Chapter 283: Is It Really Okay to Go This Far?!

After a simple welcome ceremony, everyone approached one by one to greet Law, Franky, and the others, then returned to their cultivation state.

Since Bepo was already half of Gao Wen's bear, everyone had expected him to join this time, so it was not surprising.

Only Roubo Luqi looked at Law with a hint of mockery:

"You won't bow to power again now, will you?!"

"Of course!"

Law raised his chin slightly, eager to try:

"The existence of Mr. Gao Wen has proven that even monsters like the Jin Shizi have been defeated by even greater monsters."

"As a man, one certainly should not bow to power!"

Law paused, his eyes full of provocation.

Having abandoned his dream to join Gao Wen's ranks, he had already paid a heavy price; naturally, he wanted to become a core figure in the team, and even replacing the current first mate, Xiang Keluo, was not out of the question.

Law's talent had been certified by the Jin Shizi; although the Jin Shizi had not said it explicitly, that look of appreciation was impossible to hide.

Therefore, Law had absolute confidence.

As long as he could receive Gao Wen's training, his future growth speed would inevitably not be slower than anyone else's; surpassing the others on Gao Wen's ship was merely a matter of time.

"By initiating ranking battles, seize coins from stronger holders to establish one's status in the hearts of the pirate crew."

"A simple and crude method, but if one's strength is sufficient, standing out is effortless!"

"Then, how many is the coin in your hand, Roubo Luqi?"

Roubo Luqi put his hands in his pockets, his mouth stretching into a smile full of villainy.

He raised a hand, took a coin from his chest, and waved it before Law's eyes.

The golden coin reflected the sunlight, appearing particularly glaring; at that moment, Law saw the text engraved on the coin's surface.

"Number Three?!"

"Ah!"

Roubo Luqi put the coin away; in his eyes, there was only an unspeakable confidence:

"However, that was the ranking during the Alabasta period; what number it is now is hard to say."

"Newcomers, don't be too arrogant."

"Everyone ranked high on this ship is at a monster level."

"Ho..."

Law remained unshaken, still possessing strong confidence in himself.

"Then we shall see after trying!"

Just then, several figures with fierce momentum simultaneously surrounded them.

Xiang Keluo, Jinbe, Sanji, Zoro, and even the newly boarded Franky, along with a host of officer-level members, all surrounded them.

"What an arrogant newcomer~"

"However."

"It's been a long time since we saw someone so energetic~"

Zoro raised a hand to press the long sword at his waist, his gaze landing on Law; his mouth stretched all the way to his ear.

His fierce momentum was unhidden, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath; even without striking, it gave Law the illusion of being slashed on the spot!

This guy... is strong!

As soon as he thought this, he noticed that the momentum of the others was no weaker than Zoro's; indeed, the two leaders, Jinbe and Xiang Keluo, were clearly superior to Zoro.

No, these guys are all very strong; is this Gao Wen's pirate crew?!

Not only the captain, Gao Wen, but even these officer-level existences each possess monster-level strength!

A trace of unspeakable wariness flashed in Law's eyes, but what followed was immense excitement, for this scene further proved how brilliant Gao Wen's methods of training his subordinates truly were.

He firmly believed that with his talent, reaching and even surpassing these people before him was merely a matter of time.

I can do better!

The crowd dispersed quickly.

Law followed Jinbe's footsteps and began to join the cultivation army.

Watching weights be strapped onto his body one by one, feeling the weight on him clearly increase by Multiple Times Heavier, Law at that moment almost saw the hope of his future.

Only after Jinbe put a pair of Sea Prism Stone handcuffs on him did he realize how cruel reality truly was.

"This is unnecessary, right?!"

Jinbe didn't even lift his head, speaking in a calm tone:

"Cultivation requires squeezing the potential within the body to the absolute limit."

"And for Devil Fruit users, there is no better method than directly suppressing physical abilities with Sea Prism Stone."

"Long-term training can also provide a certain improvement in resistance to Sea Prism Stone."

"Not to say it will completely ignore it, but even if hit by a Sea Prism Stone bullet, one would not lose the power to resist immediately."

Law opened his mouth, intending to refute.

But he understood that Jinbe was not harming him; this method of cultivation was indeed correct.

Moreover.

But with dozens of questioning eyes cast around, how could Law accept being looked down upon just after joining the crew?

Isn't it just cultivation?

Isn't it just fighting for one's life?!

I'm in!

Merely observing is never as cruel as the actual experience; Gao Wen's gang's near-self-abusive method of cultivation soon taught him a lesson.

