Chapter 245: The Explorer

What is that?!

Bepo swallowed hard.

Isn't that what a navigator should be?

Charting maps, plotting courses, predicting weather changes, ensuring the pirate ship sails safely across the open sea.

Have I been walking the wrong path all along?!

Or is there a better answer?!

Bepo didn't know this.

But right now, Chopper looked to him like a devil luring him into the abyss.

He knew the answer he'd get from Chopper would be extraordinary, even as heretical as his own understanding of medicine.

But strangely.

When he thought of Law, he couldn't help but feel curious about Chopper's answer.

Because Law was both ship's doctor and captain, and every time danger struck, he was the first to charge forward.

He never said anything similar to Chopper's views, yet his actions aligned perfectly with Chopper's.

It matched!

Everything matched!

So you've been carrying all this, Law, you bastard?!

Thinking of this, Bepo's breath grew heavier:

"Tell me, Chopper!"

"Your answer!"

"What does it truly mean to be a navigator?!"

Chopper's lips curled into a confident smile:

"As far as I know, the most dangerous entity on this ship isn't General Lanceslot… nor is it the fearsome Colonel Locke."

"It's the navigator, Meina!"

Bepo's pupils shrank; the scene he'd seen that morning flashed before his eyes again, and he nodded fiercely:

"That's right!"

"I just witnessed Meina's immense power."

"Though Sanji, Colonel, holds only the title of chief cook, he's among the top four strongest fighters on this ship—yet he offered not a single ounce of resistance against Navigator Meina."

"This can only mean she's been hiding her strength all along!"

"Ah."

Chopper nodded, his body swelling uncontrollably; within a few breaths, he transformed into a massive human form, towering like a small mountain.

At this moment, steam puffed from his nostrils and mouth, and an aura of supreme strength radiated from every inch of him.

Seeing this, Bepo no longer felt his former fear.

The more he recalled everything Law had done, the more he understood why Chopper had forged such a powerful physique.

If no medicine can cure all diseases, then eliminate every possible threat!

Then what must a navigator like myself achieve?!

The answer was clear…

"A second-rate navigator predicts weather patterns, plots reasonable routes, avoids potential risks—but following rules blindly is ultimately inferior."

"Bepo!"

Chopper's voice rose sharply, his gaze fixed intently on Bepo:

"When your fists can tear open the sky and split the sea, no obstacle will remain before your pirate crew's path!"

"Nowhere is off-limits. No one is untouchable."

"This is true freedom!"

"Therefore, in my eyes, the greatest navigator must be an explorer—not a rule-bound follower!"

Bepo was struck as if by lightning, standing frozen, Chopper's words echoing in his heart.

Freedom…

Yes!

When Law described his goal, wasn't it freedom he had in mind?!

To sail the seas without restriction, unbound by anyone, freely adventuring.

But if freedom is compromised by terrain, weather, or enemies—is that true freedom?!

No!

I refuse to accept such freedom!

"A navigator must be one who carves new routes."

"That's why Senior Meina has been secretly hiding such immense power? She wants to become the very explorer Chopper speaks of?!"

"Nowhere is off-limits. No one is untouchable. Smash every obstacle with your fists—this is the ultimate pursuit of a navigator?!"

Bepo kept repeating Chopper's words.

The more he thought.

The more he reflected on his past and compared it with everything he'd experienced, the more he felt Chopper's words were the ultimate truth for navigators!

"That's right!"

"If I'd been stronger back then against the Jin Shizi, Law wouldn't have had to compromise with that bastard, and Pekin and Xia Qi wouldn't have had to fight to the death against Spandam's men!"

"How could such a weakling as me ever become an explorer?"

"I..."

Bebe's eyes turned blood-red, and he felt a wave of shame surge through his heart.

For in this moment, he suddenly realized that all the navigation knowledge he had learned from books in his first half of life held no meaning whatsoever.

Power!

Only those strong enough to blast away all obstacles and carve out a path of freedom from a dead-end situation have the qualification to call themselves navigators and deserve the name of Pioneer!

