"I was scared to death just now! That's the route down from Skypiea? Why don't Skypieans use the air route instead?" Natalie clutched her chest, still shaken. She found no thrill in plummeting straight down a cliff.
Though the giant air octopus caught the Dawn in time, the experience was intense for everyone.
If they had really fallen from ten thousand meters up, none of them would've survived.
The ark drifted downward slowly. Enel looked pleased—this was the kind of ship he had always envisioned. Rosen stood aboard the ark, with Robin beside him.
"Boss, you don't seem surprised. You must have expected this. Well, not surprising, considering how much research you've done on Skypiea," Robin said thoughtfully.
"More or less," Rosen replied, watching Natalie panic. He couldn't help but feel satisfied. So even you have your moments, little brat. Hahaha…
Rosen had known it would turn out this way. As for the air route, it was extremely dangerous.
Only those with strong abilities dared to use it, because it was filled with sea beasts—and previously, roaming guardians that would sometimes attack or test Skypieans.
Blue Sea people were often the primary targets. And these guardians weren't the only threats. It was uncertain whether others still remained active.
Most were likely destroyed, but it was possible a few survived due to various reasons.
Other unknown dangers also kept Skypieans away from the air route. That's why it was called the "Path of Trials."
By contrast, using air octopuses to descend was relatively safer, though not entirely risk-free.
"Can this thing be repaired?" Rosen asked Enel, gesturing to the broken guardian he held.
"I'll need to study it. It's in bad shape. If the core isn't too damaged, I can reconstruct its wiring and structure," Enel replied calmly.
Though he showed respect toward Rosen as captain, the pride of a former god still lingered in his expression. Rosen didn't react—so long as he obeyed orders, that was enough.
"Appreciate it."
"Yeah… it's quite troublesome," Enel admitted.
He's not quite the Enel I remember, Rosen thought. Feels like he's been broken a little.
"There's still some time before we reach the Blue Sea. Show us around the ark?" Rosen suggested. Enel's eyes lit up instantly.
"The Ark Maxim is a top-tier warship, built from ancient ship designs I discovered and heavily modified to work with my powers. It's a masterpiece!" Enel said proudly, breaking into his signature "Yahahaha!"
"Come on, I'll give you a tour."
But moments later, Enel was howling in dismay.
"Who dismantled so much of my gold?! Damn it! Now it looks awful! Even the seats are gone!"
"This thing was supposed to look good?" Rosen asked, puzzled, glancing at Robin. The ark was highly functional, sure, but aesthetically? Rosen thought it didn't even match half the Dawn's appeal.
As for the missing gold, Rosen had ordered regular crew to dismantle non-essential parts to exchange for money.
At the time, he hadn't expected Enel to join them, which now made things slightly awkward.
"There are still plenty of gold pillars aboard. You can have some. With your power, melting it down should be easy," Rosen offered.
"Thank you, Captain!" Enel lit up. The gleaming gold, though not valuable in Skypiea, was considered precious in the Blue Sea.
"You don't seem to have many rooms," Rosen noted.
Exploring the interior, he found the ark's structure extremely complex. Areas that could've been rooms were packed with golden gears and massive liquid-filled chambers—more like a large laboratory than a ship.
"There were rooms originally, but I replaced them to install thundercloud generators. I didn't plan to bring many people," Enel explained.
Rosen didn't bother asking how thunderclouds were made—he knew he wouldn't understand, nor did he care.
Which meant… there wasn't much left to see on the ark.
"Captain, once we unify the world, could you assign a force to help me build an even bigger ark?" Enel asked suddenly, as if "unifying the world" were a simple matter.
Rosen frowned. It was clear Enel, despite his defeat, still didn't understand the true strength of the Blue Sea.
His tone carried that same blind confidence. Arrogance seemed hardwired into him. Would others treat him as just another mid-tier powerhouse?
That couldn't happen. He was their ship's technician and had the Goro Goro no Mi. If he still got beaten up easily, that would be embarrassing for Rosen.
This mindset had to be corrected.
"You think we're that strong?" Rosen asked calmly.
"Of course. As long as we work together, who in the Blue Sea could stop us? Unifying it is just a matter of time," Enel answered after a pause.
"I've done a rough count. In terms of individual strength, there are at least over twenty people stronger than us—and that's conservative. Those on par with us could be several times that. Most belong to major powers, which means we might face alliances of enemies."
Enel was stunned.
What kind of place is the Blue Sea? That many people stronger than this monster? Ridiculous!
His worldview almost shattered.
Unbeknownst to him, Rosen's estimate was fairly accurate. Not even counting the Shichibukai, Hawkeye alone—world's greatest swordsman—was someone Rosen didn't consider himself able to defeat.
Then there were the admirals—three main ones, followed by two new ones—Garp, Sengoku, Commander-in-Chief Kong, the Five Elders, Im, and CP0's admiral-level agents. That alone made sixteen or seventeen strong individuals, not to mention any unknown forces.
And let's not forget the Four Emperors and powerful inmates from Impel Down who might be released, like Douglas Bullet, the World Destroyer.
Also former Admiral Zephyr, and possibly Magellan, Shiryu, and countless lesser-known or low-profile pirates—like the future Blackbeard. The Revolutionary Army's true strength was still a mystery...
Even factoring in some aging or weakened individuals, and assuming a few are guesses, twenty-plus high-tier powerhouses was realistic.
"There are really that many?" Robin was surprised. She knew of some famous pirates, but not that the world had so many top-tier figures. It showed how far they still had to go to be considered a top force.
Still, a crew like Hathaway, Rosen, and Enel was already elite. Against most admirals, they had a fighting chance—and maybe even a chance to win.
But many of these powerhouses had full organizations behind them. The World Government, especially, was unmatched in influence.
Once Rosen reached admiral-level power in multiple areas, he'd be eligible to challenge even the Four Emperors.
"Don't get cocky. There's more than one person in the Blue Sea who could mop the floor with you. I'm just a wanted man out here. What we're trying to do is far from easy—but if we succeed, I'll help you fulfill your dream," Rosen warned.
Enel fell silent. The Blue Sea was starting to sound very dangerous.
"Boss, we're almost at sea level," Daz Bones' voice came through. "But something's off. Looks like there are a lot of Marine ships below us."
(End of Chapter)