Chapter 146: Raiden Karmapa—Enel!
Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Raiden Karmapa—Enel!
Early in the morning, at the Marine station on Sabaody Archipelago, Sengoku was busy handling the aftermath of the recent chaos.
In the past few days, Claudius had turned the entire Sabaody Archipelago upside down. True to his nature, though, Claudius was the type to throw everything into disarray and then walk away, leaving others to deal with the fallout. Naturally, Sengoku found himself left to clean up the mess.
"Admiral Sengoku, the coating on the Prometheus is complete!" a Marine colonel reported as he entered the office.
Hearing this, Sengoku looked up from the pile of documents cluttering his desk. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Where is Saint Claudius?"
"We're not sure, sir. He didn't return last night. Shall we begin searching for him?" the colonel asked hesitantly.
Sengoku waved off the suggestion. "No need. His Highness knows exactly when the coating would be finished. With his strength and identity, there's nothing on Sabaody Archipelago that could pose a real danger to him," he said, though there was a faint edge of exasperation in his tone.
As if on cue, Claudius strolled into the office, his expression lighthearted as usual. "A Celestial Dragon goes missing overnight, and Admiral Sengoku isn't the least bit worried? That's truly disappointing. I'm hurt, Sengoku," Claudius teased with a smile.
Sengoku chuckled as he gestured to the mountain of paperwork on his desk. "Worried? About you? If it were anyone else, I'd have mobilized an entire fleet. But you, Your Highness? I only need to worry about the bloodbath you've caused. Who would dare provoke you when they know the kind of chaos you bring with you?"
He pointed to the stacks of reports on his desk, most of them related to Claudius' actions over the past few days.
"Ahahahaha, fair point," Claudius laughed, completely unbothered.
"It's not trouble, just...time-consuming," Sengoku said dryly. "These could be handled by subordinates, but since you're back, let's get moving. The Prometheus is ready, and I've got plenty of other work waiting for me in Marineford. I can't afford to sit around here forever."
Claudius nodded, unbothered by Sengoku's impatience. "No problem, let's head out."
---
The enormous Prometheus was now fully coated in a shimmering bubble and ready to dive into the depths of the sea. This was Claudius' first time experiencing the process of descending beneath the ocean, and he couldn't help but marvel at the breathtaking scenery that unfolded before him. Schools of vibrant fish swam past the bubble coating, their movements graceful and hypnotic.
Even Robin, who rarely left her library, had emerged onto the deck. With wide, curious eyes, she leaned against the railing, taking in the sights of the underwater world.
Sengoku, holding a glass of juice and leaning casually against the mast, took a rare moment to relax. "So, Your Highness, you've been missing for the past two days. Care to share what you've been up to?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
Claudius didn't look away from the fish swimming just outside the ship's protective bubble. "I heard there was an interesting guy on Sabaody, so I went looking for him. Spent two days searching but only found his partner. So, I had a couple of drinks with her. That's about it."
Sengoku blinked, momentarily stunned. "So...you went looking for a man, didn't find him, and just decided to hang out with his partner instead? Your Highness, the way you Celestial Dragons operate never ceases to amaze me."
In truth, Claudius had been searching for Silvers Rayleigh, the legendary "Dark King." They had crossed paths years ago and shared a certain camaraderie. Claudius had been curious to see him again.
But Rayleigh, likely aware that both Claudius and Sengoku were on the island, had chosen to lay low. As someone who preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble, Rayleigh likely concluded that the simultaneous presence of a Celestial Dragon and a Marine Admiral spelled potential disaster.
So, in true Rayleigh fashion, he had likely taken to the sea, vanishing before Claudius could catch sight of him.
Meanwhile, Claudius had spent those two days at Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, enjoying drinks and lively conversation with Shakky, the proprietress.
Sengoku, however, had no idea who Claudius had been looking for, nor did Claudius plan to tell him. After all, it wasn't like Rayleigh needed to appear on Marine's radar.
Still, Sengoku found the situation absurd. Shaking his head, he decided not to press the matter further. As Marine Admiral, he felt it was beneath him to pry into such frivolous gossip. Clearing his throat, he changed the subject. "Speaking of interesting things, Your Highness, I almost forgot to show you something."
Claudius turned away from the mesmerizing underwater view and looked at Sengoku. "Oh? What is it?"
Reaching into his coat, Sengoku pulled out a slightly wrinkled bounty poster and handed it to Claudius.
"Take a look at this," Sengoku said, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Claudius unfolded the poster and read the name printed across it: Enel. His brow furrowed in mild surprise.
"Huh, Enel? Haven't checked on him recently," Claudius murmured, scratching his chin. He had assumed Enel was still following Crocodile around, learning the ropes of piracy.
It turned out he was wrong.
"Thirty million berries," Claudius remarked with a hint of amusement. "Not a huge bounty, but for a newcomer, it's respectable. How long has it been since he set out? Two months?"
"Not even two months," Sengoku replied, shaking his head. "But he's made a name for himself already. He's destroyed five pirate crews in such a short span. Oddly enough, he hasn't harmed any civilians or merchant ships. His actions are...unusual, to say the least. People are starting to call him the 'Raiden Karmapa'. A pirate who enforces his own brand of justice on the seas. It's almost embarrassing for us Marines, but at least we know he's on our side."
Hearing this, Claudius almost choked on his laughter. "'Raiden Karmapa?' Really? What, is he some kind of vigilante now?"
The name was a bit over-the-top, but Claudius knew such titles often evolved. Even legends like Silvers Rayleigh and Gol D. Roger hadn't started out with their iconic epithets. Rayleigh had once been known as "Silver Rayleigh," while Roger was simply referred to as "Gold Roger." Compared to those humble beginnings, Enel's title wasn't too bad, though Claudius suspected it would eventually shift to something like "God of Thunder."
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