The Pirate Who Refused Red-Hair's Invitation

"A place where men aren't allowed?" Enel stroked his chin. "So the island's full of women?"

Kaku nodded. "That's right."

"Hah, that's ridiculous." Enel looked disdainful. "If everyone on the island is a woman, how do they have children? Do they all spring out of rocks?"

Kaku looked awkward. "Well... I don't know..."

"Hmph! It's just a lie to fool outsiders," Enel said. "They've got men hidden on that island. Want to bet?"

Kaku gave a helpless laugh. "What's there to bet on?"

Enel turned to Lin Mo. "Let's bet on whether that so-called Amazon Lily has any other men on it."

Lin Mo looked unimpressed. "Boring."

Enel lazily picked at his ear. "We've got nothing else to do. If I win, you let me be captain for three days. If I lose, uh, whenever you tell me to go east, I won't go west."

"How's that different from what you do now?" Kaku teased.

Enel fired a Lightning Strike at him. "Damn you, Long Nose! Get back in the kitchen!"

This time, Kaku was ready. He immediately pulled a small lightning-protection device from his clothes and, just before the strike hit him, used the miniature lightning rod to absorb the entire attack.

But the strike exceeded the device's capacity.

It exploded almost the instant it absorbed the lightning.

Luckily, it had taken most of the force. Kaku escaped serious injury, though the shock left his hands numb.

"Huh?" Enel stared at Kaku in surprise. "What was that thing?"

"Just a small device that absorbs lightning." Kaku shook out his still-numb hands. "The shipwrights on Sabaody gave me some books on making precision machinery. I studied them and tried improving a design myself. Looks like I failed. Hahaha."

"You really have a lot of time on your hands..." Enel said.