Chapter 207: The Possibility of Recovery

"What a pity."

Gao Wen couldn't help but let out a sigh, yet he also knew this thought was ultimately impossible to realize.

After all, not everyone possesses a means like the Crimson Dragon to absorb ley line energy to replenish stamina; often, an injury sustained in a single battle requires a long period of recuperation.

Moreover, Gao Wen could clearly see that in the latter stages of that battle, the Jin Shizi's condition was obviously off.

He held an absolute advantage, and his original intention was neither to repel nor to kill Gao Wen, but to subdue him and make him a deputy similar to Lei Li.

Yet with that final sword strike, the Jin Shizi had already violated his original purpose and directly moved to kill.

"Is it the wound on his head?"

This was the only reasonable guess in Gao Wen's mind.

Even if the Jin Shizi maintained himself perfectly, that ship's wheel embedded directly into his skull still exerted a tremendous influence on his body.

"However..."

"Having not experienced a decent battle in twenty years, and with such an old wound atop his head, being able to maintain combat power at the Emperor level is already absurdly outrageous."

"If the Straw Hat faces this thing in a few years, he'd be dead in a single exchange; there's absolutely no way he could fight to that extent."

"Unless there is some unknown factor in between that caused the Jin Shizi's combat power to decline so rapidly."

"Nevertheless."

"This has nothing to do with me; at most, the next time we meet, I will grant him a dignified ending rather than letting him fall in a manner akin to humiliation."

As he spoke.

A series of pains transmitted from the wound on Gao Wen's chest.

Clearly, even under the ability of the Celestial Body, a slash imbued with Conqueror's Haki remained extremely lethal to Gao Wen.

He immediately decided to first find an island nearby rich in ley line energy to replenish his stamina and repair his injuries before contacting Miss Kalifa and the others.

Thinking this.

On Gao Wen's shoulders, the twin wings of the Crimson Dragon extended; with a gentle flap, his entire person skimmed across the sea surface, speeding away into the distance.

Within a few breaths.

He vanished without a trace.

On the other end.

Several islands suspended high in the sky slowly drifted away beyond Alabasta.

Having returned to the main camp, the Jin Shizi sat upon his Wang Zuo, while several ship doctors beside him tended to the wound on his head.

"The ship's wheel is embedded even deeper; it has even grown together with the brain tissue, carrying a risk of infection at any moment."

Indigo looked at the Jin Shizi's wound, his brows knitted tightly, and he couldn't help but advise:

"Furthermore, the previous hypothesis has been confirmed in this battle."

"Every intense emotional fluctuation, or frequent eruption of Haki requiring willpower to contend in battle, will lead to a worsening of the injury, causing the ship's wheel to embed even deeper."

"Perhaps next time, or perhaps the time after that; once the ship's wheel damages the motor nerves, it will be too late for everything."

"In other words."

"Captain, you must avoid high-intensity battles from now on."

"Are you kidding me!"

The Jin Shizi yanked the needle from his body, grabbed Indigo by the collar, his eyes filled with unwillingness:

"If I cannot fight, how am I to seize this world?"

"If that fellow Luo Jie knew about this in hell, he would laugh himself to death!"

He nearly roared these words out.

Yet on Indigo's face, there was not a trace of his usual frivolity during playtimes, only an indescribably Solemn expression.

"Damn it!"

"Damn it!"

"Damn it!"

The Jin Shizi let out bursts of roars; as rage and unwillingness surged in his heart, the ship's wheel atop his head once again transmitted waves of pain that drove him nearly mad.

Holding one hand to his head, he gritted his teeth and looked at Indigo:

"Is there really no way to remove this thing?"

"At least with our current technology, it cannot be done; even the most cutting-edge medical arts in this world that I am aware of cannot find a treatment method."

Indigo looked at the ship's wheel atop the Jin Shizi's head and sighed:

"A case where a blown-off ship's wheel pierced the brain and the person successfully survived—I have combed through medical books and case records from recent decades, yet I have not found another similar situation."

"Encountering such a matter can only be called the punishment of God."

"God?"

The corners of the Jin Shizi's mouth split open; the pain within his brain made his expression at this moment unusually ferocious:

"If you are referring to those swine in Mary Geoise, then I can only be the one to punish them!"

"Since medicine cannot achieve it, then let us gamble!"

As he spoke.

The Jin Shizi firmly grabbed the ship's wheel atop his head, a trace of ferocity flashing in his eyes.

