A sly smile crept across Buggy's lips. "Come with us to the Blue Sea."
"Going to the Blue Sea with you..." Nilek paused, then pursed his lips, "Why would I go to the Blue Sea with you?"
"Don't you want to see the beautiful scenery of the Blue Sea? It has scenery that Sky Island doesn't have: boundless seas and rivers, mountains and hills, grasslands and plains."
"Tch, boring." Nilek scoffed. "Do you really think the great God Nirok has never been to the Blue Sea? I went to that wretched land hundreds of years ago. It holds no appeal for me whatsoever. It's not even a tenth as good as my Central Laboratory. I'm a great being who can spend a hundred years in a laboratory!"
"..."
Buggy sighed and rubbed his forehead. "That's no excuse for staying home all the time."
"A shut-in...?" Nilek didn't quite understand, but he could roughly grasp what Buggy meant. "I've been researching super-powerful technology all along, I'm not some kind of 'shut-in'."
"Dog, I'm only inviting you out of friendship because we fought side by side. If you don't agree, I'm going to put a sack over your head, knock you out, and then drag you onto the boat."
Nilek held his head high, showing no fear. "Your ship hasn't installed octopus balloons and cushioning airbags yet. If you dare to do that, this ship will definitely not be able to sail into the White-White Sea!"
This guy was completely unresponsive, neither to reason nor threats, which gave Buggy a headache. His eyes darted around, and suddenly a brilliant idea struck him. He turned to Nilek and asked, "Dog, can you create one of those laser weapons?"
"A laser weapon..." Nilek recalled the battle in Garlam, "If my memories weren't so fragmented, I could definitely create one..." As he spoke, he saw Buggy's almost mocking gaze and quickly quickened his pace, "Give me some time, and I can absolutely create a weapon that is more powerful and more perfect than that laser!"
"That's a real shame..." Buggy shrugged and said sarcastically, "In my hometown, Blue Sea, there's a man named Vegapunk who's known as a scientist '500 years ahead of current science and technology.' He even developed lasers more than a decade ago. As for the technologies you're talking about, they're probably not even as good as his little toe."
Although laser technology was not developed more than a decade ago, that does not stop Buggy from exaggerating.
"It's only 500 years ahead, do they really think they're something special... It's just a laser weapon, it's nothing... it's very ordinary!" Nilek felt extremely displeased.
"I see..." Buggy looked at Nilek and drawled out his words without continuing.
Nilek jumped up excitedly. "You... you... what kind of look is that? Are you looking down on me? Fine, I... I've decided to go to the Blue Sea to have a good look at that guy named Vegapunk and see who he really is!!"
"That's a good idea..." Buggy nodded. "However, if you go to the Blue Sea alone, you probably won't be able to find Vegapunk at all."
"Hmm...?" Nilek shook his head. "Then I'll just hitch a ride on your ship and have you take me there, okay?"
"But I don't really want to take you to the Blue Sea right now. You know, even for us, finding someone on the vast ocean is still a lot of trouble."
"Hey, Red Nose." Nilek jumped onto Buggy's chest, grabbed his collar, and shook him vigorously. "What do you mean by this? You were just telling me how amazing that guy was, and now you're saying this to me? Isn't that going too far? I don't care, I'm going to get on this ship to the Blue Sea, or you won't be leaving the White-White Sea!"
"What a capricious guy." Buggy picked at his ear, a cunning glint in his eyes. "Since I can't do anything with you, I'll reluctantly let you board my ship."
"That's more like it!" Nilek jumped off Buggy and raised his head.
Then, as Buggy deliberately cracked jokes, Nilek seemed to forget whether something had gone wrong earlier and began to introduce the topic with great enthusiasm again.
Each person's room in the cabin has been modified and decorated to some extent, and the layout of the restaurant and bathroom has also been redesigned. Most importantly, a machine screen has been added to the central hall. According to Nilek, this screen can receive signals from nearby Den Den Mushi Surveillance Den Den Mushi, the screen will display what the Den Den Mushi sees. If there are multiple Den Den Mushi, the images can be switched.
This is practically a portable TV source!
After touring the cabins, everyone's gazes toward Nilek became complicated.
"Are you starting to idolize me?" Nilek asked, head held high and smugly.
Cabaji and Mohji exclaimed simultaneously, "Not bad at all!"
"White-haired monster ( One-Eye Hotel ), are you deliberately mimicking my voice?" the two said in unison.
After they finished speaking, the two stared at each other, their faces pressed together, and started arguing again.
Lilina chuckled and said, "I never thought that ability and appearance were inversely proportional."
Nilek: "Hey, that doesn't sound like a compliment!"
"Doggy~" Shuma pulled Nilek under his arm. "You're amazing!"
"I can't breathe, I can't breathe!" Nilek quickly made an excuse to escape from Shuma's grasp.
"Alright, alright," Buggy stopped the group's playful fighting. "So, what about the octopus balloon and the cushioning airbags?"
Nilek replied, "Actually, I've already installed it."
"Hmm..." Buggy hesitated for a moment, "So, can we set off now?"
"Of course! We can go to the Blue Sea now!" Nilek exclaimed excitedly.
"This guy... he's even happier than me..." Buggy muttered, then continued, "Kitty, you're in charge of setting the course. Mohji, weigh anchor, Cabaji, hoist the sails... Let's go!"
So everyone returned from the cabin to the deck. With a Cabaji from the huge, thick rope, the sails made a crisp sound like a folding fan opening, instantly revealing the menacing skull on the sails. After Mohji weighed anchor, the Big Top slowly moved forward with the Sea Cloud.
Sitting somewhere on the rooftop, looking somewhat haggard, Bander watched the Big Top sail forward with a detached gaze. He then took a swig of sake, offering no farewell, only a bitter smile on his lips. He slowly rose, gazing at the Big Top gradually disappearing into a black dot, before turning away, leaving behind a silent silhouette.
The Big Top Cabaji, leaned against the railing with his sword in his arms and his face gently caressed by the sea breeze; others, like Mohji, were intently gripping the helm; still others, like Shuma, were shoving his head along with Nilek; still others, like Mikuru and Richie, were lying on the deck; and still others, like Kaya, were sitting under a parasol reading a medical Kaya and Lilina, who was urging her to drink. All of them felt a sense of melancholy, a sense of departure and departure.
Buggy, who had been wandering around the cabin, finally emerged and stared speechlessly at Nilek, who was leaning against the upper railing. There was even a dedicated mechanical laboratory inside the cabin, filled with all sorts of machinery—probably Nilek's entire arsenal. This guy... he'd clearly been prepared to stay on board from the start, and Bucky had gone to all that trouble trying to lure him aboard...
"So..." Buggy rubbed his forehead, "I was the one who got tricked..."