"Get out," Tesoro said. His voice was calm, but the command carried an absolute weight that instantly silenced the room.
Beside him, Stella covered her mouth with a delicate hand, chuckling softly. She found the clash of egos between these two powerful men incredibly amusing. To her, it was like watching two children squabble over a toy, even if the "toy" in question was enough wealth to buy a small country.
Eneru's face, however, did not share her amusement. His complexion instantly turned a deep, flushed shade of red, while pale blue electrical arcs began to crackle dangerously around his shoulders. The air in the room grew heavy with the scent of ozone. He trembled with rage, his finger quivering as he pointed it accusingly at the man in the pink suit.
"You... you vulgar mortal reeking of copper! How dare you?" Eneru sputtered, his voice rising in pitch. "How dare you be so disrespectful to the messenger of the Main God! This is absolute blasphemy against the Main God himself!"
"Blasphemy?" Tesoro repeated the word as if it tasted bad. He slowly placed his sugar tongs back into the bowl, lifted his porcelain teacup, and took a refined sip. "My gold is the spoils of war. I risked my own life to snatch it back from a false god like you. Why on the seas should I give it to you for those nonsensical statues?"
"Those aren't nonsensical things! That is a sacred endeavor to display the Main God's majesty to the world!" Eneru roared, the drums on his back vibrating with his intensity. "Someone like you, whose eyes are blinded by money, can never understand the true greatness of faith!"
"Faith?" Tesoro chuckled, setting his teacup down with a sharp clink. His eyes, previously amused, turned cold and hard. "My faith is in Kyle. I am loyal to him, I work for him, and I protect the peace he wishes to protect. I don't engage in these superficial theatrics like you. What you have isn't faith, lightning boy. It's just self-admiration wrapped in a fancy title."
"You... you're talking nonsense!" Eneru stammered. The accusation hit him where it hurt, and for a brief moment, the self-proclaimed deity didn't know how to retort.
"Alright, stop acting crazy in my presence," Tesoro waved his hand dismissively, as if swatting away a fly. "If you want gold, go out and earn it yourself. Don't bother me with your begging; I still have to accompany Stella."
With that, he completely ignored the fuming Logia user, turning his attention back to Stella with a gentle, charming smile. It was as if the sharp-tongued, dangerous man from moments ago had vanished, replaced by a doting gentleman.
Eneru stood rooted to the spot, fuming with helpless rage. The electricity around him buzzed aggressively, threatening to discharge. However, he knew he was stuck. If he attacked Tesoro, he would be put in solitary confinement by Kyle. If he tried to reason with Tesoro, he would lose the argument. He was checkmated.
He could only glare fiercely at Tesoro's retreating back, muttering, "Ignorant mortal," under his breath before turning to leave with as much indignity as he could muster. He decided he wouldn't stand for this. He was going to go directly to the Main God and file a formal complaint!
At that moment, Kyle was deep in the underground shipyard, inspecting the progress of the Ark's modifications. The smell of oil, sawdust, and sea salt filled the cavernous space.
It had to be admitted that Uncle Tom was indeed the world's number one shipwright. His skill was nothing short of legendary. In just a few days, the Fish-Man had completely grasped the complex structure of the Ark and formulated a detailed modification plan.
Furthermore, Eneru—acting as a living "generator"—was unexpectedly useful. The electricity he provided was stable, efficient, and virtually limitless. Uncle Tom had even specifically designed a set of energy transmission and storage devices for him. This system allowed Eneru to power the shipyard's heavy equipment while simultaneously storing excess electricity for future needs.
"Kyle! Where did you find such a treasure?" Uncle Tom laughed heartily, slapping Eneru on the shoulder with a force that would have knocked a normal human over. "With him, this ship's power system can be upgraded by at least five levels! We'll do it with a DON!"
Eneru stumbled from Tom's heavy-handed praise, but his face betrayed a smug expression that clearly said, 'You have good taste.' Contributing his strength to the Main God's vessel was, after all, his supreme honor.
Just then, Kyle walked into the main work area.
"Main God!" Eneru's eyes lit up. He immediately rushed over, completely forgetting the budding friendship he had just formed with the shipwrights. "Main God! I accuse you! I must report a grievance!"
