Chapter 362: Zou – Ten Seconds, Come Here Now

Kaku's words left Inuarashi silent for a moment.

After a brief pause, Inuarashi asked, "Then how do you explain Sicilian's injuries?"

"You still have the nerve to ask that?" Kaku chuckled. "Our captain isn't someone who goes around picking fights or hurting people for no reason. If he made a move, it means your people attacked first. We were just defending ourselves. What's wrong with that?"

Inuarashi fell into momentary silence. "…If it's truly self-defense, that's understandable. But the Whale Forest is a restricted area in Zou. What were you doing in the forest?"

"What else? We were parking the ship," Kaku answered matter-of-factly.

Inuarashi blinked in surprise. "Parking… your ship? How would a ship pass through such a vast forest? Don't tell me it flew over it."

"Exactly." Kaku grinned proudly. "Our ship can fly."

The mention of a flying ship immediately triggered a memory in Inuarashi. He had recently read a newspaper article about a flying ship.

The article was related to a government notice about capturing a group of wanted individuals. Those individuals had been labeled as pirates disguised as "travelers."

"I remember now," Inuarashi said in surprise. "You're the group directly wanted by the government!"

"Pirates? You must be mistaken," Kaku said with amusement. "We're travelers, not pirates."

"I read about you in the papers. The World Government claimed you're pirates wearing the guise of travelers. How much of that is true, I don't know. But once you're labeled as pirates, the Navy will have every excuse to hunt you down."

Takumi remained silent.

Kaku raised an eyebrow.

Inuarashi continued, "Whether the Navy is after you or not, it doesn't matter to me. As long as you don't intend to harm Zou and are truly here for a short stay as guests, you'll be welcome. But the Whale Forest is forbidden territory. Where's your ship parked? You'd better move it before a certain someone wakes up—otherwise, not only will he come after you, but he'll also destroy your ship."

That "certain someone" Inuarashi referred to was Nekomamushi.

Compared to Nekomamushi's fiery temper, Inuarashi was more level-headed and preferred to resolve conflicts through dialogue rather than violence.

Moreover, Inuarashi was an observant person. When he looked at Takumi and Kaku, he didn't sense any killing intent from them. Although many members of the Musketeer Squad and numerous residents had been knocked out, they were taken down with Conqueror's Haki—not a single life was in danger. If these outsiders were truly malicious, they wouldn't have shown such restraint.

Based on his judgment, Inuarashi believed Takumi and his group weren't bad people. A simple conversation should suffice to clear things up.

In Takumi's case, as long as others spoke to him politely and he was in a good mood, he would listen. After all, no one knew Inuarashi and Nekomamushi's situation better than he did.

However, Kaku wasn't aware of those details.

"So, that 'certain someone' you mentioned—is he the one responsible for guarding the Whale Forest?" Kaku asked curiously.

Inuarashi nodded. "What he does has nothing to do with me. But since you're guests here, it's best not to cause trouble. Go retrieve your ship."

"That's a bit tricky," Kaku said, rubbing his nose. "We parked the ship on top of the biggest tree that looks like a whale. It's a hassle for me to retrieve it alone. If Enel were here, it'd be much easier."

"Enel? Where is he?" Inuarashi asked.

Kaku shrugged. "No idea. That guy won't be showing his face around us for a while."

Turning to Takumi, Kaku asked, "Captain, how far does your telepathic range reach? Can you call that guy back?"

Before Takumi could respond, Inuarashi's expression changed. "You parked your ship on top of that tree? That's reckless! The Whale Forest is restricted precisely because of that tree. Anywhere else would've been fine, but you just had to park there… Listen to me, get your ship down immediately."

"Relax," Kaku said with a nervous laugh. "We need Enel for that. But once he uses his power to run off, not even the captain can catch him, let alone me. Captain, can you summon him?"

Takumi gave a silent nod.

He could sense that Enel was only three or four kilometers away, hiding nearby.

Not only that, but Takumi was certain Enel was using his Observation Haki to monitor them.

In other words, Enel had heard every word they'd said.

"He's nearby," Takumi said calmly.

Kaku blinked. "So… he's been eavesdropping on us this whole time?"

Takumi nodded again.

Kaku rubbed his temples. "He's listening but still not coming back… What's going through that guy's head? Could it be that he thinks he's unstoppable just because you didn't catch him earlier?"

Without answering, Takumi simply used telepathy to send a short message to Enel: Ten seconds. Come here now. Ten… Nine… Eight…

As Takumi counted down to five, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, and Enel appeared before them with a cocky stride.

"What's so urgent that you had to call for the great Thunder God?" Enel lazily picked his ear.

Inuarashi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're a Devil Fruit user?"

"So what if I am?" Enel sneered.

Kaku sighed. "Enough with the attitude. Just move the ship out of the forest."

"Huh? I have to move the ship just because he says so?" Enel scoffed. "Who do you think I listen to—our captain or this big dumb dog? The captain hasn't said a word about moving the ship. I've been observing the whole time, and I didn't hear him order it once."

Kaku turned to Takumi, puzzled. Based on Takumi's earlier agreement to summon Enel, he assumed moving the ship was already decided.

Takumi's attitude was indifferent. Parking the ship on the tree had been Kaku and Enel's decision from the start.

"Whatever," Takumi said. "Park it wherever you want."

"See?" Enel smirked triumphantly. "Since the captain has spoken, the great Thunder God declares: We're not moving the ship!"

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