Chapter 123: Fujitora

In the midst of the action.

The female dealer's eyes, uneasy, glanced at the gamblers surrounding them, then turned to the middle-aged blind man beside her.

How could she not know this was simply a trap, a scheme by these gamblers to swindle a blind man's money? She had seen such things far too many times.

But this time.

Looking at the middle-aged blind man before her, dressed simply, her heart still felt reluctant. After gritting her teeth, she spoke:

"Mr., gambling itself is disadvantageous for the blind, after all..."

Before she could finish, the violent gambler's accomplice grabbed her hair by the handful and dragged her entire body backward.

"Stupid bitch, daring to speak out of turn here! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you won't know who owns this place!"

But at that moment.

The silent middle-aged man spoke:

"Could you leave her here?"

"After all, I have been to so many places and seen so many people; finally, here I have seen the scenery I wished to see."

"Humans, while filthy and ugly, also emit a dazzling radiance at certain moments!"

"Hiss—!"

The violent gambler sneered. Seeing things had reached this point, he lost all desire to continue this game.

He drew a flintlock pistol from his chest, pressed it directly against the middle-aged man's head, and sneered:

"This is the radiance of human nature. Hand over all the money on you—!"

Halfway through speaking, the violent gambler's voice froze on the spot.

For a silver blade light flashed before his eyes; instantly he felt a chill in his arm, followed by an indescribable, excruciating pain...

"Waaah—!"

"My hand!"

Trembling all over, he fell to his knees, his face deathly pale, with none of the arrogance he had shown moments before.

The henchmen who had been following him were awed by the aura emanating from the middle-aged man.

Their legs trembled.

They fled the casino hall as if escaping for their lives.

Even the gambler holding the female dealer nearby, ignoring everything else, forced his way through the crowd and vanished without a trace within a few breaths.

Having escaped disaster, the female dealer's face was deathly pale; she felt her legs go weak. Struggling to stand, she asked:

"Mr., who exactly are you?!"

This was the common confusion in the hearts of everyone still remaining in the casino.

"My name is Issho."

The middle-aged man slowly sheathed his long blade and said calmly:

"I am traveling across the world, seeking the true face of this world."

"Since they have left, then this gamble counts as my victory. Please exchange all these chips for cash."

"Very well!"

The female dealer nodded.

For a moment, she felt the man before her radiate an aura that commanded trust.

Even the fear in her own heart completely vanished at that moment.

What she did not know was that if Gao Wen were here, hearing this name, he would instantly recognize that this middle-aged man was one of the two monsters who would later take command of the Navy's supreme combat power after Kuzan departed and Akainu was promoted.

Fujitora - Issho.

A few minutes later.

Fujitora, satisfied, walked out of the casino with the cash he had won.

After he left, the casino quickly returned to normal.

For such scenes occurred in the casino almost every two or three days.

Though the crowd was slightly terrified, they were accustomed to it; they buried their heads at the gambling tables again, refusing to stop until they had lost even their underwear.

On the street.

People came and went; street vendors' cries of sale rang out from time to time.

Yet everyone in the crowd was discussing the same thing.

"The East Blue, Raven Port, is about to hold a Martial Arts Tournament. It is said that not only is it a tournament, but the surrounding area is also a great destination for vacation and tourism..."

"I have already made plans with friends to go see it live; just how explosive will the battles of those powerful monsters be!"

Countless voices entered Fujitora's ears, yet all spoke of the same thing.

"A Martial Arts Tournament?"

"And in the East Blue, the most peaceful sea in the world? Then my next destination shall be decided as there!"

As he murmured to himself, Fujitora had already made his decision.

He would go to see the world's most peaceful sea; after all, those living there ought to be the luckiest group of people in this world.

What kind of flowers would bloom upon this paradise?!

What kind of people would be raised there?!

The more he thought.

The more Fujitora's heart anticipated it, until a few minutes later, he barely managed to suppress his inner excitement.

Focusing on the matter at hand.

He turned and walked into a bakery, spending most of the money he had just won to buy fresh bread.

He then distributed the bread to the poor on the street who were barely clothed.

Feeling everyone's joy and gratitude, a trace of sincere smile naturally appeared on Fujitora's face.

"For those struggling to survive, obtaining a single loaf of bread is something that can be called luck."

"But for certain existences standing at the world's peak, such things are not even worthy of being placed on the table."

"How unequal this world is~"

……

……

……

East Blue, Crow Port.

In the center of the port, a circular arena hundreds of meters in diameter had already taken shape.

The overall planning was entirely controlled by engineers hired by Jazza at great expense; in both appearance and scale, it absolutely did not fall short of the Corrida Colosseum in Dressrosa.

Seeing this, Gao Wen nodded in satisfaction, then took the Guanshi Zhengzong in his hand and headed toward the back mountain to begin today's cultivation.

Now, all major and minor affairs within Crow Port and Gao Wen's pirate crew had fallen into place.

