No matter how passionate the owner of this small shabby fishing boat sounded, to Kaku and Enel, it was all nonsense.
Even if Kaku was interested in buying the boat, Enel wouldn't agree.
"This piece of junk, even if you gave it to me, I wouldn't want it," Enel said disdainfully. "Only a high-class, elegant ship is worthy of a god like me."
"Is this guy out of his mind?" Anie muttered under his breath.
Gewo, who hadn't dared to speak, quickly pulled at Anie, whispering, "Do you want to die? He's a Devil Fruit user—it wouldn't take much for him to deal with us."
"Oh... I almost forgot..." Anie broke into a cold sweat, cautiously glancing at Enel.
If it had been any other day, Enel would've struck down anyone who dared to look down on him, but today, he was in a decent mood and decided to let it slide.
"Consider yourself lucky," Enel snorted. "A merciful god like me will forgive your insolence this once. But if there's a next time, you'll pay with your life."
"Yes, yes, I won't do it again," Anie responded with a forced smile.
Kaku continued, "This boat has been around for at least five years, right? And it's been repaired at least five times. While it might not look too damaged on the outside, the internal structure is barely holding up. As far as I can see, this boat will only be able to handle about ten more short-distance voyages before it falls apart. And we need to travel far, to many places. This boat just won't cut it."
After a short pause, Kaku added, "Besides, we need a high-quality vessel. This boat's specs are too low, the space is too small, and it has a very limited lifespan. At best, it's worth between fifty and one hundred thousand Berries. With that money, I could buy the materials myself and build a brand new fishing boat."
Anie: "..."
"Enough talk." Kaku wasn't interested in wasting more words with Anie. He turned to Enel, who was still fiddling with the Golden Staff. "Big guy, be careful while you're getting used to your new weapon. Make sure you don't accidentally sink this boat."
Enel grumbled, "You idiot, long nose! Do you think I'm that careless? A god like me never makes the same mistake twice!"
"Alright, alright, suit yourself. I'm tired, I'm going to rest," Kaku said and went into the cabin.
After Kaku left the deck, Enel suddenly realized something, and with a twitch of his mouth, he glared at Anie and Gewo in frustration. "What did that long-nosed idiot just call me?"
Anie replied awkwardly, "Uh, I didn't catch it..."
Gewo shook his head. "I didn't either..."
"Useless idiots," Enel muttered disdainfully.
The two men exchanged glances, especially as they noticed the small sparks of electricity flickering around Enel. They decided it was best to stay quiet.
After nearly two hours of sailing, the fishing boat finally reached a small island with a population of less than a thousand.
When the boat docked, Takumi and his group disembarked and made their way towards the island's only town, Buggy Town.
After they left, Anie and Gewo both sighed in relief.
"Anie, is it true what that long-nosed guy said? Is your boat really on its last legs?" Gewo asked Anie curiously.
"How would I know..." Anie replied, clearly annoyed. "My boat's perfectly fine. That long-nosed brat must be trying to mess with me! Seriously, if they didn't want to buy it, fine, but why say such nonsense just to irritate me? Young people these days have no respect."
Takumi and his group soon arrived at Buggy Town.
At the town's entrance, just like on the other small island they'd been to, a pirate flag was hung up as a deterrent.
Seeing the flag above the gate, Enel scoffed, "Another place under Whitebeard's protection? Is he really a pirate, or does he just protect every place he comes across?"
"I've already told you—Whitebeard's different from the other pirates," Kaku said, uninterested in giving further explanation. "Let him do what he wants, as long as it doesn't interfere with us. It doesn't matter. Right?"
As he spoke, Kaku looked at Takumi.
Takumi nodded slightly and stepped into Buggy Town.
"Captain, are we buying a new ship directly, or are we going to gather materials to build a new one?" Kaku asked as they entered the town.
Takumi thought for a moment before answering, "Let's buy the materials first."
"Alright," Kaku said without much concern. "But I don't have much money on me... I wonder how much custom gears will cost..."
Takumi pulled out a wad of bills and handed them to Kaku.
Kaku took the money without hesitation, then asked, "Captain, where do you keep all this money? Can your pockets really hold so much?"
"What do you think?" Takumi replied, glancing at him.
Kaku scratched his head, puzzled. "You also pulled the Golden Staff from your pocket. Is it possible that your pocket is some kind of treasure bag?"
Kaku hadn't believed in something as fantastical as a bag that could hold anything, but after seeing Enel's new weapon change size and weight, he was starting to believe Takumi might really have such a magical item.
Enel, on the other hand, didn't care. "Takumi isn't an ordinary person. Nothing that happens with him surprises me anymore."
"Alright, alright," Kaku waved his hand. "I must've been overthinking it. Are you two coming with me to buy the ship materials?"
Takumi and Enel responded in unison, "No."
"Heh," Kaku sneered, unusually defiant. "Alright, if you two aren't going, then neither am I."
Takumi: "..."
Enel: "..."
Kaku waved his hand dismissively. "This ship isn't just mine. If you two don't help, I'll go on strike. Let's see who holds out longer."
"You idiot, long nose! You're getting way too full of yourself!" Enel's entire body sparked with electricity, ready to attack at the slightest provocation.
Kaku, however, wasn't afraid at all. In fact, he goaded Enel further. "Go ahead, injure me. Then no one will be able to build the ship, and we'll be stuck on this small island even longer."
Enel's mouth twitched as he looked to Takumi for help. "Do you hear him? If you don't step in, Captain, you'll lose your authority."
Without a word, Takumi turned and punched Enel, then looked at Kaku with an indifferent expression.
Before Takumi could say anything, Kaku spoke up, "Even if you're the captain, this time it won't work. I'm serious. We need to build the new ship together—all three of us. Only by doing it ourselves will you truly value it. If you insist on doing nothing, we might as well just buy a pre-built ship. The decision is yours, Captain—do we buy one, or do we build it together?"
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