Chapter 190: The Destiny of a Tool

Gabra's face was full of helplessness.

The owl was perfect in every way, except his mouth—he could never keep it shut, and more than once his big mouth nearly ruined missions.

One could only say the zipper on the owl's mouth was truly not wasted.

"Uh…"

Vivi couldn't help but smile at the interaction among the three, her expression growing slightly more relaxed:

"Mr. Gabra, you three are excellent partners."

"Of course."

Gabra's lips curled into a wry smile:

"But there's one exception—I can never get along with him; it's like cat and dog, they always fight the moment they meet."

Ikaram smiled faintly:

"Even cat and dog can have deep affection."

"What nonsense are you talking?!"

Gabra shook his head, clearly not taking Ikaram's words seriously.

"Hehe~"

Vivi chuckled twice, then turned her attention to Baroque Works.

After a moment of thought, her gaze grew resolute:

"Next, our primary mission is to defeat a pirate crew—to pass Baroque Works' entrance trial."

"Only by infiltrating the inner ranks of Baroque Works, even rising to a high position, can we possibly access its core intelligence."

"Crocodile, as one of the Seven Warlords, maintains extreme secrecy even in his cooperation with Baroque Works—perhaps Crocodile himself is the man behind Baroque Works."

As she spoke, she lifted her head to look at Gabra and the other three before her:

"Once we find a suitable target, I'll need all three of you to act."

Gabra nodded:

"No problem—on this island, there's no opponent we can't handle."

Gabra had absolute confidence in his combat power.

He mastered Six Powers and possessed the strongest close-combat Zoan type among the three animal classes—even within the Navy, he was an officer of general rank.

Converted to pirate terms, his bounty would be tens of millions, even nearing a hundred million; such power was overwhelming in this place.

After all, I certainly won't run into that annoying leopard here, right?!

…

…

…

Two days later.

The weather was fine, the waves calm.

The Crow slowly docked at the harbor near Whiskey Peak.

Long before reaching the coast, to avoid unrest caused by the Red Dragon's presence, Gao Wen had lowered the Crow.

Though its propulsion system was damaged, after repairs by Roubo Luqi and others, it could sustain a journey of dozens of nautical miles under such weather without major issues.

Soon.

Roubo Luqi contacted the harbor's shipyard, purchased the materials needed for repairs, rented a dry dock, and then led several shipwrights to begin fixing the vessel.

Gao Wen stood aside, watching the busy crowd, and couldn't help asking:

"How long until it's fully repaired?!"

Roubo Luqi calculated briefly, then gave his answer:

"To restore normal sailing capability, only half a month is needed; but to completely resolve this underlying issue, several months wouldn't be enough."

"The original modifications to this ship were far too brutal; now, trying to fix the aftermath is far harder than imagined."

Gao Wen nodded, but his gaze fell upon the Crow's sail.

The pirate flag—black shield base, bearing a skull emblem—even lying in the harbor, stood out strikingly, and paired with the Crow's hundred-meter hull, it looked utterly majestic.

Looking at the Crow before him, Gao Wen's thoughts drifted elsewhere.

The Crow was never part of his original plan—he had intended to build a ship that would accompany him all the way to the end of his journey.

Like Straw Hat's Thousand Sunny, Red-Haired's Red Force, and Whitebeard's Moby Dick—ships capable of carrying everyone to a wider world.

The Crow, modified from a warship, would one day be discarded by Gao Wen.

Gao Wen leapt up and landed steadily on the deck, his hand brushing the Crow's mast, his mind already on a new ship—he murmured:

"The natural first choice for keel is Adam's Tree."

"After all, Noah's Ark, built primarily from Adam's Tree, sank into the sea and remained unrotted for centuries, proving the material's superior properties."

"As for the hull and outer plating materials…"

In that moment,

a man already killed by Xiang Keluo appeared in Gao Wen's mind.

Wapol.

Or rather, Wapol's Gomu Gomu no Mi.

In combat, the Gomu Gomu no Mi's ability was naturally inferior to later, increasingly overpowered Logia or Mythical Zoan types.

But the Gomu Gomu no Mi possessed one ability bordering on a bug: it could mix ingested substances in any ratio the user desired—even living beings.

It was thanks to this ability

that, after being defeated by the Straw Hats in the original story, Wapol was able, under fortuitous circumstances, to create Wapol Alloy.

