Chapter 158: Roubo Luqi, You Thick-Browed and Big-Eyed One, Have You Also Betrayed the Revolution?

Gao Wen flipped through the distribution records of the Experience Piggy Bank.

At the very top was clearly Arlong, followed by Zoro, Sanji, Xiang Keluo, and others.

He read through several times but could not find the names of Roubo Luqi or Miss Kalifa.

For a moment, Gao Wen's expression grew strange:

"So it seems only crew members who truly follow me can receive a share of the Experience Piggy Bank; someone like Roubo Luqi, who harbors treacherous intentions, is simply ignored."

"Following this logic, Roubo Luqi will most likely not receive the Captain's Wrath buff either."

"Isn't this pure free-riding?!"

"Sly!"

"Truly sly!"

……

……

……

The next day.

With doubts in his heart, Roubo Luqi rose very early.

He turned to look out the porthole and saw that only a sliver of light had just appeared on the distant sea; the sun had not yet risen.

Only a few seabirds swept past the window, flying low over the sea surface and away.

Roubo Luqi nodded in satisfaction and glanced again at the clock hanging in the room.

"Just past six-thirty?"

"Those pirates trained until nearly midnight last night before returning to the cabin to rest, pushing their bodies almost to the limit."

"No one should be up earlier than me."

"I want to see if, after yesterday's training that pushed their bodies to the limit, they can even get up today."

"If they can, it would only confirm Miss Kalifa's claim that they must have taken some kind of secret medicine that damages potential."

Saying this,

Roubo Luqi pushed open the door, crossed the corridor in a few strides, and before even reaching the cabin door, heard the shouts coming from outside.

"So they really used medicine?!"

"However, if such medicine could be obtained, the scientists within the World Government might be able to develop a version with less damage based on it."

"I could also use this to get rid of that waste Spandam."

Roubo Luqi's eyes turned cold, and his assessment of Gao Wen in his heart dropped a few notches.

Willing to sacrifice his crew's potential and lifespan just to rapidly boost their immediate combat power; such a captain could never deserve the words 'benevolence' and 'righteousness'.

But such conduct fit Roubo Luqi's mental image of these pirates bearing the title of Warlord of the Sea all too well.

"After all, they are just pirates."

Roubo Luqi thought of Arlong; a flicker of pity flashed through his mind, but in the next instant, it was replaced by coldness.

A qualified tool cannot even have a self, let alone emotions?

The moment you produce these unnecessary things is also the beginning of your destruction.

Roubo Luqi knew this well.

……

Boom!

The cabin door was pushed open.

The morning sun rose at that very moment.

The rosy light fell upon the people on the deck; those sweat droplets shone with dazzling brilliance like diamonds.

On the faces of Arlong and the others, a vigorous aura of life flickered even more brightly.

In just one night, their spirit and energy had recovered to their peak; even the pirate who had spoken to Roubo Luqi yesterday wore a smile on his face.

They had even started warming up on the deck, as if everything they had experienced yesterday was nothing to them.

Seeing ghosts!

Roubo Luqi's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Long-term use of secret medicines that stimulate potential must leave some physical signs, such as skin ulcers, red eyes, or even accelerated aging.

But at this moment, even without undergoing drug testing, Roubo Luqi's perception ability allowed him to judge that the vitality of these people before him was far stronger than yesterday.

That amount of training, which would normally require at least a week of rest for an ordinary person to recover from, was truly nothing to these people?

Or did everyone possess an ability similar to Life Return?

Impossible!

Even within the CP organization, those who could fully master the Six Powers were already qualified to join CP9.

Those who mastered the ultimate technique of the Six Powers, Life Return, could even be titled 'Elite'.

"Have the side effects of the medicine not yet appeared?"

Roubo Luqi guessed.

He suppressed the doubts in his heart and observed for a few more days.

But he discovered that as time passed, not only did no side effects appear on these pirates, but their aura of life grew even more vigorous.

Their strength was increasing at an astonishing rate; several of the officers changed day by day.

Originally, Roubo Luqi still had confidence that even if he could not defeat Arlong, he could escape at full strength, but now he could no longer make sense of Arlong's changes.

The rate of improvement for Zoro, Sanji, and others, whom he had previously not even taken seriously, was even more astonishing, faster even than Xiang Keluo.

If this continued, in at most a few months, they would reach or even surpass his current level.

Damn it!

At this thought, Roubo Luqi gritted his teeth.

It was because his original plan was to at least become the third strongest combatant in Gao Wen's pirate crew.