"Senior Chopper, although this request is somewhat presumptuous, please teach me."

"Isn't that a given?!"

A satisfied smile curled Chopper's lips:

"We are friends, after all!"

Early the next morning.

Among the crowd training on the deck, a white bear was added, lifting iron with desperate effort.

This white bear was naturally Bebe.

He wore a headband inscribed with the words "Pioneer" on his head, his eyes extremely resolute.

Even though his entire body trembled continuously from excessive exhaustion, he did not retreat even a fraction.

It was just that Bebe's body had simply not undergone any proper training for far too long, and the Fur Tribe's talent had already been neglected.

Just a few short minutes later.

Bebe's movements slowed down uncontrollably; his body felt as if it were filled with lead, unable to squeeze out a single shred of strength.

"Too slow, Bebe!"

Chopper, whose figure was as sturdy as a wall, held a leather whip and struck Bebe hard, tearing a bloody mark across his snow-white fur.

"Ugh—!"

Bebe, stung by the pain, let out a muffled groan before struggling to steady the barbell in his hands.

Seeing this, Chopper said discontentedly:

"If your determination is only at this level, I advise you to go back and be your second-rate navigator honestly, cowering behind Law's back and being a coward!"

"Never!"

Accompanied by a roar, Bebe felt a surge of strength, seemingly from nowhere, well up within his body that had already reached its limit, forcibly lifting the barbell.

"This feeling..."

Feeling the strength continuously surging within his body, Bebe experienced, for the first time during his training, a sensation other than pain.

It was like being trapped in a desert for several days, finally seeing an oasis, and drinking a mouthful of sweet spring water; both body and mind were nourished.

What made Bebe almost go mad was the desire to feel it a second time, a third time...

"More!"

"More!"

"More!"

As Bebe's training became increasingly frantic, the gaze of the surrounding workaholics, initially disdainful, gradually added a touch of approval.

"That's it!"

"Only with such a determination to stake everything to become stronger can you go further!"

"Newcomer!"

Some also felt regret:

"With such determination, yet not being one of us, it is truly a pity."

"Who says they aren't?!"

"We haven't encountered a being with kindred spirits for a long time!"

Amidst the crowd's words.

Jin, standing nearby, glanced at Bebe. Looking at the latter's determined eyes, he inexplicably felt:

"This guy was born to be one of us!"

"Captain Jin, I feel the same way."

Zoro slowly lowered the barbell he had been swinging, causing the deck to tremble. His gaze fell upon Bebe, filled with an indescribable expectation:

"However, I heard Chopper mention casually that Bebe has his own companions."

"What's so difficult about that? Just pull them in; there are still many empty spots on our ship."

"That's true."

At the same time.

In the captain's cabin, Gao Wen happened to see the white bear furiously grinding on the deck and couldn't help but sigh:

"Has the atmosphere of training under my command become so intense already?!"

"It was one thing that Chopper started grinding as soon as he boarded, but now even Bebe, who isn't even a crew member yet, has been infected in such a short time?"

"Never mind."

"After all, it's not a bad thing."

Time slipped by, and it was already deep into the night.

Beppo was not Gao Wen's official crew member, so naturally he lacked the badge's bonus; with such overloading cultivation, his body was nearing its limit.

But what made him feel incredibly excited was that the muscles all over his body sent tearing pains, mixed with aching and distending agony, making one feel as if they were about to die of ecstasy.

"According to Chopper's words, this is my muscle cells splitting and growing."

"Only by experiencing such a process will my strength become even greater, even possessing a physique as strong as Chopper's."

Originally, in Beppo's view, Chopper's human form, which was already grotesquely bulky, now appeared so beautiful in his eyes.

Power!

Power is beauty!

Accompanying the distortion of thought, Beppo's aesthetic sense gradually shifted toward the direction of being stronger, bulkier, and more intimidating.

He even began to look forward to what scene it would be when he was reborn and stood before Law in a new form.

"Law..."

"You will surely be happy for my change, right?!"

"I won't let you continue to bear all of this alone!"

Floating Island.