With no short-sighted pirates coming from the Grand Line to cause trouble, and the East Blue Marines behaving more obediently than ever, Crow Port had entered a rare period of peace.

Yet everyone grew even busier.

It was simply because they were all going all out to secure a ranking that satisfied them at the martial arts tournament two months from now.

Even winning the championship was not impossible.

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

Inside the training room.

Kurogane continued his daily strength and physical conditioning training just as he had in the past, even more diligently than before.

This was because the strength that had almost stopped growing was now growing again, even faster and more fiercely than before.

This sensation had already fascinated him; now that it was regained, it was even more so.

"Although I don't know exactly why, I always feel it is related to my decision to rely on my own strength, win the martial arts tournament, and claim the Bone-Bone Fruit."

Suddenly.

Kurogane suddenly recalled words Gao Wen had once spoken to him, and an answer formed in his heart regarding his sudden change.

"The so-called..."

"Realizing one's true heart, tempering one's will?"

"Exactly!"

Xiang Keluo's voice sounded beside Kurogane, his eyes filled with sincere admiration:

"In terms of perseverance and fighting spirit alone, even I might not be your match."

Xiang Keluo spoke these words with complete sincerity.

After all, when the two first fought at Crow Port, Kurogane was left with an incredibly deep impression of Kurogane's resolve to win the battle even at the cost of his life.

It also made him particularly approve of this man.

"Let's spar?!"

Kurogane put down the barbell in his hand, a smile curling the corners of his lips:

"Great!"

……

A few minutes later.

Inside the training room, the continuous sound of metal clashing rang out, continuing until late at night before finally ceasing.

"Hah~!"

Kurogane lay on the ground gasping for air, his body utterly exhausted, yet his eyes grew even brighter:

"The gap is smaller than before; I have finally felt my growth once again!"

Xiang Keluo, standing nearby, wiped the sweat from his body with a towel, looking at Kurogane with utter astonishment.

Originally, if he had been serious, he could have defeated Kurogane in just a few moves, but now he could no longer do so.

Although Kurogane was still no match for him, he could no longer handle him as casually as before.

Xiang Keluo could not help but recall what Gao Wen had said earlier.

Originally, he had thought it was just Gao Wen joking, but now he saw that Gao Wen was serious!

If I slack off, I will really be surpassed by Kurogane!

Moreover, there are Zoro and Sanji, those two monsters whose talent is visible at a glance and whose futures are limitless!

Thinking of this, Xiang Keluo felt his scalp tingle; after barely recovering his mobility, he resumed his physical training.

Not only to maintain his condition, but also as Gao Wen had once said.

Armament Haki exists within everyone's body, but only by cultivating the physique to a certain realm can one successfully awaken it!

This is also the only solution against Logia-type users, aside from Sea Prism Stone!

Xiang Keluo thought far more deeply than others.

The scale of this martial arts tournament far exceeded expectations; it was no longer just an internal matter of the East Blue.

The opponents would be powerful figures from the Four Seas, the Grand Line-Paradise, and even the New World.

To stand out among such a group of monsters, my current strength alone is not enough!

Thinking of this,

Xiang Keluo lost all desire to stay here, turned around, found a place, and began further physical cultivation.

After all, no matter how exhausted one becomes, as long as no internal injuries are caused, normalcy returns the next day!

Meanwhile,

on the side of Raven Port,

lights burned brightly within Gao Wen's pirate crew settlement, and sounds of everyone's cultivation echoed everywhere.

Zoro, Sanji, Van Augur, the Mink brothers...

Each person, driven by their own goals, prepared for the upcoming martial arts tournament; no one wished to be the one ranked last.

Amidst the fervent rhythm of cultivation, two months flashed by.

Two months later,

in the center of Raven Port, a circular arena had taken shape.

Capable of accommodating eighty thousand spectators simultaneously, in terms of scale alone, this arena already surpassed the Bullfighting Arena.

At this moment, the port had already gathered numerous tourists from all over the world.

Some came to compete, others to sightsee.

In short, the current prosperity of Raven Port far exceeded any time in the past.

Lights shimmered; carriages and horses flowed like water.

The prosperity of the commercial district changed almost daily.

The smile on Gaza's face grew more brilliant day by day.

In just half a month since the opening, the port's tax revenue equaled that of an entire previous year.

She also hesitated not, pouring even more funds into it.

The former Gao Wen pirate crew settlement was officially renamed Red Dragon Street, allowing entry only to members of the City Lord's Office and Gao Wen's pirate crew.

Gao Wen sat in his room, watching the passing crowds outside the window and the smiles on his subordinates' faces, feeling his heart settle somewhat.

This was the life Xiang Keluo had once most desired.

Now right before his eyes, yet Xiang Keluo had already shifted his focus to his own strength; one can only say that what is unattainable is always restless.

After a sigh, Gao Wen turned his attention to the system panel.

(End of this chapter)