now, Enel could bug him with all his questions.

At Dock 1…

Enel appeared in a flash on the nearly repaired ship.

The ridiculous chicken-head and wings had been removed, and the ship was now in a much more practical design. If it weren't for the fact that it could fly, it would've looked like a simple fishing boat.

Kaku, seeing Enel arrive, jumped onto the deck with a pile of books in his arms and smiled. "What, you're here alone? Where's Takumi?"

"Don't worry about him," Enel said, eyeing the books in Kaku's arms. "That all your luggage?"

"Haha, no, of course not. These are some books I borrowed from the other shipwrights at Dock 1. If I'm going to be your shipwright, I need to keep improving my craft. These will help with self-study." Kaku smiled proudly.

"Oh." Enel wasn't too interested in that. He quickly shifted back to the topic that had been bothering him. "Yesterday, you were able to hit me. Was that because of this Armament Haki?"

"Hm? You don't know what Armament Haki is?" Kaku looked surprised.

Enel shook his head.

Kaku set his books down inside the cabin and rubbed his long nose thoughtfully. "Do you know about Observation Haki or Conqueror's Haki?"

Enel's confusion deepened. "I've heard about Observation Haki. Garp mentioned that my 'Mantra' is the same thing. But what the hell is Conqueror's Haki?"

Kaku stared at Enel, astonished. "Wait—you've met Vice Admiral Garp?"

Enel answered casually, "I've met him once. Takumi seems to know him pretty well."

Kaku fell silent for a moment, digesting this information. Then he laughed. "Hahaha! Vice Admiral Garp's a big deal. I didn't expect you guys to know someone like him."

"A big deal?" Enel looked puzzled.

"Yeah, Garp's a legendary figure in the Navy. His strength is top-tier among the Marines, and from what I've heard, he's even turned down promotions to Admiral several times," Kaku explained.

"What? That old guy could be an Admiral?" Enel was shocked.

Kaku chuckled at Enel's reaction. "Exactly. Even if he went up against the current Admirals, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage. He might even be stronger."

"Hold on a second!" Enel suddenly panicked as he realized something important. "What about all the other Vice Admirals? There are hundreds of them, right? Are they all as strong as Garp?"

Kaku blinked, then burst out laughing. "Hahaha, no, no. There aren't hundreds of Vice Admirals! Altogether, there are only about a few dozen. And as I said, Garp is an exception. His strength is way beyond the average Vice Admiral."

Enel: "…"