Chapter Forty-One: Departure!

The sun shone brightly, its rays gilding the expansive ocean. In the distance, colossal sea kings occasionally leapt from the water, yet not a single one dared approach this ship.

It had been two days since they left the harbor. During that time, only a few small pirate ships had appeared, but at the sight of the Red Pirate Crew’s flag fluttering far off, each one veered away, a testament to the fearsome reputation that the Red Pirates had earned throughout the New World.

Over these two days, Camiel had spent his time idly, sometimes chatting with Red, other times basking in the sun alongside Ice Phoenix. Today, Camiel was preparing to leave with Ice Phoenix. There was no need to worry about Shanks and the others in their absence; after all, Shanks was destined to become one of the Four Emperors. Though staying together might make advancement easier, neither Camiel nor Ice Phoenix were members of the Red Pirate Crew. Their relationship was close, but Camiel preferred not to rely on them for his own rise to Emperor.

He walked up to Shanks, who was standing on the deck, and with a light leap, landed atop the ship’s rail.

“Shanks, are you planning to claim an emperor’s throne?” Camiel produced a box of cigarettes, tossing one to Shanks as he spoke.

Taking the cigarette, Shanks joined Camiel on the rail, glanced at him, and exhaled several smoke rings. “Yeah. What about you? With your strength, haven’t you considered it?”

Camiel smiled enigmatically, his gaze lingering on Shanks, who shivered involuntarily. “Tell me, do I really need to chase after such a hollow title?”

Shanks wiped the sweat from his brow. “It’s a pretty good name! Are you sure you’re not interested? I was hoping that with you around, I’d have fewer rivals.”

Camiel blew out a few smoke rings. “Heh, I’ve never fought with my full strength.”

“What?” Shanks was stunned. Never at full strength? Did that mean even when fighting the three Admirals alone...?

“Is that true? Is the gap between us really that vast?” Shanks sighed in frustration, unable to compare himself to such a monster.

“Heh, you’re strong enough! You can dominate in the New World. As for me, I plan to wait until you all have your thrones, then I’ll take one for myself. Since I’m alone, adding one more doesn’t matter.” Camiel grinned, his words leaving Shanks deeply surprised.

“Hah, you really are something. With your power, you don’t even need a pirate crew. It’s a good thing you haven’t formed one—if you did, the rest of us would be out of luck!” Shanks said, exhaling smoke in resignation.

“Hey, how strong is your wife, Ice Phoenix? She looks formidable!” Shanks suddenly remembered the woman always at Camiel’s side, quickly asking. He was wary of her, unable to see through her at all; whenever he passed by her, he felt a chill throughout his body.

“Well, to defeat her, I’d have to go all out—and I’d probably be badly injured myself. You’d better not provoke her. When we first met, we fought right away.” Camiel recalled their first encounter with a smile. Ice Phoenix, the divine bird—it was his good fortune that she followed him.

“Everyone around you is a monster, huh? Even your wife is so powerful. I have to admit, I’m impressed!” Shanks shook his head, amazed. Fortunately, no one on the ship had provoked her; otherwise, they’d have been in trouble before Camiel even lifted a finger.

“Ice Phoenix and I are planning to leave. There’s nothing of interest here, might as well go explore.” Camiel said suddenly.

Shanks was taken aback. “Is my place not good enough? Planning to tour the New World? By the way, Whitebeard already knows you’re here. If you get the chance, go stir up some trouble for him! Heh.” As he spoke, Shanks’ tone turned strange. Whitebeard, hailed as the strongest man in the world, had already admitted during their last conversation that he wasn’t confident he could defeat Camiel. From what Camiel just said, he hadn’t used his full strength even against the three Admirals, so Whitebeard stood no chance.

“Yeah, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the old man. I'll definitely pay him a visit, but stirring trouble? Maybe just a friendly duel. I’ll go fetch Ice Phoenix; we’ll be leaving soon.” Camiel stood, dusted off his clothes, and headed for the cabin.

Shanks watched Camiel’s retreating figure, lost in thought: after more than ten years, Camiel’s strength had grown so much—clearly, he harbored many secrets. He was no longer the little boy Shanks had rescued years ago. He’d have to work hard himself, or the gap would only widen. Luckily, they were friends, not enemies; otherwise, things could become quite difficult for the Navy.

Shanks’ suspicions were justified. Camiel had too many secrets—two Devil Fruits, both powerful Logia types, and he wasn’t afraid of seawater. To achieve such strength in a little over ten years, how could Shanks not be curious?

