Roa returned to the Blue Sea with everyone except King. Although King stayed behind, he was now accompanied by Enel, which balanced the numbers.
However, once he was back in the Blue Sea, Roa wasn't in a hurry to leave. He first returned to Birka. King couldn't stay on Sky Island permanently; once he had conquered this part of the sky, he would have to leave. The Disaster Company still had to conquer its territory in the New World, and the workload was no small matter. As a high-ranking executive, King couldn't be absent.
For management, the God of Birka was more than competent. That guy was mediocre and envious of the talented, which Roa appreciated greatly. However, with a guy like him as a manager, someone with combat power had to stay behind to replace King and oversee the sky. This was simple enough; Roa sent Electric Blue to Birka. Although he hadn't awakened his Haki yet, the android's strength was more than enough to sweep the entire sky. No one could stand against him.
In this way, the White-White Sea and the White Sea should soon be under their control. "Sigh, it looks like I'll have to put more work on Judge's plate."
The value of conquering the sky couldn't be realized without building a ship that could freely travel between the Blue Sea and the sky. "Sigh, if only I could get the Float-Float Fruit, it would be so much more convenient."
"Old man Shiki, when are you going to die?"
"Can I inherit your Devil Fruit?"
Regardless, with everything arranged, the Snail Grand Fleet set off once again.
However...
"Boss, this direction..."
Dylan, the chief butler and navigator of the Disaster Company, was very surprised. "Aren't we supposed to be heading back to the New World?"
But their current course was heading toward the entrance of the Grand Line, toward Reverse Mountain.
"Doesn't going over Reverse Mountain take us to the New World?" Roa said casually. "It's even closer this way."
Dylan was stunned. He was right. Their current position was roughly in the middle of the Paradise. Whether they went through Fish-Man Island or over Reverse Mountain, the journey to the New World was about the same. But it was a different story once they arrived in the New World. Their final destination was the latter half of the New World, the sea where Elbaf was located.
If they went the conventional route through Fish-Man Island, they would have to sail all the way from the entrance. But going over Reverse Mountain would make the journey much shorter, as they would be starting from the end of the New World.
"Besides," Roa's eyes narrowed, "we're going to Elbaf next, so let's prepare a gift for the captain's old friend first."
"I understand," Dylan nodded.
Elbaf was indeed a very tough nut to crack. The strongest country in the world wasn't just a baseless claim. No country in the world could match the giant warriors of that nation. Not to mention, they were led by Harald! That guy was the world's strongest giant, a super monster that even Rocks had to acknowledge!
If they were going to deal with a guy like that, as the Boss said, it was always a good idea to be prepared.
"Next, we're heading to Little Garden." They had been fighting for seventy years, so they must have had enough, right? If not, Captain Roa would be there to referee!
"By the way, Boss," Dylan seemed to remember something. "Teach and the others went to find Enel."
"Oh? Has it become a customary welcoming ceremony?" Roa said with a touch of emotion. "Let them go. Young people have a lot of energy. When I was their age, I also liked to have fun."
You certainly liked to have fun.
When you were that age, the Kingdom of Perpetual War was already dancing in the palm of your hand.
Dylan sighed inwardly.
Well, Enel, good luck to him.
In a corner of the Grand Fleet, Enel remained furious. Ever since he ate that strange Devil Fruit and began to see himself as a god, he had never experienced such humiliation! Although the guy named Roa had promised him that he would take him to the Infinite Continent when he had time, he didn't need his help in the first place!
Although he didn't dare to show his anger in front of that guy, Enel still dared to be angry in private. And just as he was fuming, three guys found him.
"Zehahaha! You're Enel, right?" Teach laughed heartily, looking like a big brother. "I'm Teach, and these two are Doflamingo and Bege. From now on, we're all partners, so please take care of me."
To be acknowledged by Roa and forcefully invited into the Disaster Company, this kid's potential was certainly not low. He was a Logia-type, the Goro Goro no Mi, after all. It wasn't a bad idea to get on his good side first.
But...
"Partners?" Enel's eyes were fierce, flashing with a savage light as if he were about to devour someone. "What are you?! How dare you mere mortals speak of being partners with a god!"
"Fufufufu! It seems this guy hasn't figured out his situation yet." Doflamingo laughed with interest. Even the Celestial Dragons wouldn't use the word "god" in every sentence. This kid's head was definitely messed up. He was even crazier than Doflamingo.
Bege thought to himself in silence, and then a hint of schadenfreude rose in his heart. Good, let him be crazy. This way, neither Teach nor Doflamingo will tolerate him. This kind of arrogant brat needs a good beating!
"Hey, hey, hey, don't say that!" Teach still looked like a good-natured guy, which made Bege and Doflamingo, who already knew his personality, feel a little sickened. But of course, neither of them dared to say anything.
