"What is this thing?"
Enel found himself completely immobilized, his every movement sealed away by six blades of light. He couldn't fathom how Sean had managed to do this.
"Do any of you have Seastone handcuffs?" Sean asked, turning back to the three of them.
Lucci shook his head. As a Devil Fruit user himself, there was no way he would carry such a thing. Robin likewise shook her head.
That left only Vivi. Of course, it seemed even more unlikely that Vivi would have them.
Sean sighed. But in the next moment...
"I have some, Master!"
"Hmm? Where did you get Seastone handcuffs?"
"Oh, I asked Sister Kalifa for them before we left. Since I'm so weak, I figured I should hide something on me for self-preservation!"
"Wait, what do Seastone handcuffs have to do with self-preservation?"
"Well... I feel like if I tie them to a string, they're actually quite useful."
Right. Asking for a pair of handcuffs to use as a trump card for survival. That was certainly eccentric.
But thinking about it, there was some logic to it. Vivi looked frail; if she were attacked by a Devil Fruit user, she could catch them off guard. If used correctly, it could indeed save her life or even allow for a counterattack.
Furthermore, Sean recalled that in the original story, Vivi used a special string tied to her pinky finger to connect to a weapon. Now, she had simply swapped it for a rope and Seastone handcuffs.
Alright, he had to admit, there was a slight resemblance.
"In that case, Vivi, you do it. Cuff him. Don't worry, he can't move right now."
"Okay, Master!"
Beside them, Robin nodded. 'She finally took my last piece of advice to heart,' she thought. 'Otherwise, the mere fact that Vivi could carry Seastone handcuffs would have been suspicious enough.'
As she approached Enel from behind, Vivi hesitated. "Master, if I just touch him, won't I get electrocuted?"
Hearing this, Sean slapped his forehead. He had overlooked that.
Right now, Enel's entire body was composed of 200 million volts of electricity. Forget physical contact—just getting close was more than an ordinary person could handle.
However, that wasn't a big problem. He could just knock him out.
Sean condensed a massive amount of Reiatsu into his right palm and delivered a sharp hand-chop to the back of Enel's neck.
A muffled groan escaped Enel. His Thunder God form deactivated, the torrents of lightning dissipated rapidly, and he returned to his original appearance. His eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness. The only reason he remained standing was that the Six-Fold Light Prison was still active, pinning him firmly in place.
"Vivi, you're good to go!"
"Okay, Master!"
With Enel unconscious, Vivi easily snapped the Seastone handcuffs onto him.
Almost the moment Vivi finished, an energy portal suddenly appeared nearby.
"Looks like Blueno and Kaku have arrived. Perfect timing," Sean said with satisfaction as the newcomers stepped through the door.
Lucci, however, didn't understand why Sean had summoned Kaku. Kaku was currently protecting "that thing," and his mission was of utmost importance.
"Kaku, how far have you developed your Compression Fruit?"
"Currently, I can achieve up to thirty-fold compression," Kaku replied.
"And the target range?"
"It cannot be biological organisms, but everything else is fine—even the atmosphere."
"Very good. For the time being, you'll stay with me," Sean said, nodding in approval.
"But Rear Admiral, my original mission..."
"Don't worry about it. Lucci will take over the escort mission. As for you, I have a great use for you," Sean waved him off.
By now, Lucci had realized why Sean specifically called for Kaku.
The gold of Shandora!
The amount of gold in Shandora was far too massive. Even in the Blue Sea, it would require an immense amount of manpower and time to transport. Let alone on a Sky Island.
But Kaku's Compression Fruit... combined with Blueno's Door-Door Fruit... the two were a perfect match! They could complete the transfer of all the gold in a very short amount of time.
"Blueno, send Lucci over there, then return to Mock Town to make the necessary arrangements. Once that's done, report back to me. For the next day, you'll also be staying with me!"
"Yes, Rear Admiral!"
'''
A short while later, Blueno and Lucci departed. Sean looked toward the two girls.
