Chapter 237: The Answer

A sudden ring of bells interrupted Qingzhi's movement.

Only at this moment did Qingzhi realize that his back had been soaked with sweat at some point.

"A call at a time like this?!"

Zephyr frowned, reached into his chest to take out a Den Den Mushi, and after connecting it, the voice of Sengoku came through the receiver:

"Zephyr?!"

"I am here."

"Calm down first. This matter is the decision of those above; they might not know..."

"Sengoku!"

Zephyr spoke, cutting off Sengoku's voice:

"Do you believe that?!"

"..."

"Perhaps there is still a turning point in this matter."

Zephyr silently glanced at Qingzhi, saw the latter looking thoughtful, then withdrew his gaze and said indifferently:

"I am fine for now. You cannot change the decision of those five regarding the Seven Warlords' candidates either."

"That's all."

"Hey—? Zephyr—!"

Beep—!

Hanging up the phone, Zephyr put the Den Den Mushi in his pocket, turned his gaze back to Qingzhi, and said:

"My previous invitation still stands."

"Kuzan."

"I have taught many disciples over the years; you are one of the most outstanding, and one of the few who still harbor doubts about justice in your heart."

"You are also one of only two who can truly understand me."

"To make the Navy ship be reborn, to truly make justice no longer a tool in the hands of the World Government, no longer a self-deceiving slogan, we must completely shatter the old world's order."

"Regarding companions, I have many candidates in mind; you are one of them."

"The interesting man I met at Raven Port before is also one of them."

"Borsalino... counts as half."

Qingzhi lowered his head, avoiding Zephyr's gaze:

"I need time."

Zephyr nodded and spoke to remind him:

"The incident at Ohara has passed nearly twenty years; Nico Robin's existence has proven that the Navy's actions back then were a thorough massacre."

"The more you hesitate, the more you waver, the more you want to find a perfect solution, the more lost you become."

"I understand."

Qingzhi responded.

Regarding the truth of Ohara, Qingzhi had already made a decision in his heart; what he truly worried about now was still Zephyr's state.

Although Zephyr appeared normal, what Qingzhi could feel was the madness suppressed deep in his heart.

This flame might burn the World Government, but it could also ignite the Navy and even the entire world completely.

That was not a scene Qingzhi wished to see.

He knew even more clearly that Zephyr at this moment would not listen to anyone's advice or explanation, but regardless, Zephyr's current state was much better than complete hysteria.

At least on the surface, it was much better.

Immediately, he stayed there and said a few random things to Zephyr.

After confirming Zephyr's state was stable once more, Qingzhi quickly walked to the front of the main group, told Kizaru about Zephyr's general situation, and only received a silence from the latter in return.

"Neo... meaning rebirth?!"

"Perhaps it could be a good idea..."

Alabasta.

Gao Wen put down the newspaper in his hand.

In the original story, Zephyr, due to Whitebeard II becoming a Warlord, completely lost hope in the World Government and took the action of using Dynamite to detonate three large volcanoes, directly blowing up the New World.

"This time, due to my arrival, Zephyr's mindset has undergone a transformation; the impact he receives might be much smaller."

"Of course, it is also possible that his personality has become more radical due to the recovery of his own strength, but that is a problem the Navy should worry about; it has little to do with me."

"After all, I am just a pirate."

"However, I still hope the old man can make some changes and not walk the old path again."

Previously.

Gao Wen told Zephyr and his two disciples his inner views on this world, also attempting to change the Navy to some extent.

As for the effect, Gao Wen could only say he did his part and left the rest to fate.

Saving the world was never on his plan; that was something a man destined by fate should do.

After sighing with emotion.

Gao Wen turned his gaze to the matter before him that needed his handling.

"My combat power has reached the Emperor level; continuing to stay in Paradise holds little significance."

"The gold on the Sky Island is ready to use as soon as we get it. With my current combat power, I fear not Enel, but even if we defeat him, given the Whiskey Peak's current half-crippled state, I'm afraid we cannot carry away that gold."

"After stabilizing the overall situation, we will then plot our course."

"In any case."

"Once the matter of Arabasta is settled, we will head straight for the New World at the fastest speed."

"Before that, let's first bring the new recruit to meet everyone."

Thinking this,

Gao Wen put down the newspaper in his hand and turned to walk toward Robin's residence.

A few minutes later.

The crimson dragon leaped up from the wind above the palace, flapped its wings, creating a burst of wind pressure, and vanished into the high sky in an instant.