Wapoh alloy is a memory metal that not only possesses unimaginable strength but can also automatically restore its original form after damage; even Franky's full-body modification was completed based on Wapoh alloy.

Wapol also used this to make a comeback, built the Black Drum Kingdom, and even gained recognition from the World Government.

"More importantly, since the Munch-Munch Fruit can synthesize Wapoh alloy, then after extensive experimentation, it should also be able to synthesize other materials that can be called magical."

"What a pity."

Gao Wen shook his head and set the question aside; regarding killing Wapol, he felt no psychological burden.

After all, that fellow ruled the Drum Kingdom for so many years and never did a single decent thing; the number of commoners who died directly or indirectly because of him was astronomical.

What truly made Gao Wen curious was still this Munch-Munch Fruit.

The fruit's rebirth follows no pattern; no one can say for certain who will eventually get hold of this fruit.

He glanced at the scene again, saw Roubo Luqi and the others growing busier by the minute, then turned and walked into the cabin to start planning the plans for what comes next.

After confirming the team would stay here for half a month, Gao Wen simply gave everyone a holiday, letting them relax properly around the port.

As for the bounty hunters lurking nearby, hunting for prey...

Gao Wen actually felt a bit of anticipation about whether any fool would dare to make a move on him.

Leaving aside Gao Wen, whose combat power is already near the level of an Admiral or Yonko, and leaving aside Bai Yin-level Xiang Keluo and Akin, and near-Bai Yin-level Zoro and Sanji.

Judging by the pathetic combat power displayed by those bounty hunters in the Whiskey Shanfeng arc, just the low-level thugs on Gao Wen's ship who spend all day crazily working out would be enough to give them a hard time.

What truly makes Gao Wen feel troubled right now is how to handle the problem of Roubo Luqi.

If he kills him directly, he feels a bit of affection for his talent, after all, he is a Gold-level seed.

If he doesn't kill him, leaving him on the ship is like keeping a time bomb.

Watching the busy figures on the deck, Gao Wen fell into deep thought for a moment, and his gaze gradually turned cold.

Time flew, and it was already late at night.

The port of Whiskey Shanfeng was still brightly lit; countless bars were bustling with activity, and along the way, many drunk men and women lay scattered.

Taking advantage of everyone being asleep, Roubo Luqi and Miss Kalifa slipped out, skillfully weaving through the crowd; within a few breaths, they vanished at the end of the street.

What they failed to notice was that on the deck behind them, several figures were watching them coldly.

A few minutes later.

Behind the Whiskey Shanfeng port.

Roubo Luqi and Miss Kalifa, side by side, sped toward the agreed-upon location.

As the deafening music from the port behind them gradually faded, Roubo Luqi inexplicably felt a surge of irritability, and the hair on his neck stood on end.

The vague unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger, causing him to subconsciously slow his pace.

What exactly is it?!

What exactly did I overlook?!

Is the real purpose of the higher-ups meeting just because the liaison person changed, or is it something else...

"What's wrong?"

Miss Kalifa stopped, looking back at Roubo Luqi with a confused expression; the vague panic on the latter's face made her feel a trace of unease as well.

It was simply because she had never seen such an expression on that man's face before.

Such...

Panic that even carried a hint of... fear, yes, the expression of fear!

"What exactly is wrong?!"

"Something is off!"

Roubo Luqi lowered his voice, his gaze nervously scanning the surroundings.

Half a month ago, he had begun to feel a vague sense of impending danger.

At first, he thought it was just his own illusion; only when that sense of danger appeared more and more frequently did he realize his Observation Haki was about to awaken.

And Observation Haki, which transcends the five senses, is more like an intuition, and intuition's perception of danger is often the most accurate.

"Tonight's operation... is a trap!"

Miss Kalifa froze, a forced smile tugging at the corner of her lips:

"How is that possible?!"

"Even if the higher-ups removed Spandam, it has nothing to do with us; how could they make a move against us?!"

"We are just executing a mission—!"

Boom—!

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted beside Roubo Luqi's ear, cutting off Miss Kalifa's words.

When Roubo Luqi came to his senses, a flower of blood had already bloomed on Miss Kalifa's chest; she was blown straight back by the shot, shattering the rocks behind her.

"Miss Kalifa?!"

Roubo Luqi couldn't help but cry out in shock; he had just taken a step forward, but the next second, he instinctively froze in place.

