Bab 161: Chapter 161: Water 7 – Kaku of the Mountain Wind Joins the Crew
Enel stood there, watching Takumi walk away, before turning his gaze back to Kaku, who was busily repairing the ship by himself. After a moment of silence, Enel made up his mind and walked toward him.
Whatever it took, he was determined to bring this long-nosed guy on board—his position on the ship depended on it!
"So, what's your name?" Enel asked in a casual tone as he approached Kaku.
Kaku glanced at him, smiling warmly. "Haha, I'm Kaku."
Enel frowned a bit. "Why are you talking like an old man? How old are you?"
Without stopping his work, Kaku replied, "In two months, I'll turn eighteen."
Eighteen?
This kid had the audacity to act all high and mighty in front of him, the god of thunder?
Enel scoffed. "You've got some nerve."
Cutting to the chase, Enel said bluntly, "Starting now, you're the shipwright for this vessel. You don't get a choice."
Kaku paused for a second, his hand freezing mid-motion, before he turned to look at Enel. His eyes lingered on the faint sparks of electricity surrounding Enel's body in the dim light.
"Is this guy a Devil Fruit user?"
Kaku's thoughts were interrupted by Enel's unrelenting demeanor. He chuckled, "Haha, I'm just an apprentice shipwright. I'm not really cut out to be a shipwright on your crew."
Enel, unimpressed, gave his golden staff a quick twirl. "I said you don't get a choice."
Kaku put down his tools, stood up, and dusted himself off. "I just want to keep learning the craft here at Dock 1. I never had any intention of becoming anyone's shipwright. Why don't you pick one of the many seasoned craftsmen we have here instead of me?"
"Oh, so you're refusing a god's offer?" Enel narrowed his eyes and sent a 100,000-volt lightning strike hurtling toward Kaku.
If this guy didn't want to come willingly, Enel would beat him into submission. Simple.
Of course, Enel didn't want to accidentally kill Kaku—Takumi made it clear that Kaku had to become their shipwright. And if Kaku died, there'd be no shipwright at all.
Kaku sighed internally as Enel's attack came flying toward him. Quick as a flash, he dodged it.
Kaku's agility and reaction time were top-tier. Though his attack power was no match for Enel, as long as he stayed quick enough to avoid Enel's strikes, he stood a chance at surviving this.
But Enel wasn't about to let up. He kept firing lightning bolts at Kaku, only to watch him dodge each one by the skin of his teeth.
After missing yet another attack, Enel's patience wore thin. "You're making a big mistake. I'm the god of thunder. That was just the warm-up. This is your last chance—are you coming or not?"
Kaku's expression grew serious. "Apologies, but I have no interest in joining your crew."
Enel's annoyance deepened. "Foolish."
He struck his golden staff against the drum on his right shoulder, and with a deafening crack, a phoenix-shaped lightning bird shot toward Kaku.
Kaku's heart skipped a beat as he leapt to dodge the attack. But it was no use—the bird seemed to anticipate his movements. The moment he landed, the lightning phoenix slammed into him.
With a shout of pain, Kaku hit the ground, charred from the attack.
Enel stood over him, looking down with a smirk. "Impressive. You survived a 30 million-volt attack. No wonder Takumi took an interest in you."
Despite trembling from the pain, Kaku tried to push himself off the ground. "I… won't join your crew…"
Enel sneered, moving closer. "You don't have a choice. Being the shipwright for a god's ship is an honor."
"I already told you… no," Kaku muttered before grabbing Enel's ankle and yanking it hard.
Caught off guard, Enel stumbled but quickly regained his balance. Before Enel could react, Kaku sprang up and landed a punch right to Enel's stomach. Enel staggered back, and in a flash, Kaku unleashed a Rankyaku, sending a powerful vacuum blade slashing toward Enel.
But the attack went right through Enel's lightning-transformed body, leaving him unharmed.
"As I thought, only Armament Haki can work on him," Kaku muttered under his breath, his face grim. Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted toward the edge of Dock 1.
Even though he was injured, Kaku's speed and agility were still incredible.
"Damn it! What's up with this Blue Sea? Why can everyone land hits on me? You're finished, kid!" Enel growled, turning into lightning and charging after him.
Kaku leaped across the rooftops of Water 7's buildings, his mind racing. "Who the hell is this guy? Have I been found out as a CP9 spy?"
His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden vibration in his pocket. His Den Den Mushi was ringing.
Kaku answered the call as he continued running.
"Kaku? Where's Lucci? Why isn't he answering my calls?" Spandam's voice came through the receiver.
Kaku grimaced. "I don't know what Lucci's up to, but I'm in a bit of a situation right now. Can this wait?"
"A situation? What's going on?"
"Some lightning-type Devil Fruit user is trying to force me to join his crew as their shipwright."
"A lightning-type user?" Spandam paused, then his voice turned sharp. "Does he have four drums on his back, tall, pale, goes by the name Enel?"
Kaku was surprised. "Yeah, that's him. You know him?"
"Know him? Of course I do!" Spandam's voice shook with barely contained fury. "You said he wants you to join his crew? For real?"
Kaku nodded. "Yeah, that's right."
"Good. Accept his offer."
"Wait, what? My mission is to stay undercover here in Water 7."
"Forget about Water 7. Lucci can handle things there. I'm giving you a new assignment. I want you to go undercover on Enel and Takumi's ship. Gain their trust as quickly as possible."
Kaku blinked, feeling somewhat exasperated. He didn't know what had happened between Spandam and those two, but it sure felt like Spandam was using him for some personal vendetta.
"Hey, I'm your superior in CP9. You're not planning on disobeying my orders, are you?"
Kaku stood on top of a tall building, sighing. "Fine. Understood."
Just as Enel caught up, he sent another massive jolt from the drums on his back, summoning a 60 million-volt lightning dragon. The air crackled with electricity as the dragon charged forward.
Kaku quickly raised his hand in surrender. "I'll join your crew! Stop already!"
Meanwhile, back at the inn, Takumi had just settled in for the night. As soon as his head hit the pillow, the system's notification rang in his mind.
[Ding! New crew member was recruited. Progress +20%. Current progress: 80%. Reward: All Six Powers techniques level up by 1. Current levels – Finger Pistol Lv2, Iron Body Lv4, Shave Lv2, Moonwalk Lv2, Tempest Kick Lv2, Paper Art Lv2.]
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone