Return to the Blue Sea

"Hahaha, Enel, you really are pathetic." Crocodile could not help mocking Enel as he looked at him lying on the ground.

Seeing this man, every bit as arrogant as himself, now bowing to Lott's tyranny left him somewhat wistful.

The crowd gradually dispersed as well, led away by Gan Fall and the chief. They still had plenty of tasks to complete.

Pat, pat!

Lott patted Enel's shoulder. "All right, get up. I have a few things to explain."

Nami held Lott's hand and asked, "Lott, are you leaving?"

Lott looked somewhat helpless. "The revolution hasn't succeeded yet. None of us can stop moving."

Kuro nodded. He knew what Lott intended to do next.

In the sunlight, Shandora seemed shrouded in a golden halo. Its weathered stone walls, smooth stone-paved streets, and staggered buildings all told stories of the past.

What had covered it had already been cleared away, and many Shandians were now clearing vines from the walls.

Lott nodded as he watched the bustling scene before him.

After several days of planning, construction throughout Sky Island was gradually getting on track.

"Kuro, I'm leaving Sky Island in your hands while I'm back in the Blue Sea. When we appear before the public again, the whole world will tremble because of us."

Kuro nodded. He knew the Lott Pirates were rather different from other pirate crews, and their goals were different too.

They could not have the entire crew moving and adventuring together at all times, though sailing together like that would feel quite nice.

Everyone had their own work to do. According to Lott, a major event would happen in a little over a year, and that would be when the Lott Pirates truly displayed their strength.

They might even face attacks from other rivals before a year had passed.

He had no choice but to be cautious.

Early the next morning, at the edge of the White-White Sea.

"Lott, are you sure just the four of you will be all right down there?" Ling'er and the others looked at the four people aboard the Skybreaker.

Lott was taking only Nami, Enel, and Crocodile with him.

"I'm not going down there to fight a war this time. Numbers don't matter much. Next, we'll be facing the greatest maelstrom in the world. Only by improving our strength as quickly as possible can we hold our ground in it."

Everyone nodded thoughtfully. They had heard Lott say that the next two years would bring major changes to the world order.

There would be endless opportunities, accompanied by endless dangers.

Lott had originally wanted to return to the Blue Sea alone, but Nami had clung to his arm and kept wheedling, leaving him with no choice.

Still, having such a beautiful woman accompany him along the way counted as a blessing.

Enel was coming along because he wanted to see the Endless Vearth for himself and meet the powerful fighters of the Blue Sea.

He had to regain the face he had lost to Lott's group.

Helpless, Lott could only nod in agreement. Otherwise, leaving such a thoughtless fellow on Sky Island would not only be of no help, but would even force Kuro to divert his attention to keeping an eye on him.

The losses would outweigh the gains, so he simply brought him along.

Lott brought Crocodile along as a temporary adviser.

When Nami learned that Lott was taking Enel and Crocodile along, her face filled with resentment. What should have been a lovely time for just the two of them had been ruined like that.

For this, the girl even bit Lott's shoulder, leaving a deep set of tooth marks.

Lott waved to everyone on shore. "Once I'm down there, the Xia Kingdom will be in your hands."

With that, he nodded to Nami.

Nami activated her power, lifting the Skybreaker and slowly lowering it toward the Blue Sea.

Watching the scenery slowly rise before him, Lott could not help feeling amused. He remembered that in the manga, Luffy's group had descended to the Blue Sea using an octopus balloon.

In the end, the octopus balloon had deflated, dropping them straight into a Marine Base.

The descent from ten thousand meters did not take much time.

Before long, the Skybreaker was gently set down on the sea.

"So this is the Blue Sea? The Blue Sea you said had countless powerful fighters?"

Enel had never seen seawater before and found this blue body of water quite novel.

Crocodile was rather speechless. This was supposed to be a god? He was just like a child who had never seen the world.

"Hey! I just heard you mocking me, didn't I?"

Enel looked at Crocodile angrily.

Nami covered her mouth at the side. Clearly, she also found Enel's series of actions somewhat amusing.

Lott paid them no attention and instead steered the Skybreaker toward the nearest town.

The moment the Skybreaker reached the harbor, the residents scattered, and even rows of dark cannon barrels suddenly appeared around the harbor.

"Listen up, pirates! Leave Bomentru Island immediately! Pirates aren't welcome here!"

"This is your second warning! If you don't leave, we'll open fire!"

Crocodile took a deep drag on his cigar. "The guards in this town have really become polite. Now they even know to give a warning first. They didn't used to be like this."

"I remember passing this place back when I was still a pirate. Countless cannonballs came raining down on my ship as if they cost nothing."

Nami and the others looked puzzled too.

What they did not know, however, was that the people manning the cannons were so terrified they nearly wet themselves, afraid that a trembling hand might accidentally fire a cannon.

Enel laughed in anger. How could these people be so ungrateful and disrespectful toward a god? "Yahahaha! What a rude bunch. Then go and..."

As he spoke, his right hand turned into lightning, ready to attack. Lott hurriedly stopped him. "Forget it. Let's head back out to sea first. We'll come back in a bit."

Out at sea, where no one could see them, Lott stored the Skybreaker in System Space. Then the group made their way to the town on the island.

Enel looked at the town before him with some boredom. Within his Mantra, everyone in town was pitifully weak. "They aren't strong at all."

Hearing Enel's arrogant words, Crocodile blew a smoke ring and said, "Much as I hate to admit it, I know there are plenty of people in the Blue Sea stronger than me."

Enel's gaze sharpened. From their time together over the past few days, he knew very well that Crocodile was an exceedingly arrogant man.

Yet even someone so arrogant could say such a thing. He could not help believing it was true.

Still, he said, "That's just because you're weak."

Crocodile slashed at Enel with a Desert Spada. "You don't seem to be stronger than me, do you?"

Lott rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "There are quite a few people in this world stronger than me too."

"What?!" Enel could not believe it. Rather, he could not accept it.

"Yes. This world is far more complicated than you imagine." Lott raised his head and looked at the blue sky.

He thought of the Holy Knights, the Five Elders, and the person on that throne-Imu.

That person was like the bright moon surrounded by stars, looking down upon all living beings at the same time.

Just then, a newspaper pigeon passed overhead. Lott stopped it and bought several newspapers, giving one each to Crocodile and Nami.

He knew Enel would not read a newspaper at all. He might not even know what a newspaper was.

Lott slowly opened his newspaper. He had not followed the news for a month and did not know what major events had happened in the world.

(Shocking! Another powerful pirate has appeared in the East Blue, sparking a frantic scramble among various factions to recruit him. Who is he?)

Oh? This headline?