"The ruins of the Golden City of Shandora, the Golden Bell on the vines, and the golden ship underground—which one do you want to see first?"
"Master, what's a golden ship? I haven't heard you mention that!"
"Ah, that was a ship built by Enel using the gold he plundered from Shandora, though it's still far from finished."
"I see. Then let's go see the Golden Bell first, then the ruins of Shandora, and finally the golden ship!" Vivi suggested after a moment of thought.
Sean found this choice curious, but he quickly understood. This was likely the order Robin wanted most. Despite the girls usually not getting along, Vivi was actually quite considerate of her at critical moments.
He affectionately rubbed Vivi's hair. "Fine. We'll start with the Golden Bell on the vines. Kaku, stay here and keep an eye on this guy."
"Yes, Rear Admiral!"
After giving the order, Sean swept the two girls up in his arms and soared into the air.
'''
Between the Grand Line and the East Blue, at the edge of the Calm Belt bordering the Grand Line.
Gion used Moonwalk to land on one of the large merchant ships. She had come to discuss with Kaku how to protect the entire fleet after entering the Calm Belt to avoid Sea King attacks.
With so many ships, if a Sea King suddenly attacked one, even Gion wouldn't be able to rescue it instantly. It wasn't as if she could just fire off a flying slash—what would happen to the other merchant ships in a straight line? She'd likely slice the ships in half before she even hit the Sea King.
Therefore, she had to arrange a proper plan before entering the Calm Belt.
The problem was, the moment she landed on the deck, she was stunned.
'Is that Lucci?'
But wasn't he supposed to be with Sean on an assignment? He shouldn't be with the fleet.
"Lucci, when did you get here? And where is Kaku?"
"Vice Admiral Gion, Rear Admiral Sean needed Kaku to handle some matters, so he has departed. I have taken over Kaku's original mission."
...
Departed? How did he depart?
Furthermore, how had Lucci even gotten here?
Gion was slightly bewildered. Then again, considering everything Sean had been involved in, when had anything ever been normal?
Whatever, she decided to stop thinking about it. If the kid wanted to tell her, he would. If he didn't, asking was pointless.
Gion shook her head and shifted the conversation to the matter at hand: how to protect the fleet from Sea King attacks once they entered the Calm Belt.
According to Gion's proposal, herself, her subordinate Commodore, Lucci, and Jabra would each station themselves at different points throughout the fleet. This would ensure that no matter which ship was targeted, a powerhouse could arrive to provide immediate support.
However, Lucci shook his head.
"Vice Admiral Gion, there is no need for such trouble. Currently, every merchant ship has at least three Marines from the 16th Branch on board."
"Even the weakest official Marine of the 16th Branch has a Doriki close to 400 and is proficient in at least one Rokushiki technique."
"They are more than capable of handling ordinary Sea Kings."
Gion was utterly floored.
The weakest soldiers had a Doriki near 400 and could use Rokushiki? Was he sure these were ordinary Marines and not a group of field officers?
Then, something clicked in her mind.
"Lucci, I remember Headquarters recently upgraded the 16th Branch to a second-class branch, allowing you to recruit up to 500 Marines. Could it be..."
Five hundred soldiers with a Doriki of at least 400 who were proficient in Rokushiki? If such a force were deployed to the New World, they could probably crush any of the Four Emperors' crews.
Of course, "crush" referred to the rank-and-file soldiers below the officer level, not the executives or the Emperors themselves. Still, the idea was absurd.
"No, there are currently only about a hundred official Marines serving in the 16th Branch," Lucci replied.
Hearing this, Gion breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least it wasn't 'that' exaggerated.
But Lucci's next words left her completely speechless.
"However, there are over three hundred recruits currently in training."
"The graduation standards for recruits in the 16th Branch differ from those of Headquarters. We require a Doriki of 300 and the ability to perform at least one Rokushiki technique."
"Those who do not pass are sent back to the training camp to retake the exam in three months."
Gion's eyes widened.
Those standards...
You call that a 'recruit's' graduation standard?