Chapter 83: Sail Away

White Sea, Island of the Gods.

Enel awoke in a spacious, bright room; the mattress was so soft that, accustomed to hard wooden boards, he briefly entertained the thought of sleeping a little longer.

Bika’s experience arriving at the Island of the Gods—

was like a starving, thirsty child suddenly given a life of abundance, yet fearing it was all a dream, and even more afraid of waking from it.

After triple-checking he wasn’t dreaming, Enel sat on the edge of the bed and slapped his thigh in frustration.

“I should’ve taken a bite first!”

For eight years, frustration had become Enel’s daily routine—opportunities lay right before him, but a moment’s hesitation meant the Devil Fruit vanished forever.

Why?!

Why!?

Tap-tap-tap~

The moment a light knock sounded, Gafur’s voice followed: “Enel, wake up.”

“Coming, uncle.”

As the saying goes, money gives a man courage—equally, overwhelming power does too. Why did Loxs dare enter the Flower Chamber alone? Because Loxs had the strength to stab a Admiral through the heart.

Having missed the Thunder-Thunder Fruit eight years ago, seventeen-year-old Enel remained an ordinary man, forced to bury his dreams and cruelty deep within his heart.

Barely qualifying as polite.

For instance, last night during his audience with Lei Shen, Enel showed proper respect and courtesy—he believed Lei Shen had indeed done many good deeds.

With scarce land on the Sky Island, Lei Shen Barzab Seven improved farming methods, enabling land that once yielded one portion of food to now produce three.

Just this single innovation fed every Sky Islander.

Even the ignorant and detestable Bika people built temples to worship Lei Shen, and all Bika became devout believers.

To fill people’s stomachs—this is surely the mark of a true god.

When Enel opened the door, he saw Gafur clad in silver armor, holding a long spear, radiating an imposing aura.

“Uncle, why are you dressed so formally today?”

Gafur stroked his long beard.

“Today is your official induction into the Thunder Cloud Guard. I’m your sponsor—I naturally must escort you myself.”

As the two walked toward the Thunder Cloud Guard, Enel’s mind flashed back to the unnervingly young Lei Shen.

"Uncle, will Lord Lei Shen come?"

“The Lord is traveling through the Blue Sea.”

Enel asked no further, instead recalling the first words Lei Shen had spoken to him last night.

“Want to go to the Infinite Land? I’ll take you.”

At first, Enel was terrified—he had never told anyone about the Infinite Land, let alone expressed a desire to go there.

But when he heard Lei Shen would invest in his dream, Enel agreed without hesitation: if he awakened Haki and Observation Haki within two years, he’d qualify as an intern.

And eventually reach the Infinite Land.

Standing at the entrance of the Thunder Cloud Guard, Enel straightened his chest silently, ready to fight until he choked on his own ambition.

…

First Half of the Grand Line, Paradise.

Emperor of the East Sea.

“Bear-san, set sail.”

Bear unfastened the ropes; the crimson sail, vast and taut, swelled instantly under the sea wind.

At the helm, Seven gripped the wheel with one hand, his black cloak snapping behind him, the hem fluttering to reveal the sword at his waist—Dreamsword.

More than half a year at sea—

From the Sky Island to the Twin Serpent Island of the West Sea, Ohara, then the Solbe Kingdom of the South Sea, and now the entire East Sea explored. Finally, they were headed for the New World.

Why insist on the New World?

Because the Four Seas are the World Government’s core territory; the first half of the Grand Line is too far from the Final Island—only the New World is the true stage for the decisive battle.

Wano, the Thousand Islands, Elbaf, and the Hive Island base of the Morning Star Pirates—all lie within the New World.

More crucially, the Marines currently have minimal influence or control over the New World; only after the Battle of Marineford did they relocate their headquarters there.

A step ahead means always staying ahead.

Seven intends to lead the Morning Star Pirates, seize enough territory in the New World, and build strength for future rebellion.

You’ve been reincarnated with cheat powers—why not rebel?

“Dongli, Brogy.”

