Chapter 243

According to my initial speculation, the only thing within Alabasta capable of catching the Jin Shizi's attention would be the historical text recording the Pluton.

That means he had already learned information about Alabasta due to some reason, which is why he chose to confront me there.

Although after fighting me, the Jin Shizi's old wounds reopened and he temporarily withdrew, it's also possible he chose to prioritize healing his old injuries over the Pluton's design schematics after learning of the Surgical Fruit's existence.

Xiang Gaowen did not forget.

In that battle at the Rapeseed Harbor, the Jin Shizi displayed combat power far exceeding what he showed years later against the Straw Hats.

Arrogant dominance, the ability to control everything, combined with razor-sharp sword techniques.

Together, these three elements formed before Xiang Gaowen a supreme tyrant nearing the level of the Four Emperors.

It was also that battle that revealed to Xiang Gaowen the Jin Shizi's hollow strength.

The ship's helm embedded in his head ultimately inflicted massive damage on his power.

Despite holding near-total dominance, the Jin Shizi should have been able to capture Xiang Gaowen alive, yet he still had to resort to lethal techniques.

The only possible reason was that the intense battle caused his old wounds to reopen—or even worsen.

Within just a few years, his strength declined to the level he displayed during his fight with the Straw Hats.

But now everything is different.

After healing his old wounds, even if he cannot return to his peak, how powerful would the Jin Shizi be, now firmly seated at the Four Emperor level?!

And how much benefit could that overbearing aura bring me?!

Xiang Gaowen glanced coldly at the system panel.

The Level Four overbearing aura skill lay quietly in the skill slot.

Unremarkable.

Yet it was the only ability Xiang Gaowen currently possessed that could be cultivated solely through personal effort.

Pure cultivation cannot forge an invincible will, nor can it cultivate an invincible heart.

Aside from greater mastery over his own overbearing aura, the growth gained through cultivation was negligible.

Only through constant battles with the strong, only through clashes of wills, only by repeatedly falling and rising again to crush the opponent before him, could one forge an invincible heart.

Only then could the overbearing aura rooted in conviction grow stronger.

Xiang Gaowen understood this, and he lacked no courage to face the strong.

Even though he knew that waiting for him in Water Seven would be one battle after another—opponents possibly including the Seven Warlords, the Marines, the Four Emperors, or even the World Government's hidden monsters beneath the surface—

He felt no trace of fear; or rather, Xiang Gaowen even looked forward to that moment.

But.

Xiang Gaowen knew better: as captain now, he could no longer act on his own whims.

The higher-priority task was not to join this chaos or clash with the strong, but to find Roubo Luqi first.

Hss—!

Xiang Gaowen took a deep breath and suppressed the agitation in his heart.

He pressed one hand against the restless Guanshi Zhengzong.

Then he lowered his gaze to Beibo lying on the deck, but his mind conjured the face of Law.

To be honest, he was hungry again.

Law, one of the Worst Generation's debutants from Sabaody Archipelago and its most well-rounded member, was unquestionably the most promising.

After the Gear Island battle, Law, allied with Kid, defeated Empress Big Mom—his combat power, though not at Four Emperor level, was among the absolute top tier below them.

And as a crewmember, his value-for-cost was no lower than Chopper, who carried a 500-million-Beli bounty, fought battles worth billions, and doubled as the ship's doctor.

More crucially, Law also uses swords!

Once Law joined, Xiang Gaowen could escape the predicament of having only Zoro as his sole sword expert.

"But."

Xiang Gaowen furrowed his brows slightly:

"Law, as one of the three captains of the Worst Generation, has always had a clear goal and a planned course of action: first revenge, then the One Piece."

"Someone as proud as him won't bow easily."

After pondering, Xiang Gaowen still had no solution. He shook his head, temporarily shelving the problem, and turned his attention to Beibo before him.

"This guy's lucky to have met us."

"Chopper, he's yours."

"Yes, Captain!"

Chopper raised his little hoof, waved at Xiang Gaowen, and wore a serious expression:

"As a doctor, I won't let a patient die before my eyes… wu wu wu wu…"

Before he finished speaking, Xiang Gaowen grabbed his head and ruffled it vigorously; those gathered around all wore knowing smiles.

…

Time slipped by.

Two days later.

In the Raven's sickbay, Beibo still lay on the bed, his wounds all bandaged, his broken arms and legs reset by Chopper.

At this moment.

Even in sleep, Beibo's brows were tightly knitted, his body twitching restlessly.

