In the sky, Bahr moved like a phantom, closely pursuing Enel who had transformed into a bolt of lightning. The Autumn Water Sword in his hand traced a gleaming arc through the air, slicing down with a sharp, whistling sound.
Enel's eyes widened as he hastily raised his golden staff to block. A deafening clang rang out, sparks scattering everywhere. His arms went numb, and he was sent crashing onto the deck like a kite with its string cut, splintering the wooden planks beneath him.
"You're still far from ready," Bahr said, hovering mid-air, a careless smirk playing on his lips. His tone was so casual it might as well have been small talk.
Five days had passed since the fierce battle with the Golden Lion. The ever-vigorous Bahr had long since recovered his strength, and with nothing better to do, he'd taken to sparring with Enel.
Though he called it sparring, what he really wanted was to explore the "space" of his modifications through combat. Unfortunately, he hadn't made any progress. Losing patience, he simply slashed down with a single decisive strike, sending Enel tumbling.
Enel's expression darkened. He wanted to retort but swallowed his words, letting out a cold snort before transforming back into lightning and floating back to his "God Seat." He couldn't help but wonder: How did this guy's swordsmanship improve so much all of a sudden?
Bahr couldn't be bothered with his sulking—Enel was always like this. With a flick of his wrist, the Autumn Water Sword vanished into space before reappearing safely on the deck.
As expected, Miss. Valentine was already approaching with a sweet, syrupy smile. "Boss, you were amazing! That slash just now was so cool!"
"That's all it takes to impress you?" Bahr wrapped an arm around her waist, giving it a teasing pinch as his grin turned mischievous. "I've got something even better. I'll show you tonight."
Miss. Valentine's cheeks flushed pink as she lightly punched his chest, though her eyes shimmered with seductive allure. "Boss, you're bullying me again~"
From his "God Seat" in the distance, Enel shot a glance at the two lovebirds, his frown deepening. With a disdainful tsk, he turned his face away, staring at the drifting clouds in the sky while still puzzling over Bahr's inexplicable improvement.
Just five days ago, he was lying in bed groaning from his injuries. How did he get up like he's a completely different person?
Arm still around Miss. Valentine, Bahr strolled to the table at the center of the deck and leisurely took a seat. He picked up a glass of juice and took a sip, his gaze drifting toward Porche, who was floating nearby, practicing her object manipulation.
"How's the training going?" he called out.
"Ugh, Boss, you're so mean, asking about that right away~" Porche replied in a cutesy voice, making an empty wine glass float in front of her and spin in a circle. "I've been working so hard these past few days! I've already got a basic grasp of the Float-Float Fruit's powers~"
"Keep it up," Bahr said, taking another sip of juice as he watched the hovering glass.
He knew full well that objects touched by the Float-Float Fruit could remain suspended indefinitely, requiring almost no effort to maintain. Otherwise, how could the Golden Lion have kept dozens of islands floating ten thousand meters in the air?
Right now, what Porche needed to practice most was precision control—starting with small objects like glasses, then moving on to barrels and larger items, until she could manipulate them effortlessly at will.
"Don't worry, Boss~" Porche winked, the rim of the glass playfully "nodding" at him. "I'll definitely do my best~"
Bahr chuckled but didn't press further. His eyes swept across the deck until they landed on Nico Robin, who sat elegantly under a parasol, flipping through a newspaper.
"Any interesting news?" he asked.
—The newspaper had just been delivered by a News Bird.
Nico Robin closed the paper and handed it over, her voice calm and measured. "The biggest headline is that the Straw Hat Boy and his crew attacked Judicial Island."
"What? Attacked Judicial Island?" The smile froze on Bahr's face. After a stunned pause, he took the newspaper.
Glancing down, the front page was dominated by a picture of the Straw Hat crew assaulting Judicial Island, the bold headline screaming: "Straw Hat Pirates Defy World Government with Brazen Attack."
The sight left Bahr dumbfounded. He distinctly remembered that, in the original story, the Straw Hats had attacked Judicial Island solely to rescue Nico Robin.
But now, Nico Robin was right here on his ship, with no connection to the Straw Hats whatsoever. Without the core motivation of "fighting for a comrade," why would they still attack Judicial Island?
Bahr was completely baffled. His brows furrowed deeply as he flipped through the pages rapidly, scanning every word for an explanation.
But the World Government was clearly suppressing any details that might reflect poorly on them. The entire article painted the Straw Hat Pirates as ruthless criminals, emphasizing their "atrocities" while omitting any mention of their motives, leaving readers utterly confused.
"Strange... This doesn't make sense," Bahr muttered to himself, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
Miss. Valentine leaned in to peek at the newspaper and clicked her tongue. "That Straw Hat Boy has some nerve. Judicial Island is the World Government's front door. This is basically declaring war on them."
"Boss, is this Straw Hat Boy really strong?" Porche asked curiously, tilting her head.
Bahr shook his head, then nodded. "In terms of strength, they're still nothing special. But in terms of guts? No one else would dare provoke the World Government like this."
He truly couldn't figure it out. Without the reason of rescuing Robin, what could have possibly driven the Straw Hats to attack Judicial Island?
"Here are their wanted posters," Nico Robin said, pulling a stack of bounty notices from the newspaper and handing them over. "Perhaps the BOSS will find them interesting."
Bahr took them and flipped through them one by one. The bounty amounts and portraits matched his memories of the original story almost exactly.
He skimmed past the Straw Hats' posters with little interest—until he saw Nami's photo. A playful smirk curled at the corner of his lips.
That Little Cat Burglar still looks as alluring as ever. I kinda miss her.
Miss. Valentine noticed him staring at Nami's poster and pouted, giving his arm a light pinch. "Boss, are you thinking about another woman again?"
Bahr chuckled but kept flipping through the posters. When Franky's bounty notice came into view, his fingers abruptly stilled.
Surely they didn't attack Judicial Island to rescue Franky, did they?
The mere thought of Franky screaming "I WANNA LIVE!" was enough to make his scalp tingle.
Besides, Franky had initially clashed with the Straw Hats—he'd stolen their money and even injured Usopp... Wait!
Bahr's eyes lit up. He remembered that, in the original story, Usopp had fallen out with the Straw Hats over the Going Merry, lost a duel, and left with the ship. Later, he was kidnapped by the Franky Family, and when CP9 moved to seize the blueprints for Pluton, they'd captured Franky—and Usopp along with him.
Could it be... this time, the Straw Hats attacked Judicial Island to rescue Usopp?
After some thought, Bahr decided this made the most sense.
Most likely, CP9 had taken Usopp incidentally. Without the Robin storyline, there wouldn't have been a scene where Sanji boarded the Sea Train early. Instead, they must have charged straight to Judicial Island to save Usopp, leading to a grand reconciliation amid the chaos.
That's probably how it went down.
Bahr tossed the bounty posters onto the table and took a big gulp of juice. He couldn't be bothered to think about it anymore. What the Straw Hats do is none of my damn business.
From a distance, Enel, who had been eavesdropping, frowned even harder. He glanced at Bahr, lounging on the deck sipping juice, then looked up at the churning clouds in the sky.
No way. I'm a god! How can I let that damn Straw Hat steal the spotlight? I need to do something earth-shattering to crush that annoying bravado once and for all.