“Hold tight—the ship’s accelerating.”

Seven transformed into a human power station; countless currents surged from his fingertips into the propulsion system. With the engine’s hum, the ship raced across the sea at five times its normal speed.

Recalling last night’s encounter with Enel, Seven had to admit: fate truly was strange.

In the original timeline, the Thunder-Thunder Fruit was consumed by Enel—but the system intercepted it eight years ago, locking it in the New Player Gift for six full years.

For six entire years, Seven could only stare helplessly, unable to touch or eat it—until the system activated, allowing him to finally consume the Thunder-Thunder Fruit.

Now, Enel, compared to the original timeline, was merely a rebellious teenager brimming with youthful energy—far from meeting the Morning Star Pirates’ intern standards.

Hence, he was assigned to train with the Thunder Cloud Guard.

In truth, Tazolo also fell short.

But after seizing Hive Island, Seven planned to entrust the crew’s logistics, trade, and future commercial empire to Tazolo.

That’s why he brought Tazolo along.

The Golden-Gold Fruit that would make Tazolo the Golden Emperor seemed to have been taken from Doflamingo—but Seven couldn’t recall the exact timing.

Once Hive Island was secured, Seven intended to fly through the Calm Belt straight to the North Blue to trade with Doflamingo for Devil Fruits.

Roughly similar—not quite accurate.

Under normal circumstances, aside from Marine warships, no pirate ship dared cross the Calm Belt, for it teemed with colossal Sea Kings.

To pirates, the Calm Belt was nearly a death trap.

Marine warships had Sea-Prism Stone embedded in their hulls; this stone emitted an energy field similar to the sea, rendering the Sea Kings within the Calm Belt unable to detect the warships’ presence.

Thus avoiding attacks.

Additionally, the Calm Belt’s unique climate—completely windless—rendered traditional sailboats immobile.

Marine warships, however, were equipped with steam propulsion and other external thrust systems, allowing free movement even without wind.

The Emperor of the East Sea possessed an advanced electric propulsion system, so it could naturally sail through the Calm Belt.

Yet its hull bore no Sea-Prism Stone.

Seven’s plan to sail through the Calm Belt could only be executed after seizing Wano—or by purchasing Sea-Prism Stone from the black market.

From this, it was clear: Wano, the sole source of Sea-Prism Stone, controlled all such stone across the seas.

Merely selling Sea-Prism Stone alone could generate unimaginable wealth—this was one reason Kaido sought to seize Wano.

And Seven’s reason for seizing Wano? First, to become the Lightning Shogun; second, for nearly the same reason as Kaido.

Wano was rich in mineral resources, with a thriving mining industry; Sea-Prism Stone existed nowhere else, and its rugged terrain made it easy to defend and hard to attack—an ideal location to evade Marine and World Government interference.

Perfect for a base of operations.

…

Shengdimaliqiaoya , Honggang .

Red Port was a critical harbor beneath the Shengdi , where visitors could board bubble cable cars and other facilities to reach Shengdimaliqiaoya .

Red Port

Bubble Cable Car

At Red Port’s dock, Kizaru stood with hands in pockets, gazing at the colossal yacht—like a palace on the sea—that belonged to the Celestial Dragon Elaine Saint.

“Such extravagance.”

“That giant king of Elbaf truly spared no expense—using so many Adam Trees to build this giant yacht. This Elaine Saint…”

…is no ordinary person.

Rarely, a flicker of gravity passed through Kizaru’s eyes—could Elaine Saint be the descendant… of the one seated on the Empty Throne, as his younger brother mentioned?

It all matched. Everything matched.

No wonder the Five Elders had been willing to pay the Door-Door Fruit to redeem Elaine Saint—and afterward, inexplicably refrained from retaliating against Barzab Seven.

Descendant of the World King!

At this moment, Kizaru felt no concern for his personal safety; instead, the faint smile in his eyes carried a hint of amusement, even the urge to pull out a Den Den Mushi.

【Little brother, the target is in place!】