After nearly half a month of sailing, an island with giant trees and floating bubbles around them appeared in the distance, finally coming into view for Takumi and his crew.
They had reached the Sabaody Archipelago!
This island is located in the middle of the Grand Line, in front of the Red Line. It is made up of several giant trees, with their roots forming the ground and naturally producing bubbles from the surface.
Kaku stared at the distant Sabaody Archipelago in disbelief, somewhat stunned. "We actually made it..."
"Yahaha!" Enel laughed loudly. "I told you before, Takumi isn't an ordinary person! Who needs a Log Pose when we have Takumi? He's a human Log Pose!"
As soon as Enel finished his sentence, Takumi jumped up and gave him a solid iron fist to the head, leaving a big bump.
"Pfft." Kaku couldn't help but laugh.
Enel, furious, glared at Kaku and immediately fired a lightning strike at him.
Kaku swiftly jumped up, landing effortlessly on the ship's rooftop.
Enel's lightning strike hit the railing where Kaku had just stood, blasting it to pieces.
"Can't you take better care of this ship?" Kaku said from the top of the ship, exasperated. "Look at how many repairs we've had to make already! You've wrecked this great ship in no time..."
"You long-nosed fool, looks like you're getting bolder!" Enel shouted, ready to attack Kaku again.
"Enough." Takumi's calm voice stopped Enel.
These two were getting too noisy... Every day it's the same thing, always fighting. What's the point?
Enel immediately halted his attack, protesting, "It's all Kaku's fault for provoking me! It's self-defense!"
"Self-defense? You attack first, and I'm the one who gets beaten up!" Kaku said, chuckling helplessly.
Enel shot him a glare. "Shut up!"
Kaku, no longer wanting to argue with him, turned to Takumi and said, "I've been to Sabaody before. There's a good shipyard here. Although our ship only has minor damages, I think we should dock it there for a proper repair and maintenance. It's also a good chance for me to learn more and improve my shipwright skills."
"Alright," Takumi agreed, finding no fault in Kaku's suggestion. "You and Enel can handle it."
"Wait!" Enel interrupted, dissatisfied. "You're not coming with us?"
Takumi shook his head and then glanced at Kaku. "Keep an eye on Enel."
Sabaody Archipelago is the gateway to the New World, attracting many pirates, merchants, and bounty hunters. Moreover, it's a frequent spot for the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, who reside in the Holy Land of Mariejois.
Mariejois is the headquarters of the World Government, located atop the Red Line right behind Sabaody.
The so-called Celestial Dragons are the descendants of the Twenty Kings who founded the World Government 800 years ago. They regard themselves as "descendants of the creators" and wear bubbles on their heads because they consider themselves too noble to breathe the same air as commoners.
The Celestial Dragons enjoy turning other races into slaves and have all the privileges. If they are offended, the Marine Admirals must be deployed to protect them.
Therefore, no matter how despicable or abusive the Celestial Dragons are on Sabaody, their actions are still considered legal.
Takumi was fully aware of the situation with the Celestial Dragons, but Enel wasn't. With Enel's temper, it would be easy for him to cause trouble in Sabaody.
Takumi didn't come here to start a fight with the Celestial Dragons or the Marines…
So, to avoid unnecessary problems—and not wanting to babysit Enel himself—Takumi decided to leave the task to Kaku, who at least had some experience with Sabaody.
Kaku quickly understood Takumi's intent and shrugged indifferently. "Alright, I'll keep an eye on him, assuming he'll listen to me..."
"Enel." Takumi glanced at him.
Enel, clearly annoyed, grumbled, "Keep an eye on me? What for? You think I'll cause trouble? Come on, do you really have that little faith in me? Fine, I'll lay low if that's what you want."
Takumi: "…"
Can someone as flamboyant as you even keep a low profile?
Takumi didn't bother arguing further. "You two stay at the shipyard. Until I come back to find you, listen to what Kaku says."
"Wait! What does Kaku learning shipwright skills have to do with me? Why do I have to stay at the shipyard too?" Enel complained.
"That's final," Takumi said, not giving Enel any more room to protest. He leaped onto the ship's railing and used Geppo to head toward the distant Sabaody Archipelago.
Enel twitched his lips.
Kaku couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Hahaha, Takumi has spoken. What are you going to do now?"
Enel, frustrated, snorted. "Humph! You long-nosed fool, don't get too cocky!"
"Hahaha." Kaku pointed toward a large tree marked with the number forty-four and said, "We'll dock at Tree 44."
Enel, still full of reluctance, begrudgingly steered the ship toward the massive tree marked with 44.
As they approached Sabaody, Enel was surprised to see that the so-called island was actually a cluster of giant trees connected by their roots above the sea. "This counts as an island?"
Kaku nodded. "It does. The Sabaody Archipelago is made up of the largest mangrove trees in the world, the Yarukiman Mangrove. There are seventy-nine trees in total, and between them, they form the land of the archipelago. Each tree has a designated number, and towns and facilities are set up around each tree, which is why it's called an archipelago."
Enel's eyes were drawn to the bubbles rising from the roots and grass around the trees. As one of the bubbles floated near him, he poked it with his golden staff. Surprisingly, it didn't pop!
"Huh, what's with these bubbles?" Enel asked, glancing at Kaku.
"The Yarukiman Mangrove secretes a natural resin from its roots. The resin swells up and forms bubbles due to the roots' breathing. These bubbles are quite tough and don't break easily, but they only last within Sabaody's unique climate. Once a bubble leaves the archipelago, it pops because the resin can't maintain its strength."
"Huh, interesting." Enel stroked his chin, his tone casual. "Looks like this island could be fun."
Suddenly, Kaku remembered something important. "By the way, there's something I have to tell you before we go ashore. The Sabaody Archipelago is home to many World Nobles. While they usually don't visit the shipyards, if we're unlucky enough to run into them, no matter what happens, you must pretend not to see them. Whatever you do, do not provoke them!"
"Hmm?" Enel scoffed. "World Nobles? What are those? Are they more noble than a god like me?"
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