If the slaughter with Sengoku and Garp twenty years ago merely made him realize that the ship's wheel embedded in his brain caused some decline in his combat power, yet it was still within an acceptable range.

Then the battle with Gao Wen last night had already become unacceptable to him.

This feeling of witnessing one's own decline is something only those who have experienced it can know just how terrifying it truly is.

The Jin Shizi had witnessed the downfall of countless powerhouses, among whom were even existences nearly invincible in their era like Rocks and Luo Jie, yet not a single one fell in this manner.

Compared to barely surviving in a corner, he preferred a sensational, grand finale.

Even if it meant falling just before the finish line.

"Let's see if my luck is still as terrible as it was twenty years ago—!"

The next instant.

Indigo and the others, realizing what Jin Shizi was about to do, rushed forward in panic, only to be sent flying by the Haki erupting from his body.

Just as Jin Shizi was about to forcibly remove the ship's helm from atop his head, a panicked voice reached everyone's ears.

"I have a way!"

"I know who can help you solve this problem!"

Jin Shizi's movements halted; hope reignited in his heart, for unless driven to desperation, who would willingly gamble their life on such a slim possibility?

He turned his head and saw Spandam approaching in haste, the latter speaking without pause:

"Over ten years ago, a Devil Fruit leaked out of Mary Geoise; its name is the Ope Ope no Mi."

"According to internal records of the CP organization, that fruit allows one to remove a heart while keeping the owner alive, and can even perform feats like swapping personalities."

"Removing the ship's helm from your head would be no problem at all."

Having now staked everything on Jin Shizi, Spandam naturally did not wish for him to fall.

After all, if that happened, endless pursuit by the World Government would await him.

"Heh..."

Jin Shizi paused, raising a hand to touch the ship's helm atop his head; his nearly explosive rage calmed in an instant:

"Where is that fruit?"

"I don't know."

Spandam shook his head and continued:

"But what I do know is that over ten years ago, this fruit triggered a struggle among three factions: the World Government, the Marines, and Donquixote Doflamingo."

"Its whereabouts eventually became unknown, but it is certainly not in the hands of the World Government or the Marines."

"So it's with Doflamingo?"

"No."

Spandam denied it:

"Based on the intelligence we have, there is no such ability user within the Donquixote Family; however, there is one incident afterward that caught my attention."

"Shortly after that struggle, two people disappeared from the Tang Jikede Family."

"One was Doflamingo's younger brother, and the other was a youth suffering from Platinum Lead Disease."

"The former has been confirmed dead; as for the youth, his name is... Trafalgar Law!"

The Grand Line.

The waters near Rapeseed Flower Port.

A pirate ship was anchored near an island, its entire crew gathered on the deck, looking back at the distant battlefield.

At this moment, several hours had already passed since that battle.

The surrounding seas gradually calmed, the wind and waves subsiding, everything smoothed over by the ocean.

Only the unease in everyone's hearts grew increasingly chaotic.

By now, both Crocodile and Jin Shizi had long departed.

Miss Kalifa immediately suppressed her inner unease and led everyone back to Rapeseed Flower Port.

When they re-entered Rapeseed Flower Port, all they could see was ruins; crisscrossing slash marks had nearly cut the place into fragments.

The once neat and towering buildings had been torn to pieces during the battle just moments ago.

Only at this moment did they truly grasp the intensity of that battle.

"Who actually won?"

Fukurou swallowed hard.

Although he was a captive on this ship, he did not wish for Gao Wen to be defeated here.

After all, firstly, during this period, Gao Wen had not made things too difficult for them due to Roubo Luqi's sake.

Secondly, once Jin Shizi interfered in the internal affairs of the Alabasta Kingdom, the danger level of the entire event would skyrocket to the highest tier.

He had never experienced Jin Shizi's era, but from the Juan Sect records within the CP organization's archives, one could already glimpse Jin Shizi's terrifying combat power.

That single slash just now had made that terror feel all too real.

No one answered Fukurou's question.

Vivi stood at the bow, silent, her lips nearly bitten until they bled.

If Crocodile attacking Alabasta had left her with some will to resist, then Jin Shizi's appearance here brought nothing but despair.

If Gao Wen, the only one capable of countering all this, were to fall here, then this kingdom...

Vivi did not dare to think further, nor did she dare to continue that train of thought; she didn't even dare to ask Miss Kalifa.

Even though she was not yet fourteen, she could see that Miss Kalifa's feelings for Gao Wen surpassed those of mere comrades.