"We're all going to be working under the Boss from now on. Don't tell me," the big, dark-skinned guy grinned, "you still dare to resist the Boss?"
The Boss?
That guy named Roa?
Enel's expression turned ferocious. "I'll kill you sooner or la—"
He was so angry that he didn't even use his self-proclaimed title of "god" anymore.
But Enel didn't finish his sentence.
"Waaaaah!"
The moment a negative thought about Roa rose in his mind, Enel screamed and fell to the ground, holding his head, writhing in pain like a maggot.
Fear had seeped into his bones. He couldn't think, let alone resist. An indescribable terror consumed everything in Enel. His blood seemed to freeze, and his soul seemed to shatter. He could only scream and wail. This was the same feeling of despair Enel had experienced before. That was why he was here. Even though he had experienced it once, at this moment, Enel was still in so much pain that he wished he could die.
"Zehahahaha! I told you, do you still dare to resist the Boss?" Teach looked down at Enel, who was like a maggot, and laughed with a sunny and cheerful expression. "From now on, we are comrades, Enel. This is a fact that can't be changed."
But what a terrifying ability! That rebellious Enel was turned into this by Roa in an instant? Was it an ability that could modify personality?
Teach couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Luckily, he didn't resist to the end. Otherwise, this might have been his fate as well.
Enel couldn't respond to Teach at all. He just continued to wail at the top of his lungs.
"Fufufufu! What an idiot!" Doflamingo felt empathy for Enel but had no problem laughing at him. What a disgrace. And he called himself a god? Fufufufu!
"Alright, Enel," Teach squatted down and patted Enel's head reassuringly. "Calm down. Stop thinking about being an enemy of the Boss. Comply. Complying with that man will make you feel better."
Comply?
If I comply, will I be okay?
I get it! This god won't, this god won't resist you anymore!
Enel shouted in his heart.
And so, the heavy despair quickly subsided. Finally, he stopped writhing.
"Hah! Hah!" Enel sat on the ground, panting, with a look of lingering fear.
Enel, who was well aware of all this, no longer dared to harbor any thoughts of resistance. He knew that as long as he had any thought of resisting that man, his soul and body would tremble. An unspeakable fear would make him feel like he was going to completely shatter. That was a pain that no human could endure.
He just panted in silence. However, as the fear subsided, anger flared up again. But there was nothing he could do. He couldn't vent the anger in his heart. He didn't even dare to be angry at that guy anymore!
Wait! Aren't there some annoying guys in front of me?
Enel suddenly looked up.
"Zehahahaha! I thought you had already understood the situation." Teach chuckled. "But that look in your eyes, it seems you're still not convinced!"
"This god is very angry right now!" Enel sneered.
I don't dare to resist that guy, but I can still deal with you guys, right?
Enel, who already had a very bad personality, now wanted to vent his anger. In an instant, he turned into lightning and put some distance between himself and the three of them. Enel flicked his right hand, and bolts of lightning shot toward Teach and the other two.
"In that case, let me show you something good too!" Teach laughed. He pressed a button on his waist. In the next instant, a light enveloped him.
Crash!
The lightning struck the light, making it even more brilliant.
But...
"What?" Enel cried out in disbelief as the light dissipated.
Teach was now wearing a black, tight-fitting battlesuit. To be honest, with his body type, such clothes were a bit unsightly. His massive belly and short legs were clearly visible. But Teach didn't care about any of that. He never cared about appearances; as long as he was strong enough, that was all that mattered!
And it was a fact that this battlesuit was strong. The lightning that Enel released had no effect on it except for adding a bit of a lightning effect to Teach.
"How is that possible!" Enel was in disbelief. Just like the gods, his lightning had no effect on this ugly, big guy!
Wait!
Could he, just like that god named King, be able to attack me?
Enel's face changed drastically. He instinctively tried to turn into lightning and run.
But he was too slow. The speed of lightning was, of course, fast enough that people couldn't react. But it took time for Enel to turn into his elemental form. And that little bit of time was enough!
The agile Teach shot forward and appeared in front of Enel. He laughed and slammed his massive fist into Enel's stomach.
"Waaaaah!" Enel screamed again. He immediately threw up.
"That's disgusting!" Doflamingo frowned and backed away.
Enel was sent flying by Teach's powerful punch and rolled several times on the ground in a pathetic manner.
"Ugh!"
It hurts!
It hurts so much!
It feels like my intestines have been broken into several pieces!
This guy is so strong!
And why can they hit me?
What kind of trick did they use?
Teach walked over with a smile. "Enel, now let me teach you the way of survival in the Disaster Company!"
