"It seems Mihawk's baboons have been properly trained," Shanks remarked as he observed the lurking baboons hiding in the surrounding jungle.
Beckman smiled slightly and replied, "It's likely those two crewmates of Takumi that did the work."
"But honestly, I'm surprised. He actually has crewmates now, and not just one, but two," Shanks laughed heartily. "Though I suppose it's good. Having companions can only be a benefit to him."
"Yeah," Lucky Roo said, chewing on his seemingly never-ending piece of meat. "Even if those two seem a little foolish, Takumi isn't one to just pick anyone. If he chose them to be his crewmates, they must have something valuable about them."
"Hahaha! Exactly, that's what I think too!" Shanks responded with a laugh.
Chatting happily along the way, Shanks and his crew soon arrived at Mihawk's castle.
"You guys can relax in the hall. I'll go find Takumi myself," Shanks told his crew as they entered the castle. Leaving them to their own devices, he followed Takumi's presence and quickly found the room where he was staying.
Seeing Enel standing guard outside the door, Shanks smiled and walked over. "Well, well, a lightning user standing guard. You're loyal, I'll give you that."
Enel was fiddling with his golden staff, trying to maintain his usual aloof attitude, though he was starting to feel uneasy. "Takumi's taking a nap. You'd better not disturb him."
"Too much napping isn't good for the body," Shanks smiled. "If you're too scared to wake him, how about I do it?"
Enel furrowed his brow. "You say you know Takumi. Don't you know how much he hates being disturbed when he's sleeping?"
"No, you're wrong," Shanks replied, waving his hand dismissively. "It all depends on who it is."
Enel was about to retort when Shanks' expression shifted. With a grin, he released a powerful aura, his Conqueror's Haki flooding the air and pressing heavily onto Enel.
Enel felt his body grow heavy, his movements paralyzed. Even his consciousness began to blur. Sweat broke out on his forehead.
This feeling—he knew it too well. Conqueror's Haki.
This guy had Conqueror's Haki too. And it was no weaker than Takumi's.
As expected of a Yonko, being one of the Four Emperors wasn't something just anyone could achieve…
Enel's mind was in turmoil.
"I'll give you a choice," Shanks said, still smiling. "You can leave now, and I'll let you go safely. Or, you can stay here and keep guarding."
"Damn it!" Enel growled through gritted teeth. "If you touch me, Takumi won't let you off easily!"
Shanks shrugged casually. "Who knows? But if I wanted to kill you, I could do it right now. So, which will it be?"
"I'm not leaving!" Enel snapped, his face grim.
Shanks tilted his head, still grinning. "I'm serious, you know. If you don't choose wisely, I could end you right here. So, what's it going to be?"
"You bastard!" Enel spat, his voice shaking with frustration. "Do you really think your threats scare me just because you're one of the Four Emperors?"
Shanks eyed him silently for a few seconds.
Though it was only a brief pause, for Enel, under the pressure of Shanks' Conqueror's Haki, it felt like an eternity.
"Hahaha, you've got guts!" Shanks laughed loudly, withdrawing his Haki and releasing Enel from its crushing weight.
Enel breathed a sigh of relief, though his face remained tense. "So, what now? Are you going to kill me?"
"No, I never said I'd kill you," Shanks replied, still smiling. "I just gave you a choice. And since you chose to stay, I'll respect that."
"What are you going to do?" Enel asked warily as Shanks moved towards a nearby room.
Shanks didn't answer immediately. He dragged a chair from the adjacent room and set it down next to Enel's post, sitting down comfortably. Then he slapped Enel on the back with a hearty laugh. "Since you're not letting me through, I'll wait here with you until Takumi wakes up. I've got plenty of time. Hahaha!"
Enel: "..."
"You… you're really something…" Enel muttered, his eyebrow twitching. "What was the point of all that earlier then? Your two choices were meaningless!"
Shanks shrugged, smiling cheerfully. "Don't take it so seriously. I was just messing around. Nothing big, haha. You know, Takumi has chosen a fine crewmate. Not only are you loyal, but you're quite a stand-up guy."
"Huh?" Enel blinked, momentarily forgetting that this guy had just been crushing him with Conqueror's Haki. He felt a little flustered, turning his head away as he muttered, "I'm not going to be happy just because you complimented me."
Shanks burst out laughing again. "Haha, what a funny guy! Enel, right? I'll remember you."
"Tch!" Enel huffed. "Thanks, I guess."
Meanwhile, as Shanks and his crew entered the castle, Kaku, who had stayed outside, used his incredible jumping ability to leap up to the window of Takumi's room.
Seeing that Takumi was still asleep, Kaku sighed softly.
Takumi had a notorious temper when woken up, and Kaku wasn't brave enough to face that wrath. He decided to find another way into the castle.
He quickly located an unused, dusty storeroom with a window and slipped inside.
Just as he landed, Kaku noticed something peculiar. In the corner of the room, sitting on a shelf, was a Den Den Mushi, and it bore the insignia of the World Government.
A Den Den Mushi that could contact the World Government?
Kaku's lips curled into a sly smile. It looked like luck was on his side.
Wasting no time, Kaku pocketed the Den Den Mushi, planning to contact the government later in the night, once everyone was asleep.
Feeling quite pleased with his discovery, Kaku left the storeroom. However, as he opened the door, he nearly bumped into Yasopp, who was walking down the hallway.
"Hey, look who it is! The guy I was keeping an eye on!" Yasopp grinned, glancing behind Kaku at the open window. "Haha, you're an interesting one, aren't you? Skipping the front door and sneaking in through the window."
Kaku chuckled awkwardly. "Haha, well, you see, I was just…"
Before he could finish his explanation, Yasopp slung an arm over his shoulder, acting like they were old pals. "We're getting ready for a banquet. If you're free, why not come help out?"
"Banquet?" Kaku blinked in confusion. "A banquet for what?"
Yasopp laughed. "Well, knowing our captain, he'd probably say it's to celebrate reuniting with Takumi! Hahaha!"
************
Please support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi. com/gered to read up to chapter 287!