"That is... Princess Nefu?!"

In a single glance, the girl rubbed her eyes; she saw a beautiful figure riding on the back of the crimson dragon.

The woman beside the girl reached out and rubbed her head, a doting smile hanging on her face:

"Anya, you must have seen wrong?!"

"That is the Crimson Dragon, the legendary hero who saved this nation in times of peril."

"I heard that Lord Cobra has already decided that after the reconstruction of the Sacrificial Hall, the Crimson Dragon will be enshrined within it."

The girl nodded in confusion; her attention was quickly drawn to the toy shop beside her, and without waiting for the woman to react, she ran inside quickly.

"Anya, slow down. Honestly, this child is getting more and more mischievous."

High in the sky.

The crimson dragon soared and swept rapidly over the land below; by the time Gao Wen arrived at Whiskey Peak, the distant sun had already set.

The bright moon rose, its cold light illuminating the ground below as if it were day.

Robin stood on Gao Wen's shoulder; the biting wind blew through his full head of black hair.

This was her first meeting with the crewmates on the ship.

Aside from Nami, with whom she had already chatted quite well over the phone previously, the others still seemed somewhat strange to him.

At this moment, her heart, which had not been stirred in a long time, actually felt somewhat uneasy.

Seeing this, Gao Wen opened his mouth to introduce the crewmates on the ship to him:

"Kuro has a gloomy personality; you should have many topics in common. Akin is straightforward, but also a bit single-minded."

"Zoro puts all his mind into his broken Three-Sword Style; aside from being somewhat... very... extremely directionally challenged, he is otherwise normal."

"As for Sanji, he is skilled at cooking, but you had best stay far away from him."

"Chopper... Van Augur..."

"In short, the crewmates on the ship might have small or not-so-small—"

Halfway through speaking.

Gao Wen's mind could not help but浮现 the expression on Nami's face when she was selling that movie to Chopper and the others; that cheap, sneaky expression.

The corner of his mouth twitched, and his voice unconsciously rose a few degrees:

"Small... not necessarily small flaws, but overall, they are all good people; it's just that at certain times, their sense of humor is hair-raising."

Robin smiled knowingly:

"Like gathering to peek at your dark history?!"

"How can such a beautiful face of yours say such vicious words?!"

"Hehehehe~!"

Robin covered her mouth and laughed softly; for a moment, the feeling of unease in her heart even diminished by more than half.

When she realized this was Gao Wen doing it intentionally, her body suddenly felt a sensation of weightlessness.

"We've arrived!"

Robin instinctively grabbed the spikes on Gao Wen's back and looked down.

She saw dozens of pirates casually gathered around a bonfire, drinking the ale in their hands with one sip here and one sip there.

A man with a full head of golden hair and gentlemanly manners was calmly preparing various dishes for everyone; a cigarette dangled from his lips, and one could even vaguely see his lips moving constantly, presumably humming a song.

"This is Sanji."

The swordsman with three swords at his waist was forcibly forcing alcohol into a man with braided hair and a cold expression, who had a pigeon perched on his shoulder.

"This is Zoro and Roubo Luqi."

"This is Akin, this is Van Augur!"

"The lady sitting aside, sipping red wine in small sips, is Miss Kalifa; the reindeer beside her is Chopper..."

One by one, the companions whose appearance Gao Wen described, gradually took on a concrete form in Robin's eyes.

A trace of tears also overflowed from the corners of her eyes; she did not know if it was caused by the wind or for some other reason.

In any case, this place will be my home from now on!

Robin thought so.

The next instant.

The crimson dragon dove straight down, crashing to the ground with a boom, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Have we finally arrived?!"

"Captain!"

"And... new recruits!"

Zoro grinned, watching the two emerge from the dust side by side, raised his wine glass, and said:

"Cheers!"

His words immediately drew a chorus of agreement from those around him.

"To the new recruits!"

"Woo-hoo~!"

Everyone raised their wine glasses, gulping the contents down in one go; some collapsed asleep, clearly already heavily drunk beforehand.

Others, acting overly familiar, rushed straight to Robin to introduce themselves.

"I'm Gerald, currently a sailor on this ship. Of course, I won't always be a sailor; the captain's position of Akin will surely be mine in the future!"

"Hehehehe~"

Robin chuckled softly, but before she could speak, she saw a golden-haired figure sprinting over from the distance.