The cabin was spacious, with many rooms. After a few turns, Camiel arrived at the room he shared with Ice Phoenix, opened the door, and entered.

Ice Phoenix was already up. Seeing Camiel, she walked over. The past few days had been quiet; at night, they simply slept in each other’s arms.

“We’re getting ready to leave, go see other places,” Camiel said, wrapping his arm around Ice Phoenix’s slender waist and kissing her lightly.

Ice Phoenix rolled her eyes at him. Since their relationship had been established, their playful teasing was frequent. “Wherever you want to go, I’ll follow. Don’t think you can shake me off.”

“Heh, why would I want to shake you off? I’d rather you stick to me like glue. Come on, nothing to prepare for.” Taking her hand, they left the room and headed for the deck.

On deck, Shanks was gazing at the sea, lost in thought.

“We’re leaving now, Shanks. Don’t capsize your ship while we’re gone,” Camiel teased as he prepared to depart.

Shanks snapped out of his reverie, glaring at Camiel. “Take care, drop by when you have time.”

“Of course, of course. Hey? There are several ships ahead.” Camiel suddenly noticed several pirate ships a few kilometers away, none smaller than Red’s ship.

Shanks looked closely, then took out a telescope to examine their flags.

“Hmm, that’s a fairly strong pirate crew. Judging by their flag, it’s the Rumbaugh Pirates—they’re quite famous,” Shanks said slowly. Their strength was decent, but his own crew was superior—especially with those two monsters aboard.

“Hey, Shanks, if I ambush them, I wouldn’t be doing anything wrong, right?” Camiel grinned mischievously. Ice Phoenix laughed too—clearly, Camiel was itching for action after days of idleness.

Shanks eyed Camiel strangely. “Hey, we’re pirates. Morality? As long as they’re not with us, do whatever you want. If you want, go deal with that nuisance for me,” he said, curious to see Camiel’s power.

Nodding, Camiel said, “I’ll use just one move—prepare to be amazed. We’ll leave right afterward. Don’t worry about us; be sure to secure that emperor’s throne!” He exchanged a glance with Ice Phoenix, and both vanished from the deck.

Shanks could only describe his feelings as shock—he hadn’t even registered how Camiel and Ice Phoenix had disappeared. The gap in strength was truly enormous.

Camiel appeared above the trajectory of the pirate ships, between Red’s fleet and the others. At that moment, Shanks and his crew watched intently as Camiel and Ice Phoenix hovered a hundred meters up, suspended in mid-air. One move—was it a Devil Fruit power?

“Camiel, how are you going to deal with them?” Ice Phoenix asked, curiosity in her voice.

Camiel grinned wickedly. “Just watch. I’ve only used this move a few times.”

Taking two steps in the air, Camiel raised his right hand, palm flat, forming the shape of a sword.

His spiritual sense expanded, reaching hundreds of nautical miles, mapping every inch of the surrounding sea in his mind.

“Ha!”

With a soft shout, the sea began to surge, and the clouds above churned wildly. It seemed that all the forces of heaven and earth were converging upon Camiel’s raised hand.

Everyone below watched the two figures suspended in air, terror etched across their faces.

Shanks’ throat was dry. He could clearly sense all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathering where Camiel hovered. Though Shanks could manipulate some of these forces himself, the scale and range were terrifying.

Camiel’s purple battle robe fluttered, but his hair remained untouched. His eyes narrowed, and, for a moment, heaven and earth seemed to freeze. The hundreds below were stunned by the sight.

A spectral sword appeared above Camiel’s right hand, hundreds of meters long and dozens wide, its color shifting from white to purple. Soon, the ethereal blade seemed almost tangible. Even Ice Phoenix was astounded, not having expected Camiel to wield such a powerful move—drawing in spiritual energy on such a vast scale. If all that power were to explode at once, how devastating would the effect be?

“Ha! Break!”

Camiel brought his right hand down in a mighty slash. All the pirates below squeezed their eyes shut as a purple light eclipsed all other colors, blindingly bright.

Boom!

A tremendous roar echoed from afar, as if a massive meteorite had struck the sea.

As the sound faded and the light dissipated, Shanks and his crew gazed in terror at the scene. The ocean was cleaved in two, a chasm over a thousand meters wide stretching so far its end could not be seen. The pirates were gone, ships and men alike reduced to ash.

“This guy is insane. How are we supposed to compete?” Shanks smiled bitterly. He had known Camiel was strong, but now saw he was even more formidable than he’d imagined.

“This bastard—doesn’t he worry about dragging my ship into the whirlpool?”

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