"Xia Qi, Pei Jin, run away—it's a trap! The Jin Shizi plans to silence us…"

"Oh, and Law…"

"Law!"

With a startled cry,

Beppo suddenly sat up and opened his eyes.

Just as he thought everything that had happened was merely a dream, severe pain shot through his wounds, and dark red blood seeped out from beneath the bandages.

Only then did he realize that everything he had experienced was not a dream; he had simply been lucky enough to survive.

"Right, Law."

"I haven't told him yet that we were all deceived; it was Spandine, no, it was a trap set by the Jin Shizi!"

Beppo's face was filled with anxiety; disregarding his own body, he raised his hand, pulled out the IV needle stuck in him, and tried to get up.

But he only felt a sudden loss of strength in his body and immediately fell to the floor.

He crawled inch by inch toward the distant hospital room door; the tearing pain of his wounds could not stop Beppo's awakening.

It was because he feared that if he was even a step slow, Law would fall victim to the Jin Shizi's poison.

"Damn it!!!"

"Law!"

Accompanied by the tearing of his wounds, a large amount of fresh blood gushed out, and Beppo gradually lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw only a creature resembling a raccoon dog appear before him.

Beppo blurted out:

"A raccoon dog?!"

"It's a reindeer, you bastard!"

Chopper cursed loudly, leaped onto the hospital bed, raised his hoof to point at Beppo, and was about to continue his tirade when he saw Beppo struggle to sit up, lower his head, and say apologetically:

"I'm sorry, Reindeer Doctor, did you save me?!"

Doctor—!

Hearing the familiar keyword, Chopper's ears twitched; he shifted his body awkwardly and revealed an embarrassed smile:

"Do you think I'll forgive you just because you praised me?"

"Bastard!"

Beppo was stunned; the only words echoing in his ears were "bastard." He instinctively lowered his head even further, his spirits hitting rock bottom:

"I'm sorry, Reindeer Doctor, I..."

Just as he tried to speak again, Chopper, standing on the hospital bed, shifted his body awkwardly and interrupted:

"Bastard, do you think I'll forgive you just because you praised me and got my species right?!"

"I'm sorry, Reindeer Doctor, I..."

"Bastard, do you think I'll forgive you just because you praised me?!"

"I'm sorry, Reindeer Doctor, I..."

Thus.

The two entered an infinite loop directly: one kept apologizing, while the other kept saying one thing but doing another.

The two assistant ship doctors nearby had their mouths twitching constantly, thinking, "Why do I feel these two creatures have even bigger mental problems?!"

Is this really something a normal person could do?

Even if it's absurd, there must be a limit, right?!

"Both of you, calm down!"

"Calm down!"

The two acted; one covered each mouth, finally managing to end the abnormal state of the infinite loop between Chopper and Beppo.

Calmed down, Beppo remembered Law and struggled to leave, but the two assistant doctors forcibly pressed him back onto the bed.

"Your body is injured too severely; even with the physical constitution of the Mink Tribe, it will take at least a week to forcibly recover mobility."

"As a doctor, I cannot stand by and watch a patient disregard their own physical condition and act recklessly in front of me."

Chopper shook his head; his expression became unusually serious, and he then explained:

"We are at sea."

"Even if you leave this hospital room, there is nowhere for you to go."

"The Captain... no, the Commander once said that no matter what happens, we must do everything possible to find a way to survive."

"Only by surviving is there hope."

Beppo was stunned for a moment but stopped struggling; instead, he stared blankly at Chopper.

Back then, when they were attacked on the floating island and got separated from Pekoms and Xia Qi, these two had also said the exact same words.

To live.

Or else there would be no chance to meet again.

Seeing Beppo calm down, Chopper also let out a long breath.

For a doctor, an uncooperative patient is sometimes an even more thorny problem than the disease itself.

"Is that man named Law someone very important to you?!"

"He is my comrade; he is my comrade!"

Beppo lowered his head and said dejectedly:

"We were attacked a few days ago, and all our comrades got lost."

"But now I can do nothing!"

Chopper opened his mouth but didn't know how to speak for a moment.

In that moment of hesitation.

The hospital room door was pushed open again.

A man with a well-proportioned figure, sharp features, and wearing a vice admiral's navy uniform pushed open the door.

Sssss—!

What an heroic and formidable young general!

The two assistant doctors couldn't help but silently give their captain a thumbs-up for his disguise.

They had always felt their captain's appearance clashed with their own personalities, but never knew why.

