"I don't care if you joined us willingly or were forced. You drank the invitation sake, and that makes you members of the Fire Tank Pirates. I want you to forget everything that happened before. From today on, we are brothers." Bege's voice suddenly dropped, and he stared intently at Riki. "But if you dare betray us, I'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth and kill you."
Riki and Gilon shuddered, nodding silently. They felt Bege's intense, murderous intent. To survive, they had no choice.
"Hee hee hee! Today is a double celebration! The banquet will last until tomorrow morning!" Bege's laughter broke the tension, and the atmosphere of the feast became even more lively.
Bege had made a point of bringing Riki and Gilon along during his escape, intending to recruit them. The moment his identity was exposed, he could no longer rely on killing pirates for bounty money. Therefore, there was no need to kill Riki and Gilon; they were more valuable alive.
After being confined in Bege's inner castle for nearly a month, Riki and Gilon were almost in despair. When they received Bege's invitation, he had a long conversation with them, explaining his ambitions and advantages. Finally, they agreed to submit.
Of course, Bege wasn't naive enough to believe they were truly loyal. As a precaution, he had already used the excuse of treating their injuries to make them unconscious during their imprisonment. Without their knowledge, he had the doctor implant miniature remote-controlled bombs inside them. If they ever dared to betray him, Bege could kill them instantly.
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed on Jaya Island, a month longer than Bege had anticipated. This was at the request of the navigators, and for safety's sake, Bege was willing to wait.
After two months of observation and investigation, Kuse and the other navigators were full of confidence.
They had predicted that there would be a Knock Up Stream today. Bege and the others, aboard their modified and reinforced pirate ship, sailed away from Jaya Island, heading towards the location where the Knock Up Stream was most likely to erupt.
Not everyone had left; a group of subordinates remained on the island, including Brook, Hank, and others. They were to stay behind and guard Laboon, awaiting Bege's return from Skypiea.
The pirate ship sailed to the area where the Knock Up Stream was likely to occur and began to cruise.
After several hours of cruising, the sea finally showed signs of activity.
Unusual currents appeared on the surface.
"It's a sea vortex! A sea vortex is forming, in that direction!" one of the navigators shouted excitedly.
The navigators on deck rushed to the ship's railing, staring at the flowing currents. Excitement spread through them.
"Turn quickly! Follow the current!" Kuse immediately shouted to the helmsman.
The pirate ship swiftly turned, sailing at full speed with the current. The sea vortex formed rapidly, the seawater rushing wildly towards its center. Soon, they saw an enormous sea vortex.
The pirate ship was pushed by the surging seawater at an astonishing speed towards the depths of the whirlpool.
"This sea vortex is at least a thousand meters wide! It's a rare, large-scale sea vortex, even in Jaya's history. Captain, this is it!" Kuse shouted excitedly.
Bege stood at the bow, able to see the terrifyingly large sea vortex ahead. At this moment, he felt a flicker of fear.
"Are we really going to rush in?" Moria was equally frightened.
"We've spent two months and put in so much effort. We've reached the crucial moment; we can't back down now," Bege said resolutely, his expression firm. "Everyone, prepare to charge in!"
"Everyone, tie yourselves down!" Bege pulled over a rope from the deck and tied it around himself.
"Quick, tie the ropes!" The crew members swiftly grabbed ropes and tied them around their bodies, then secured themselves to the ship.
The pirate ship drew closer and closer to the sea vortex. Bege saw that the vortex was incredibly deep, probably several hundred meters. He could only see a pitch-black seabed.
With a boom, the ship began to tilt, about to enter the vortex.
In an instant, the ship followed the rotating current into the sea vortex. However, the further down it went, the smaller the angle of inclination became. The entire ship fell from the center of the vortex.
Fortunately, two large wings had been added to the sides of the ship, greatly reducing its falling speed.
Just as the ship was about to crash into the seabed, Bege roared, "Riki, get ready!"
At the center of the deck, Riki pressed his hands against two protruding metal pipes. His body was flushed red as the high-pressure air accumulated within him was ejected, flowing through the pipes and into the wings on both sides of the ship. The next instant, high-pressure air jetted downwards from the wings.
The ship's speed decreased again, and it finally landed on the seabed with a relatively gentle impact.
"Well done, Riki!" Bege breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked at the calm surface of the water. The seabed of the sea vortex was strangely tranquil.
"This is the bottom of a sea vortex! How can it be so calm?" Even the widely knowledgeable Kuse had never seen anything like this.
The others felt even more uneasy, and they all looked at Bege.
"Don't worry. This is a sign that the Knock Up Stream is about to erupt. Everyone, be on high alert! Check your equipment and secure points while we have this chance," Bege said calmly.
"Captain, do you really think this Knock Up Stream can send us up to Skypiea, ten thousand meters high?" Riki approached, still finding Bege's words unbelievable.
"If everything goes smoothly, it definitely can," Bege affirmed.
They waited at the bottom of the sea vortex for over ten minutes. Finally, the calm surface began to change, suddenly bulging upwards.
Bege's face lit up with joy, knowing that the Knock Up Stream was about to begin.
"Everyone, attention! The Knock Up Stream is coming!"
Just as he finished speaking, the sea surface bulged upwards, lifting the pirate ship. Then, with a thunderous roar, the seabed seemed to explode. A colossal column of water surged upwards, carrying the pirate ship into the sky. The terrifying water column, a thousand meters wide, instantly tore through the clouds, shooting towards the even higher sky.
"The ship is tilting! Riki, don't let the ship leave the Knock Up Stream!"
Shortly after the ship was propelled upwards, it began to tilt due to the force of the water. The ship was moving towards the outer edge of the rising current. If it left the stream, the entire ship would plummet from the sky.
"Understood!" Riki stood in the center of the deck, tied to a mast. His face was serious as he expelled high-pressure air from his hands, pushing the ship against the outer edge of the Knock Up Stream. The ship continued to ascend at an unimaginable speed along with the current.
"This speed is incredible!" Bege could barely keep his eyes open.
They pierced through layer after layer of clouds, and then, with a boom, they burst into a world composed entirely of clouds. The Knock Up Stream then began to fall, plunging into this world of clouds. The force of the ascending current had begun to weaken.
The pirate ship descended rapidly from high altitude. Thanks to the wings, the speed slowed down.
However, they were too high. Cracks began to appear on the wings on both sides of the ship, indicating they were about to break.
"Riki, slow us down!" Bege roared.
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