Chapter 129: Gao Wen vs. Fujitora

A few minutes later.

Fujitora barely managed to extricate himself from the crowd's encirclement.

After leaving the casino.

Following his old habit, he turned and went to a bakery to buy some bread, preparing to distribute it to the poor in the harbor.

Yet he discovered that someone had already been doing such a thing.

Moreover, they were doing something far more meaningful than temporary relief, something capable of changing these people's circumstances more thoroughly.

Notices for job recruitment were directly posted in the slum area where the harbor's vagrants gathered.

Judging by the prices in Raven Harbor, the wages were quite good; at the very least, supporting oneself and a few family members posed no problem whatsoever.

Seeing this, Fujitora instinctively touched the bread in his hand, then listened to the sound of harbor job recruitment coming from afar.

For a moment, he fell silent.

Yet in his heart, he understood that the bread he gave could only solve a temporary predicament.

And to truly make these people live better, they would ultimately have to stand up on their own.

"Is this really a harbor under pirate rule?!"

"Why do the people here have far more... hope than the countries I have ever visited before?!"

"As long as one is willing to put in effort, one can live a decent life."

"Lord Gasha and the Knight Gao Wen?!"

"Truly... peculiar people."

"I truly look forward to seeing with my own eyes what these two actually look like."

After this outpouring of emotion.

Fujitora, as usual, distributed the bread in his hand to the vagrants in the harbor, then immediately turned and walked toward a tavern.

Clatter!

The tavern door pushed open; the clamorous noise, accompanied by a wave of alcohol fumes that shot straight to the crown of the head, rushed to meet him.

Yet Fujitora's steps instantly halted, for an undeniable aura had appeared in a corner of the tavern.

Sharp, fierce.

Even though he had long lost his eyes, Fujitora could sense that the master of that aura was waiting for him.

"Oh my~"

"Is today my lucky day?!"

Fujitora touched the sword-staff in his hand, crossed through the crowd, and walked toward the table in the corner.

As soon as he sat down, a cup of clear sake was placed before him.

"Please!"

Gao Wen said coolly.

Several days ago, when Fujitora arrived at Raven Harbor, he had already noticed Fujitora's presence.

As a monster found by the Navy in the future through worldwide conscription, Fujitora's combat power was beyond doubt.

Simply by directly displacing a host of Admiral candidates such as Momonosuke and Chabudai, and being directly appointed to the position of Navy Admiral, was enough to prove that Fujitora himself possessed overwhelming strength.

Even if there might be subtle differences compared to the former Aokiji and Akainu, he was undoubtedly one of the existences standing at the summit of this world.

There was no choice for Gao Wen but to take him seriously.

However.

At least at this point in time, Gao Wen and Fujitora were not yet in completely opposing camps; there was no need to reach a state of drawn swords and taut bows.

"Forgive the intrusion."

Fujitora nodded to Gao Wen, took a sip from the wine cup on the table, then raised his head.

His eyes, already deprived of light, faced Gao Wen as he spoke with a hint of regret:

"It is truly a pity that I cannot see your face, the actual leader of Raven Harbor, the pirate nicknamed the Knight, Mr. Gao Wen."

"You are actually paying such close attention to me?!"

A smile curled at the corner of Gao Wen's mouth:

"Excessive modesty is tantamount to arrogance. Your aura, which cannot be suppressed, shines like the full moon in the night sky even when you walk among the crowd."

"To be honest, I have never seen a swordsman as strong as you in the East Blue."

"No!"

"Except for some boring bastard who came from the New World just to fish-bomb!"

Fujitora was slightly stunned, then said coolly:

"If you can make such an evaluation, that must be a very powerful swordsman!"

Saying this.

In Fujitora's hand, on that sword-staff that had been silent for a long time, a humming sound arose.

He then realized.

This close friend who had accompanied him for so long was feeling incomparable excitement because of the man before him.

"Oh my~"

"My apologies; this fellow hasn't encountered a powerful swordsman in a very long time."

"His nature is quite straightforward; if one must describe it, he is probably like a typical yakuza from Wano Country."

"Irritable, impulsive, but such people often possess a burning heart."

Upon hearing this.

Gao Wen's gaze fell upon the sword-staff in Fujitora's hand.

From its appearance, it was just an ordinary sword, even simpler than the Guanshi Zhengzong itself, which was already of a simple design.

Yet it possessed a power utterly different from its outward look.

"The Twelve Great Techniques of the Supreme Fast Blade."

"Underworld Fireline."

The words fell to the ground.

The Guanshi Zhengzong in Gao Wen's hand also began to stir restlessly.

If the personality of Underworld Fireline was more like that of a typical yakuza boss in Wano Country, then the Guanshi Zhengzong in Gao Wen's hand was a bloodthirsty madman!

Fujitora naturally sensed the disturbance of the Guanshi Zhengzong, and his battle intent rose within his heart:

"Originally, many questions had accumulated in my heart."

"For instance, what kind of pirate could make Raven Port as prosperous as it is now, and make people see hope on the faces of commoners."

"But now I think there is no need to ask."

"Top-tier swordsmen only need to clash to understand what is in the other's heart."

"Mr. Gao Wen, please grant me a lesson!"

The only response to Fujitora was a firm voice:

"Good!"

Having said that.

Gao Wen rose directly, paid for the wine, and then led Fujitora toward the back mountain of Raven Port.

For only under such terrain could he and the monster before him truly unleash their full strength.

