After a long while.
When Xiang En finished the dishes and came out, he found the three people in the living room getting along very well.
Drake was recounting his experiences on the sea, the only "native" among the four. Kagura and Klee listened intently while enjoying popsicles.
"Xia-chan, I want to go to Fish-Man Island!" Kagura shot over to him as soon as she saw Xiang En come out.
"Big Brother Xiang En, Klee wants to go to Water 7. It's all water, so there must be lots of fish!" Klee's eyes shone with expectation.
"Hmm… Fish-Man Island will be our first destination after the ship is finished, barring any accidents," Xiang En answered seriously. "As for Water 7, that might have to wait a long time, since we first need to head to the New World, to Dressrosa."
"Yay!" Kagura cheered.
Klee looked disappointed for a moment, but then she suddenly brightened up.
"Big Brother Xiang En, are Fish-Men a special kind of fish?" she asked, rubbing her hands together excitedly.
Xiang En instantly understood her mischievous intent and quickly stopped her:
"We absolutely cannot bomb them! Fish-Men are a humanoid race with the same intelligence as people. You must never go bombing people when we get to Fish-Man Island!"
"Mmm, so Fish-Men aren't fish. Klee won't hurt them, Big Brother Xiang En." Klee nodded obediently, though a hint of sadness lingered on her face.
"Klee, don't forget we'll be sailing this whole way! Will there be a shortage of fish in the sea? And you haven't seen the Sea Kings of this world yet—they are all big fish even larger than a ship!" Xiang En reassured her, rubbing her small head.
"F-fish bigger than a ship?"
How powerful a bomb would that need?
Klee was stunned by the sudden revelation. After being frozen in thought for a long while, she finally snapped back, her small face filled with renewed purpose. She grabbed her little satchel and went "dada-da" running toward the room.
She had to go back and manufacture stronger bombs.
"Big Brother Xiang En, Big Sister Kagura, and Drake, Klee has something to do and is going back to her room now!"
Klee, the little elemental, disappeared up the stairs like a gust of wind.
Soon after, Kagura also felt sleepy and went upstairs to bed, leaving only Xiang En and Drake in the living room.
"What are you going to Dressrosa for?"
Drake's expression had been odd ever since Xiang En mentioned Dressrosa. (Unknown to Xiang En, Drake's father had died at Doflamingo's hands, giving him a deep, personal vendetta.)
"To take him down, of course. Do you want to join?"
Xiang En smiled faintly, seeing an opportunity to recruit Drake for the inevitable confrontation.
"Nani? You mean to challenge a Warlord of the Sea?"
Drake froze, then looked at Xiang En, bewildered.
"The two of us? Fighting a Warlord?"
"If you agree, then we'll have five people: me, you, Kagura, Klee, and Old Niel the shipwright," Xiang En said calmly, his tone making the insane challenge sound like a morning plan.
"…"
Drake was silent. He realized Xiang En wasn't joking. He didn't dislike this lunatic courage; he admired it. For thirteen years, he had suppressed his own desire for revenge against Doflamingo out of "self-awareness."
"Do you know what you're saying?" Drake asked earnestly. "The other Warlords, apart from Mihawk, are never alone. Their forces are massive. You won't just be facing a single Warlord, but tens of thousands of enemies."
He watched Xiang En's eyes, searching for the natural fear that should accompany such knowledge. He saw none.
Drake was truly astonished now, his gaze filled with disbelief, because the young man's body suddenly erupted with a sharp, kingly aura.
The room was hit by an invisible gale; doors and windows rattled, and the table legs shook.
Drake felt an overwhelming pressure, paralyzing his body for a moment.
There's no mistake, this is… Conquerors Haki!
Does he actually possess this talent? Wait, is he really not a Marine?