Kai hadn't expected Bellamy would help them.
But Kai barely gave it another thought and moved on. What he was really curious about now was what had happened between the time he fell and when Luffy and the others arrived.
Why did the Golden Lion's body disappear into thin air? Was he not dead?
No, that's impossible!
This idea flickered through Kai's mind for only a moment before he dismissed it. At that time, the Golden Lion had been completely out of gas—he was sure of it.
So what exactly happened during that time?
Kai felt a thrill of intrigue and chuckled.
"Interesting!"
He hoped he'd never find out who took the Golden Lion. Anyone who dares to steal his trophy will be dealt with!
Just as Kai's thoughts swirled, Luffy suddenly shouted, "So, Kai, did you defeat the Golden Lion?"
"No!" Kai shook his head and added, "I can be considered the one who directly caused the Golden Lion's death, but I didn't defeat him!"
???
Everyone was stunned by Kai's words.
If you kill someone, doesn't that mean you've defeated them?
Seeing their confusion, Kai knew he needed to explain.
"So, after he pulls out the rudder on his head, he would die even without you fighting him?"
"Yes! That's right! The battle with me just accelerated the process!" Kai nodded in confirmation.
"But honestly, the Golden Lion's strength after his Devil Fruit power was unleashed was overwhelming. At that stage, I was no match for him!"
"You're already very strong. You fought against someone of that level for ten minutes!" Robin interjected from the side.
Compared to Luffy and the others, Robin had a broader perspective and knew how vast the world was.
Given Kai's current strength, she estimated that very few could defeat him.
Robin couldn't help but glance at Kai. "This young man is quite formidable~"
...
"Hey, old man, haven't you ever thought about going to Sky Island?" Kai asked Cricket.
After Kai and the others expressed their desire to visit Sky Island, Cricket pondered for a moment and decided to help them modify the Merry so it could reach the sky.
"Idiot! What nonsense are you talking about? If you're not careful at such a high altitude, someone might die!"
Cricket said as he worked on reinforcing the Merry.
Since Kai hadn't caused any damage to the Merry along their journey, the ship was in much better condition than in the original story.
No major repairs were needed, just some reinforcement.
Kai lounged nearby watching them work, while Luffy and the others went off to find Nannan Miantori.
Although nothing was happening now, Kai was mentally exhausted and needed a rest!
After a while, Cricket and the others were almost done.
Kai called out, "Hey, old man, apes, and orangutans! Bring your crew over here. I'll treat you all to dinosaur meat!"
"Alright!"
Not long after Kai finished roasting the dinosaur meat, Luffy and the others returned.
"Hey, Kai, you're hilarious. We worked so hard to catch birds, and you're here secretly eating dinosaur meat?"
"Huh?" Kai looked at him curiously and then at Cricket and the others.
"Secretly eating? Isn't this eating openly?"
"Oh, right!" Luffy, being somewhat clueless, immediately agreed with Kai and happily ran over to grab the meat.
After taking a bite, Cricket reminded them, "It's already one o'clock in the morning. If you want to sleep, you should go and take a nap. The rising sea current is expected around noon tomorrow, but we don't know the exact time. So you'll need to leave early!"
"Hahaha... I'm so excited about going to Sky Island tomorrow that I can't sleep!" Luffy said with glee.
Seeing Luffy's excitement, Chopper and Usopp wanted to say something. They couldn't sleep either, but they were too scared to!
In the end, everyone decided to take a nap. No one knew what tomorrow would bring, so getting a good rest was essential!
But Kai stayed up. He lay outside, staring at the stars, his thoughts drifting to the sky.
"Sky Island? I'm looking forward to it…"
...
Dawn broke, and the sun rose!
By 6 o'clock in the morning, the sun had already reached Gaya Island.
"Hey! Everyone, let's go!"
Luffy stood on the prow of the newly modified Merry and called out.
"Can this really fly?" Nami asked doubtfully, eyeing the new ship.
"Of course! Why a chicken head instead of a pigeon head? Pigeons can fly better than chickens, right?" Zoro replied, nodding.
"Is that really the issue!!"
Nami was baffled. What were these people thinking?
After packing up, everyone boarded the ship. At the same time, two boats appeared alongside the Merry.
Cricket shouted to the apes and orangutans, "Listen up, we need to send them to the sky. Do you understand?"
"Oh!"
The crews on the two boats, the apes and the orangutans, responded in unison.
"Goodbye, old man! I'll prove the existence of the Golden Land to you!" Luffy waved as he said goodbye to Cricket.
"Hey, you brat, don't speak so quickly!"
"Hehehe…"
Under Cricket's watchful eye, the three ships slowly set sail.
"Make sure you all arrive safely, you brats!"
"Oh! This bird is so interesting. It's really pointing at the bow of the ship!" Luffy, Kai, and the others gathered around Nannan, all pointing at the bird.
"Come to think of it, it is quite fascinating!" Kai also watched the bird with interest, then reached over and nudged its head, which promptly bounced back.
"Hey hey hey!"
The group took turns giving the bird a nudge and laughed heartily.
At this moment, Nannan Miantiao was not pleased. "Cruelty to small animals, huh? Be careful, or I'll report you to the Animal Protection Association!"
A few hours later~
A massive, dark cloud loomed ahead. The orangutan pointed at it and said, "Look, that's the Emperor Cloud. Its appearance means we're close to where the current breaks out!"
The orangutan then instructed his crew, "The sea-exploring divers need to go out and scout the current's position!"
He began showing off his unique skills, pulling out a microphone and starting to howl.
Ten seconds later, a scout emerged.
"Report, a large current at twelve o'clock!"
"A large sea creature detected at nine o'clock, possibly a Large type!"
"There's a current in the opposite direction at ten o'clock. It might be a whirlpool!"
"That's the one, head towards ten o'clock!" the orangutan shouted. All three boats adjusted their course.
Before long, a massive whirlpool appeared before them…
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.