Chapter 388: Bika
Watching the retreating Lord of the Sky, Charlotte ignored it and headed directly back toward Skypiea.
He mused to himself—his bloodlust had definitely mellowed over the years of traveling.
Back in his youth, if someone blocked his way, Charlotte wouldn't have hesitated to greet them with a slash first. He even used to kick doors open just to make an entrance.
Back at Skypiea, Charlotte returned to the Rockefeller Pirates' camp.
"Captain!"
"Captain!"
Upon seeing Charlotte return, the crew members all saluted and greeted him.
Charlotte merely gave a slight nod and headed straight for the center of the camp without a word.
With age, his aura had grown stronger—commanding and unshakable. A true leader's presence, just like Whitebeard, Golden Lion, or Big Mom.
Inside the camp, he saw the group of kids all playing with various Sky Island shells (Dials).
That instantly reminded Charlotte of Skypiea's specialty—Sky Dials.
"Dad!"
At the entrance, little Simon shouted and ran toward him on his short legs, hugging Charlotte's thigh.
"Dad, listen!"
Simon opened a Tone Dial, and music began to play. He stood there, swaying, clearly enjoying it.
Charlotte patted his head.
"Good boy. Where's your mother?"
"On the ship!"
Simon pointed toward the ship.
Charlotte gave his son a fond pat and headed toward the ship. It was getting late, and he needed to rest.
They spent three more days touring Skypiea before setting course for Bika.
Located on the southern side of Skypiea, Bika was easy to find with the map provided by Gan Fall.
This was the same Bika that would be destroyed by Enel years later.
Once they arrived, the crew quickly disembarked.
"This is the Captain's order—find the Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi)!"
Charlotte had made his intentions clear from the start, even printing out pictures of the fruit and distributing them to every crew member.
He knew that the boy destined to eat it—Enel—was probably only around 12 years old right now. There was no telling when or where the fruit would appear, or if it even had yet.
Bika was home to over a thousand residents. To cover the entire island, the only option was to spread a wide net.
---
"Gather all Bika's citizens. Any resistance—kill them!"
Barrett, standing at the front of the crew, barked the order.
"Yes, sir!"
Over a thousand crew members responded in unison.
The once peaceful island was thrown into chaos.
The arrival of Charlotte brought bloodshed.
Those villagers who resisted were immediately executed.
Before long, all the residents of Bika were rounded up into the central square.
Barrett stood expressionless before them.
"You're all gathered here for one purpose."
He raised the picture of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
"This fruit is hidden somewhere on this island. You have three days to find it. If you fail—Bika will be destroyed."
His cold threat echoed across the square.
The people of Bika gasped in horror.
They stared at the towering 5-meter man with pale faces.
"Distribute the images. If they can't find it in three days, burn Bika to the ground."
Charlotte, seated behind Barrett, waved his hand lazily.
His gaze then landed on a particularly noticeable child in the crowd.
The boy had long earlobes that reached his shoulders, and lacked the wings that Bika residents usually had.
Charlotte immediately recognized him—Enel.
Enel looked up at the golden-haired giant on the platform.
Tightly gripping the picture in his hand, his eyes burned with hatred—not for the pirates, but for the Bika villagers around him.
Charlotte instantly sensed something was off.
"Hopefully this kid knows something about the fruit."
The crowd dispersed.
Everyone scrambled in desperation to find the fruit in the image.
A few people tried submitting similar-looking fruits to fake their way through—those ones were executed.
That quickly put an end to the deception.
---
"You stay here and keep watch. I'm heading out."
Charlotte stood and left the platform.
"Found something again?" Kaiser muttered nearby.
"Worry about yourself," Esdeath snapped, shooting him a cold glare.
Kaiser shivered slightly.
Charlotte's Observation Haki had been locked onto Enel the moment he left the square.
He followed the boy into a forest and spotted a crude little thatched hut.
From within came Enel's voice, full of hatred:
"Damn it… Why can't I find it?! If I had that fruit, I'd beg that man to destroy Bika—wipe out all the villagers!"
Charlotte frowned from a branch overhead.
He hadn't come to listen to some brat's emo rant.
In a flash, he appeared behind Enel and clamped a massive hand onto his shoulder.
Using his Observation Haki, Charlotte read Enel's surface thoughts.
Everything in the boy's mind was laid bare.
A few seconds later, Enel's eyes rolled back, and he nearly collapsed.
Charlotte released him, shaking his head.
"Nothing. Looks like Enel isn't the one."
---
Back in the town square, Charlotte sat sipping tea, waiting for updates.
Two days passed.
By now, he'd lost count of how many pots of tea he'd gone through.
Still no sign of the fruit.
On the third day, the frightened villagers were gathered again.
"Today is your last chance. If there's still no news by tonight, you all die. This island will be destroyed along with you."
Charlotte's voice echoed over the square.
The Bika citizens turned pale.
"S-sir! We've searched everywhere—even the forest! But the fruit you described just isn't on the island!"
An old man stepped forward, trembling.
"I don't care. If it's not found—you all die."
Charlotte's cold response crushed their last sliver of hope.
The people scattered, continuing their desperate search.
"Village Chief… is it possible the fruit is in the temple?"
A middle-aged man leaned in to ask quietly.
The chief's face changed instantly.
He frantically looked around to make sure no one heard, then glared at the man.
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