Chapter 35: The Name

Chapter 35: The Name

"A name?"

Louis was thoughtful. Then, he glanced at Yelena, then at the expectant Uta. "What do you think would be a good name?"

"..."

The two of them fell into thought.

"Pure White Angels!" Uta declared with her hands on her hips, her face full of pride, looking at Louis as if expecting praise. Uta's naming method was very simple, based on the color of Louis's wings.

On the other side, Yelena crossed one arm over her chest, her head slightly bowed, while her other hand gently supported her chin. A serious look flashed in her eyes. "Flesh Tearers..."

"How about it?" Yelena explained. Of the enemies who had faced Louis, it seemed very few were left with a complete corpse. They were either torn to pieces by her or turned to ash by Louis, returning to the ecosystem. Therefore, she thought the name "Flesh Tearers" was quite fitting.

However, Uta's face went dark upon hearing this. She never expected that Yelena, who usually acted like a gentle big sister, would come up with such a ghastly name. What Uta found most unacceptable was that Louis actually looked like he was considering it.

"It seems a bit better than the 'Corruption Angels' I was thinking of..."

Hearing this, Uta nearly suffocated. What is with these two?!

"In that case, let's call it..." Louis looked at the black flag and said offhandedly.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Uta really couldn't take it anymore and reached out to interrupt Louis.

"The Archangel Pirates!" Louis declared, his expression solemn and his tone serious.

"What?" The words Uta was about to say got stuck in her throat. How did the mood suddenly become normal again?

She looked up at the two of them, baffled, only to find that both Louis and Yelena were watching her with teasing smiles.

"..."

"You two!" Uta's face flushed red with anger. She understood now—she had been played! "You two already decided on the crew's name, didn't you!"

However, it was Yelena who answered her with a soft rebuttal. "No, we didn't."

"Louis probably just modified the one you suggested."

Uta was taken aback and glanced at Louis. He just nodded in silent agreement.

Seeing this, Uta breathed a sigh of relief. Archangel was fine. As long as it didn't include words like "flesh-tearing" or "corruption," it was good enough.

"However..." Yelena's words were not finished. She knelt down and gave Uta a polite but awkward smile. "You're really cute when you're being teased, Uta..."

"???" Uta's purple eyes widened. How did her gentle, considerate big sister become as mean-spirited as Louis?!

Yelena's mean streak seemed to be just Uta's hallucination. By night, she had returned to her usual gentle self. This left Uta feeling uncertain. She subconsciously wanted to pull out a Den Den Mushi and have Hongo give Yelena a long-distance diagnosis. But after receiving a disciplinary bonk from Louis, she behaved herself.

Late at night, in the area of the warship that had been converted into a lounge.

From the adjacent bathroom, Uta's moving melody could be heard. Louis leaned back on the modified sofa, listening to the perfect melody while carefully reading a book written in a special script. The content of the book was a guide for a child of a few years old on how to make highly efficient killing puppets. It was a product of another world, a beginner's gift pack from Louis's system. But unfortunately, that thing had run away too quickly, without leaving behind any advanced versions or the most crucial component, a "Chakra Seed."

Later, Louis found the Life-Life Fruit on the sky island of Birka, and this children's textbook seemed to have a use again. After that, he would take it out to read whenever he had free time, preparing to create something that could participate in high-level battles. Louis didn't expect to create a construct that could defeat a monster one-on-one, but it should at least be able to help hunt down Vice Admiral-level opponents in a group battle.

As for the name of this creation, Louis had already decided.

"Flügel."

As Louis's hounds, he gave them a rather infamous name. It was also a nod to his other name, giving it a bit more presence.

BOOM!

A terrifying clap of thunder sounded from outside the warship. Louis thoughtfully closed his book and turned to look out the window. Streaks of searing white lightning crawled across the sky. The once-calm sea was now churning with layers of waves that constantly battered the ship's hull, causing it to rock back and forth. A dense downpour, carried by the storm, hammered the deck. The noise drowned out Uta's singing, and the whole ship instantly became clamorous.

The ship had sailed into a storm. Its sails were automatically furled. The warship, infused with life, sat atop the churning sea, forging ahead against the terrifying storm.

Louis slowly walked to the window, his deep eyes seeming to pierce through the storm to land on a sailing ship within his Observation Haki's perception.

The next moment, Avant Heim, from ten thousand meters in the sky, plummeted, piercing through the dark clouds of the storm. But due to its enormous size, its descent was very slow.

Just then, Uta's voice sounded from behind Louis. "Is it another storm, Louis?"

Uta, her two-toned hair wrapped in a shower cap and steam rising from her skin, poked her head out from behind him. Her purple eyes subconsciously glanced at the sea, which was flashing with white light.

"It's a storm, but not just a storm."

"Get ready. Be prepared to board the Island Cloud at any moment," Louis said, turning to look at Uta and at Yelena, who had appeared at some point holding her war hammer. "A powerful person is about to pass us by."

Uta was taken aback. After snapping back to reality, she quickly returned to her assigned room, changed into clothes suitable for combat, and grabbed her short sword and pistol. Finally, she also brought the telescope Yasopp had given her.

...

Yelena gripped her war hammer, her gaze gradually sharpening. "Powerful..." she asked in a low voice, "How does he compare to Shanks?"

Shanks was the most powerful person Yelena had ever met, so she could only use him as a standard to measure her opponents.

"Stronger than Shanks," Louis replied.

Yelena silently tightened her grip on her war hammer and said no more.

Just then, Uta returned to their side. "Is it an enemy?"

"We'll have to wait until we meet to find out." Louis picked up his spear and the Seven Star Sword from beside the sofa and slowly walked toward the cabin door.

...

On the deck, a hurricane-force wind drove the torrential rain downwards. In the sky, searing white lightning crisscrossed and collided, briefly illuminating the storm-shrouded night sky.

Louis pushed open the door and stepped out, carrying his spear and holding the Seven Star Sword as he walked into the wind and rain. Yelena and Uta followed closely behind. At the same time, ice spread out, forming a huge ice umbrella several meters above Louis's head. No matter how the storm raged or the waves churned, they could not drench the trio.

As time passed, a giant sailing ship in the distance became faintly visible amidst the flashes of lightning. Uta took a deep breath and raised her telescope to look at the ship several nautical miles away.

Four thick masts stood against the wind and rain. A dragon shadow coiled around the ship's side, and a dragon's head at the bow stood proudly on the sea.