It was because the Observation Haki that had just begun to sprout in his mind transmitted a sense of danger that made him tremble.

The next instant.

Crack!

A bullet grazed Roubo Luqi's clothes, tearing off a piece of flesh from his chest and causing his face to show a trace of panic at that moment.

For in his mind, there were few people capable of achieving this with firearms, and coincidentally, in Whiskey Shanfeng, there was only one: Van Augur!

"Van Augur?!"

"Has my identity been exposed? When?"

Only a strange voice entered Roubo Luqi's ears.

"Oh my~"

"Truly a beast-like instinct; no wonder you are the most talented man CP9 has seen in eight hundred years."

Gismonda, dressed in a white suit, wearing a red-faced mask, with hair exploding outward like a sunflower, slowly emerged from the shadows.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him was a CP0 member holding a flintlock pistol, also clad in white robes; clearly, he was the one who had struck just now.

"It is just a pity that tonight, this place will be where you meet your end."

As the newcomer's voice fell, countless CP0 members who had already been lying in wait in the surrounding areas revealed themselves, surrounding Roubo Luqi in the center.

Killing intent filled the surroundings, chilling and sharp.

In this situation, how could Roubo Luqi not know their intentions?

Yet, a indescribable confusion lingered in his heart.

I went to the front, to protect justice, enduring the Navy's pursuit for over a month, nearly dying several times, only to receive the World Government's execution blade in return?

Even the existence I could currently call a comrade has...

Roubo Luqi looked at Miss Kalifa, who had lost consciousness in the distance; his eyes instantly turned completely red:

"Why?!"

"Why?!"

Gismonda's voice carried an unmasked, chilling coldness, as if he had already become a deity judging life and death:

"When a tool loses its utility, or even holds the possibility of turning against its master, no matter how excellent he is, no matter how bright his future, it holds no meaning; the only fate awaiting him is abandonment."

"I have not Betrayed the World Government!"

"Who knows? When neither the World Government, the CP organization, nor the Navy internal forces can find the person who leaked the Rokushiki, then there is only one answer."

Gismonda pointed a finger at Roubo Luqi and said coldly:

"You are the one who leaked the Rokushiki!"

"It wasn't me!"

Roubo Luqi gritted his teeth, slowly retreating to Miss Kalifa's side, cautiously guarding against attacks from the surrounding CP organization members.

"Roubo Luqi~"

Miss Kalifa, having regained consciousness, struggled to sit up; her face was already pale as death.

She pressed one hand against her wound, barely stopping the bleeding, yet she had already lost the strength to fight.

The opponent's shot just now had severely injured her, but happened to land at a point that wouldn't kill her instantly, the purpose being to keep Roubo Luqi here to the greatest extent possible.

"Truly ironic~"

Miss Kalifa murmured, her eyes revealing an unspeakable desolation.

She never expected that the scene she and Roubo Luqi had staged months ago, where comrades sacrificed for one another to infiltrate Gao Wen's pirate crew, would truly be reenacted here.

Even the knife stabbing into her was the very one held by the World Government.

Only this time, they truly wanted her life.

Even her previous words to Roubo Luqi, that the World Government Values his talent and would not easily abandon him, now seemed naive and childish.

In the eyes of these people, we are ultimately just tools.

Justice?!

Heh, Justice~

Miss Kalifa lowered her voice, yet a handsome face suddenly floated into her mind; she spoke with a touch of self-mockery:

"If you can survive, help me ask that guy if he truly has me in his heart."

"Roubo Luqi, don't worry about me, go!"

Bang—!

Firelight flashed again in the night; the sniper beside Gismonda fired, cutting off Miss Kalifa's words.

But the bullet fired was intercepted by Roubo Luqi, who had been prepared, raising his hand.

Hiss—!

The pitch-black bullet head spun at high speed, constantly rubbing against Roubo Luqi's palm, bringing forth a wisp of white smoke and the smell of scorched flesh.

Roubo Luqi looked at the wound on his palm, then swept his gaze around.

He knew that tonight, relying solely on his own strength, escaping with Miss Kalifa was an impossibility.

After all, even without a sniper comparable to Van Augur, the killing intent inadvertently revealed by Gismonda alone was enough to make him feel danger.

Yet, abandoning Miss Kalifa just like that was something he could not do under any circumstances.

(End of this chapter)