"I should go now. If I don't leave soon, I won't be able to catch up with them."
Enel glanced at the distance between the warship and the shore, no longer bothering to interact with the residents.
Whoosh!
The lightning bolt Enel had transformed into traced a graceful arc across the sky.
With the speed of a sudden thunderclap, he swiftly charged toward the warship, leaving a distinct electrified trail in the air.
...
On the warship, Gion and the others were still diligently training, while Raleigh lay asleep on his dedicated sun lounger as usual.
"Hey, Raleigh-aniki, is this how you usually 'train'?"
Enel had just landed on the deck when he was drawn to the movements of Gion and the Marines.
After watching for a while, Enel spotted Raleigh on the second-level sun lounger, clearly having been fast asleep for some time.
Unable to comprehend this level of laziness, Enel appeared beside Raleigh in an instant, accompanied by sparks and crackling lightning.
Seemingly sensing the tingling sensation from the electric currents dancing in the air, Raleigh slowly began to stir from his deep slumber.
Removing his eye mask, Raleigh's entire expression appeared unusually dazed.
He was in that state of not being fully awake, having been forcibly roused from sleep, and naturally reacted with exceptional sluggishness.
After a good while, Raleigh's pupils began to focus, finally noticing Enel standing nearby.
Enel clenched his fists tightly, veins visibly pulsing on his forehead.
"Enel, what brings you to me?" Raleigh mumbled, yawning.
Upon hearing this, Enel, who had already been somewhat frustrated, instantly bristled like a cat baring its teeth.
"You're asking me?"
"How can you have the nerve to ask me?"
"When I boarded the warship this morning, your condition for me joining the Marines was that you'd provide one-on-one guidance to me! You said you would teach me everything I could learn, including the Marines' secret techniques—the Rokushiki, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki."
"Now look, who's the one who hasn't kept their promise?"
The more Enel thought about it, the angrier he became, his hair standing completely upright from the static electricity!
Looking at the furious Enel, Raleigh couldn't help but rub his head, carefully recalling that there indeed had been such an arrangement before he fell asleep.
Actually, when Enel had come aboard earlier, Raleigh hadn't been fully awake either and had just casually agreed.
Now that the other party was taking it seriously and had come to demand fulfillment, Raleigh couldn't break his promise.
"Alright then, I'll start by demonstrating Rokushiki for you. Your task is to master them proficiently within seven days."
"And I also require that on the basis of mastering Rokushiki, you integrate them with your Devil Fruit abilities to create a new techniques."
Actually, Raleigh's demands weren't unreasonable, knowing that the Enel before him was no ordinary talent but rather a rare monster.
For someone like Enel, the Rokushiki would be something he could grasp on the first attempt, master on the second, perfect on the third, and innovate upon by the fourth try.
The only slightly challenging aspect would be integrating the Rokushiki with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
However, for Enel who could develop various techniques entirely on his own, this wouldn't be particularly difficult either.
"Alright, Gion and the others are currently training Rokushiki. Go join them for now."
"If you have any questions, you can ask me."
After saying this, Raleigh put on his eye mask and began another round of sleep.
Though Enel still had some complaints about Raleigh after hearing this, they weren't major issues.
Enel leaped down from the second level, landing beside Hans and Beck.
"Newcomer, you better watch carefully. Gion-sama teaching is a rare opportunity to witness," Hans said, winking playfully at Enel.
Beck rapped Hans on the head and said apologetically, "Newcomer, don't take him seriously. Hans is currently an idiot—you can't trust anything he says."
Hans tried to say something to prove he wasn't an idiot, but Beck immediately covered his mouth and nose.
"Now, let's begin with Shigan."
Gion's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it carried clearly to everyone on the deck.
...
"So that's how it's used. The principle behind this technique is really interesting. I've gained new insights for my own moves too."
Enel listened to Gion's explanation with evident delight.
Most of his previous techniques had relied heavily on the power of his Devil Fruit ability, often failing to utilize his strong physical body.
Even his use of Mantra wasn't as refined as the Marine's application of Observation Haki!
Well, there was no helping it—the Sky Islands had few landmasses and even fewer people.
Without the tempering of battle, even the best Devil Fruit couldn't be properly developed.
But now things were different.
Enel temporarily set aside the elemental enhancements of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
He seriously practiced the movements of Rokushiki alongside the ship's soldiers.
In just a few hours, Enel had already mastered Shigan.
And after mastering Shigan, he began experimenting with wrapping electricity around his fingers, combining physical techniques with his Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability.
Raleigh, observing from behind his eye mask, curled his lips.
Enel's talent was unquestionable.
It wasn't particularly surprising that he'd try to combine Shigan with his Devil Fruit powers after learning it.
If Enel developed something like the Thunder Style: Hell Stab or the Four-Finger Nukite from the ninja manga Raleigh used to read, that would be truly shocking!
For now, Raleigh was letting Enel research on his own rather than directly sharing what he knew.
This was because Enel had just joined the group and hadn't yet developed a sense of obedience toward him.
Only when Enel had researched Shigan thoroughly but reached his limits would Raleigh offer some guidance.
Call it scheming or whatever you will, but this approach maximized Raleigh's benefits.
Raleigh wouldn't take advantage of others without reason, and likewise, few could take advantage of him.
This innocent kid Enel had boarded Raleigh's warship—his fate was surely to be corrupted by Raleigh's influence.
As for how he would turn out, only time would tell.
But for now, Enel had already fallen into Raleigh's trap.
"Commander Raleigh, where is our next destination?"
A messenger approached from behind Gion, holding a sea chart in his hands.
After taking the White Sea chart, Raleigh pondered for a moment before picking up a pen and drawing a circle on it.
"Here—the dwelling place of the Shandia People. When you promise someone something, you should at least try to do it."
Raleigh remembered his promise to Cricket regarding the City of Gold.
He also wanted to see what had become of the Shandia people, the guardians of the Poneglyph.
...
In a hidden corner of the Sky Islands lay the settlement of the Shandia People.
The moment Raleigh marked their location as his target, they had already sensed a disturbance.
"Chief, not long ago, that false god met with some adventurers from the Blue Sea."
An information broker had personally witnessed a man and a woman entering Gan Fall's temple, with Gan Fall himself greeting them at the entrance.
"I fear Gan Fall has struck some deal with those Blue Sea adventurers, and they're coming for us. We must be prepared for this," a burly man said to another dressed as a tribal chieftain.
"Hmm, I understand. No matter what tricks they try to pull, we must reclaim our ancestors' land!"
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