Chapter 242: Bepo

Half a month later.

The Grand Line.

Several floating islands swept past the clouds in a few breaths.

With the augmentation of the Float-Float Fruit and a favorable wind all the way, the Flying Pirate Crew's sailing speed far exceeded normal sea travel by dozens of times.

Having resolved his worries, the Jin Shizi and his group rushed to Water 7, intending to secure the Pluton blueprints first.

He had lived through the Legendary Era and had even witnessed with his own eyes the power of an ancient weapon hidden by the World Government.

He naturally knew that relying solely on human strength was no longer enough to contend with such a thing.

Even as strong as he was, as strong as Whitebeard, or even Rocks, who had defeated Luo Jie several times and dominated an era.

At most, they could only use their own power to destroy buildings and vegetation on an island, but ancient weapons could truly erase an entire nation from the map.

The Jin Shizi, who desired to conquer the world, had absolutely no reason to give up.

However.

At this very moment, on a floating island at the edge, flames shot into the sky, cannons roared in unison, and the entire island burned.

Many fierce beasts, disturbed by the commotion, became even more frenzied.

Although everything was controlled by the Jin Shizi's sudden burst of Conqueror's Haki, by the time Law arrived at the scene, Bepo and the other two were nowhere to be found.

The small house they had built with their own hands had been reduced to ashes, leaving only a patch of blackened scorched earth.

"My condolences."

The Jin Shizi reached out and patted Law's shoulder. Seeing Law bow his head in silence, he snapped his fingers.

Snap!

The sound fell to the ground.

Three pirates, tightly bound with five knots, were dragged forward.

Their faces wore a look of confusion, but by now, even the most dull-witted person could foresee their impending fate.

The three struggled desperately but could not move a fraction.

"I have already ordered people to search several floating islands, but so far there is still no news."

"There are only two possibilities."

"Either they are that pile of ashes, or they have already fallen from here. This is nearly ten thousand meters high in the sky; the outcome would not be much better than the former."

The Jin Shizi sighed, wearing an expression of deep grief:

"I never expected such a thing to happen, but this is all I can do for you."

"These three are the masterminds behind this rebellion and the chief culprits responsible for the tragic deaths of your companions."

"Now I hand them over to you."

Law nodded blankly, his eyes the only thing that remained blood-red.

Bepo, Xia Qi, and Pekoms were the first companions he met after drifting to the South Seas following Corazon's death.

They had once vowed to take revenge on Doflamingo together, to complete a voyage around the world together, and to find the One Piece, but now...

Law glanced at the ruins in the distance, but the resentment in his heart could not be suppressed at all.

He turned his head, fixed his gaze on the three tightly bound figures, and slowly drew the medium-long sword Onigiri from its sheath.

Clang!

The sound of metal ringing out spread, instantly silencing the surroundings, while an invisible pressure permeated the area.

Spandam, standing aside, broke out in a cold sweat all at once.

He finally understood why the Jin Shizi valued the man before him to such an extent on this sea where everything is decided by strength.

It was not only because of his medical skills and the Ope Ope no Mi, but also because Law himself possessed the potential to become a top-tier powerhouse; the overwhelming aura radiating from Law at this moment was the best proof.

He had seen countless powerful figures, many of whom had an aura far superior to Law's current state, yet no one had ever made him feel such suppression, or even suffocation!

Extreme, pure, and carrying an indescribable chill that pierced straight to the bone, causing Spandam's body to tremble uncontrollably.

If he were to find out that I did all this, then I...

Spandam did not dare to think further, quietly shifting a step behind the Jin Shizi.

The moment his gaze fell on the Jin Shizi's face, he saw only an indescribable satisfaction and appreciation on the latter's face.

The next instant.

Splat!

Blood sprayed, and a fine head flew high into the air, followed by a second, then a third...

In less than a second, Law swung his blade three times, beheading the three, then lowered his head, clenched his teeth, and held back his tears.

The Jin Shizi naturally knew what he should do at this moment.

He reached out and placed his hand on Law's shoulder, wearing an expression of shared grief, and sighed:

"I have also experienced many similar things, I can understand your feelings, and I know exactly what you need right now."

"When you come out of this, you will be the First Mate of the Flying Pirate Crew; such things will never happen on this ship again."

Law responded with a vacant gaze:

"Yes, Captain."

"Mm."