Hoo—!

Hiss—!

Hoo—!

Heavy breathing, like that of a bellows, soon erupted from Law's mouth.

Carrying nearly a ton of extra weight and restrained by Seastone, his stamina reached its limit in just half an hour, leaving him far behind the main group.

"Can't handle even this?!"

Roubo Luqi stepped lightly, landing beside Law, and teased:

"At this level, you're still far from catching up to us."

"Shut up!"

Law gritted his teeth tightly.

Originally, he had been about to reveal the weight he was carrying and the Seastone on his person.

But when his gaze fell upon Roubo Luqi, he realized the latter was also wearing Seastone handcuffs.

Beneath his clothes, weights were stacked densely, several times more than his own, yet Roubo Luqi still moved with light steps, as if bearing no burden at all.

Both being Devil Fruit users, the fact that Roubo Luqi remained far more relaxed despite carrying more weight could only mean his physical capabilities far surpassed Law's.

Law clenched his teeth and insisted:

"No problem! Absolutely no problem!"

"Is that so~?"

Roubo Luqi drew out his tone:

"Sanji originally asked me to bring you some water to replenish your stamina, but it seems you don't need it."

As soon as the words landed,

Roubo Luqi leaped away from Law's side, returning to the main group in the blink of an eye, where he joined Gin and the others in their physical training.

"Ah, this..."

Law opened his mouth, suddenly regretting why he had to run it.

Instinctively, he reached out to touch the pocket on his clothes, his hand meeting a bottle of ice-cold fresh water.

"..."

Law halted his steps, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes:

"Sharp-tongued, but this guy is surprisingly humane..."

He lifted his head and saw Gao Wen's group chatting and laughing in the distance, something indefinable adding to his gaze.

He only knew that long ago, when Penguin, Xia Qi, and the others were still around, it was just like this beside him; everyone fooling around, the days passing just like that.

Now...

It seems I have found a place to belong again~

It's just that Xia Qi, Penguin, and the others...

Law's gaze darkened, but upon seeing the fresh water in his hand, a wave of warmth surged in his heart:

"Giving up on the One Piece might not be such a bad thing after all."

"Hiss—!"

Just as he was speaking,

Law suddenly felt his thighs go limp, his entire body about to collapse.

He barely stabilized himself, drained the entire bottle of fresh water in one go, and several parts of determination added themselves to his eyes.

After relaxing slightly, he resumed his cultivation.

"Hoo—!"

"Hoo—!"

"Hoo—!"

Night fell.

Due to an attack by a pirate crew along the way, the group failed to reach the next island as scheduled and could only rest temporarily on the ice.

Law and Bepo slumped on the ice surface, their bodies almost soaked through with sweat.

The weighted blocks on Law's person had been removed, but the skin on his shoulders and chest was already chafed raw, and a tearing pain vaguely spread through his muscles.

As a doctor, Law naturally knew what this meant.

This body had approached, or even surpassed, its limit.

"No matter how you look at it, this method of cultivation is too reckless; even Jin Shizi wouldn't go to such extremes."

"Could these guys be intentionally messing with me?!"

Recalling Xiang Keluo's amused smile from earlier in the day, the more Law thought about it, the more he felt this possibility existed.

But when he turned his head, all he saw was Bepo's puzzled face:

"This level?! How is that possible!"

"I was saying..."

"This level doesn't even count as a warm-up; conditions here are crude, so we can only adopt this primitive method for basic physical training."

Bepo spoke eloquently with an extremely calm tone, while Law's face had already turned somewhat pale.

He suddenly realized that throughout this entire day of cultivation, Gao Wen seemed to have barely participated, hadn't spoken much, and hadn't offered any guidance or advice.

It relied entirely on everyone's self-discipline.

So...

Is it because this is just basic physical training?

"But won't someone actually die like this?!"

Bepo looked at Law with an even stranger expression:

"Isn't this level of difficulty something anyone with hands can do? Even the weaker companions on the ship could easily achieve this much."

"..."

The corner of Law's mouth twitched; he felt utterly stifled inside.

This is called 'just needing hands'?

He lowered his head to look at his slightly trembling legs, momentarily even suspecting that Jin Shizi was holding back on him.

Perhaps the Gao Wen Pirates' cultivation method is the correct one; to obtain powerful strength, one must push oneself to such an extreme degree?

But... but medical knowledge couldn't possibly be lying to me too, right?!

Something's wrong; the Gao Wen Pirates are nine parts out of ten suspicious!

"Law..."