But now, seeing Xiang Gaowen in this uniform, it suddenly clicked for them.

It's legitimacy!

An overwhelming aura of legitimacy!

With that face and that uniform, Xiang Gaowen wouldn't even need proof to pass as a navy officer.

Just stand there.

If a real navy officer doesn't look like him, then the real navy is the problem.

Xiang Gaowen ignored the startled glances of the others and spoke directly to Bepo:

"The only thing you can do for your companion right now is to heal your own body."

But his next words made Bepo's heart skip a beat:

"I see pirate flags on your clothes—so you're a bunch of pirates, then?!"

Bepo instinctively turned to look at Xiang Gaowen.

That stern appearance, that upright posture, that handsome face…

How could he not be navy?

No, if he isn't navy, then the navy itself is flawed.

"Wait, let me explain—!"

"We were forced into it."

In desperation, Bepo blurted out everything he knew:

"It was that Jin Shizi guy—he threatened our lives, so Law had no choice but to heal his old head wound."

"We were taken hostage by him and forced onto his ship."

"I see…"

Xiang Gaowen sighed, silently thinking, "As expected," while feigning shock on his face:

"The legendary Jin Shizi?!"

"If this is true, the situation is grave—I must report to the Navy Headquarters immediately and launch a campaign against him!"

His voice landed just as Xiang Keluo rushed in.

Xiang Keluo subtly rolled his eyes, internally groaning again.

Same old formula, same old flavor—this bastard playing navy is just being himself.

No.

The navy not recruiting him is the real loss.

"Colonel Locke!"

"Yes!"

"You will report this to Navy Headquarters—act with the utmost speed."

"Yes!"

Xiang Keluo, drafted on the spot, responded weakly, reluctantly playing along with Xiang Gaowen's act while secretly despising him for it.

But as long as it wasn't another failed campaign against the Black Cat Pirates, and he just needed to request backup from nearby navy branches, it was fine.

The incident at Crow Port, where they'd been outmaneuvered, had nearly become Xiang Keluo's psychological trauma.

After Xiang Keluo left, Xiang Gaowen turned his gaze back to Bepo, momentarily puzzled.

The situation matched Xiang Gaowen's guess closely.

Law had healed Jin Shizi's wound, but their relationship was almost certainly one of coercion.

"Cough—!"

"Since you were forced, your actions are somewhat understandable. After the navy deals with Jin Shizi, I can speak a few words in your favor."

Xiang Gaowen coughed twice; his gaze on Bepo softened slightly.

He certainly wouldn't kill him—but Xiang Gaowen knew he was playing the role of a navy officer, and had no reason to let a pirate go free.

Moreover, Xiang Gaowen was already hungry to leech off Law, and had even less reason to let Bepo leave.

"That guy isn't without a chance of rescue."

Bepo's ears twitched slightly:

"Really?!"

"Of course. Once you regain your strength, stay on this ship temporarily and work to atone for him."

"But Law and Pekin and the others…"

Bepo still worried about his companions. Seeing this, Xiang Gaowen placed a hand on his shoulder and said:

"Forget the vast ocean—where would you even look for Jin Shizi? And even if you found him, are you really his match?!"

"You've heard of it, haven't you?!"

"The rumor of the Neptune's design schematics in the Seven Water Cities has driven the entire world mad."

"With Jin Shizi's personality, he'd never miss it."

Bepo nodded vigorously:

"That's right—Law said Jin Shizi's next target is the Seven Water Cities, to seize the Neptune's design schematics."

"So he must definitely go there."

Xiang Gaowen said lightly:

"And our destination is also the City of Seven Waters — the chances of you reuniting with your companions are greater there."

"Understood."

Bepo looked at Xiang Gaowen, his eyes sparkling with stars:

"Vice Admiral, my lord, you're not like the other Marines — you're a good person…"

"Hmph."

Xiang Gaowen chuckled softly:

"Heal your wounds first."

……

Several days later.

Bepo had barely recovered his ability to move — the vitality of the Mink race far surpassed that of humans, and injuries that would kill an ordinary person were completely healed for him in less than half a month.

He kept Xiang Gaowen's words firmly in mind, and as soon as his wounds healed he went to Nami's place to report, preparing to use his own actions to atone for his companions.

But before Bepo had even had time to knock on the door of the navigator's office, he saw a golden-haired figure shoot out backward from inside the door and slam straight into the wall.

"If there's a next time, this old lady will cut you down on the spot!"

(End of chapter)