Sabaody Park.
Looking at the various amusement rides within the park, Kaku couldn't help but ask, "So, what are we doing here?"
"We're here to have fun," Takumi responded flatly.
After all, he had never visited an amusement park, not even in his previous life.
Kaku and Enel, for their part, were also unfamiliar with such places. Kaku had spent his childhood undergoing intense training, while Enel came from Skypiea, where amusement parks didn't exist. Neither of them had ever experienced such an environment.
So, Takumi figured this could be his belated birthday gift—a chance to unwind. He decided to bring Enel and Kaku along for some much-needed relaxation.
Enel curiously glanced around, his eyes landing on a massive Ferris wheel near the center of the park. "What's that thing?" he asked, pointing.
"That's a Ferris wheel," Kaku explained, rubbing his nose. "Kids and couples usually like to ride it."
"Oh," Enel said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Then what ride's suitable for me?"
Kaku smirked, "For you? Probably something more thrilling, like a roller coaster or a haunted house."
While Kaku had never been to an amusement park himself, he knew the basics.
"Sounds fun," Enel said, his mood brightening. "We should start with the roller coaster. It's rare for Takumi to be this… generous, so we shouldn't waste it."
Takumi, as usual, didn't bother with pleasantries. He delivered a swift hammer-fist straight to the top of Enel's head.
A yelp escaped from Enel as a lump quickly formed on his scalp.
Kaku stifled a laugh, trying to hold back his amusement.
Enel, holding his head in pain, opened his mouth as if to complain but quickly shut it again when he caught Takumi's stern gaze.
Takumi continued walking ahead in silence.
Kaku gave Enel a pat on the back, chuckling, "You should know by now how Takumi is. Just watch what you say next time. Come on, let's go."
"Shut up, long-nose!" Enel snapped, throwing a casual lightning strike at Kaku.
Kaku dodged instinctively, narrowly avoiding the blast.
"Can you not, Enel?" Kaku asked, half-laughing. "We're all on the same ship now, but you keep hitting me with those lightning bolts. What did I ever do to you?"
"I just feel like it," Enel replied, throwing another bolt of lightning.
Once again, Kaku evaded the attack, the bolt smashing into the ground with a loud crack, leaving a crater behind.
The loud noise attracted the attention of nearby park visitors.
Since Sabaody Archipelago often hosted powerful pirates, the locals were used to seeing occasional fights. Still, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, the other visitors kept a safe distance from Takumi and his crew.
Takumi had originally planned to ignore them, but since he came to the park to relax and didn't want to cause a scene, he paused and turned to give Enel a cold glance. "Enough."
Enel, who had been gearing up to throw another lightning strike at Kaku, reluctantly stopped at Takumi's command.
"Ugh, fine," Enel muttered, throwing a glare at Kaku as he walked past him toward Takumi.
Kaku shrugged with a smile and followed after them.
Sabaody Park was a massive amusement ground.
As they headed toward the roller coaster, they passed by a double-decker carousel. All three of them couldn't help but glance at it as they walked by.
Soon, they reached the entrance to the roller coaster, where a long line of people was already waiting.
Takumi and Kaku didn't mind the wait, but Enel was getting impatient after only a few minutes. "Why is this taking so long? Hey, everyone in front of us, move aside and let us ride first!"
This earned them several angry glares from the people ahead of them in line.
Another punch from Takumi swiftly shut Enel up.
Kaku chuckled awkwardly and tried to smooth things over, "Don't mind him, he's just messing around. We're not going to cut the line."
With that reassurance, the people in front of them grumbled but eventually turned back to face forward.
"Stupid long-nose," Enel muttered, holding his throbbing head. "You think I'm just going to let that slide? You must have a death wish."
Kaku sighed. "Do you always have to pick a fight with me? What, is your day not complete unless you're trying to start something?"
Electricity crackled around Enel's body in response.
Takumi shot Enel another warning look.
The electricity disappeared immediately.
At this point, Kaku couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated by how quickly Enel obeyed Takumi.
After about half an hour of waiting, the three of them finally boarded the roller coaster, taking up the first two rows.
Although it was their first time on a ride like this, they all seemed excited—although one of them wasn't showing it.
The roller coaster started to climb slowly up the track. As they reached the highest point, Enel scoffed, "This? This is nothing. Even the speed of this thing is too slow to impress me."
The next second, the coaster plunged downward, accelerating rapidly.
A scream that could only be described as terrified echoed through the air, and it wasn't from Kaku.
Kaku, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically the entire time.
Meanwhile, Takumi stayed composed, though he did feel a brief sense of discomfort at first. It passed quickly, though.
Hearing Enel's scream from behind, Takumi couldn't help but feel speechless.
How could someone with lightning-fast reflexes be scared of a simple roller coaster?
When the ride ended and they got off, Kaku was practically buzzing with excitement. "That was amazing! Let's go again!"
Enel, however, looked pale and shook his head vigorously. "No way! I'm not getting on that thing again!"
Kaku laughed and threw an arm around Takumi's shoulder. "Come on, Captain! We should ride it again! I had a blast."
"Sure," Takumi agreed easily, figuring he wouldn't mind another round.
Enel's face drained of all color. "You guys go ahead without me. I'm not coming along."
"Fine," Takumi said without argument. "But wait here until we're done. Don't go wandering off."
Enel scoffed. "You think I'm some kid who needs a babysitter?"
Takumi had no intention of micromanaging Enel, but he knew leaving him unsupervised on Sabaody could lead to all kinds of trouble.
"Just stay put, alright?" Kaku added helpfully. "Amusement parks aren't fun alone. It's better when you're with others, and the line isn't even that long. We'll only be twenty minutes."
Enel grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, twenty minutes. Just hurry it up."
With that, Takumi and Kaku went to join the line again.
Enel, left alone, found a lounge chair nearby and reclined with his legs crossed, sunbathing as he waited.
Ten minutes passed.
Suddenly, all around the park, people began to drop to their knees, fear etched across their faces.
A grotesquely obese man, a Tenryuubito, rode through the park. With a snotty nose and a bubble helmet on his head, he was carried on the back of a muscular man who wore a slave's collar, his body covered in wounds.
Two bodyguards flanked the Tenryuubito, as he moved through the park with an air of arrogance...
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Sorry for not uploading as I was busy with school and other obligations. I forgot to publish it, but here is today's chapter. Please support me on https://ko-fi.com/gered so I have the motivation to finish this story.