Chapter 238: Coin Number Three

"Trouble on your mind?!"

Gao Wen, holding a wine bottle in one hand, stepped over the pirates lying haphazardly around the bonfire and plopped down beside Roubo Luqi.

Roubo Luqi shook his head:

"No, it's just that my heart has never been as calm as it is right now. I wish it could stay this way forever."

As he spoke, Roubo Luqi raised his hand, removed the hat from his head, and lay down on his back.

"Hiss—!"

He took a deep breath, feeling the salty, fishy air brought by the sea breeze, and murmured:

"Captain, where is the end of this journey?!"

"Hah?!"

Gao Wen took a sip of wine, his gaze falling on the bonfire in the distance:

"I haven't even thought about that kind of question yet."

"However, a man once trapped in a treasure chest in the East Blue told me."

"The most meaningful part of travel and adventure has never been the destination, but the people and events encountered along the way."

"If we must name a destination, our next step is to go to the New World and seize a place where everyone can settle down."

"As for the so-called One Piece, the person it waits for is not me."

"Is that so..."

Roubo Luqi opened his eyes and looked at the sky.

Under the shining full moon, the white dove Hadoli landed timely on his forehead, holding his head high and chest out, displaying a very proud posture.

"Goo—!"

"Goo—!"

Hadoli let out joyful calls one after another.

A faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of Roubo Luqi's mouth, yet he ultimately did not speak, simply quietly feeling the warmth carried by the wind.

"Well, if you don't want to say it, that's fine."

Seeing this, Gao Wen did not press further.

Everyone who boards this ship has their own story.

Xiang Keluo once wanted to give up his identity as a pirate, plotting in secret to regain a peaceful life, but in the end, it was all in vain.

Jinbe bet his life on his loyalty, yet only received Kriek's ruthless abandonment.

Zoro is so strong, so crazily pursuing the title of the world's number one swordsman; besides it being his own dream, it is also for a friend who passed away many years ago.

Sanji, Robin...

Every single person carries their own past; finding a sense of belonging here and mutual recognition is enough.

"However."

Gao Wen turned his head to look at Roubo Luqi:

"No matter what your past is, or how the future unfolds."

"Even if the World Government tries to make a move against you, they must first get past me; at most, I'll give up the Seven Warlords skin."

"In short, once you are on this ship, you are my person; there will always be a place for you on this ship."

"I know, I have always known."

Roubo Luqi replied with a sound and said no more; the last trace of hesitation remaining in his heart completely vanished at this moment.

"Well~"

Gao Wen raised his hand, patted Roubo Luqi's shoulder, then stood up and left, leaving the space to him alone.

Early the next morning.

Gao Wen set off to send Robin back to Alabasta.

Now, relying on Gao Wen's plan to escape like a cicada shedding its shell, Robin has completely shaken off the World Government's pursuit.

Kizaru, knowing her identity, held an ambiguous attitude; Zephyr completely denied everything the World Government did to Ohara; and Aokiji already regards her as his own half-daughter.

These three have no reason to actively expose Robin's disguise; in other words, Robin now has the qualification to step into the open.

Leaving Robin in Alabasta, with the identity of the Princess of Alabasta, is far more secure than being on Gao Wen's ship.

Moreover, the Martial Arts Tournament on the Grand Line will be managed entirely by Robin; this is an extremely important part of Gao Wen's plan.

Once Gao Wen establishes a foothold in the New World, the Martial Arts Tournament expanding to the Four Seas will continuously supply fresh blood to Gao Wen's pirate crew.

In terms of talent selection alone, Gao Wen, who possesses the Martial Arts Tournament, is enough to rival the Marines.

Compared to Whitebeard relying on father-son relationships, Kaido relying on tamed captives or pirates who joined him, and Big Mom who possesses the Whole Cake Island, these three forces are far more stable and reliable.

But that is all for later.

On the deck.

Roubo Luqi changed into a set of work clothes and gazed at the departing Red Dragon.

Only after Gao Wen completely disappeared into the clouds did he withdraw his gaze.

Picking up a maintenance tool in one hand, Roubo Luqi turned and returned to the lower deck of the ship to continue repairing the Raven's power system.

Seeing Roubo Luqi arrive, several shipwrights quickly surrounded him, speaking one after another, reporting the progress of the work.

"Instructor, the maintenance of the Raven's power system is almost complete."

"The cracks in the drive shaft have been repaired, and the aged parts of the hull have been replaced."

"For the voyage ahead, as long as we don't encounter too severe an impact, there will be no problems; this ship might really be able to take us to the New World!"

……

"Mm."

