Chapter 165: Eradication

"No matter what, I cannot let Nami and the others die before my eyes."

Xiang Gaowen frowned tightly; he waved for the ship's doctor to isolate Nami and the infected individual together, but was stopped by Sanji.

"Xiang Gaowen!"

Sanji glared at Xiang Gaowen:

"Are you giving up on Young Lady Nami?!"

Bang!

Sanji had barely finished speaking when he was firmly pinned down by Ah Jin beside him; he struggled with all his might but found it difficult to move.

"Let her go."

Ah Jin stepped back.

Sanji struggled to his feet; though his gaze toward Xiang Gaowen still seemed to carry anger, his fingers were trembling continuously.

Xiang Gaowen knew clearly that this was not anger but unease; he looked at Sanji and said in a serious tone:

"I will not give up on anyone."

"Otherwise, some old fellow in Windmill Village won't let me off."

"Isolating them is to prevent the rest from being infected; if everyone falls victim, then who will go find a doctor?!"

Sanji turned his head aside:

"Captain, I..."

"I understand you."

Xiang Gaowen said lightly, then picked up the nautical chart beside Nami's hand.

With Level 5 Navigation skills, though far from highly proficient, Xiang Gaowen had escaped the plight of being a novice and barely qualified as a professional navigator.

After roughly scanning the chart, the Eternal Pose on Nami's desk, and then reviewing Nami's logbook,

he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"At our current sailing speed, we can reach Drum Kingdom's Winter Island in half a day."

"That is one of the countries with the most developed medicine."

"Even if some bastard's policy has driven away most of the doctors within the country, we still have options!"

"If they won't give it to us, we'll steal it!"

As he spoke,

a hint of ruthlessness appeared in Xiang Gaowen's eyes:

"We are... pirates!"

"Things we want to obtain naturally must be taken by force."

Hearing this,

Sanji finally calmed down; looking at Xiang Gaowen, a trace of apology appeared in his eyes:

"Sorry, Xiang Gaowen."

"I accept it."

Xiang Gaowen nodded:

"From now on, except for the doctor, no one is allowed to contact Nami."

"Those in good health must take protective measures."

"Full speed ahead toward Drum Kingdom!"

At this point,

a trace of relief finally appeared on everyone's faces, and even their movements became much lighter.

Xiang Gaowen's presence had become the backbone for everyone.

In this dangerous moment, he had become everyone's reliance.

Seeing this, Xiang Keluo murmured:

"He is increasingly looking like a captain."

Fan Fan Aoka, standing beside Xiang Keluo with drooping eyelids, said:

"Isn't the Captain always like this?"

"Heh."

"That guy doesn't seem like a pirate."

"But he is an excellent leader!"

Xiang Keluo paused for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled up:

"You really know how to talk, but get back to your post first, Sniper!"

"Oh my~ Is it time to decide fate again?!"

The subsequent voyage proceeded smoothly all the way.

Amidst snow filling the sky, an island featuring a row of mountain peaks resembling chimneys appeared before the Raven.

The sea breeze brought a bone-chilling cold; everyone tightened their clothes, yet upon seeing this island, they all let out a long breath.

Very soon,

the Raven docked in front of a village, and countless guards with wary expressions emerged from the surrounding snow.

Swish!

A row of flintlock muskets pointed coldly at Xiang Gaowen and the others.

"Leave this place!"

"Pirates!"

Amidst these words.

Dalton, clad in a green coat with a resolute face, stepped out from the crowd.

He looked coldly at Xiang Gaowen and the others before him:

"This place is not for you!"

On the deck.

Xiang Keluo's expression turned cold; instinctively pushing up his glasses with his palm, the claw blades at his fingertips shimmered with a grim, cold light.

His entire body radiated killing intent; even a single glance made one shudder with fear.

"What do we do, Captain!"

Xiang Gaowen raised his hand, yet at that very moment, a loud explosion rang out beside his ear...

Bang!

A bullet accompanied by sparks shot from the barrel straight toward Xiang Gaowen, yet amidst the panicked eyes of the crowd, he precisely caught it between two fingers.

Hiss!

Accompanied by a sound that made one's scalp go numb, white smoke rose from Xiang Gaowen's fingertips.

