Chapter 108: Invalid Experience

Gao Wen's brow furrowed, and he felt it was quite a pity.

The experience from the Sniper skill was the same way.

It wasn't a style that fought with guns to begin with, and aerial slashes didn't need the pinpoint precision of a sniper either.

In other words.

This skill's boost to Gao Wen himself could almost be ignored.

Even if this experience couldn't be converted into experience for other skills, it would still be good to feed it back to his subordinates.

After all, as Gao Wen's own combat power grew stronger and stronger, even Keluo, the strongest on the team, still had a gap of nearly two whole ranks between him and Gao Wen.

And the gap between a qualified right-hand man and a captain shouldn't be too large; even if Keluo couldn't match Gao Wen's level, he should at least be at Silver rank.

Otherwise, in battle, he wouldn't be able to provide any help at all.

However.

Keluo himself was a brains-type too, and that couldn't really be blamed on him.

He could only wait and see whether, later on, he could find a suitable fruit, or take his conviction one step further.

After a moment of thought.

Gao Wen turned his gaze to the badge:

"The only thing that could possibly reach this kind of ability is the badge function, but you can't force this sort of thing. Still, from the looks of it now, although the functions have no pattern at all, how they awaken does leave a trail to follow."

"Reputation, bounty increases, and even…"

While he was thinking.

Gao Wen's eyes narrowed slightly:

"Maybe once I officially enter the Grand Line, I'll be able to awaken a brand-new badge too."

"It's just that the badge abilities being random is a bit infuriating."

Having said that.

Gao Wen looked again at the Sniper and Navigation experience, sighed, and for now set the matter aside.

He put all of his attention on the training of Armament Haki.

The next few days.

The Gao Wen Pirates set up their own base in a section of land that Gaza had carved out for them.

Rows of wooden shacks were squeezed together; though they looked a bit crude, they had taken on the look of a small town.

Although they were tired, the members of the Gao Wen Pirates all wore smiles on their faces, because here they had found the peaceful, stable life they had once longed for most.

But they all knew clearly enough whose doing this kind of life was.

Zoro and the rest of the grinders didn't even bother to build a training room; they casually found an open patch of ground in the back hills and immediately began their own training.

This time.

To prepare for the martial arts tournament two months later, everyone tacitly split up to train, each holding their breath, determined to claim the ranking they wanted at the tournament.

And because of that, they were all the more afraid of having their trump cards scouted out by their opponents ahead of time.

Gao Wen naturally had no objections to this.

No matter how you lot grind, as long as you're grinding—even if you stick a photo of Gao Wen himself on the target—he could accept it.

……

Early morning.

The rising sun cast its golden, dazzling light across the water of the harbor.

It also illuminated a pirate ship moored in the harbor.

Standing on the deck, Keluo had someone take down the pirate flag and replace it with a harbor flag, yet it still couldn't conceal the bloody, savage pirate air that clung to the ship.

To this.

Keluo was naturally delighted, after all this was exactly the effect he wanted.

Ajin, who had set out together with Keluo, leaned against the railing and silently watched everything before him.

"The people sent by the Mo Li Sect set out two days ago; if things go smoothly, you should be able to reach the capital of the Goya Kingdom before they do."

"Please bring them back as well."

Gaza couldn't help but urge.

"Understood."

Keluo waved his hand, then immediately directed the pirate ship to set sail.

A few minutes later, the sails gradually disappeared over the distant horizon.

Seeing this, Gao Wen turned to Gaza and said:

"Then I'll set off too."

"Judging by the current timing, I'll just barely make it in time for the auction at Loguetown."

"Be careful out there."

"Mm."

Gao Wen pressed down the felt hat on his head, turned, boarded the cargo ship, and strode quickly into the cabin.

Bang!

The cabin door shut.

Gao Wen walked to the mirror; his features and body began to warp at a speed visible to the naked eye, and within just a few minutes, he had switched to an utterly unremarkable face.

This was naturally the effect of Harmony—precisely controlling every muscle in his body could, of course, easily achieve the point of changing his appearance.

Even if Keluo and the others stood right in front of him, they wouldn't recognize him.

The sole purpose of Gao Wen's trip was simply to head to Loguetown and attend that auction.

If we can avoid conflict, we'd best avoid conflict with those people.

……

At the same time.

The Grand Line.

Before Twin Cape.

The massive figure of Laboon still rammed the Red Continent, tireless and unflagging.

Yearning for reunion with the Rumba Pirates, who had long since vanished into the sea on the other side of the world.

Boom!

After the earth-shaking tremor.

Laboon slowly sank into the sea, a new wound of mangled flesh and blood added to the top of his head.

The searing pain could not deter him in the slightest.

Crocus stood atop a lighthouse at one side, silently watching the scene before him.

It was not that he was cold-hearted.

Rather, this very scene had played out countless times, and he had tried to talk Laboon out of it countless times.

Yet this stubborn island whale had not wavered in the slightest, firmly believing that his companions were surely still waiting for him on the other side.

Boom!

After yet another charge, Laboon plunged into the seawater, sending up towering sprays like mountain ridges that became a torrential downpour.

Yet Crocus's expression suddenly darkened in the very next instant.

He turned his head.

And saw, on the distant sea, a heavily damaged pirate ship slowly sailing over.

A tall, masked man stood at the bow, his face deathly pale, his expression utterly grim, radiating an aura that made one's hair stand on end.

Crocus's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly called out:

"Laboon!"

"There's an enemy!"

This anxious cry made Laboon's body pause for an instant, and he then dove beneath the seawater.

Crocus also turned and ducked into the lighthouse, staying there until the battered pirate ship, sailing against the current, charged into the East Sea.

Only then did he reappear atop the lighthouse, his brows tightly knit:

"A dangerous man."

"Roger's homeland has just seen the emergence of a pirate with a bounty over a hundred million, and now these fellows called the Seven Warlords are showing up too."

"Not a moment's peace to be had."

"Sigh~"

After that sigh, Crocus's gaze noticed a sudden bloom of crimson bloodstains rising on the sea surface.

He hurriedly turned and walked into the lighthouse to prepare medicine for Laboon's wounds.

……

Elsewhere.

Hanafza's pirate ship charged all the way through Reverse Mountain, truly entering the East Sea.

Recalling his earlier experience, his expression was as unpleasant as if he had just eaten shit.

"That old bastard Zephyr, in his state still won't let me off?"

As he spoke.

His face flushed red, he opened his mouth and coughed up a large mouthful of blood, feeling his body growing ever weaker, and blustered:

"Next time!"

"Next time I'll definitely take him out!"

(End of chapter)