Even though Yemu spoke as calmly as he could, the meaning behind his words still left everyone present staring in stunned silence.
"This... this..."
Everyone looked at one another, unable to find the words to describe how they felt.
Yemu, however, did not explain. He only said, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you this secret right now. It concerns something extremely important. You could even say it concerns this world itself."
As the steadiest person in the entire Sky Pirates, Tiger was the first to speak.
"Don't worry, Captain. We understand."
The others also voiced their agreement one after another.
"Mm. Then next is Enel."
Hearing his name, Enel came back to himself and looked at Yemu.
"I don't have any specific arrangements for you. I only have one request. Cause as much trouble as you can out on the seas."
Enel's eyes lit up at once. Wasn't that exactly what he truly wanted?
"The reason is simple. You'll be drawing the attention of the Marines and the World Government away from me, Tiger, and Erik. Once you master the power of the Kumo Kumo no Mi, your combat strength can be said to reach the level of an Admiral, and your destructive power may even surpass one. Whether it's the Marines or the World Government, neither will have an easy time dealing with you."
At that point, Yemu turned to the three of them and Tom-san and asked, "When can your pirate ships be finished?"
Tom was the one who answered.
"The designs are already done. Right now, we're just waiting for the third-generation Baku Baku Metal to be finalized. If everything goes smoothly, they can be launched in fifteen days."
"Fifteen days? That's about right."
As Yemu spoke, he looked toward Flare, Ayala, and Dr. Indigo.
"I want you to prepare a large amount of food and medicinal herbs."
The three of them froze, not understanding what he meant.
Then they saw Yemu look at Enel, Tiger, and Erik. He clenched his fists, a faint, teasing smile appearing on his face.
"I gained quite a lot from this trip to Impel Down. Not only did my Devil Fruit awaken, and not only did I master the advanced destruction power of Armament Haki, I also learned the technique of Conqueror's Haki coating from Golden Lion Shiki. So, to raise your combat strength as quickly as possible, over the next fifteen days, I'll use the roughest method possible to help you master the power I just obtained. When the time comes, don't start crying about how much it hurts."
In an instant, the three of them looked at him with anticipation and boundless excitement in their eyes.
"Now, one last thing."
As Yemu spoke, he turned to Dr. Furumi and Tom-san.
"Water 7 was once the place where the legendary ancient weapon, Pluton, was built. These shipyards must be hiding plenty of valuable things. Dr. Furumi, Tom-san, I'll leave the next part to you. I don't have time to meet with the people from the Seven Great Shipyards myself, so I'm entrusting that work to you. Whether it's people, technology, or materials, as long as it's useful, buy it. Don't worry, we're not short on money."
"No problem. Leave that to Tom and me."
"Mm. Then if there are no other questions, everyone should prepare. We'll set out tonight and head to a safe place for our final special training."