Outside the cave, Luffy and the others were chopping down trees, collecting thick tree trunks to make a raft.
Kai stood to the side, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over the busy crowd, and said in a displeased tone, "Hurry up, we've already wasted a lot of time."
"Got it! Don't rush us!" Luffy complained, using his Gomu Gomu no Mi ability to break several trees, "Kai, why don't you lend a hand too!"
"Your training time has already been wasted for too long, and you still dare to slack off now?"
Kai gave Luffy a cold look, his voice not loud but full of deterrent power.
Zoro, carrying a thick tree trunk on his shoulder, his mouth twitching slightly: "All these tree trunks combined are almost like a small mountain. Who can carry them?"
"Don't complain about such small matters." Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, kicked a broken sapling from the woods and said lazily,
"If you can't carry it, go back to the going merry and drink some milk."
"What did you say?!" Zoro turned and glared at Sanji, "You try it then!"
"Bring it on!" Sanji stepped forward, unwilling to show weakness, and stomped on a tree trunk, "Do you think I can't do it?"
As the two were bickering, Kai's cold snort interrupted them: "Enough, what are you arguing about! The raft isn't even built yet, and you're already fighting amongst yourselves?"
Usopp skillfully tied the tree trunks together with ropes, constantly tightening the anchor points.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and complained, "What can these guys do besides argue? I'm building this raft all by myself, and they don't even appreciate it."
"Stop rambling, just get it done quickly." Nami stood to the side, arms crossed, directing, "Don't forget, we still have to rush to the coast to bring the going merry over."
Usopp glared at her but still silently sped up his movements.
Soon, a huge raft was built, its wide surface large enough to carry the massive body of the Millennium Dragon.
"How do we get it down now?" Nami looked up at the raft, which was larger than the cave entrance, and frowned, "Carry it by hand?"
Kai nodded, his tone implying it was a matter of course: "That's right, Luffy and Zoro will carry it, Sanji will be in charge of swapping, and I'll clear the way."
"Huh?!" Luffy and Zoro shouted in unison, their faces instantly turning green, "Are you kidding me?!"
Sanji also looked at Kai with a dark expression: "Are you out of your mind? Carrying something like this up a mountain? And having to carry the Dragon?"
"Stop talking nonsense. This is such a good opportunity for training, aren't you going to cherish it?"
Kai said unhurriedly, his voice low and calm, "You didn't have time to train today, now is the best time to make up for it."
Luffy jumped up and pointed at Kai: "Kai! You're taking personal revenge, aren't you!"
"Yeah!" Zoro also clenched his fists, "Such a big thing, why don't you carry it yourself?"
Kai slowly raised his fist, and the dark Armament Haki instantly covered it, black and red lightning dancing in the air.
He said coldly, "If you don't want to do it, stop talking nonsense. Are you carrying it or not?"
Luffy and Zoro exchanged glances, their expressions stiffening.
Finally, the two of them, one on the left and one on the right, gritted their teeth and lifted the raft carrying the Millennium Dragon.
"Ugh ah—so heavy!" Luffy's legs trembled slightly, his forehead covered in sweat, "Kai, you're a devil!"
Zoro gritted his teeth, the heavy raft on his shoulder making his muscles tremble slightly: "Stop talking nonsense, just carry it, stop complaining!"
"I'm here to swap." Sanji walked up from behind, skillfully took Zoro's place, and carried the raft forward.
He had a cigarette in his mouth, and although his face was grim, he steadily took his steps: "I really don't know how I got dragged into this kind of manual labor."
Kai walked at the very front, holding his halberd (a type of polearm), and with a light swing, the thorns and branches blocking the way were swept aside.
His steps were steady, his gaze calm: "Keep going, the East Blue coast isn't far. Don't let me look down on you."
"Kai! You're really a devil!" Luffy's complaint came from behind.
After more than an hour of long trekking, the group finally arrived, panting, at the East Blue coast of Battleship Island.
Luffy and Sanji almost simultaneously put down the raft and collapsed directly onto the ground, looking as if they had been pulled out of the water.
"Finally here..." Sanji looked up at the sky, gasping for air, "I'm never carrying anything again!"
Luffy lay slumped next to him, muttering, "Never again... My back is about to break..."
Although Zoro was standing, the sweat on his forehead had already soaked his bandana.
He stretched his shoulders and snorted coldly: "You two can't even handle this much?"
"You have the nerve to say that?" Sanji glared at him, "Who was shouting louder than anyone when they swapped shifts just now!"
Kai stood to the side, watching them calmly: "Alright, hurry up and push the raft into the sea."
The three reluctantly stood up and slowly pushed the raft into the sea.
The huge raft floated with the waves, and the Millennium Dragon lay peacefully on it, its eyes slightly open, looking at the ocean before it, a hint of relief in its gaze.
On the other side, Nami and Usopp had already sailed the going merry to the East Blue coast and saw Kai and the others.
Nami waved and shouted, "You're finally here!"
"Quick, help tie the raft to the stern!" Usopp shouted from the deck.
Everyone worked together to secure the raft to the stern of the going merry, and the raft swayed gently with the ship.
Luffy sat on the deck, panting, and said, "Finally done..."
"The path of the strong is never easy," Kai said coldly, his gaze fixed on the distant sea.
The going merry, towing the raft, sailed on the calm sea, sunlight scattering on the water, shimmering.
After some time sailing, some peculiar landforms gradually appeared on the sea surface:
Underwater reefs were faintly visible, shaped like ancient stone pillars that had been carved;
There were also some broken stone fragments scattered in the water, as if telling of the area's past glory.
"Is this above Lost Island?" Nami stood at the bow, her gaze sweeping around, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
Kai stood beside her, arms crossed, his gaze calm: "That's right. The bottom of this sea area is the Dragon's Lair."
"Will it really be here?" Usopp leaned over to look at the sea, a hint of nervousness in his tone,
"It just looks like an ordinary sea, how is it like a Dragon's Lair?"
"Not being able to see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist," Kai said lightly, "The Millennium Dragon's memory won't be wrong."
Just then, the sea surface suddenly began to undulate slightly.
The sea breeze grew cold, and the surrounding currents seemed to be slowly flowing in a certain direction, as if attracted by something.
"This sea... is a bit strange." Zoro stood by the deck, his gaze vigilantly scanning his surroundings. His hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist.
"Don't be nervous, it's probably just due to the underwater terrain." Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, his tone relaxed, but his eyes were also observing the movements around him.
The Millennium Dragon lay on the raft, its golden eyes slightly open. It raised its head, its gaze fixed on the distant sea.
Suddenly, it let out a low roar, its voice seeming to carry a hint of excitement.
"Brother Kai!" Apis excitedly grabbed the edge of the raft, looking up at Kai, "Grandpa Dragon says this is the Dragon's Lair!"
Kai nodded, his gaze fixed on the Millennium Dragon's reaction, and said softly, "Then it must be here."
"Hmm? A fleet is coming!"
As Kai's words fell, dozens of massive warships slowly emerged from the horizon.