"The reign of terror you imposed on Sky Island, the destruction of Birka—everyone up there is gone. All of that is on your head."
"According to both the Navy's stance and my own, even if you aren't executed on the spot, you'd still spend the rest of your life rotting in Impel Down."
"However, for now, you have at least eliminated a major threat..."
"So, put an end to the war between Skypiea and the Shandians, and start anew in the Blue Sea."
"..."
Enel calmed himself. He was beginning to understand the approach of this Blue Sea man, Vice Admiral Wright.
But for someone who proclaimed himself a god, the idea of abdication was utterly intolerable.
"Tch! I'll just leave, then. Let those fools kill each other! Those short-sighted idiots."
"The Skypieans and the Shandians have fought over this insignificant piece of land for centuries. It's utterly pointless!"
"If they want to keep fighting, why should I be the one to stop them?!"
"Oh? Is it that hard to do something good for once?"
Wright shot Enel a glare. "Or do you want me to kill you right now? Because once you go to the Blue Sea, it's a clean slate."
"If you can't even handle this properly, how can I trust you won't go on a killing spree down below?"
Enel clenched his teeth, stewing in frustration for a long moment before he finally spat out begrudgingly:
"Fine, I get it! It's not like those insignificant ants matter to me anyway. After this, I won't have anything to do with them again!"
...
A strong man's word is usually reliable.
Because the strong have their own sense of pride.
Even Enel himself was largely true to his word—a promise was as important as belief.
In this vast sea, sometimes, it was more important than life itself.
Doflamingo was an exception, of course.
So Enel didn't doubt that Wright was being honest with him.
Of course, even if he did doubt it, there was nothing he could do—faced with someone who could end him in a single slash, what choice did he have?
Thus, Enel accepted Wright's arrangement and led him to the cavern where the "Maxim" was being constructed.
Though Enel had been mocking Wright for his "lack of knowledge" along the way, the moment Wright demonstrated the miraculous capabilities of the Lightforged Beacons, Enel wisely chose to shut up.
"What do you think? This is the work of the greatest scientist in the Blue Sea... Even with all the gold in Shandora, your idea of using it was laughably wasteful."
Right now, "Maxim" was just a framework, but Enel had already completed the blueprint for its power system. All that was missing was the gold.
Enel gazed at the massive framework of "Maxim," his eyes filled with fervor. "Returning to the boundless earth of the divine realm—that is the true ambition of a god!"
"Then go back and gather your people. It's time to end this war."
Wright finished setting up a Lightforged Beacon and interrupted Enel's fanatic musings:
"Remember, be patient. Gather the leaders of both sides and negotiate. Identify the core issues behind this war, and don't resort to violence!"
"Ugh! You're even more annoying than that old Amazon hag!"
Enel tilted his head back. "Maxim is in your hands now... Don't forget your promise!"
"Oh, right. There's one more thing."
Wright called out to Enel just as he was about to leave. "I'll be proposing some solutions regarding the land issue soon."
"If they run into any unsolvable disputes, just have them wait. It won't take more than a day or two."
"...Fine!"
Enel didn't care, turning into a bolt of lightning and vanishing.
After all, if a god himself intervened, how could such a meaningless war continue?
Wright studied the blueprints in his hands—Enel's complete design for the Ark Maxim, along with an original blueprint for the Pluton propulsion system.
He shook his head.
"Hmm... I can't make sense of this. This kind of thing definitely needs an expert."
Brrr... Brrr... Brrr... Click!
"Judge, this is Wright."
"My lord! Your orders?"
"This is a major development..."
"I need Germa's top engineers to analyze and develop something critical."
"It involves a brand-new warship!"
"Understood! With Law assisting in medical research, Germa has already been diverting a lot of resources into warship development. The Dawn still has many unfinished features."
"What did you find, my lord?"
"Come here and see for yourself..."
"Lightforged Beacon No. 01332. I've set Germa's beacons to bypass authentication. You also have another mission: to establish a secret base!"
"...Understood! I'll begin preparations immediately. Personnel will arrive within three days!"
"Good... I'll be waiting for you here."
...
Alabasta.
Kuina had just finished training her Devil Fruit ability.
"Hina is quite surprised. Such an impressive power!"
Hina clapped her hands slowly. Now that Kuina had eaten the Float-Float Fruit, her combat prowess had increased dramatically.
"It seems that using the Float-Float Fruit only consumes stamina when moving objects. Simply keeping them suspended doesn't require extra energy."
Kuina recalled what Wright had once said about Paramecia Devil Fruits—many of them were based on unique "rules."
"Hina-nee, it's a shame I can't make other people fly too. Otherwise, I'd take you all to the skies!"
"Hina disagrees. Moonwalk allows temporary flight, and you can lift rocks or something for us to stand on!"
"Ah! I'm so dumb!"
Kuina stuck out her tongue with an embarrassed smile.
"Tashigi and Cavendish already left for the elite training camp. Too bad they didn't get to see the Float-Float Fruit in action."
"Hina thinks that brat Cavendish would be absolutely jealous... It's such a flashy ability."
Hina chuckled, lighting a cigarette. "Your next step is to master Haki... though I wonder if Vice Admiral Wright will go easy on you."
Just then, the Den Den Mushi rang.
Kuina glanced at it and grinned. "It's senior brother Wright!"
Click!
"Senior brother! You've arrived at Sky Island?"
"That's right. I've found some interesting things here."
Wright's voice came through. "I've discussed it with King Cobra—we're going to build a resort up here. Interested?"
"Absolutely!"
Kuina's eyes sparkled with excitement. She had heard that Skypiea was located over 10,000 meters above sea level, and the thought of building a resort in the sky at such an altitude—it was like something out of a fairy tale!
"Haha! But before that, I'm going to need your help transporting the construction materials. King Cobra will have everything prepared. First, teleport over and get familiar with the route!"
"Piece of cake! Leave it to me!"
With the Float-Float Fruit, moving supplies to Skypiea would be a breeze!
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