The Jin Shizi nodded, handed the cleanup matters over to Spandam, and then departed gracefully. After offering Law a few words of comfort, everyone else also left one by one.

Law sat motionless before the ruins for several days and nights until every corner of the island had been searched and the last shred of hope in his heart was completely extinguished.

"My lord, there is still no news of Bepo and the others."

"I understand."

Law lowered his eyelids and replied.

After the pirate who came to report departed, he finally raised his head.

The fury in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest due to the deaths of those three pirates; instead, as time passed, it grew ever heavier.

So much so that the veins on his sword-holding arm bulged violently, and the gaze he cast into the distance carried a hatred as tangible as solid matter.

Shiki had miscalculated one point.

Law differed from the vast majority of pirates occupying these seas.

He was not foolish.

Doflamingo had truly once groomed him to be the second-generation Heart.

His martial arts and swordsmanship were personally cultivated by Diamante, leader of the Spade Army, and by Lao G, the family's most senior member, while Doflamingo himself taught him knowledge across various fields.

It could be said that, barring medical skills, among the thirteen Worst Generation supernovas who later landed on Sabaody Archipelago during the same era, Law was the most all-rounded existence.

"Within the Flying Pirate Crew, many harbor dissatisfaction toward Shiki; perhaps some are indeed stupid enough to rebel against Shiki on this floating island sustained solely by Shiki's abilities."

"But absolutely no one would attack Bepo and the other two without cause."

"Heh..."

After a scornful laugh, Law turned to gaze at the distant palace, recalling everything he had experienced with Bepo and the other two, feeling only a churning pain in his heart.

He did not lack the courage to stake his life against Shiki.

Yet he understood even more clearly that with his current strength, should he choose to turn against Shiki, not only would avenging Bepo and the others be impossible, but his own life would be forfeit as well.

Law lowered his head to look at his own hands.

These hands had healed the wounds of countless people and once possessed power that made him feel proud.

Yet all of this held no meaning when facing a monster like Shiki, who stood at the pinnacle.

Too weak!

So weak that he could not even achieve revenge!

I must leverage every possible means to become powerful, until I am strong enough to dominate everything.

Thinking thus,

Law slowly rose to his feet, took one last look at the traces of the life he had shared with Bepo and the others before raising his hand and slashing.

Whoosh—!

The blade energy scattered the ruins before him and kicked up a cloud of dust and smoke.

By the time the dust and smoke cleared, Law's figure had long vanished.

Central Floating Island.

Shiki stood within the palace, gazing at Law in the distance, and nodded silently.

"That fellow has risen again."

"It seems I will finally have a right-hand man akin to Rayleigh to Luo Jie, or Kozuki Oden to Newgate."

Spandam, standing nearby, spoke with lingering fear:

"Captain, are you truly not afraid of Law discovering this matter?!"

"Does that matter?!"

Shiki sneered contemptuously; seeing Spandam stunned, he shook his head and said:

"If he has not seen through it now, he will be even less likely to see through it later."

"If he has already seen through it yet chooses to endure, then it proves he fears my power; as long as I remain powerful, he will absolutely never dare to harbor thoughts of rebellion."

"Courage is something that only diminishes as time passes; the more rational one becomes, the more one understands how to weigh pros and cons, and the more one will find various reasons to abandon revenge."

"Until finally, that hatred is forgotten..."

"But..."

Spandam glanced at the wrinkles on Shiki's face.

His lips parted slightly.

He very much wanted to say that humans inevitably age; even someone as strong as Whitebeard, or an existence as formidable as Shiki, could not resist the erosion of time.

Racked by severe illness, once their formerly powerful strength faded, that would be the avenger's best opportunity.

Shiki glanced sideways at Spandam, instantly seeing through the latter's thoughts, yet the Haki surrounding him did not diminish in the slightest; instead, it burned even more fiercely!

"You wish to say that I too will age, will lose my claws and fangs, while Law has more time?!"

"I will not age!"

Unbounded confidence and frankness shone from Shiki's eyes:

"Or rather, if there truly comes a day when I die at the hands of such a person, and he inherits my will, would that not be the most perfect funeral?!"

"Hahahahahaha—!"

The arrogant laughter erupted from within the palace, shaking the surrounding floating clouds.

Spandam stared blankly at Shiki, who spoke so frankly of death and aging, suddenly realizing a cruel fact that filled him with despair:

He could never become such a person.

