Chapter 753

"A man who once fought the Pirate King Luo Jie…"

"Though he lost."

"According to his own words, it was a crushing defeat!"

"But who truly knows the truth?"

"As the loser, he naturally would not place himself in a higher position."

"But there is no denying that…"

"Despite being the loser, he still survived—clearly escaping Luo Jie's pursuit. Just this fact alone proves how terrifying this man's strength must be."

"He is no ordinary person!"

Lu En fell into thought.

In short.

This old-era pirate, Na Geli, is very likely the highest-ranked pirate he has encountered since setting sail.

He might even be the strongest pirate!

Even someone like Bai Huzi II, Doflamingo, or Barrett…

Might not rank higher than this Na Geli.

After all,

Barrett was merely a crewman of Luo Jie.

There is no need to elaborate on Bai Huzi II and Doflamingo.

But Na Geli actually faced off directly against the Pirate King Luo Jie!

Though he was defeated,

"One-two-seven" he survived.

As for Luo Jie's ship doctor?

He was merely a temporary crewman.

Taking all this into account,

The highest-ranked pirate Lu En has encountered so far appears to be this Na Geli.

Or rather,

Across the entire East Blue, up to this point, the highest-ranked pirate is the reclusive Na Geli.

Even more so,

Throughout this entire sea…

There are few who rank higher than Na Geli.

"How exciting."

Lu En smiled.

Ever since he first heard of Little Lufei's mysterious Master,

He had long wished to meet him.

Now,

The opportunity has finally arrived!

A man who once fought the Pirate King is no ordinary person.

Moreover,

He possesses Conqueror's Haki.

A man with the potential of a king is certainly no weakling.

Lu En was certain of this.

"Before meeting Red-Haired…"

"It might be worth meeting this old-era top-tier powerhouse."

"Let me see just how strong he really is."

"How strong can an old-era top-tier powerhouse truly be?"

Lu En slightly adjusted his mood.

Then,

He said to Little Lufei: "Let's go. Lead the way. If I'm not mistaken, Ace and Sabo are already at your Master's side, right?"

Little Lufei nodded, looking excited: "Yeah."

In his mind,

Big brother Lu En was a genuine powerhouse.

Meanwhile,

Master Na Geli was also a top-tier powerhouse!

He was deeply curious.

Who was stronger—big brother or Master?

Which one had the upper hand?

With this curiosity burning inside him, Little Lufei hurriedly dashed off on his short legs, weaving through the streets of Windmill Village, leading Lu En left and right.

Along the way,

Facing the villagers' simple smiles and greetings, Lu En returned them all with smiles and nods.

Soon after,

Under Little Lufei's guidance,

Lu En left Windmill Village and arrived at the primitive forest behind the village's rear hill.

From afar,

green trees formed a dense forest,

birds sang and flowers fragranced the air.

Verdant grasslands stretched out, while towering trees rose from the ground.

The air was fresh,

a gentle breeze brushed softly by.

A faint, refreshing scent filled the air, filling the heart with peace.

This was a primitive forest.

Many hunters from Windmill Village often ventured into this forest to hunt for a living.

Of course,

they frequently encountered great dangers.

Simply because…

the forest teemed with wild rabbits.

And there were also a few extremely fierce predators and birds of prey.

A bear as massive as a towering mountain peak,

a tiger whose body dwarfed a house,

wild boars too large for a dozen adults to hold.

In short,

the entire forest was rich in resources, yet brimming with countless dangers.

It was a place of constant peril.

Within great danger lay great reward.

The forest grew countless wild medicinal herbs, each priced exorbitantly high.

If lucky enough to find a single wild ginseng root, one might never again worry about food, drink, or pleasure for the rest of their life.

"Is this the place?"

Lu En looked toward Little Lufei beside him.

"Mm."

"Follow me."

Little Lufei walked ahead, leading the way.

To prevent Little Lufei from encountering danger, Lu En activated Observation Haki, extending it across a three-hundred-meter radius to guard against attacks from fierce beasts or poisonous creatures.

After activating Observation Haki,

Lu En's perception range surged dramatically.

Within a three-hundred-meter radius,

every rustle, every whisper, every movement escaped none of his senses.

Even the faintest motion…

was magnified a billionfold and laid bare in his mind.

But the facts proved:

Lu En's worries were unnecessary.

As Captain Kapu's grandson, Little Lufei's survival ability spoke for itself.

Even though he was only a year and change old, his wilderness survival skills were already stronger than those of most adults.

Added to that…

Little Lufei's innate, unyielding vitality.

In the primitive forest, as long as he avoided the rare, powerful predators, he could remain perfectly safe.

"Kid, not bad."

Watching Little Lufei hop and skip through the primitive forest, Lu En couldn't help but smile.

Half a minute later,