Regarding the Fujitora before him, Gao Wen held respect in his heart. "Fuji" means purple, a mixture of blue and red; thus, Fujitora's personality and the justice he upheld were more like a fusion of Akainu and Aokiji.

He possessed the unshakable firm will of the former, unaffected by external things, and was not lacking in the human touch of the latter.

In a sense, Fujitora was the future of the Navy, and his will was the true face of justice.

Ten-plus minutes later.

The back mountain of Raven Port.

Two figures stood facing each other amidst the rugged peaks.

The sea wind howled, startling birds from the forest, and made their clothes flutter loudly.

Gao Wen looked at the opponent before him, and battle intent surged in his heart.

Unlike the previous battle against Hawk Eyes, where he had been beaten unilaterally by the other.

!

Judging by the aura radiating from Fujitora, the opponent's current strength should be on the same level as his own.

Not yet reaching the heights he would later display in Dressrosa.

But for Gao Wen at this moment, he was the perfect opponent.

At a certain moment.

Clang!

The sound of two blades being drawn, almost completely overlapping, rang out in mid-air.

It nearly tore the air apart.

Gao Wen's figure vanished directly from the air; his speed was so fast that a layer of white mist rose in mid-air, a manifestation of the body surpassing the speed of sound.

His physical constitution level had skyrocketed, and his swordsmanship had also improved considerably; the speed unleashed by the combination of the two far exceeded the past by several times!

Bang!

Fujitora drew his blade, blocking Gao Wen's sudden strike, but was also pushed back by the impact force brought by the high speed.

For a moment.

The blade of Underworld Fireline emitted a series of humming sounds!

It was excited by the opponent before it!

"A speed-type swordsman?!"

Fujitora murmured to himself, yet a look of Solemnity unavoidably appeared on his face:

"And that blade is certainly no ordinary item."

"I sense a familiar aura. Yes, it is one of the very top blades ever produced in Wano Country."

"One of the Twenty-One Great Blades — Guanshi Zhengzong."

"Even among the famous blades produced in Wano Country, it is an absolute outlier; judging solely by its killing nature, it is even the most ferocious blade in Wano Country's history."

"A benevolent person, a bloodthirsty blade..."

"Interesting!"

"Let me see what kind of will is contained within your blade!"

The next instant.

Fujitora swung his blade horizontally, precisely blocking Gao Wen's incoming strike.

Sparks flew in all directions in the air.

The scattered sword qi left gruesome slash marks on the surrounding peaks, spreading for dozens of meters, and even severed a peak in half at the waist.

Boom!

The massive rocks fell to the ground, shattering into fragments; a cloud of dust spread around, completely engulfing the figures of Gao Wen and Fujitora.

Yet that boundless dust existed for only an instant before being blown away by even more ferocious sword qi.

The two figures, after closing in, fought wildly.

One is agile and swift, relying on godlike speed and the Observation Haki capable of foreseeing the future to launch wave after wave of fierce attacks.

Ruthless to the extreme, ferocious without bounds.

The other is powerful and heavy, with seasoned techniques.

Even when his moves are seen through, he can often just barely deflect the incoming blade, truly embodying the principle that supreme skill appears unrefined.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

A succession of collision sounds.

Each strike stronger than the last, each sound louder than the one before.

Xiang Tenghu's figure constantly retreated, his long blade in hand precisely blocking Gao Wen's assaults, yet his face was filled with confusion:

"To cut down everything that obstructs your will? Such a ferocious sword style is completely unlike the personality you have shown."

"I had thought that the man who could turn this place into a paradise would be one with a benevolent heart."

"But now it seems that is not the case."

"Under the World Government's rule, the world is full of complaints, yet within a pirate territory of bloodthirsty killers, hope flickers."

The more he spoke,

the thicker the confusion on Xiang Tenghu's face became.

For the experiences in Raven Port had already shattered the understanding he had gained from decades of travel.

If this place is right, then the World Government...

Xiang Tenghu did not think further, but his face flushed red as he roared:

"Why?!"

Ding!

After another round of combat, Gao Wen's figure appeared dozens of meters away, his entire arm numb from the continuous collisions.

After slightly moving his shoulder, he said calmly:

"Then what do you think makes this port different from the places you have been to?!"

"You have been to so many places, witnessed so many lives and deaths, separations and reunions of the common people; have you found the answer in your heart?!"

Xiang Tenghu fell silent, only the strength in his hand suddenly increasing by a few degrees.

Clang!

With a loud explosion, Gao Wen used the momentum to retreat violently until hundreds of meters away, then immediately stamped his foot, shattering the mountain peak behind him, and charged toward Xiang Tenghu.

"It seems you have not found the answer!"

"No!"

"It is you who have not truly looked at that answer; originally, you are blind not only in your eyes but also in your heart."

The words landed.

Gao Wen's already super-fast speed increased by a few more degrees.

The Observation Haki capable of foreseeing the future was pushed to its limit at this moment; within his vision, everything that would happen in the next three seconds had already appeared.

Xiang Tenghu blocked his attack with his horizontal blade, then once again knocked him back.

But Gao Wen was already tired of such a game.

In the next instant.

Gao Wen's figure stopped abruptly mid-air, directly crushing the rock beneath his feet.

Only when Xiang Tenghu in the distance had already slashed out, unable to retract his force in time, did Gao Wen finally increase his speed again, delivering a slash...

Shhh!

On Xiang Tenghu's face, a line of blood suddenly sprayed out.

Even though he dodged with all his might, he was ultimately a step too slow; Gao Wen slashed his side of the face, leaving a permanent scar.

(End of this chapter)