He swept a glance at the guard who had fired; the latter was directly intimidated by Xiang Gaowen's gaze, his legs going soft as he immediately collapsed to the ground, swaying before losing consciousness.

Only then did Xiang Gaowen look at Dalton and say:

"We bear no malice; my companion has suffered a fungal infection, and we have come here seeking a doctor."

Dalton paused slightly, then shook his head helplessly:

"No such existence remains in this country."

"Among the royal family, there should still be twenty doctors, and among the commoners, there ought to be an old woman; I need to know their locations."

Xiang Gaowen spoke in a calm tone.

"You actually know even that?"

Dalton furrowed his brows:

"I can tell you Kureha's location, but as the Captain of the Guard for this kingdom, I cannot allow a group of pirates of unknown origin to pose a threat to the King."

"Even if..."

"Even if he is merely an incurable scumbag."

Xiang Gaowen nodded, yet had no mind to concern himself with Dalton's psychological issues, saying:

"Then tell me where that old woman is."

Dalton directly threw a map to Xiang Gaowen; the location of Doctor Kureha was clearly marked on a corner of the island, in a town named Kaista.

Having done all this, Dalton prepared to lead the commoners beside him away, yet at that moment, Xiang Gaowen's voice reached his ears.

"By the way."

"Let me give you a warning: Mushuru has returned; he has spread fungal spores across several islands within the Drum Kingdom."

"I have already burned down the one near Silver Moon Port, but several other islands are also surrounded by purple mist, brewing a plague."

Dalton's pupils constricted:

"What did you say?!"

His entire body trembled slightly.

After the old King of the Drum Kingdom saved him back then, he had kept that kindness in his heart and voluntarily became his guard.

It was precisely because of this that he understood both princes of this country very well.

If Wapol was a brat wielding kingly power who simply acted on his whims without caring how much harm his orders would cause this country,

then Mushuru was a demon by birth.

When he was still young, he had eaten the Fungus-Fungus Fruit and used this ability to fire fungal spores into the sky via the cannons within Drum Castle.

Had it not been for luck, the Drum Kingdom would have been destroyed by his ability back then.

"That bastard Mushuru has returned?!"

Xiang Gaowen nodded:

"Currently, this is my speculation, but the several islands I discovered that were afflicted by fungi were all separated by hundreds of nautical miles."

"Only human action could cause such a situation!"

"Damn it!"

Dalton gritted his teeth.

For a moment, he cared about nothing else.

Turning around, he immediately led a group of guards rushing toward Drum Castle, located atop Shanfeng in the center of the island.

Xiang Gaowen watched as Dalton and the others gradually disappeared into the snow.

To be honest, compared to the brothers Wapol and Mushuru, who were each more cruel than the last, Dalton was truly the one most suited to become the King of this country.

He harbored benevolence and could mingle with the commoners; both in mindset and ability, he was a top choice, merely somewhat excessively loyal to a fault.

Thinking of this.

Xiang Gaowen withdrew his gaze, looked at the subordinates beside him, and spoke:

"Sanji and I will take six people to go to Kaista Town; additionally, Xiang Keluo and Van Auger, you two take people to Drum Castle."

"Hmm?"

Xiang Keluo paused slightly, then heard Xiang Gaowen explain:

"A two-pronged approach; if Kureha is not there, within Drum Castle there is still a batch of the most elite doctors selected by King Wapol."

"They should have a method for dealing with this fungal infection."

"Understood."

Xiang Keluo nodded, confirmed the general direction of Drum Island, and then set off with Van Augur.

Xiang Gaowen immediately turned to look at Ah Jin, Roubo Luqi, and the others, saying:

"The rest of you stay here to guard the ship, and prepare to provide support for Xiang Keluo at any moment."

"Yes!"

With that said.

Xiang Gaowen leaped into the air, transformed into a massive dragon with a body entirely crimson, carried Sanji and the others on his back, flapped his wings, soared skyward, and flew in the direction of Kester.

The crimson dragon slowly vanished into the wind and snow filling the sky.

After exchanging greetings with Ah Jin, Roubo Luqi and Miss Kalifa walked side by side into the ship's cabin.

Once the cabin door closed.

The expressions in their eyes instantly turned cold.

This was because, much earlier, they had received follow-up orders from Spandam via Den Den Mushi.

At all costs, eliminate the Ghost Man Ah Jin!

(End of Chapter)