Time passes imperceptibly.
Hours had passed since Rin had given Artoria the Favorability Fruit, and by lunchtime, Artoria had come out of her room.
Rin suddenly felt that Artoria had changed.
Her expression had changed.
The way she looked at him had changed.
That gaze—there was affection in it.
Yes, it could only be described that way. A trace of emotion now shimmered clearly in Artoria's eyes when she looked at Rin—unabashedly. Even Enel, who stood nearby, noticed it.
Artoria herself was a little puzzled.
She didn't know why, but Rin's image kept appearing in her mind.
Still, she simply assumed she liked him. After all, that feeling had existed before she'd sensed it but now it was far more intense. And as for liking Rin… Artoria wasn't surprised.
She didn't know when it started.
That man had begun to attract her.
She just hadn't said it aloud.
She quickly finished her lunch.
Casa came to Rin's side. "Captain, in about half an hour, we should be able to reach Water 7."
"Well, got it." Rin nodded at the report. "Once we get to Water 7, go find the best shipwrights on the island. Tell them to fully upgrade our ship—don't hold back. We've got the funds."
Unlike the Straw Hat Pirates…
Rin didn't believe in ship spirits or things like that. Even if the ship got completely overhauled, he wouldn't feel sentimental about it.
Half an hour passed quickly.
Soon, a massive island city appeared in Rin's view.
That was Water 7.
Over 800 years ago, the shipwrights of Water 7 had played a role in creating the ancient weapon Pluton. The blueprints for Pluton had been secretly passed down and preserved in this very city. Yet, very few knew the truth.
"Speed up—we're entering Water 7." As the city loomed closer, Rin waved his hand and shouted the order.
"Yes, Captain!"
Casa responded and moved to accelerate. But just then, his expression changed. He turned sharply to his left and shouted, "Ship sighted! Pirate vessel approaching from the nine o'clock direction!"
"Oh?"
Rin turned his head immediately and spotted a pirate ship flying a flag headed straight toward them.
He glanced at Artoria and asked, "Do you recognize them?"
"I do," Artoria nodded calmly. "I saw their bounties recently. That's the Werewolf Pirates. Their captain, Offman, has a Zoan-type Coyote Devil Fruit and a bounty of 40 million Berries. Looks like they're here to pick a fight."
"Tch."
Rin clicked his tongue and sneered. "Trying to ride our coattails, huh? Probably want to make a name by attacking us. Do they really think we're weak just because we're newly named Warlords? Enel, deal with them—quick and clean."
"No problem, boss."
Enel, who had been silently observing with a blank expression, gave a slight nod. In the next instant, his body transformed into brilliant blue lightning and shot through the air.
In the blink of an eye, he was above the Werewolf Pirates' ship.
At that moment—
The Werewolf Pirates were completely unaware of the godlike figure above.
Their massive ship was led by a burly man—Offman—who stood at the bow with his deputy beside him. The deputy was grinning excitedly. "Captain, that Pandora Pirate guy—Rin—only has a 50 million bounty and still got named a Warlord. He must've gotten lucky. If we take him down, we could replace him! The World Government might even consider us the new Shichibukai!"
"Hahaha, exactly," Offman laughed heartily, eyes gleaming.
He'd never accepted that some unknown punk with a low bounty had earned a seat among the Seven Warlords of the Sea. So he'd dug around, tracked Rin's movements, and brought his crew here to challenge him directly.
"And Captain," the deputy added, "being a Warlord also means we can plunder legally, without the Marines chasing us. Two birds with one stone!"
"Exactly. Perfect plan," Offman nodded with growing excitement.
Then he raised his arm and roared, "Full speed ahead! I'm gonna kill that punk Rin and take his Warlord seat!"
He licked his lips and added nastily, "And there's a hot-looking woman on that ship. She'll be mine too—perfect for warming my bed! Hahaha!"
Offman roared with laughter.
But what he didn't know… was that Enel heard every word.
From above, with his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki)—what he called his "Mantra"—Enel caught all their filthy talk, and his expression turned cold.
"You dare insult the boss's woman? You don't even know how to spell death."
Enel muttered coldly, and in the next instant, his lightning-wreathed form descended behind Offman without a sound.
"Your daydreams are over."
"Who?!"
Startled, Offman whirled around—only to freeze in fear.
There stood Enel, his body crackling with electricity. Lightning arcs danced across his limbs, hissing with power, glowing like the wrath of a storm.
"A-are you… a Logia-type Devil Fruit user?!" Offman's voice trembled.
In the Grand Line, Logia users were feared like living gods—untouchable by most. As a Zoan user himself, Offman knew he didn't stand a chance.
"L-look, mister, maybe there's been a misunderstanding… I don't think we've met before, right? We've got no beef—none at all!" Offman stammered desperately.
Enel sneered in disgust.
"I'm Enel—Combatant of the Pandora Pirates."
——————
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