Eight years before the Skypiea arc, Enel would destroy his homeland, Birka, then overthrow Gan Fall through violence and crown himself the new God of Skypiea.
For now, however, Enel was the same age as Seven and still wasting away back in Birka.
As the saying went, one step ahead meant every step ahead.
Seven chose to win over the Shandia first, then negotiate with the Sky Islanders under Gan Fall’s rule.
Peace and force, both at once.
A two-pronged approach to take all of Skypiea.
Because honestly, Skypiea was far too suitable as a base.
The White-White Sea floated ten thousand meters above sea level.
Here, he did not need to worry about being hunted by the World Government, nor did he need to fear the Marines led by Garp coming to arrest him.
In the entire world of One Piece, there was no better place to train than Skypiea.
It also had dials, such as Breath Dials, Laser Dials, and Reject Dials, unique natural creations of Skypiea that possessed supernatural power.
All of those were points!
Of course, the prerequisite was being crowned God of Skypiea.
“How about I become your God instead?”
Calpa froze in place.
If Roger had wanted to become their god, they might barely have accepted it.
But aside from being good at cooking, Seven did not seem to possess the qualities needed to become a god.
“Seven, you know our tradition.”
The Shandia worshiped strength.
Anyone who wanted to become their leader had to defeat every warrior in the tribe and become the strongest great warrior among them.
“Then what are we waiting for?”
Seven was not the type to drag things out.
The sooner he took Skypiea, the sooner he could begin his path to becoming strong.
“Come.”
Thunderstorms roared across the sky.
White, yellow, blue, red, and purple lightning intertwined, as if the end of the world had arrived, or as if a god’s wrath had descended.
When Seven had been at sea, he had summoned lightning from thunderclouds in the sky to strike his targets precisely.
But now, the thunderstorm did not only come from above Skypiea.
It also came from the White-White Sea where Skypiea itself rested.
In short, lightning was everywhere, above and below.
In a version of the world without Haki, the intimidation brought by a Logia-type Devil Fruit far surpassed that of Paramecia and Zoan abilities.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was even among the best of them.
Against a group of Shandia warriors who did not even know Haki, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was more than enough.
There was no need to use Conqueror’s Haki at all.
It was like the overwhelming pressure Enel had brought to everyone except Luffy when he first appeared.
The Shandia warriors led by Calpa stared at the scene before them, dumbfounded.
This divine miracle made many of them feel fear.
Even so, there was no lack of brave warriors who dared to face the thunder’s radiance, and they drew their blades one after another.
“We’re not afraid of you!”
Fear was a living creature’s instinct, and courage was humanity’s hymn.
After just a single exchange, hundreds of Shandia warriors fell and did not rise.
And that was with Seven holding back.
Otherwise, the Shandia would have been wiped out.
Devil Fruits were simply that unreasonable.
The thunder filling the sky dispersed.
Seven sat down and continued the pirate crew’s private banquet.
“Mihawk, have you thought of a name for the crew?”
Mihawk put down his wine cup.
“Before deciding the crew’s name, I want to know something.”
“Beelzebub Seven.
A man like you has already been to the final island and knows what the One Piece is.
So why did you choose to set out to sea?”
Mihawk had many doubts about Seven, this man who was like a riddle.
If possible, he even wanted to open Seven’s head and see what secrets were hidden inside.
Seven drained his cup without pause.
Conqueror’s Haki surged into the sky, knocking every living creature on the island unconscious.
Only Mihawk was unaffected.
Some words could only be heard by one’s own people.
“Mihawk, I did reach Laugh Tale with the captain and the others.
I saw the truth the world calls the One Piece.”
“But knowing what the One Piece is doesn’t mean the journey has ended.
Freedom isn’t an answer.
It’s a state of being.”
“Just as reading every sea chart doesn’t mean you’ve experienced the wind and waves of every sea.”
“The One Piece showed me what the world could become, but it never decreed that the world must become that way.
True freedom isn’t choosing between two predetermined options.
It’s opening a third route, one even Joy Boy never imagined.”
“I chose to set out to sea so I could breathe the salty wind that carries the scent of freedom.”
“So I could raise a cup with new companions on unknown islands, just like we are now.”
“So I could prove that a person’s dream never ends simply because they know the answer.”
“Even after knowing everything, I can still embrace this imperfect world with the curiosity and passion I had when I first set sail.”
“So don’t use the final island to define our voyage.
Where we go will be decided only by our will in this moment and the sea breeze ahead.”
“Mihawk, that is my freedom.”
Since the Roger Pirates had disbanded, Seven had never spoken so openly to anyone before.
Perhaps this was what it meant to have a companion.
Mihawk raised his cup.
“To freedom.”
“To freedom.”
Seven raised his cup in reply.
“My dear vice captain, can you now tell this captain what our pirate crew is called?”
“How about Inazuma?” Mihawk asked.
“How so?” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“Lightning that appears during a thunderstorm.”
Seven shook his head.
“Too specific.
The pirate crew isn’t mine alone.
We’re a whole.
We shouldn’t encourage personal worship.”
“Daybreak, then?
It implies that darkness is about to pass, and light and hope are about to arrive.”
“Day… sounds unlucky, doesn’t it?”
Mihawk’s grip on his wine cup tightened slightly.
“Glimmer?
Dawn?
Sunrise?”
Seven swirled his wine cup and could not help grumbling inwardly.
Dawn?
Why not go all the way and call it Twilight?
Regarding the name of the pirate crew, Captain Beelzebub Seven and Vice Captain Dracule Mihawk thus began a fierce debate.
“Freedom?”
“Too direct.”
“Stars?”
“Too distant.”
“Sun Pirates?”
“Already taken.”
At last, Mihawk snorted coldly, stood, and drew Yoru from his back.
He had finally seen through Seven.
This bastard was doing it on purpose.
“Beelzebub, draw your sword.”
Seven hurriedly waved his hand, stopping his plan to keep training Mihawk.
“See?
You’re getting impatient again.”
“Think of one more.
I promise I won’t object.”
Mihawk took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the urge to cut down his damned captain.
“How about Morning Star?”
“The lone star that shines in the eastern sky during the darkest hour before dawn, holding fast through the long night and guiding those who are lost.”
“It represents hope, guidance, and watchfulness.”
Seven raised his head and looked at the brightest star in the eastern night sky, then silently gave him a thumbs-up.
“Mihawk, this name has serious artistic merit.”
“As expected of a cultured man.”
“Then this captain now announces: the Morning Star Pirates… are officially established!”
…