Kyle stopped, blinking. Eneru's face was filled with righteous indignation.
"That flashy mortal, Tesoro! He actually refused to contribute gold for your divine statue!" Eneru cried out. "This is blatant disrespect towards you! Please, you must send down divine punishment! Punish that sinner whose soul has been corrupted by money!"
Kyle listened, feeling a familiar headache building behind his eyes. Here he goes again? Did this guy have some sort of obsessive compulsion about building statues?
"Alright, stop bothering Tesoro," Kyle said grumpily, rubbing his temples. "His gold is his own spoils of war. He has the right to decide how to use it. I can't just confiscate it for decorations."
Hearing this, Eneru immediately deflated like a punctured balloon. His head drooped, and even his long earlobes seemed to hang listlessly.
"Main God... don't you want a magnificent statue that the world can admire?" he asked piteously, looking up with wide, pleading eyes.
Kyle looked at him and initially wanted to refuse outright. But then, his imagination took over. He pictured a huge, pure gold statue of himself placed in the villa courtyard. It would shine in the sun, imposing and majestic. It seemed... pretty cool, actually?
"Ahem." Kyle cleared his throat, forcefully suppressing the grin that threatened to break across his face. He adopted a dignified, serious expression. "Since you are so sincere about this..."
Eneru's eyes instantly lit up again, full of anticipation. The electricity around him began to hum with excitement.
"...Then alright," Kyle pretended to nod reluctantly. "However, no more harassing Tesoro. If you want gold, you have to exchange it for something of value."
He pointed to the various large pieces of machinery running at high speed around the shipyard.
"Your main job is to be a good generator. Cooperate with Uncle Tom and get this ship modified for me. As long as you do a good job and satisfy me..." Kyle paused, revealing a slightly devilish smile, "I will cover the materials for the divine statue myself."
"Really, Main God?" Eneru could barely believe his ears. Happiness had come too suddenly!
"I never lie," Kyle stated simply.
"Yes! Main God! I understand!" Eneru was instantly filled with renewed vigor. He ran back to Tom's side, patting his chest and guaranteeing, "Old man! Don't worry! From today onwards, let alone a twenty-four-hour power supply, I will work tirelessly to fill every screw here with my lightning! We must complete the modification of the Main God's vessel at the fastest possible speed!"
Uncle Tom was taken aback by his sudden shift in enthusiasm, then burst out laughing. "Tahahaha! Good lad! Full of spirit! Then let's finish the reinforced structure of the keel today! With a DON!"
Watching the old and young "tech geeks" enthusiastically throw themselves into work, Kyle nodded with satisfaction. Managing a crew of eccentrics was exhausting, but sometimes, it paid off.
In the days that followed, Eneru completely transformed into a workaholic. He spent almost all his time in the underground shipyard, acting like a tireless perpetual motion machine. He madly outputted electricity, keeping the voltage steady and the machines humming.
With his full cooperation, the Ark's modification project advanced at an incredible pace. Uncle Tom was even more in his element than usual. He saw countless wild ideas in his mind turn into reality, supported by almost infinite energy and resources.
And Eneru, in addition to his daily high-intensity work, found time for his passion. With the dedication of a true artist, he revised the design drawings for the "Main God's Statue" in his mind over and over again.
From the initial realistic style to a later abstract style, and finally to a mythological style, the concepts evolved rapidly. The design drawings became more and more outrageous, and more and more magnificent.
Kyle would occasionally glance at them during his inspections and be amused by the exaggerated designs on the blueprints.
For example, in one version, his statue held the sun in its left hand and the moon in its right, standing triumphantly on a giant dragon made entirely of solid lightning.
In another version, the statue had eighteen pairs of wings growing from its back. Each pair of wings was intricately carved to depict a different natural disaster, from tsunamis to volcanic eruptions.
The latest version of the blueprint was even more preposterous. The background of the statue was designed to look like a collapsing galaxy. Kyle felt that if Eneru continued to design like this, the gold of one island wouldn't be enough. Even all the gold in the entire world, perhaps a sum exceeding 500,000,000,000 Berries, might not be enough to cast it.
However, seeing Eneru's serious expression and the sheer joy he took in the work, Kyle didn't discourage him.
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