Onboard the ship, Enel and Kaku fought at least three times a day, something Takumi didn't care about in the slightest. He continued walking ahead, treating their bickering as background noise.
The men leading Takumi paused as they heard the commotion, and when they turned to see that the main door of their headquarters had been blown apart, their expressions shifted.
Terry Gilteo and Haku looked at the two fighters with a mix of exasperation and concern for their door.
"You two! You can fight if you want, but could you at least avoid destroying things?" Gilteo said, half laughing, half crying.
Enel, clearly irritated, sent a bolt of lightning flying toward him.
Fortunately, Gilteo was quick enough to dodge it.
Enel chuckled. "Heh, not bad reflexes."
"You big oaf, this is someone else's home," Kaku jumped in, now standing between Enel and Gilteo. He apologized, "Sorry about this. Enel can be thoughtless. Just treat him like an oversized, bratty child."
"A child? You think I'm a child, you long-nosed freak?" Enel snapped, swinging another punch toward Kaku.
Kaku dodged easily and even made a face at Enel. "You can't catch me, ha ha ha!"
From inside the stone house, Takumi noticed that their guides had stopped to watch the commotion, and when he looked back, he saw Enel and Kaku still at it. In an indifferent tone, he called out, "You two, that's enough."
Hearing Takumi's voice, both Enel and Kaku stopped.
"You got lucky, long-nose," Enel grumbled. "If it weren't for Takumi, I would have fried you today."
"Ha ha ha, lucky me then," Kaku laughed as he ran over to Takumi.
Enel scoffed, following close behind.
Seeing the two approaching, Takumi turned back to the group that was supposed to be leading him. "Lead the way," he said flatly.
The men were sweating, clearly uneasy. They looked toward Gilteo and Haku, who both nodded and then they quickly turned and resumed leading Takumi inside.
Once Takumi and his crew were out of sight, Haku turned to Gilteo and asked, "Are we seriously letting them stay here until the leader returns?"
Gilteo sighed, glancing down at the transponder snail in his hand. Without much hesitation, he dialed a number.
---
Meanwhile, on a ship bound for the North Blue, Dragon was discussing the next phase of their mission with several officers when the snail in his pocket began to ring.
"Hold on a moment," Dragon said, pausing the discussion as he pulled out the transponder snail and answered.
"Is that you, Leader?" Gilteo's voice came through.
"It's me," Dragon confirmed. "What's happened?"
"Leader, we just had some unexpected visitors on the island," Gilteo replied.
"Visitors?" Dragon asked, puzzled. "Who?"
"It's Takumi and his crew."
"What?" Dragon was genuinely surprised. "Takumi came to Baltigo?"
The officers sitting around the table also looked startled, none more so than Sabo, who immediately became excited.
"Really? Takumi's on Baltigo? Did they say why they came? Did you see Takumi's sister?" Sabo asked, leaning closer to the snail.
"Uh, Sabo?" Gilteo recognized the voice. "They're here looking for the leader. As for his sister, I didn't see her."
"What? Not there?" Sabo exclaimed. "That can't be right. Takumi dotes on her too much to leave her behind."
"I don't know about that," Gilteo said helplessly. "But I can tell you, his two crew members fight each other constantly. They've already destroyed our main door."
Dragon: "..."
"Pfft," Sabo burst into laughter. "Ha ha ha! I haven't met Takumi's crew yet, but it sounds like they're quite the characters."
Next to him, Koala gave Sabo a swift punch. "They broke our door, and you're laughing?"
"What's the big deal?" Sabo grinned. "It's just a door. We can fix it."
Dragon cut back in, "Did Takumi say why he wanted to see me?"
"No," Gilteo replied. "I offered him the chance to speak to you using the transponder snail, but he said he'd rather wait on Baltigo until you return."
Koala frowned. "We just left yesterday, and we have a long journey ahead. Even if everything goes smoothly, it'll take us at least three months just to travel back and forth. Including the mission time, there's no way we're getting back in less than five or six months. Are they seriously planning to stay on Baltigo for that long?"
"It seems like they are," Gilteo answered.
"Leader, do you want us to come back?"
Dragon responded decisively. "Put Takumi on the line."
Gilteo acknowledged the order and quickly made his way back inside the headquarters, finding Takumi just as the guest quarters were being prepared. He knocked on the door.
The door was open, and Takumi looked over at him indifferently.
"Takumi, our leader would like to speak with you," Gilteo said, placing the transponder snail on a stone table in the center of the room.
Dragon's voice came through. "Takumi, long time no see."
"Yeah," Takumi replied nonchalantly.
Dragon got straight to the point. "Have you decided to join the Revolutionary Army?"
"No," Takumi answered bluntly.
Dragon: "..."
After a brief pause, Dragon asked, "Then why are you looking for me?"
Takumi thought for a moment and said casually, "To mooch off your supplies."
Dragon was taken aback, then chuckled. "Very well. If that's all, I won't be returning immediately."
Takumi nodded. "Fine."
It worked out for him—this was a good place to lay low for a while. After all, they had just caused chaos at Enies Lobby, and the Marines were undoubtedly searching the seas for them.
Although Baltigo was barren and had little to offer, it was the perfect place to stay out of sight, giving the Marines a good runaround.
"All right, stay at Baltigo for now," Dragon said. "If you need anything, just let Terry Gilteo or Haku know."
"Got it, thanks."
"No problem."
Just as Dragon finished speaking, Sabo leaned in, eager to ask, "Takumi, I have a question for you—wait, he hung up?"
Sabo looked dumbfounded as the transponder snail went silent, then let out a sigh and smiled wryly. "That guy... I guess he's still holding a grudge against me."
************
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