It was Sanji, who couldn't walk straight when he saw a beauty; he kicked Gerald into the crowd. The latter took no injury, instead provoking a round of laughter from everyone.

Sanji, holding a tray in one hand, knelt half-kneeling before Robin and said with a gentlemanly air:

"Beautiful lady, I am Sanji, the chef on this ship. From now on, I shall be your exclusive knight."

Robin was slightly stunned; she had instinctively prepared to respond with a ladylike posture when she felt her hand being pulled up.

Sanji wore a Zhuge Liang-like expression and was about to kiss her.

Robin's lips twitched:

"As expected, the captain was right; it's best to stay far away from this guy."

"Thirty Flower Blooms!"

The words landed.

Suddenly, several hands sprouted on Sanji's body, frantically slapping his face...

Slap!

Slap!

Slap!

Slap!

Slap!

For a moment, the scene echoed with sounds like firecrackers; Sanji's face was slapped into a pig's head within just a few seconds.

Watching this made everyone's teeth ache.

"Hiss... it hurts, it really hurts!"

"Cruel, too cruel!"

"I heard the new recruit used to be from Baroque Works; I didn't believe it, but now I see, I'd better not hang around her."

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, you're right..."

A few breaths later.

Sanji, holding his tray, stood rigidly before Robin, his waist bent at ninety degrees:

"Sumimasen~"

"Gomen nasai, sumimasen~"

Seeing this, Robin smiled gently at Sanji, but it only made the latter's scalp prickle.

For the first time, he realized.

Women are noble, worthy of respect, but they can also be fierce.

Regarding Sanji's thoughts, Robin held no malice; her eyes held a smile as she scanned the crowd, gradually matching everyone's faces with Gao Wen's descriptions.

Quickly.

Robin noticed Miss Kalifa in the corner, who had been secretly glancing at Gao Wen; her breath hitched slightly.

Something was off; this woman's gaze had never left Gao Wen... a rival?!

Most likely.

"I am Nico Robin, an archaeologist by profession."

"As for what I like... or rather, the person I like, there is only one: Captain Gao Wen!"

Silence fell abruptly; everyone's gazes converged on Robin.

Whoosh—!

A cold wind blew, causing the flames in the fire pit to flicker constantly; the warm firelight illuminated a series of youthful faces.

"So... so direct and bold?!"

In the corner.

Nami gasped, the fire of gossip burning fiercely in her eyes.

They say the heaviest sword has no edge, and true skill needs no ornament; such a straightforward personality, combined with a face and figure that even I find heart-stirring...

Hiss—!

Powerful!

An opponent of unprecedented strength!

Jasha, you know I'm on your side, but this opponent is simply too strong...

So, is it too much for me to double my fee?!

Thinking of this, Nami's lips curled into a wicked smile, her eyes turning into the shape of gold coins.

She prepared to fully exploit her advantage of information asymmetry, playing both sides, and squeeze Zoro for another hefty sum.

As everyone fell silent...

Bang!

Miss Kalifa crushed the cup in her hand, exerting great effort to keep herself from losing her composure in front of Gao Wen.

What a formidable opponent!

Hiss...

Although Captain Gao Wen's personality is said to be indifferent to women, facing such a direct-type player, it's hard to say he won't be conquered.

No, I can't wait any longer.

Tonight, I must reorganize a plan to conquer the captain.

Miss Kalifa, with a stern face, took a handkerchief from her bosom, wiped the spilled drink from her body, exchanged a fake smile with Robin, and then turned to leave.

Yet, the scene, because of that very instant, instead erupted into a frenzy.

"I'm going, another one?!"

"So many women fancy the captain, no, what's so good about him?!"

A pirate with a crooked face and a body as round as a ball, flirtatiously shook his slanted bangs.

Striking a pose of unique, isolated beauty.

A companion nearby couldn't hold back and immediately vomited all over his face.

"That's too much!"

After the farce, the banquet quickly returned to its original state of joyful drinking.

Robin, relying on her social skills cultivated over many years, blended in with everyone; even Miss Kalifa, who had reappeared in a changed outfit, shared a few drinks with them.

As the night grew deeper.

Everyone, drunk into unconsciousness, lay directly on the ground by the bonfire, the scene filled with a chorus of snoring.

Roubo Luqi sat among the crowd, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces one by one, finally looking at Arlong opposite, who was smiling and toasting with Xiang Keluo.

(End of this chapter)