Law ended his training with Shiki, lay on the ground, gasping for breath, feeling as if every single bone in his body was about to be shattered.

"At this level, in our era, it wouldn't even count as a warm-up."

"If it's only at this level, there is still a very, very long way to go before you can become my vice captain."

Shiki stood aside, his tone indifferent, as if recounting an ordinary trivial matter, yet his eyes held a hint of suppressed awe.

Even though he is still very immature, this fellow's conviction and talent are top-notch; even though the distance is still very far, perhaps this fellow can truly defeat me one day.

When he thought of this.

There was no fear or caution in Shiki's eyes; instead, there was only a calmness, and within that calmness lay a hint of expectation that he himself had not even noticed.

"Tomorrow, double the training volume!"

"Good!"

The only answer to Shiki was the sound of Law gritting his teeth.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

The sound of a sharp blade tapping the ground gradually faded away.

Law slowly opened his eyes.

Shiki's cultivation of him had no hidden secrets.

From swordsmanship to the development of the Surgery Fruit, to the Haki he had not yet mastered.

Whenever there was a problem of his, Shiki answered each one individually, even personally offering guidance with his own hands.

But this also made Law feel increasingly puzzled.

"He has roamed the seas for many years; the powerful enemies he has faced, the battlefields he has dominated, the things he has experienced can only be more than mine."

"He shouldn't be so easily deceived by me."

"What exactly is this fellow thinking..."

"But regardless, I will take your head!"

The voice fell to the ground.

The figures of Beppo and the other two reappeared before Law's eyes.

Originally, they should have been companions who conquered the seas together with him, but now their life or death was unknown.

No bodies of the three were found on the floating island.

For Law, this was barely a piece of good news; at least there was still a glimmer of hope.

"I truly look forward to it; if we really have a day to meet again, what kind of form will that fellow Beppo be in?"

"Well~"

"He should still be that cowardly, that afraid of battle."

"Hahahaha~"

Water Seven.

Smoke filled the air, fires blazed everywhere, and wails merged into a single chorus.

This city, originally extremely prosperous, had now become ruins in one battle after another.

The struggle over the Pluton blueprints had already begun.

Almost every day, fierce battles erupted among pirates near the port; the wrecks of pirate ships were washed ashore by the waves, piling up like mountains.

Yet no pirate crew was willing to leave, and no one dared to leave.

Any action that might take away the Pluton blueprints would be attacked by everyone.

But the world always has exceptions.

At this moment.

A uniquely shaped pirate ship raised its anchor, hoisted its sails, and gradually moved away.

Countless pirates watched this scene, unwilling to accept it, yet none dared to cross the line.

"That is... a ship from the Whole Cake Country!"

"The fellow standing on the deck is one of the Sweet Four Generals, a monster with a bounty exceeding six hundred million Berries."

"Xia Luote Snag!"

A pirate looked at the departing pirate ship and couldn't help swallowing hard.

Even though they were nearly mad, the remaining sanity in their minds still made them maintain the most basic Original Respect for certain existences they could not provoke.

"Just let them go like this?!"

"If they succeed, wouldn't we have made this trip for nothing?!"

Someone, unwilling to accept it, had greed in his eyes as if it were tangible:

"That is the Pluton!"

"Even if we cannot build it, even if we just take it to auction, we could easily fetch a sky-high price of tens or even hundreds of billions of Berries!"

"With that kind of money, why would I still be a pirate?"

"Some money you can earn with your life, but you must also have a life to spend it!"

After a sneer from the captain beside him, his expression gradually grew dark:

"If they had truly succeeded, they wouldn't have left so ostentatiously; I'm afraid something new has happened."

"Or they are preparing to wait for the rabbit, striking directly at the pirate who obtained the Pluton blueprints."

"Despicable!"

"Heh, what is despicable about pirate affairs?!"

"Tsk!"

"If the Franky Family and the mayor Bingshan hadn't united to defend to the death, and pirates hadn't been guarding against and entangling each other, why would this have dragged on so long?!"

"In any case, get ready. The longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for us; the Navy and other powerful forces should be moving soon."

(End of this chapter)