Only by entering the core decision-making circle could he obtain the secrets within Gao Wen's pirate crew and truly have the opportunity to challenge Knight Gao Wen at a critical moment.

But judging by the upgrade speed of these beasts, in half a year, he might just become the bottom-dweller among the executives.

"No!"

"I cannot continue to slack off. I must join them and start improving myself to maintain my current combat advantage."

"Otherwise, with the progress speed of these beasts, sooner or later they will surpass me!"

At this moment.

Roubo Luqi's breathing nearly stopped.

As the strongest person in eight hundred years recognized by CP9, his talent was undoubtedly extraordinary.

Given time, even if he did not reach the level of the Navy's highest combat power, the Admirals, he would be close, firmly becoming a powerhouse in the first tier below the Fleet Admiral.

But now, he felt a strong crisis due to his own progress speed.

Thinking of this.

Roubo Luqi did not hesitate for a single moment, stepped forward directly, and began cultivating the Six Powers and the abilities of the Leopard Fruit.

To maximize the stimulation of his potential, he even added several tons of weight to himself, only stopping when his body reached its limit of endurance.

"Hah!"

"Ha!"

Except for the ultimate move, the Six Kings Gun, he unleashed all the various techniques of the Six Powers.

Such an action, risking his life, caused the surrounding pirates to turn their heads, revealing looks of appreciation.

"That's right, new recruits must have this kind of drive; strength is the romance of men!"

Jin's eyes were gratified, and he nodded silently.

Zoro looked at Roubo Luqi, his eyes dangerous, as if he had seen the most suitable prey.

Only Xiang Keluo's corners of the mouth could not help but twitch.

He naturally saw the inexplicable sense of urgency on Roubo Luqi; that was not a disguise, but real anxiety.

You damn fool, you came here to be a spy!

Why have you been assimilated so quickly?!

He was confused in his heart, but only snapped out of it when he saw the sweat all over the people around him, as well as his own bare upper body and the barbell in his hand.

Too terrifying!

The environment really can change a person.

This spy from the World Government, having arrived for less than a week, was completely assimilated.

No!

Xiang Keluo's eyes lit up, and he suddenly understood why Roubo Luqi had suddenly produced such a change.

If I were a spy, I would climb up at all costs until I reached a position where I could access the target's most core secrets.

Is this guy eyeing the top three, and that special requirement?!

Pity you do not know that your identity has been seen through by Gao Wen from the very beginning.

Thinking of this, Xiang Keluo even felt a trace of sympathy for the Roubo Luqi before him.

It was because even if Roubo Luqi could secure the top three, Gao Wen would absolutely not let him enter the core decision-making circle.

Moreover...

Xiang Keluo looked at Sanji and Zoro nearby, and the smile on his lips grew even wider.

The amazing talents of these two monsters made even me feel afraid, and their growth speed is so fast it's taking off.

At the current speed, I'm afraid it won't be long before they become two mountains standing before you.

Tsk tsk~

After sighing, Xiang Keluo returned to his cultivation state, even more focused than before.

He could not accept his status being surpassed by Jin, Zoro, and others; even if he had to squeeze his body to the limit, he must become stronger.

For a moment, everyone on the deck entered a frenzy of involution.

Nami looked through the porthole at the crowd immersed in cultivation, her eyelids twitching:

"Has Roubo Luqi been assimilated by them too?"

"It's weird!"

"It's too weird!"

Saying this.

Nami shivered and hurriedly pulled the curtains shut, fearing that this madness would infect her as well.

"Everything on the ship is fine."

"It's just... it's just... it's just too outrageous!"

"Whether cultivating or studying, one should combine work and rest."

Nami sighed, then buried her head and hard-chewed the palm-thick navigation book in her hand, completely unaware that the dark circles under her eyes had already become terrifyingly deep.

"I'll finish chewing through this book tonight; if I can't, I'll add two more!"

Time passed in a flash, and it was deep into the night.

Everyone chased and competed, and no one was willing to retreat.

Roubo Luqi gritted his teeth even tighter, pushing his body to its limit, unwilling to lose to Xiang Keluo and the others.

Not until the early morning hours did everyone finally stop simultaneously, lying on the deck and greedily breathing in fresh air.

The assistant chef in the cabin, following the recipe for the nutritional meal provided by Sanji, had cooked a large quantity of food to replenish vitality and pushed it out onto the deck, distributing it to everyone one by one.

Roubo Luqi also received a large portion; his eyes lit up, thinking he had discovered the secret behind the Gao Wen Pirates' diligent cultivation.

Only after taking a bite did he realize it was merely a reasonably balanced nutritional meal; while sufficient for everyone's daily consumption, it was by no means some secret elixir.