Of course, he still couldn't use Haki. He couldn't attack the real body of a Logia user like King could. But to solve that problem, all he needed was a small piece of Seastone, right? The Disaster Company was never short of Seastone.
"You... what do you want to do!!" Enel looked terrified.
"Zehahaha! Enel, this is a necessary lesson! Grit your teeth!" Teach didn't hesitate and punched him hard.
"Waaah!!" Screams immediately followed.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Bege clicked his tongue. "That's brutal."
"The brat needs to understand his place," Doflamingo laughed strangely. "The fundamental rule here is survival of the fittest!"
"Doff is right!" Teach said with a good-natured smile as he continued to punch him. "So do you understand, Enel? Only the strong are qualified to be arrogant. The weak should just tuck their tails between their legs."
"I-I understand..." Enel's face was bruised and swollen from the beating. His eyes were now filled with fear as he looked at Teach.
All his arrogance came from his invincible Goro Goro no Mi. But now that his ability was useless against these guys and he was being beaten up by them, Enel was at his wit's end. He was only nine years old after all, a child in the true sense of the word.
Unlike a guy like Teach, Enel didn't have an unshakeable belief, or he wouldn't have been so easily planted with the seed of fear by Roa. And now, after a good beating, he had also surrendered.
"Zehahaha! That's more like it!" Teach reached out his hand to Enel with satisfaction. "I'm sorry, Enel, I used some rather drastic methods, but from now on, we're partners, so let's get along well."
Enel hesitated, but he slowly reached out and shook Teach's hand.
And so, the next day, Roa saw Enel meekly following behind Teach.
"Oh? You've become a good kid?" Roa, who was leaning on Amatsuki Toki and enjoying a beautiful woman's massage while leisurely flipping through a pile of Marine documents under a parasol, said with interest.
"Boss." Enel, who had called himself a god yesterday, greeted Roa obediently. Amatsuki Toki, who was massaging Roa's temples, looked at Enel with a complicated expression.
Just like her, this child was also unable to escape Roa's control!
"Zehahaha!" Teach said with a chuckle, "Boss, after I gave Enel a good lecture on the way of survival in the Disaster Company, he knew what to do."
"Good," Roa nodded slightly. "But Teach, don't file off all his edges. A wavering person is weak."
"Yes, Boss!" Teach nodded vigorously. "I told him that only the strong are allowed to be arrogant. If he gets strong enough, it'll be his turn to teach me!"
Enel immediately looked thoughtful.
"Very good!" Roa was even more satisfied with Teach.
Captain, you've raised a good son!
While Roa's crew quickly sailed toward Little Garden, on Sky Island...
"Is everyone here?" King floated in mid-air with his wings spread, looking down at the warriors lined up on the coast.
"Yes! God! All 560 members of the God's Guard are here!" The former God of Birka, now King's deputy, stood at the front of the line and replied respectfully.
Only a little over 500 people? King raised an eyebrow. That's pathetic.
But then he thought about it. The island of Birka only had a few tens of thousands of people in total. Maintaining a standing army of over 500 people was already considered to be over-militarized. It didn't matter. He alone was enough to conquer this part of the sky. The biggest role of these soldiers was to take over the territory they were about to conquer.
Although the number seemed far from enough right now, the size of the army would surely expand greatly during the conquest. According to the former God of Birka, there were still many people in the sky waiting for the return of the "gods." They believed that gods were born to rule all the descendants of Birka. So, there should be very few people who would resist.
"Then let's go," King said. "We can't keep the Boss waiting. Which island is the closest one?"
"Angel Island!"
Angel Island?
Why does that sound so familiar?
And so, the residents of Angel Island, who had just lost their God's Island, never expected that a new storm would descend upon them in an instant!
Not long after, the Snail Grand Fleet, which was sailing forward with a rumble, finally arrived in front of a lush, green island. Roa stood on the head of the snail and looked at the island that was getting closer. His Observation Haki had already covered it.
A hint of joy appeared on his face. "We're finally here... Huh?"
Boom!
The sea in front of them suddenly exploded. A giant goldfish, as large as an island, shot out from under the sea. It opened its mouth wide and pounced on the Snail Fleet.
"How annoying," Roa curled his lips. "You're not who I wanted to see."
Boom!
A fierce wind suddenly rose from the sea! The sky and sea were instantly connected. A giant funnel-shaped tornado picked up a large amount of seawater and even the massive goldfish! Then, the giant fish was thrown out.
Behind him, Enel, who had never seen anything like this, was dumbfounded.
This... this kind of power?
This guy is the true god, isn't he!
And at this moment, very coincidentally...
Rumble!
A volcano on the distant island erupted.
"Oh!" Roa raised an eyebrow. "It seems we've arrived just in time."
This was Little Garden. Although the island's area wasn't small, for the people who lived on it, it was indeed just a small garden.
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