If Gao Wen truly died at Jin Shizi's hands this time, the one on this ship who would suffer the most would undoubtedly be Miss Kalifa.

"He will win."

"The Captain... he will win."

Miss Kalifa murmured, though her eyes had already turned red.

But that was Jin Shizi!

A supreme powerhouse who once dominated an era, who took on the World Government, the Marines, the Pirate King, and even Whitebeard, the man now known as the Strongest Man in the World, as his enemies!

Who could claim with certainty that they would definitely win?

"Miss Kalifa…"

Vivi froze for a moment, then heard several soft *plip-plop* sounds beneath the moonlight—those were Miss Kalifa's tears falling to the ground.

The crowd was momentarily speechless, yet in their hearts they all shared a single thought.

A power like that… even a monster like the knight Gao Wen couldn't resist it, could he?

No!

Even if he wanted to save his own life, he couldn't manage it, could he?

"Buru buru—!"

The sudden ring shattered the deathly silence on the scene.

Miss Kalifa, coming back to her senses, hurriedly pulled a Den Den Mushi from her bosom. After connecting, a familiar voice came through.

"I've broken free on my end. Where are you all?"

Miss Kalifa froze, nearly failing to keep her grip on the Den Den Mushi in her hand, so excited she could barely speak coherently:

"Captain, I… I… I'll marry you, ah, no, that's not right, we're at Crow, no, at Canola Flower Port!"

"……"

Gao Wen on the other end of the line fell silent at once, and only after quite a while did a slightly helpless voice come back:

"You've returned to Canola Flower Port, right?"

"Ah… yes!"

Miss Kalifa, suddenly realizing exactly what she had just said, felt a wave of heat rush to her face; she didn't even dare turn around to look at the others.

Yet she heard the rustling whispers behind her, and those meaningful gazes landing on her made her scalp tingle.

With her back to everyone, she forced herself to maintain her cool, aloof image, said that Gao Wen was fine, and then hurried back into the cabin.

Yet it was at this very moment that she suddenly realized that the one who had once said she'd make Gao Wen fall for her seemed to have fallen first.

However.

As long as the captain was safe, that was enough.

……

On the deck.

Jabra stared in the direction Miss Kalifa had disappeared, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably; even the news that Gao Wen had successfully escaped from Jin Shizi was ignored by him:

"That Miss Kalifa is completely beyond saving!"

Fukurou and Wanze nodded rapidly, as if pounding garlic in a mortar:

"Beyond saving, completely beyond saving!"

"But, actually, that guy Gao Wen's power is even stronger than what we saw before—much stronger!"

Jabra sighed:

"Even a monster like Jin Shizi couldn't keep him there. If he were inside the Marines, a man like this would already qualify to be an Admiral."

"Also, the intel that Jin Shizi has appeared here—pass it back as soon as possible."

"The last time that guy showed up, he destroyed half of Marineford. He's way too dangerous!"

"Mm."

……

As everyone marveled, their suspended hearts gradually settled.

The ordinary crew members even felt a strange sense of security at this moment.

At least under this pirate flag, even when facing a monster standing at the pinnacle of the world, their captain would fight to the death to buy them time to survive.

A man like that, in this era, needs no more words.

Vivi, learning that Gao Wen was still alive, felt her heart settle at once, and at this moment also realized that, at some unknown point, Gao Wen had long since become her pillar of support.

"Igaram, Mr. Gao Wen is still alive—this country, no, the people of this country, still have hope!"

Vivi was instantly excited, and even Igaram beside her breathed a sigh of relief at this moment.

"Mr. Gao Wen is far stronger than we imagined—he even has the power to clash with a monster like that!"

"It's just…"

"This port has already been destroyed. Countless people will be displaced."

Vivi bit her lip tightly, her eyes lowered.

She naturally wouldn't blame Gao Wen for these problems; she simply felt the civilians' pain as her own.

"Things will get better."

Igaram patted Vivi's shoulder, comforting her:

"As long as we can drive out Crocodile, get rid of the Dance Powder, get rid of Baroque Works, this country will develop in a good direction."

"Mm."

……

Soon.

On the distant sea surface.

A figure came whistling through, smashing into Canola Flower Port like a meteorite, the very earth cracking apart.

Gao Wen, who had returned to Canola Flower Port, turned his head to look at Vivi and said:

"This matter in Alabasta, I'm taking it on."

(End of Chapter)