On a small island, temporarily anchored, was the Red-Haired Pirates crew.
Shanks, looking a bit worse for wear, glanced at Lucky Roux, who was still eating meat without a care in the world. Shanks forced a smile, "Since when did you start holding your liquor better than me? Alright, let's start with the good news."
Lucky Roux smirked and said, "Takumi made the news."
Shanks froze for a second before standing up from the rock, his excitement bubbling over. "That kid's been off the grid for so long, and he's finally shown up? Haha! What did he do this time to make the news?"
"Now, here's the bad news." Lucky Roux handed the newspaper to Shanks. "The kid caused a real stir in Sabaody."
"A stir? He made it to Sabaody? Impressive!" Shanks grabbed the paper, quickly scanning the article. After reading for a moment, he stopped, then burst out laughing, slapping Lucky Roux's shoulder. "Hahaha! That's Takumi for you! Not even the Celestial Dragons scare him! Hahaha, this is great news, not bad news at all!"
Still munching on his meat, Lucky Roux added, "Look at Takumi's bounty."
Shanks pulled the wanted poster from the paper. As soon as he saw the bounty amount, he almost spat out his drink, "Pfft! Hahahaha! 1,444,444,444 Berries? Hahaha! The World Government really wants him dead, huh? This is priceless!"
In Marineford, inside Sengoku's office…
The three Admirals, along with Garp—who had been dragged there by Sengoku—were sitting around the desk, each with a different expression on their face. On the desk in front of them were the new wanted posters for Takumi and Enel.
"The Five Elders have requested that we send an Admiral specifically to capture Takumi and his crew," Sengoku said, rubbing his temples in frustration.
Akainu scoffed, "I told you before that Takumi would become a global threat sooner or later. You all insisted on canceling his bounty back then. Is this outcome really a surprise? However, I didn't expect his companion, who only killed two of the Celestial Dragons' bodyguards, to get an 80-million bounty... Still, props to Kizaru for handling the situation well."
Kizaru said nothing.
Aokiji scratched his head, "So, who's going to take on the mission to capture Takumi?"
Sengoku turned his gaze toward Garp, who was casually picking his nose, pretending not to care. "Garp, what's your take on this?"
"What do you mean, my take? What does this have to do with me?" Garp grumbled. "I'm just a lowly Vice Admiral with no say in things. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
Garp actually stood up, preparing to walk out, which made Sengoku furious. "At least show some concern as a Marine!"
"Of course, I'm a Marine, and I'll gladly capture pirates," Garp grinned. "But Takumi and his crew aren't pirates, are they? So I have no obligation to go after them. Plus, the Five Elders specifically asked for an Admiral, not a Vice Admiral, so this has nothing to do with me. It's your call who goes after him."
And with that, Garp left the office without looking back.
"That guy..." Sengoku sighed, rubbing his forehead, and looked at the three Admirals. "So, who's willing to take this job?"
But none of the three Admirals spoke up.
After a long silence, Sengoku added, "This is a direct order from the Five Elders. The person assigned to capture Takumi can focus entirely on the mission, and any other duties can be postponed…"
Kizaru rubbed his chin and replied in his usual slow tone, "That does sound tempting, but... I'd rather not."
Aokiji lazily followed suit, "Yeah, I'm not interested either…"
Sengoku then looked at Akainu.
Akainu scowled, "Even though I despise Takumi, I'm not wasting all my time on him."
It was clear that none of the three wanted to be stuck with the task.
Sengoku had expected Akainu to volunteer, so he was a bit thrown off. Left with no other option, he pulled out three pieces of paper and wrote the word "chase" on one of them. After folding them up, he placed them in his hand and said, "Since none of you want to volunteer, we'll draw lots. Whoever picks the one with writing will go after Takumi."
Back on Amazon Lily...
After parting ways with Hancock, Takumi wandered around the massive island by himself.
He was still unaware of the bounties on his and Enel's heads, though he had a feeling that the Celestial Dragons wouldn't let them off that easily. So, in a way, the bounty was something he had already anticipated.
Amazon Lily was a very isolated island. Apart from the town where its residents lived, the surrounding areas were covered in wild, beast-filled jungles. Even though these beasts were ferocious, they were nothing compared to the massive creatures Takumi had faced on Skypiea's Upper Yard.
Any beast foolish enough to attack Takumi was swiftly dealt with.
By the time the day was over, Takumi had explored almost all of the island's jungle and mountain areas. Aside from a few persistent beasts, there wasn't anything of real interest.
Given the island's unique location, it seemed unlikely that he could complete his mission objectives without heading into town.
Glancing at the now-dark sky, Takumi activated his Observation Haki and made his way toward the bustling town—the only lively place on the island.
It wasn't long before he reached a three-story building with a traditional design, perched on the rooftop. Below, he saw the residents, each accompanied by a snake, casually enjoying the night market. Takumi's eyes quickly shifted toward the lavish, eye-catching palace at the heart of the town.
Without a second thought, he began leaping across rooftops, heading straight for the palace.
Avoiding the several patrols stationed around the palace, Takumi climbed to the roof of the largest building. Following Hancock's presence, he located the room directly beneath him. Though his Observation Haki made it easy to find people, it didn't allow him to see what they were doing.
He removed a roof tile, and through the steam, he quickly realized what Hancock was doing. Just as he was about to put the tile back, a sharp, angry voice rang out from below. "Who dares to peek at me while I bathe? Unforgivable!"
At that moment, a bar of soap flew up, smashing through the roof where Takumi had been standing.
He calmly sidestepped, catching the soap in his hand just as the roof gave way beneath him...
************
Please support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi. com/gered to read up to chapter 263!