From the moment Takumi decided to come aboard the Germa warship, Kaku was surprised, though he kept it to himself. Takumi was notoriously lazy; the fact that he wanted to take a stroll all of a sudden was certainly out of character...
So, as they landed on Germa's main battleship, Kaku couldn't hold back from asking.
Thanks to the Silent Fruit, no one else could hear their conversation.
"Just wandering," Takumi replied casually.
Kaku knew immediately that Takumi was just brushing him off. Though he felt a little annoyed, he also knew there was nothing he could do about it.
Well, since they were already here, they might as well make the most of it.
"Captain," Kaku smirked, making a small suggestion, "Germa Kingdom is quite wealthy. Since we're already here, why not bring some of their treasures back?"
"Fine," Takumi replied indifferently. "You can handle it alone, right?"
"Hm? Captain, you're not coming with me?" Kaku asked, surprised.
Takumi shook his head.
After a brief pause, Kaku stopped asking questions, realizing he wouldn't get the answers he wanted anyway. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, I'll be careful. You don't need to worry about me."
Takumi nodded and then picked a random direction, using Shave to quickly disappear into the shadows.
Kaku didn't linger either and chose a different path to begin his treasure hunt.
Shortly after Takumi and Kaku split up, Ichiji used his high-tech shoes, equipped with explosive jumps and jet propulsion, to stride across the sea and quickly land on the ship.
The moment he stepped aboard, a bolt of lightning cut through the darkening sky, striking directly toward his head.
Sensing the danger, Ichiji dodged in time.
The lightning struck the deck with a loud crack, leaving a blackened mark. Thanks to Kaku regularly reinforcing the deck to minimize damage from their constant sparring, the wood was mixed with materials that could absorb lightning strikes below a million volts. As a result, the ship remained intact.
"Heh, I've been found," Ichiji smirked, looking up at Enel standing on the ship's lookout. Adjusting his mask slightly, he said mockingly, "So it really is Takumi's crew."
Enel looked down at Ichiji with disdain, especially eyeing his curled eyebrows. "Hah, those eyebrows. Are you mocking the great Thunder God? Curly-brows, you're dead."
Ichiji sneered back, pulling out a small canister-like object. In an instant, a red light shone, and right before Enel's eyes, Ichiji transformed...
Dressed in a red battle suit with a white cape marked with the number "1," Ichiji, adorned with customized gloves and a belt, and emblazoned with the "Germa 66" insignia, stood in front of Enel.
Enel sneered, "What's this? A magic trick? You think just because you changed outfits, I won't recognize you? Ridiculous. You're nothing more than a circus monkey to me."
"Those who talk big often regret it," Ichiji retorted, propelling himself into the air with his tech shoes, appearing before Enel in an instant. His hands ignited with flames as he unleashed Sparkling Valkyrie, lunging at Enel.
However, Enel didn't even attempt to dodge. Ichiji's flames passed through Enel's elemental body, causing no harm.
"Is that all you've got?" Enel twirled his golden staff, his eyes filled with contempt. Suddenly, his eyes gleamed, predicting Ichiji's next move and swinging his staff ahead of time.
Unable to evade, Ichiji quickly brought his hands together, igniting them again for Sparkling Red, triggering an explosion.
With a loud bang, even Ichiji was sent flying backward by his own blast.
Meanwhile, Enel had once again turned into lightning during the explosion, taking no damage.
"How pathetic," Enel smirked, appearing in front of the airborne Ichiji in the blink of an eye, ready to swing his staff again.
"Don't get cocky!" Ichiji shouted, his eyes suddenly emitting a bright flash.
Ichiji thought the flash would impair Enel's vision, preparing to follow up with a barrage of punches. However, Enel's staff had already struck, landing a heavy blow on Ichiji's body.
In disbelief, Ichiji felt several ribs crack, and his body was sent hurtling back even faster.
"How useless. I actually had expectations for you," Enel muttered as he dug his finger into his ear lazily. "You think a bit of light can blind the Thunder God? Ridiculous." Not bothering to give chase, Enel turned back towards the ship, muttering about having to watch over it.
On one of Germa 66's other ships, the rumbling noise from the fight had attracted a few Germa soldiers to the deck.
Seeing their eldest prince, Vinsmoke Ichiji, in battle, they felt confident in his abilities.
"The First Prince himself? Looks like the people on that floating ship are no pushovers."
"Hahaha, no matter how tough they are, it doesn't matter. With Prince Ichiji handling it, they'll be dealt with easily."
"Exactly, those guys are doomed. Maybe Prince Ichiji will even kill them outright."
"Who knows, maybe he'll capture them alive."
Amidst their chatter, Ichiji came flying backward, crashing through the cabin wall behind them with a loud bang.
The soldiers froze, their confident expressions quickly replaced with shock as they rushed over to where Ichiji had landed.
"Prince Ichiji, are you alright?!"
"Damn it, that guy must be strong for Prince Ichiji to be defeated..."
They pulled the heavily injured Ichiji from the rubble, but he coughed up blood and passed out immediately.
Panic set in among the group.
"Huh? Where are Prince Ichiji's shoes?"
"Who cares about the shoes now? Prince Ichiji is unconscious! Hurry, get the ship's medic! And inform His Majesty immediately!"
"Right, on it!"
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