Truth

"Ah... it hurts!!!"

A violent, bone-breaking pain shot up from his tailbone, making Ye Mu's whole body jolt.

However, he did not pay much attention to it. Once the pain subsided, he quickly felt around inside his clothes. Thank heavens, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was still there. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief. After rubbing his butt, he looked around.

That single glance left Ye Mu astonished.

Before him lay a scene like a hidden paradise beneath a sea of clouds. As far as the eye could see stood a vast cluster of enormous buildings resembling ancient Egyptian architecture, layered upon layer and spreading outward around a gigantic green vine at the center. At the base of that central vine stood a massive pyramid-like structure.

But Ye Mu's mind was entirely on the Devil Fruit. He had no interest in admiring the scenery.

He rubbed his aching butt and looked beside him. Enel was still unconscious.

"Hey... Enel, wake up..."

Ye Mu shook Enel's slight body. Through the exposed skin, Ye Mu noticed that Enel's body was covered in scars.

It seemed Enel had suffered quite a bit of abuse on Sky Island. No wonder he had later wanted to destroy it.

All one could say was that there was no love without reason, and no hatred without reason either!

This only strengthened Ye Mu's determination to take Enel away from Sky Island, whether to repay Enel for caring so sincerely for someone he had known for less than half a day, or because Ye Mu wanted such a powerful companion as Enel, the future God of Thunder, by his side.

Enel woke up quickly. He rubbed his eyes, spat out the seawater in his mouth, and when he saw Ye Mu still beside him, a hint of delight appeared on his face.

"Are you okay? Can you stand?"

Ye Mu asked with concern.

Enel's face twitched slightly. It seemed the fall had still left his body aching.

He struggled to his feet, patted off his clothes, and said with an unconcerned expression,

"I'm fine. The last time I fell down was much worse than this."

Hearing Enel's words, Ye Mu felt deeply moved. Enel had known the fall would hurt, yet he had still brought him here without hesitation.

"Thank you."

Ye Mu said gratefully. Enel then turned his head away with a proud, haughty look.

"You bastard, what are you thanking me for?"

"Hehe."

Ye Mu threw an arm around Enel's shoulders and said carelessly,

"No matter what, from today onward, you're my brother, Ye Mu's brother. From now on, we'll share hardships and face trouble together. Once you help me find that fruit, I'll take you back to the Blue Sea. Then we brothers will conquer a corner of the Blue Sea and live freely and happily."

"Tch..."

Enel made a disdainful sound at Ye Mu's words, but his expression was clearly shaken.

It seemed Ye Mu's words, "good brother," had made quite an impact on Enel's heart.

After resting for a while, the two continued on their way to find the Devil Fruit.

They weaved through the ancient ruins, heading toward the base of the vine. According to Enel, that was where he had discovered the fruit.

Ye Mu was naturally beside himself with excitement. He wished he could turn one step into several and fly straight to the vine, but the ruins were littered with too much debris, making it impossible for them to move quickly.

"The last time, I came here looking for food. I accidentally fell through that hole from earlier and discovered this place."

Enel explained to Ye Mu as they walked.

"I found a lot of shiny golden things there. There were lots of words on them that I didn't recognize. There was a huge building in that place, and it was inside that building that I found the fruit in your hand. I originally planned to pick the other one too, but then I heard a terrifying hissing sound. It scared me so badly that I ran away before I could pick it. After I got out, I blocked the hole with rocks."

"You're really smart."

Ye Mu praised him, while inwardly feeling fortunate. Thankfully, Enel had not picked that Devil Fruit. Otherwise, he would have had no hope at all now.

"Hey, tell me about the Blue Sea too. I heard the people of Sky Island say that you Blue Sea people are all very powerful."

Ever since Ye Mu had mentioned that Enel might be from the Blue Sea, Enel had become curious about it and asked Ye Mu.

"The Blue Sea? Speaking of the Blue Sea, there's one place we have to mention."

"A place?"

Enel stopped walking and asked in confusion.

"Yeah."

Ye Mu felt that now was the perfect time to stir Enel's longing for the Blue Sea, so he said,

"That place is called Laugh Tale. It is the land of dreams throughout the Blue Sea. Legend says that island holds everything. If you can reach it, you can become the One Piece and possess all the wealth, power, and fame in the world. It is the place everyone in the Blue Sea dreams of reaching."

"That amazing?"

Sure enough, a trace of yearning flashed through Enel's eyes after hearing Ye Mu's words.

Ye Mu had no idea what era this was or whether Roger was still alive, so he could only give a vague explanation.

"Yeah, but even after hundreds of years, not a single pirate has reached that place. So, Enel, come to the Blue Sea with me. Join me on the path of pursuing dreams and freedom. Let's conquer the beautiful Blue Sea below, become the true One Piece, and rule this beautiful world beneath us."

"The One Piece, ruler of the world?"

Enel's eyes were now full of longing—the desire every man had to achieve greatness and make a name for himself.

"Once you help me find that fruit, the two of us brothers can gain tremendous power through its strength and conquer a part of the world. Then we can gather powerful companions and advance toward the throne of the ruler of the world."

Ye Mu casually revealed something about the Devil Fruit to Enel.

Sure enough, after hearing Ye Mu's words, Enel abruptly stopped and turned toward him, a puzzled expression appearing on his face.

"The fruit? Is this fruit something special?"

Ye Mu was also conflicted over whether he should tell Enel the truth about the Devil Fruit now. If he told him now, would Enel develop greedy thoughts, seize the Devil Fruit, and refuse to help him find the other one?

Even though this Devil Fruit had originally belonged to Enel.

But if he said nothing, then told him everything after finding the Flame-Flame Fruit, would that create a rift between them? After all, Ye Mu intended to take Enel to the Blue Sea and make him his strongest companion.

After struggling with the decision for a long time, Ye Mu finally made up his mind and said,

"That's right. If I'm not mistaken, this fruit should be the secret treasure of the sea that everyone in the Blue Sea dreams of obtaining—the Devil Fruit."