Aside from being excessively delicious, there was nothing extraordinary about it.

Doubt filled Roubo Luqi's heart, but the hunger in his stomach made him ignore such thoughts; he ate two portions consecutively before recovering his strength.

A few minutes later.

After everyone finished eating and replenished their strength, they supported each other and returned to the cabin.

Roubo Luqi felt slightly drained, unable to stand steady, and swayed as if about to fall, when Akkin caught him; the latter wore a smile on his face, clearly very satisfied with Roubo Luqi's performance:

"A newcomer should have this kind of drive!"

"Keep it up."

"The Captain said your potential surpasses both mine and Xiang Keluo's, and can even rival those two monster kids."

"As long as you cultivate diligently, you will surely achieve great things in the future."

"However."

"I do not think I will lose to you."

Roubo Luqi's eyelid twitched, and he forced a faint smile onto his lips.

After a day of overloading cultivation, he now felt every bone in his body was soft.

In terms of cultivation burden, the intensity of the Gao Wen Pirates was even higher than that of the CP organization; no, it was far beyond that!

With their constitutions, they were able to endure, and their state differed little from his own, a Six Styles expert possessing the ability of Life Return.

Either they had taken drugs, or they had seen ghosts!

Back in the room.

Seeing Roubo Luqi's exhausted face, Miss Kalifa couldn't help but ask:

"How was it?"

"Did you find the reason for their rapid cultivation speed?"

Roubo Luqi shook his head, his gaze Solemn:

"Whether it was the food or anything else, there were no problems, nor was it the influence of a Devil Fruit user."

"I have figured it out; currently, there are no Devil Fruit users with similar abilities within the Gao Wen Pirates."

Saying this.

Roubo Luqi's eyes were complex:

"Perhaps they were simply a group of beings with extraordinary talent; after all, these were talents that Knight Gao Wen had painstakingly selected from the East Blue."

"Enough talk."

"I must go rest; otherwise, I won't keep up with tomorrow's cultivation and will be left far behind by those monsters."

With that, Roubo Luqi turned and returned to his room, completely failing to notice the expression of shock and astonishment on Miss Kalifa's face.

Damn it, has Roubo Luqi been assimilated by that group?

This is too sinister!

No.

I must speed up my own progress; otherwise, in the end, Roubo Luqi might become obsessed with cultivation and forget the true mission.

Miss Kalifa sucked in a cold breath.

In the following days, she began frantically seeking opportunities to approach Gao Wen and create chances to be alone with him, even donning a shameful internal battle robe for this purpose.

Yet, every time she was watched closely by Nami, finding no opening whatsoever.

This made her begin to suspect whether the Gao Wen Pirates had already discovered her identity.

Subsequent discoveries, however, made her dispel this doubt.

Night fell.

Miss Kalifa locked her door from the inside; on the table sat a listening Den Den Mushi.

Another Den Den Mushi, responsible for transmitting signals, she had quietly hidden in Nami's room.

Quickly.

A sporadic sound came from the receiver.

"Sister Jasha, the current situation is extremely unfavorable for you!"

"Previously at Red Rose Port, two newcomers arrived on the ship: Roubo Luqi and Miss Kalifa."

"Roubo Luqi is fine; within a few days, he was assimilated by the men on the ship who were obsessed with cultivation, and now he feels uncomfortable all over if he doesn't lift iron for a day."

Nami's tone changed:

"But Miss Kalifa is different!"

"That face, that figure, that aura of cold aloofness; even as a woman, I feel my heart flutter upon seeing her."

"Undoubtedly, she has set her sights on Captain Gao Wen!"

"After all, you know, with the Captain's face, figure, and powerful strength combined, how many women wouldn't like him?"

"I completely understand Miss Kalifa's thoughts."

"What? Keep a close eye on her?"

"Sister Jasha, you must know, she is also my companion~"

"No!"

"What I mean is... raise the price!"

A few minutes later.

Miss Kalifa put down the receiver and let out a sigh of relief.

"As long as my identity isn't exposed, that's all that matters."

"Clearly, I'm not the only one watching Gao Wen — that woman in Raven Harbor is watching him too."

"Though it's for the mission."

"But to be fair, Knight Gao Wen, purely by appearance, is indeed a fine man. It's not hard to understand why a woman might be drawn to him."

Saying this, Miss Kalifa adjusted her glasses, her gaze clear:

"But for a spy, personal emotion is an irrelevant thing."

"I'm different from that woman — I'm approaching him only for the mission."

(End of Chapter)