'Monarch?'
Enel didn't fully understand the deeper meaning behind Bazel's words, but he still tried his best to think it through with his small brain.
"Enel~"
Toki fell back two steps and ran her hand over his golden afro.
"What Bazel means is that the ability to wield both kindness and authority, to subdue the enemy without fighting, is what is called being a Monarch."
"Although there are always enemies on the high seas who don't read the situation, as a Monarch, the most important things are actually three."
"The first is a powerful fist. It can make those disobedient enemies stand still and listen to you."
"The second is the brain that Bazel just mentioned. A mind good at thinking and flexibly analyzing the situation is equally important."
"As for the last one~"
"That would be partners you can entrust your back to. A Monarch can never go to the battlefield alone, there will always be his followers behind him."
Enel nodded, somewhat comprehending.
He felt like he understood something.
His previous idea was to use a stronger fist to destroy the Birka Island that had humiliated him. But now it seemed, making them all live in fear, eventually dying slowly in confusion and fright, might also be a good option?
"I got the news. That guy stole a Waver and left Angel Island the night before last."
Just then, Bazel returned with information related to Byrnndi World.
"Toki, Enel, let's go. To meet the God of this place, Gan Fall."
…
Meanwhile, on Gaya Island, in the ruins of Mock Town.
An azure dragon clutching a fat fish-man landed on the ground.
"King, I'm back! Come out and greet me! This time I brought back something good!!"
"Kaido-san, you've been missing for a month. Could you please inform me the next time you decide to play disappearing act?"
King walked over, his face stern as he scolded.
"Do you know how hard it's been for us waiting for you to return?!"
"Don't worry about that. This is Tom, the best shipwright from Water 7!"
Kaido quickly shifted from his dragon form to his human form, raising his head proudly.
"I wasn't just fooling around this time I was out, I was handling serious business!"
"This guy once built a ship for the Roger Pirates. Gol D. Roger was an incredible pirate."
"Even he came to this Tom to build his ship, which shows how strong his shipbuilding skills are!"
"This…"
The bull-horned fish-man, Tom, who had landed on the ground, scratched the back of his head, still holding chopsticks, looking confused.
"Can someone tell me what's going on? I was just eating when he suddenly grabbed me."
"Saying something about me joining the Beast Pirates, and that I wouldn't have to worry about eating well or drinking again."
King's eye twitched, his originally serious gaze gradually turning into a dead fish stare.
"Kaido-san, is this what you call handling serious business?"
"You weren't negotiating at all, you just kidnapped a shipwright you fancied!"
"What's the difference?" Kaido asked, puzzled, "If a pirate sees something they want, shouldn't they just take it? Do we need to sit down and discuss it over tea?"
King: "..."
'That... makes sense...'
"Did you forget what Bazel said before? We should be a bit more polite when dealing with geniuses with special talents."
"I was plenty polite."
Kaido pointed at the deep purple furry cloak draped over the fish-man's body.
"To prevent him from catching a cold, I gave him my cloak. You know, that's a treatment even you haven't received."
"..."
King stopped paying attention to Kaido and turned to Tom.
"Hello, I am King of the Beast Pirates. Please join the Beast Pirates."
Tom: 「(°ヘ°)?
'So, adding a 'please' when you speak counts as being polite?'
"I still have work in Water 7. Could you please..."
Just as the sword at his waist was about to be drawn, Hanafuda, who had seen enough from the side, stepped forward and pushed the two away.
"Kaido-sama, King, you two aren't very good at negotiations. Let me handle this."
"Honestly… without Bazel around, there's not a single person with a brain."
King and Kaido stepped back three meters, crossing their arms and glaring at Hanafuda, their expressions clearly saying. 'If you can't talk him into it, we'll make you lie down'.
"Cough… I'm very sorry for bringing you here so abruptly. Here's the thing."
Hanafuda bent down and amiably put his arm around Tom.
"Our Beast Pirates are currently worried about building sea transportation. Do you know how to work with Seastone?"
"If not, it's okay. We can arrange for someone to teach you."
"…"
Then, Hanafuda explained the ideas for the follow-up modification ideas for the Skeleton Car he had heard from King, as well as the plans for the new Beast Pirates' ships.
"You want to use Seastone and special forging techniques to create vehicles that can travel on the sea!?"
Tom's eyes suddenly shone with a brilliant light, and he laughed, "Tahaha."
"This aligns perfectly with my ideals!"
"I've always wanted to create sea tracks unaffected by the Aqua Laguna! If we can have fast tools that can safely travel the seas, then Water 7 will definitely be saved!!"
'Sea... tracks?'
Hanafuda didn't understand what that was, but it sounded incredibly impressive.
"Actually, these things are mainly handled by another person in our pirate crew. It's just that he's busy with something right now and won't be back for a few days."
"If you want to know more details..."
"I know all about it!"
Just then, Olga rode up on her sea lizard, raising her small hand.
"I've heard lots of things from Bazel and Toki-nee~"
Tom immediately bowed into a pleading posture, "You must tell me everything, please!"
Olga's eyes rolled mischievously, "Oh my, that's quite difficult. It's a secret of our Beast Pirates, you see. If I rashly tell an outsider..."
Tom's face showed conflict.
"But if it were one of our own, I could not only tell them about the Sea Cars and Sea Motorcycles, but also the Sky Paths that Bazel mentioned~"
"I'll join!" Tom crouched down, placing his hands on Aulcalypto's shoulders, shouting excitedly, "Those cars, motorcycles, and the sky paths! You must tell me all about them!!"
"That might just be the key to saving Water 7!!"
"In that case~"
Olga made an OK gesture behind her back with her right hand, directed at King.
"I'll tell you then, Ehehehe~"
…
Seeing Olga's signal, King nodded with relief.
"Finally, all that Beast Pirates' food wasn't eaten for nothing. Olga has finally grown up."
"No, no, no..."
Hanafuda, walking over, waved his hands dismissively, "It's that we're too useless, which gave Olga a chance to shine."
Kaido, however, was unconcerned. In his view, Tom joining was inevitable.
"Where's Bazel? Why haven't I seen that guy?"
"He's hunting down Byrnndi World on Sky Island."
King pointed towards the sky, "The Sky Island is separated from the sea by a White Sea. The sea water there is just like the ocean below, it holds the same aversion to Devil Fruit users."
"Sky Island?"
After a moment's thought, Kaido made the decision to go to Sky Island.
"I'll go help him. We found the shipwright. We can't afford to delay any longer in Paradise. We must reach Wano as soon as possible!"
"King, Hanafuda, you set out together and wait for me and Bazel at Sabaody Archipelago."
Without waiting for their agreement, he transformed into an azure dragon and flew into the sky.
"Hey, wait a moment, Kaido-san..."
King's hand grasped at empty air.
"You definitely just want to go have fun, don't try to fool me!"
"I am not such a playful man! This time, it might be another great harvest!"
Just then…
"Sugoi! What a genius idea!!"
Tom's exclamation carried far.
"To think of using cloud paths to create aerial sea routes, avoiding the dangers of the ocean?!"
"This is an idea only a genius among geniuses could conceive!!"
"That Bazel-san... he must be the man with the sharpest mind on the seas!"
"Where is he? I can't wait to discuss the great project of constructing sea and sky routes with him!!"
Seeing the fish-man shipwright's complete change in attitude, Hanafuda shook his head and sighed.
"As expected of Bazel. His brain is truly something we can't match."
King glanced at Hanafuda, "What's there to compare? The two of us combined have at most two brains. That guy has eight heads."
"Even if we add Kaido-san's two-thirds of a brain, we still can't beat that guy in terms of intellect."
---
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