Chapter 350: Daily Life - Fateful Mistaken Encounter

With Enel and Kaku working together, the ship managed to escape from the mysterious storm cloud without any issues.

"What the heck is this? Lightning one moment, hail the next…" Enel complained. "What bad luck! We just got to the New World, and we're already running into this nonsense."

Kaku chuckled, "Complaining won't help. I already told you, the weather here in the New World is even more unpredictable than in the Grand Line. The storm clouds we encountered just now are just the beginning. We'll see more strange things, and in the New World, the sea doesn't follow any conventional rules—unusual phenomena like this will happen often."

As soon as Kaku finished speaking, the sea less than a hundred meters in front of the ship suddenly began spinning, creating a massive whirlpool.

Any ordinary ship sailing on the ocean would likely be caught in this whirlpool.

However, since Takumi and his crew's ship was flying above the sea, it wasn't affected by the current or drawn into the ocean.

Seeing the sudden whirlpool, Enel fell silent.

Kaku, on the other hand, burst into laughter. "Hahaha, this is normal in the New World. You'll get used to it eventually."

"Whatever, as long as it doesn't affect the ship." Enel glanced at the deep-sea fish still being towed by the ship. "It's almost noon. Aren't you going to start cooking, Long Nose?"

"Alright, you're helping."

"I still need to steer the ship—I'm very busy."

"Don't give me that. Hurry up, or you won't get any lunch."

"Damn you! Do you know what happens to those who threaten the Thunder God?"

"Enough already. Here's the knife—go deal with that deep-sea fish." As Kaku spoke, he took off his backpack and carefully removed the pet egg wrapped inside. "There isn't much sunlight underwater, and this egg hasn't had a proper sunbath. Captain, while you're sunbathing on the deck, can you take care of this egg too? I'll go prepare the food."

On the deck, Takumi had already set up his personal deck chair. He responded casually, "Alright."

Kaku then brought out a custom-made wooden rack he had crafted for the pet egg while they were at Fish-Man Island. He placed the egg on the rack next to Takumi's deck chair, and then headed to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients.

As for Enel, although he wasn't happy, he still grumbled as he went to handle the fish.

Takumi comfortably lay in the deck chair, half-closing his eyes and enjoying a light nap under the sun.

By midday, Kaku had prepared a feast centered around the deep-sea fish.

After the satisfying lunch, Takumi was just about to leave the cabin when Kaku suddenly said, "Captain, you seem to have grown a bit taller."

Takumi paused at the doorway, then asked, "Really?"

Enel, who was munching on an apple, chimed in, "You're seeing things, Long Nose. I don't see any difference."

"Shut up," Kaku said dismissively. "You're nearly three meters tall—you wouldn't notice these small details."

Kaku then pulled out a measuring tape from a toolbox in the corner and approached Takumi. "Captain, don't move. Let me confirm."

Takumi nodded slightly, standing still as Kaku measured.

After measuring, Kaku nodded in satisfaction. "I knew I wasn't mistaken. Captain, you're now 1.66 meters tall! You've grown six centimeters."

As soon as Kaku said that, Enel's teasing voice rang out, "Tch, 1.66 meters. Still a shorty."

Takumi turned to look at Enel, unleashing a burst of Conqueror's Haki.

Enel's heart sank, sweat beaded on his forehead, and he froze in place. The half-eaten apple slipped from his hand and hit the floor.

"Serves you right," Kaku muttered. "You really can't keep your mouth shut…"

Takumi said nothing more and left the cabin.

Out on the deck, Takumi looked at the egg basking in the warm sunlight. He thought about his shadow clones, each with distinct personalities. He still didn't know what the third shadow clone would be like, but he had a bad feeling about it.

Hopefully, it was just his imagination…

And hopefully, the pet that hatched from the egg would be a useful and obedient companion.

Inside the cabin, once Takumi left, the Conqueror's Haki effect on Enel gradually faded.

Enel, feeling relieved, wanted to curse, but remembered Takumi's increasingly powerful Observation Haki, so he kept quiet.

Kaku took a hammer and chisel from his toolbox and used the measuring tape to mark a spot on the wall near the cabin door.

Enel, picking up the half-eaten apple from the floor, looked over at Kaku and asked, "What are you doing?"

While carving marks on the wall, Kaku replied, "I'm making a height chart."

"A height chart? Are you nuts? What's the point?" Enel tossed the dirty apple into the trash can and flashed over to Kaku's side, watching him mark the chart up to a height of over three meters. "You must really be bored."

Kaku didn't mind the comment. "You know how busy I am. You have the nerve to say I'm idle… Alright, help me check my height."

Enel glanced at the chart indifferently and said, "1.90 meters, shorty."

"Oh, it seems I've grown five centimeters this past year."

"Hey, measure me too." Enel pushed Kaku aside and stood against the wall. "Hurry up, Long Nose!"

"Fine…" Kaku shook his head with a smile, brought over a stool, climbed up, and said, "Two meters sixty-six."

"Hahaha! A god's stature is beyond ordinary people's reach," Enel gloated. "No matter how well you eat, you'll never match the Thunder God."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Being tall doesn't mean anything—you still get beaten up by the captain every day," Kaku said nonchalantly as he jumped down from the stool. "Listen, don't tease the captain about his height. You know he cares about it, yet you still goad him. Even if the captain doesn't end up taller than me, he might still reach Sabo's height. One meter eighty wouldn't be bad."

Meanwhile...

In the East Blue.

On the mast lookout of a seemingly ordinary medium-sized ship, a blond-haired young man was sitting on the railing, holding a black hat with goggles attached. He stared straight ahead as the ship sailed on.

Down on the deck, a girl wearing a magenta cap looked at the lost-in-thought young man, hesitated, and then spoke up, "Sabo, are you okay?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Sabo looked down at Koala, who was gazing up at him. He smiled, "I'm fine, really. Why? Is it lunchtime?"

Koala pouted, "Always thinking about food... Anyway, the helmsman said we should be reaching Foosha Village in about half an hour. But remember, we have a mission—we can't stay long."

"No problem," Sabo said, smiling. "Half an hour is enough for me."

As they spoke, a black-haired youth wearing an orange cowboy hat, a beige open shirt, and sporting a few freckles—around Sabo's age—was rowing a small single-mast boat, passing alongside Sabo's ship.

Distracted by his conversation with Koala, Sabo noticed the small boat but didn't pay it much attention.

As the boat passed, Sabo suddenly shivered. Reflexively, he turned to look at the black-haired youth, who was now facing away, leaving on the small boat.

"Sabo? What's wrong now?" Koala followed Sabo's gaze, looking at the black-haired youth. "Do you know him?"

Sabo shook his head after a moment of silence. "I've never been to the East Blue before. How could I know anyone here…"

At the same time, as if sensing something, the black-haired youth stopped rowing and turned to glance at the medium-sized ship heading the opposite direction. He focused on the figure sitting atop the mast—a figure with blond hair, though from this distance, it wasn't clear who it was.

After a moment of hesitation, the black-haired youth redirected his focus, tightening his grip on the oar. He muttered to himself, "Hahaha, Ace, you can't keep doing this… You can't see every blond-haired guy and mistake him for Sabo. Sabo... is gone."

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