Roubo Luqi nodded repeatedly; after confirming everyone's work had no major issues, he let them depart while remaining in the cabin himself to recheck the ship's hidden dangers.

His temperament was calm and composed; he was meticulous in his work, even to the point of being somewhat obsessed with details.

His original inspection of the Raven had already been harsh, yet nothing compared to today, where he checked the entire ship from top to bottom, inch by inch.

He did not even overlook the smallest problem.

Time passed in a flash, and it was deep into the night; Roubo Luqi sat alone beneath the cabin.

The lamplight flickered, the dim yellow firelight casting upon Roubo Luqi's face, while the sound of the surrounding hull being pressed by seawater continued to reach his ears.

Creak~!

The cabin door was pushed open; Miss Kalifa walked in quickly, her expression Solemn as she spoke to Roubo Luqi:

"Roubo Luqi, how do you plan to handle the matter with Spandam?!"

"That fellow has re-established contact with us now, not mentioning a word about the CP organization's betrayal of us before."

"Is there a misunderstanding in the middle, or is there another reason?!"

Roubo Luqi put down the tool in his hand, raised his arm to catch the falling white dove Hadoli, and said indifferently:

"Does it matter whether it is or isn't? Or are you willing to return to that place?"

"How is that possible!"

Miss Kalifa sneered, her inner disdain overflowing.

The more she integrated into Gao Wen's group, the clearer she felt that the World Government had never treated her as a comrade.

Justice was not her destination.

This place was.

"Then that settles it."

"But if we truly defy the CP organization's orders, it might implicate everyone."

This was the problem Miss Kalifa truly worried about.

As agents carefully cultivated under the CP organization, they had come into contact with too much darkness hidden by the World Government and knew too many secrets.

Under any circumstances, the World Government would not let them leave, let alone join a group of ambitious, powerful pirates.

Once the truth of their defection was exposed, only death awaited them, and Gao Wen's group would also be implicated, facing a naval siege.

Miss Kalifa could see this, and Roubo Luqi naturally could see it too.

At this moment.

Roubo Luqi's eyes held only an unspeakable calmness; he slowly removed the hat from his head, casually hung it on a nearby hook, and his gaze gradually turned cold:

"Kaku and Blueno's whereabouts are unknown; we cannot leave them unattended."

"Moreover, just now, I received notice from Spandam that Edwin, the former chief of CP9, has not yet been found, but the pirates who were secretly cooperating with him have been identified."

"'BIG MOM' - Xia Luote Linlin."

"You should know what this name represents."

Miss Kalifa's pupils shrank.

She naturally knew.

One of the four great pirates reigning over the New World, closest to the summit, closest to One Piece.

Furthermore, the leader of the Whole Cake Islands in the New World.

How could such a great figure not know the power of Pluton?

With the Pluton blueprints in Water 7 targeted by such an existence, it would likely completely become a battlefield between the Emperors and the Navy.

She knew Gao Wen was strong, but compared to an existence like an Emperor, there was still an unspeakable gap.

The power of the Whole Cake Islands and Gao Wen's pirate crew were not even on the same scale.

Moreover, Big Mom is merely one of the factions confirmed to know the Pluton blueprints are in Water 7; this matter inevitably involves the World Government and the Navy,

and even if Edwin chooses to burn the boat and die together with the enemy, the eyes of the entire world will converge on Water 7 because of Pluton!

Once Gao Wen is dragged into it, being shattered to pieces and completely buried in the sea is not impossible.

Miss Kalifa's heart churned like a raging river and sea; for a moment, she could not speak.

"Do you understand now?!"

Roubo Luqi said indifferently.

He stroked the Raven with one hand, his fingertips sliding over the metal plates, feeling only a trace of coolness.

Yet his heart was warm at this moment, and his tone grew even more firm:

"Knowing Kaku and Blueno's situation, the Captain's character means he will definitely take action."

"After all, that man is the most righteous pirate in the East Blue; he couldn't even stand by and watch the affairs of the passing Drum Kingdom and Alabasta."

"The Captain still needs to find a place for everyone to settle in the New World; he cannot stop here, nor can he lose the Seven Warlords status because of this."

"You know how great a price he paid to obtain the Seven Warlords status."

"So there is only one best way to resolve this matter..."

Miss Kalifa's breath hitched; she had already seen Roubo Luqi's plan, but there was no longer any chance to speak up and stop him.

Swish!

In an instant, Roubo Luqi appeared beside Miss Kalifa and delivered a heavy knife-hand strike to the back of her head.

Before losing consciousness completely.

Miss Kalifa heard Roubo Luqi's final words in her ear:

"I will bear all of this."

