38 towards the grand Line

"It's time to go, we can't wait any longer. The Marines could arrive at any moment," said Axel.

"So soon? They can stay until Nami arrives. She won't take long. She'll be happy that you've saved the entire island," said Nokijo.

"The Marines will pursue us until the end of days. The East Blue is not our place. We will head to the Grand Line, and your sister still has much to learn in this sea," said Axel.

"But..." "Don't worry. We will return someday and pay a visit to the village. Give this to Nami from the Pirate Marines. The paper contains instructions. Being a navigator, she will surely understand the intricacies of the design," said Axel, handing over the Clima Tact with three knots spread throughout the staff. It was a modified version of the second Clima Tact that she would use.

"She will keep it, but there's no gift for me," pouted Nokijo.

"Hmm, I have something I can give you. Wait a second," said Axel. He searched for a music box he had from his last trip to Engranted Island. It had a small box that, at Axel's request, played the melody of "Binks' Sake."

"This music box plays a song. It's 'Binks' Sake.' This song is always in my heart, a song that brings joy even in the worst moments," said Axel.

"I will cherish it with all my heart," said Nokijo cheerfully. "Thank you again for saving the island. I hope to see you again someday."

"You will see us, in the newspapers. The world will know our names," said Axel.

"Farewell!" shouted the villagers as they watched the ship sail away from the island, after recovering from the blow caused by the end of the Arlong Pirates. They were cautious of the new pirates who exuded an aura of danger, perhaps even more so, as they had defeated Arlong and his crew.

"Damn human, when I break free from these chains, I'll devour you in one bite," said Arlong, who was bound along with his comrades in tight knots all over their bodies. With a slight movement, they would receive a strong electric shock, adding to the lack of food and numerous injuries, their lives stank in that moment.

"Silence, scum," said Metal from the helm of the ship. The fire thrusters were activated, and Sergeant Metal's photographic memory earned him the new name of the ship's helmsman. With his robotic right eye, he could even see heat sources or objects in the darkest nights. His memory, along with Axel's advice, had solidified his position as the helmsman.

"I still can't believe he's your friend," said Usopp.

"Well, now he's a friend to all of us. We're nakama. There's no division of 'this person is friends with that person, and the other is only friends with another,'" said Deuce.

"Incorrect. Kuro is not a friend to anyone," said Usopp.

"Well, he's fun to be around once you get to know him," said Deuce.

Usopp took two steps back and grabbed his heart.

"Axel, Deuce is sick," said Usopp.

"Hahaha, it's nothing, Usopp," said Axel.

"Captain Axel, we'll reach the island in approximately half an hour," said Metal.

"Well, you heard it. We have something to do in Logue Town before heading to the Grand Line. We have to hand over these Fish-Men," said Axel.

"Haha, I've already escaped Impel Down. A mere Marine captain won't stop Arlong," said the Fish-Man.

"Well, you escaped as a favor from Jinbe to the World Government. Even Jinbe's shadow defended your position in the East Blue. But soon the entire Marine will know what a scum you are. Colonel Ratón is dead by my hand, and the news will have reached headquarters by now, as well as Morgans. I don't think you'll have much support from now on," said Axel.

Hatred filled Arlong's gaze as he continued spitting insults one after another, and Axel could only think of killing him, but it wouldn't be wise. Not with Gad and the Fish-Men.

After giving them nearly fifty million Berries from Arlong's treasure, their smiles improved slightly, even though they knew they would be squeezed dry by the triplets once they had the chance to spend it. Logue Town wasn't a good place for sightseeing, with Smoker defending the area.

"Well, Deuce, call Gad," said Axel.

The hammerhead shark emerged, fully cheerful and refreshed.

"We'll reach the next town in thirty minutes," said Axel. "We'll do some shopping in an hour and leave immediately. I don't want to deal with Smoker."

"Well, I'll help Rubis with the shopping," said Gad.

"Am I handing over these three to the Marines as part of this agreement?" Axel asked, pausing while looking at Arlong and his commanders.

"Well, Metal, you'll accompany Nihtal if he wants to go to the island to buy some necessary items for his research," said Axel.

He saw the triplets coming out of the cabin with Nihtal and his electric wheelchair.

"Well, it's good to have this big guy as my backup," said Nihtal.

Axel nodded at Metal.

"Yes, Captain," said Metal.

"Well, as wanted men, we'll wait on the ship. Try not to cause any trouble. You have one hour," said Axel.

"Alright, everyone, move out," said Usopp, excited to spend his allowance on some things.

"Do you think anything will happen to them?" Deuce asked.

"Not at all. They have Metal. He may not look like much, but his physical prowess is among the best. Plus, there's Gad to back them up," said Axel. "Well, I'm going to buy some clothes, Captain! I'll see you all later," said Agatha, taking a different path.

"Be careful and don't cause any trouble," said Deuce, approaching her with an obvious display of affection.

"I'm a masked free spirit," said Agatha, with a smile. Her new beach shirt revealed her beautiful figure, courtesy of the clothing store on Coconami Islands.

"Help me train my Tekkai technique," Axel said.

"You've already got the hang of it," whispered Deuce, surprised.

"I still haven't mastered Shigan, and I think it uses the same principle as Tekkai. I can harden my body a little, but it's difficult for me to concentrate in combat," said Axel.

Training Tekkai after getting the hang of Shigan is straightforward, and it's not a bad idea to learn some extra techniques. His next step is to learn Kami-e. These are the two techniques prior to Haki that can help unlock his powers.

"You're really skilled," said Deuce.

"Why do you say that?" Axel asked.

"Oh, come on. You've been practicing these powers for a month, and you've already learned two abilities. At this rate of progress, in six months, you should have mastered the Six Powers technique completely," said Deuce.

"How are you doing?" Axel asked.

"Not good. I'm still trying to improve my Soru ability, along with everyone else in the crew. The only one who has been able to use it skillfully is Kuro, and it's for obvious reasons," said Deuce.

"Well, you have to train your physique even harder," Axel said.

"I'm trying, but I've been focused on perfecting my Devil Fruit abilities," said Deuce.

"Alright, keep striking. The sooner you have this ability perfected, the safer I'll feel," said Axel.

The punches continued as Axel dodged and received Deuce's attacks. It was a demonstration of Semei Kikan expertise, in hardening the body, almost like gathering all the cells in the body and compressing them as hard as metal.

"Let's stop for today, my arms are hurting!" exclaimed the young man. Despite having a Logia ability, his physical endurance in purely physical qualities diminished too quickly, and attacking Axel with his body of fire and fire techniques in this confined space wasn't a great idea.

"Hahaha, your Logia also has disadvantages that aren't so evident at first," said Axel.

"That's true, the destructive power is one of them. Controlling the amount of damage inflicted in an attack is a problem," said Deuce.

"Well, everyone's here. We have to leave as soon as possible," said Axel.

"Wait, you're not turning in the pirates, are you?" asked Deuce.

"They have some things to take care of before they pay for their sins," said Axel.

"Let's go to the Grand Line," said Axel.

...