Grand Line.

The sky was overcast with dark clouds; flashes of lightning illuminated the sea brightly, yet all that met the eye remained the pitch-black, churning seawater.

At this moment, even the Sea Kings, which had frequently surfaced in the past, were nowhere to be seen.

The hull of the Raven tossed with the sea, tilting at times to the point of near capsizing; it was only by the intervention of Gao Wen and Xiang Keluo, who possessed the ability to fly, forcibly pulling the ship back on course, that the vessel was barely stabilized.

Yet such a violent storm still exerted a tremendous impact on this ship, which was already nearing its limits; the transmission gears even emitted a series of grating, teeth-aching sounds.

"Damn it!"

"If this continues, the propulsion system the Instructor repaired will fail again!"

"What do we do? We few can't handle this problem alone; previously, the Instructor was always responsible for it!"

"This damned storm, why does it have to come at exactly this time!"

"Does the climate become increasingly hostile the closer we get to the New World?!"

……

Inside the cabin.

The group of shipwrights, looking at everything before their eyes, sneered at their own incompetence.

At the same time, they became even more acutely aware of just how important Roubo Luqi was to this ship, no, to the Gao Wen Pirates.

Fortunately, merely half an hour later, a desolate island appeared before everyone's eyes.

The crew worked together to moor the Raven near the island, dropped anchor, and furled the sails, barely surviving this storm.

"How is the propulsion system?"

Gao Wen walked into the lower part of the cabin and asked the several shipwrights personally trained by Roubo Luqi.

The leader among them revealed a look of relief:

"It barely held."

"However, contrary to our original expectations, this ship, converted from a Navy warship, is simply too old."

"It is already somewhat strained just coping with the current voyage; facing the voyage ahead will be even more so."

"Many problems can only be resolved by the Instructor himself; we..."

Speaking thus,

this shipwright displayed an expression of shame, gritting his teeth as he said:

"Captain, the Instructor is indispensable to you."

"No!"

Gao Wen shook his head:

"Every single person on this ship is indispensable."

"For the voyage ahead, we will temporarily rely on you all."

For a moment, everyone was moved to tears; as shipwrights, they had always lacked any presence on the ship, yet Gao Wen still kept them in his heart.

"Captain, I... even if I wager my life, I will make this ship sail to the New World!"

"Same here!"

Gao Wen nodded; just as he was about to ask for some details, an urgent voice reached his ears.

"Captain, we found a survivor on the island; he must have drifted over earlier."

Miss Kalifa walked in quickly and reported to Gao Wen:

"It is a white polar bear wearing human clothes; preliminary judgment suggests he is likely a Mink."

Gao Wen paused slightly in surprise.

A white polar bear, suspected to be a Mink; connecting these few characteristics, the first person who came to his mind was Bepo, the navigator serving on Law's ship.

However, at this point in time, according to the development of the original plot, Bepo should still be in the South Sea, together with Law.

Could it be that brother of Bepo's, what was his name again... Jibo?

No, that fellow should be in the New World, and having already joined the Nox Pirates, it is even less likely for him to appear here.

Then is it some other Mink?!

"Take me there."

……

A few minutes later.

Gao Wen pushed open the cabin's main door, and before his eyes lay a white Mink lying on the deck.

He was severely injured; his left arm and both legs were twisted and deformed, and there were even two penetrating wounds on his chest.

Many of the wounds had already rotted due to being soaked in water for too long, clearly indicating that some time had passed since he was injured.

Although Chopper had already acted first to treat his wounds, with injuries this severe, whether he could survive depended entirely on whether his fate was hard enough.

"Is it Bepo, the navigator of the Heart Pirates?!"

Seeing the orange work coveralls on this person's body, Gao Wen instantly recognized his identity, yet his brows furrowed in the next instant.

This was solely because what was printed on Bepo's chest at this moment was not the skull-and-grin Jolly Luo Jie flag emblem familiar to Gao Wen, but rather a Jolly Luo Jie featuring wings.

"This is... the Sky Pirates?!"

A hint of an amused smile curled the corners of Gao Wen's mouth:

"If there is anyone in this world capable of resolving the problem atop Jin Shizi's head, it would likely only be Law's Ope Ope no Mi."

"Which means that fellow Jin Shizi might have already resolved his old injury, and using Haki will no longer be subject to any restrictions?!"

"Interesting!"

(End of Chapter)