"People like us, burdened with sin, belong in hell. Even if it means becoming traitors to Gao Wen's Pirate Crew, this ship cannot stop here."

"Miss Kalifa, you know what to do, don't you?"

Having spoken, Roubo Luqi turned and left. Miss Kalifa's eyes rolled back, and she slowly collapsed.

By now, it was deep into the night. Most of the pirates on the ship were already resting; even the few on watch had lowered their guard.

After all, with Gao Wen's flag flying on the ship, in the vast majority of cases, no pirate dared to provoke Gao Wen's Pirate Crew.

A few breaths later.

Roubo Luqi appeared on the deck without a sound.

After casting one glance back at Gao Wen's pirate flag, he did not hesitate for a moment before leaping from the deck.

He sped away toward the distant darkness.

The next instant...

Bang!

A bullet grazed Roubo Luqi's hair and landed on the distant beach.

Roubo Luqi turned his head and saw Fangan Ka jump down from the crow's nest, walking toward him, his famous gun, Thousand Land, coldly aimed at him.

"Before the Captain left, he specifically instructed me to keep an eye on your recent movements. Are you preparing to defect?!"

Roubo Luqi's expression was cold and hard; he looked at Fangan Ka with a face full of malice:

"My heart has never belonged to Gao Wen's Pirate Crew. I am the World Government's ace agent. As for that person, Miss Kalifa, she truly fell for Gao Wen."

"Don't force me."

Fangan Ka did not waver. His finger rested on the trigger, already prepared to strike at any moment:

"The only one who can decide how we act is the Captain."

"Whether you have your own reasons or you have truly chosen to defect, without the Captain's order, I will not let you leave."

"Come back with me—!"

Fangan Ka had not finished speaking.

Roubo Luqi, having activated his Paper Art Body, was already beside Fangan Ka. He thrust both fists forward, directly blasting out a Six King Gun.

Boom!

The overwhelming impact pierced through Fangan Ka's body and, without losing momentum, blasted a huge crater behind him.

"Gah—!"

"You... are you serious?!"

Fangan Ka coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. Severely injured, his body went limp, and he completely lost consciousness.

Roubo Luqi glanced at Fangan Ka. After confirming there was no life-threatening danger, he turned back to look at the Raven.

The battle here had alerted the people on the ship. Accompanied by a series of exclamations, oil lamps lit up one by one.

It's time to go.

A few minutes later.

When Jin, Xiang Keluo, and others arrived at the scene, they saw only the unconscious Fangan Ka.

Roubo Luqi was long gone.

"This kind of injury... was done by Roubo Luqi. Only his Six King Gun can achieve this."

Jin's face was solemn. After briefly checking Fangan Ka's injuries, he immediately made his judgment:

"That guy held back. He merely used the impact to make Fangan Ka lose the ability to resist."

"He will recover after a few days of rest."

"It seems Miss Kalifa was also knocked out by Roubo Luqi."

Among those present, if one were to say who had the deepest bond with Roubo Luqi, aside from Miss Kalifa, Jin, who introduced the two to the crew, was the first to come to mind.

But now, with Roubo Luqi having knocked out Miss Kalifa and injured Fangan Ka, the fact of his defection lay before them. The one most unable to believe all of this was also Jin.

"He had already gained the acceptance of everyone on this ship. Why leave at a time like this?"

The crowd fell silent for a moment. No one questioned Jin's viewpoint, and no one dared to believe that Roubo Luqi had truly chosen to defect.

Xiang Keluo pushed through the surrounding crowd, looked at the situation at the scene, and frowned deeply.

But as the First Mate, when Gao Wen was absent, he was the leader of the pirate crew. Naturally, he knew exactly what he should do.

Immediately, Xiang Keluo spoke:

"Everyone, quiet down!"

"Zoro, Sanji, you and I will search the port of Whiskey Peak and the nearby coastline separately. If you find any suspicious ships, control them immediately."

"If he intends to leave, he must set sail."

"Chopper, take Fangan Ka to treat his injuries first."

"Understood!"

"Jin, go search Roubo Luqi's room and see if there are any clues."

"Yes."

A few breaths later.

Jin pushed open Roubo Luqi's door and saw a coin glowing with a golden light placed on Roubo Luqi's desk.

It was the third coin Roubo Luqi had won from Zoro a few days ago.

Jin could not help but reach out, pick up the coin from the desk, and examine it closely.

This coin, once in Solon's hands and covered in grime due to his careless nature, now shines as clean as new, clearly showing that its new owner treasures it immensely.

"If you cherish all this so much, why choose to leave?"

(End of this chapter)