Bepo said with deep earnestness:

"If your resolve is only at this level, then you will never become a Panacea like Senior Chopper!"

"What exactly is this 'Panacea'?"

Law swallowed hard; his intuition told him this was definitely not the Panacea understood by normal people.

Don't tell me it's some other heretical nonsense!

Damn it!

The corner of Bepo's mouth curved up slightly; imitating Chopper's tone, his gaze burned like torches:

"No matter how skilled a doctor's techniques are, there will always be incurable diseases and unmanageable wounds."

Law's eyes dimmed; as a doctor, how could he not know this?

The human body is stronger than imagined; many injuries that appear ferocious and cruel can heal tenaciously.

But it is also incredibly fragile; even being accidentally bitten by a non-venomous fish could lead to death from bacterial infection within a few hours.

"Someone capable of saying such things must be a great doctor."

Law couldn't help but sigh with emotion, even feeling guilty for his earlier baseless speculation.

After all, being valued by Gao Wen and becoming the chief ship's doctor of the Gao Wen Pirates meant that both medical ethics and ability must be extraordinary.

A misunderstanding, it was all a misunderstanding!

Law felt somewhat curious in his heart; who exactly was the ship's doctor on Gao Wen's vessel.

Among those who came to greet them during the day, the figure of the ship's doctor had not appeared; reportedly, they had been changing dressings for the injured all night and had only just finished, resting now.

"Who is our chief ship's doctor?"

Bepo raised a hand and pointed toward a figure in the crowd standing over five meters tall, with a build as massive as a small mountain.

Yet, inexplicably, this figure wore a pink hat.

This hat, which should have appeared somewhat ridiculous, instead lent him a strange sense of oppression when worn on his head.

"This thing... is the ship's doctor?"

Law's heart gave a sudden thump:

"Then that 'Panacea'..."

"Doctors have limits, but power has no limits!"

Bepo stood up directly, the admiration in his eyes completely unhidden, so much so that his breathing grew heavy with excitement:

"Since no medicine can cure all illnesses and injuries, then before our companions get hurt, we must bombard all danger factors into slag!"

"No one getting injured, no one getting sick—that is the most perfect medical art, which is the so-called... Panacea!"

"..."

The air instantly fell into an eerie silence.

The expression on Law's face immediately collapsed, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Too early, I felt guilty too early!

Is this something a person with a normal brain could possibly come up with?

There isn't a single normal person on this damn ship, is there?

The sea wind howled, carrying the chill of the glacier straight through the internal organs.

Law shivered, suddenly recalling that Pioneer Theory Bepo had propagated, which seemed reasonable on the surface but was actually absurdly direct, and asked:

"That Pioneer Theory, it wouldn't be..."

"That's right!"

Bepo wore a face full of pride:

"It is precisely the finest solution to the Way of the Navigator, taught to me by Senior Chopper!"

"As long as I am strong enough, using a pair of iron fists to smash all obstacles, naturally there is nowhere I cannot go, and only then can I obtain true freedom!"

"Law!"

"I quit being a navigator; I want to become a Pioneer!"

"..."

Law's eyelid twitched:

"Is it still too late for me to get off this ship?!"

"Get off the ship?!"

Bepo froze; although he didn't know why Law would think this, he still offered his admonition:

"I advise you best not to have such thoughts."

"Do you know why Captain Gao Wen appeared in Water Seven this time?!"

Law shook his head.

Bepo leaned close to Law's ear and said with a solemn tone:

"Previously, Luqi injured Van Auger in Alabasta, unauthorizedly left the pirate crew, and went to Enies Lobby to save his former companions."

"In a fit of rage, Captain Gao Wen directly led people to kill their way into Water Seven, and this was Water Seven where the Pluton War had already erupted!"

"Although this matter was later proven to be a misunderstanding, if you leave now, given Captain Gao Wen's personality, even if you flee to Marine Headquarters, he will likely drag you out and beat you to a pulp."

"You need to think clearly."

"Hiss—!"

Law gasped sharply, compared the combat power gap between both sides and the possibility of Marine Headquarters taking him in, and immediately dispelled the idea of running away.

He muttered something about how 'shrinking back because of this kind of thing would get me laughed at for a lifetime by that guy Luqi' and similar words.

Now that he was on the pirate ship, there was no running away.

But since he intended to stay long-term, the atmosphere of the pirate crew could not continue to deteriorate.

I must find a way to twist the atmosphere on the ship back onto a normal track; after all, what doctor thinks about how to tear apart the enemy before them instead of treating the sick and saving lives?

Could that be a proper doctor?!

(End of Chapter)