One Piece: Starting by Refusing Shanks

The two men and one mermaid took only half an hour to return to Coral Apartments.

Upon entering the apartment, Camie rushed over with tears in her eyes, hugging Cathy tightly. "Wahhh, Cathy, I'm so glad you're safe. I was so worried!"

Cathy gently patted Camie's back, smiling. "Don't worry, I'm not going to get into trouble so easily."

Kaku noticed that Takumi and Enel seemed to have bought quite a few things.

Takumi's box of alcohol aside, when Kaku saw the massive bag of slippers Enel was carrying, he couldn't help but be surprised.

"What is that..." Kaku pointed at the bag full of slippers, laughing helplessly.

Enel looked at him as if he were an idiot, sneering. "Are you blind? These are slippers, can't you tell?"

Kaku's mouth twitched, and he felt an urge to punch someone. "I know they're slippers... but why did you buy so many? Even if you wanted to wear slippers, a few pairs would have been enough. Don't tell me you two dimwits went off and did charity shopping."

"You're so annoying!" Enel grumbled. "It's just slippers. Why are you making a fuss? If you keep nagging, I'm gonna hit you."

"What? Now you're in the right?" Kaku wasn't intimidated by Enel at all. "Only someone as simple-minded as you would do something so ridiculous."

"You..." Enel started fuming. "This wasn't my idea! It was the captain's idea!"

Kaku: "?"

Kaku looked at Takumi.

Takumi deliberately avoided eye contact and walked away.

Kaku redirected his gaze back to Enel, still full of indignation. "The captain is still young and likely fell for an impulse purchase. You're in your thirties—you should've stopped him! What's the use of your height if you don't use your common sense?"

"Damn you!" Enel's face twitched in anger. "Are you doing this on purpose? Why is it okay for the captain but not for me? That's double standards! I won't accept it!"

"What don't you accept?" Kaku retorted. "If anything, I should be the one complaining. It's our ship, yet I'm the only one doing all the chores! You think I don't notice the double standards you two have!"

Cathy, watching Enel and Kaku argue, looked worried, fearing they might end up fighting again. Meanwhile, Camie, full of excitement, was eagerly anticipating what would happen next.

Takumi, on the other hand, placed the box of alcohol on the dining table, opened a bottle, and took a sip.

The taste was a bit mild, with a faint hint of sea salt. It was drinkable, but not exactly to Takumi's taste.

As Enel and Kaku continued their usual squabble, their conversation shifted to the subject of new crew members.

Kaku asked in surprise, "Are you sure that fortune-telling mermaid said there'd be a new crew member joining in two years?"

Enel nodded firmly. "I heard it with my own ears—would I lie to you?"

Kaku looked skeptical. "Is that reliable?"

Enel shrugged. "Who knows."

Cathy chimed in earnestly, "Madame Shyarly's predictions have a 100% accuracy rate. She's never been wrong. If she said two years, then two years it is—someone will join your crew then."

"Yes, yes!" Camie nodded eagerly. "Madame Shyarly's predictions are always spot-on! Trust me, she won't be wrong!"

Hearing this, Kaku sighed. "Two years, huh... that's a long time."

"Two years will go by quickly," Camie said with a cheerful smile. "You'll be traveling, meeting new people, and seeing amazing places. If you don't dwell on it too much, time will fly by."

"You do have a point," Kaku started, but before he could continue, Enel handed him the coffee.

Cathy immediately added, "Oh, right! I bought some coffee for you all from Madame Shyarly's cafe. Go ahead and drink it."

"Yay!" Camie cheered happily.

Kaku took one of the four cups that Enel handed him and gave it to Camie.

Enel said lazily, "The captain and I don't drink coffee. You go ahead and have all three."

Kaku blinked. "?"

Cathy broke into a cold sweat, laughing awkwardly. "You can't drink that much—drinking so much at night will keep you awake..."

"What were you thinking, giving me so much?" Kaku laughed as he looked at Enel, then passed one of his cups to Cathy. He took a sip of his own and said, "It's alright, but I still prefer tea."

"Less talking, more eating," Enel grumbled. "I'm starving—get to cooking."

Kaku replied nonchalantly, "Sorry, but I'm not cooking today."

Cathy quickly pulled Camie away, laughing nervously. "Haha, we'll get right to it. You guys just wait a little bit, yes, just a little bit."

With that, she dragged Camie to the kitchen.

Half an hour later, a table full of simple vegetarian dishes was laid out before Takumi, Kaku, and Enel.

In the center of the table were two large bowls of boiled scallops and clams.

The food was as bland as it looked—Kaku was fine with it, not being a picky eater, but Takumi and Enel had barely taken a few bites before losing interest.

"What's wrong?" Cathy asked, a bit embarrassed when she noticed Takumi and Enel had stopped eating. "Is it not to your taste?"

Takumi said nothing, but Enel was blunt as ever. "It tastes awful."

"Eh?" Cathy looked devastated, like she'd been struck by lightning.

Kaku smiled politely. "Don't mind him—he's just rude by nature."

"But... but," Cathy stammered, clearly upset, "I promised to treat you all to dinner, and now it turns out it doesn't suit your taste..."

"It's fine," Kaku reassured her. "These two have been spoiled by my cooking. Besides, there's not much variety in ingredients here on Fish-Man Island. I'll just make them something back on the ship later."

Cathy bit her lower lip, looking saddened. "I'm really sorry. I made you wait so long, and then..."

"It's alright. Your kindness is appreciated," Kaku said, eating a few more bites before setting down his bowl. "This meal, along with the coffee, is more than enough. I don't know what the captain did to save you, but knowing him, he wouldn't want anything in return. Consider us even now."

"Huh?" Cathy said, surprised. "But saving someone's life—it shouldn't be dismissed so easily. And today, he saved me again..."

"You're a good person who wants to repay a favor," Kaku continued. "But not everything is as complicated as you make it. Don't overthink things."

He then turned to Takumi. "Captain, do you need Cathy to repay you?"

Takumi shook his head.

Kaku looked back at Cathy, smiling. "See? That's how our captain feels. It might become annoying if you keep bringing this up, so let's leave it at that. Alright, we're done here—it's time for us to go."

"Huh? Already? Weren't you going to let me treat you to ten meals?" Cathy asked in surprise.

Kaku waved his hand dismissively. "No need for ten meals. Meeting you and Camie has been a wonderful experience in itself."

"But..."

Cathy wanted to say more, but Takumi and the others had already risen.

Camie gently pulled Cathy back and said, "Cathy, it's okay. Let them go."

Kaku smiled and said goodbye to Cathy and Camie before following after Takumi and Enel, who were already on their way out.

Enel scoffed. "Long-nose, you sure talk a lot."

Kaku replied casually, "Well, someone has to say these things since neither of you seem to be good at it."

The three used the Sea Turtle Elevator to quickly leave Coral Apartments and, in no time, returned to their ship.

The rest of their day was just like any other day onboard—after filling their stomachs, each went about their business.

---

The next day, close to noon, they left the ship once again, heading to the spot where Takumi had arranged to meet Prince Fukaboshi the day before.

Prince Fukaboshi was already there, waiting for them at the coral-covered area.

Seeing Takumi and his crew arrive, Prince Fukaboshi signaled to his men, who promptly lowered a rope ladder from the fish boat for them to board.

"Please, come aboard," Prince Fukaboshi said politely.

Takumi nodded slightly, using Geppo to step up onto the ship.

Kaku smiled and thanked the prince before using Geppo to follow Takumi.

Enel simply snorted, transformed into lightning, and instantly appeared beside Takumi on the deck.