Chapter 286: Knights of the God

Tap!

Gao Wen's fingertip lightly tapped the table; he raised his head to look at Roubo Luqi before him, his brows furrowing slightly:

"If you are worried that your identity will bring me trouble, there is no need to take such action."

"To be honest."

"The turmoil in Water Seven has just passed; countless pirates perished in that battle. The structures of the Four Seas, Paradise, and even To the New World will all undergo massive changes."

"The Great War of the Underworld King was merely a prelude; the pressure the Marines will face next will explode."

"As long as the World Government has any sanity, it will not, and cannot, choose this moment to strike at me."

"You know the World Government better than I do; you should be clear on this point."

"You are my man; as long as this pirate flag remains, no one can force you to do what you do not wish to do."

Lucci Heavily nodded, his eyes revealing unhidden emotion.

He knew Gao Wen was right, but the determination in his eyes did not waver even a fraction due to Gao Wen's words.

It even became more resolute at this moment:

"Captain, we are gradually approaching the peak of this world, facing the strongest pirates on the Grand Line, but these are far from troublesome for us."

"The truly troublesome part is the World Government."

In his speech.

Lucci's mind could not help but recall the peak battle between Gaowen and Shiki in Water Seven.

He knew Gao Wen's abilities were special; as long as earth vein energy flowed upon the land, he would never fall.

Yet he never expected that battle to end with Shiki's death.

That was Shiki!

A pirate who once contended for supremacy with Luo Jie and Whitebeard, and twenty years ago broke into the Marine Headquarters Marineford alone; even with Sentomaru and Garp joining forces, they fought for three days and three nights, nearly collapsing half of Marine Headquarters before capturing him.

This proves enough that Gao Wen's current combat power is at least on par with the current Emperors and Admirals.

But precisely because of this.

Lucci understood even more clearly that the opponents awaiting Gao Wen next would be either pirates roaming the seas or the World Government, which controls everything and suppresses others with overwhelming momentum!

The former is dangerous, but for Gao Wen, it is not fatal.

Only the World Government, only the World Government!

Lucci knew exactly how terrifying the opponent was; it was a hegemon that had ruled the world for over eight hundred years, unshakable by anyone!

Compared to it, the so-called Emperors of the Sea are ultimately just rebels occupying mountains as kings; they can cause chaos in one region, but they ultimately cannot harm the foundation of the World Government!

"Captain, whether it is you or the companions on the ship, we need an eye inside the World Government, and I am the most suitable person to become this existence."

"..."

Gao Wen fell silent for a moment.

He knew Lucci was right, and he knew even more how important such an existence, capable of probing the World Government's internal secrets, was for his upcoming plans.

But Lucci, as he is now, is no longer a mere ordinary leek to him; he is an existence like Akin and Xiang Keluo, one whose back can be trusted.

After a long while.

Gao Wen spoke:

"Have you thought it through?!"

"I have thought it through."

"This time you actually understand the rules, knowing to tell me in advance."

A hint of helpless smile appeared on Gao Wen's lips; he shook his head:

"Then go."

"Once you discover anything amiss, prioritize your own safety."

"Understood, Captain!"

Having said this, Lucci placed his Number Three Coin on Gao Wen's table and prepared to turn and leave, but his footsteps halted in the next instant.

"This is something you won back through strength; keep it yourself."

Lucci was stunned and instinctively turned his head back.

No command from him was needed.

The white dove Hadoli flew toward Gao Wen's desk, saluted Gao Wen properly, then picked up the Number Three Coin and flew back to Lucci's shoulder.

"Auntie—!"

Lucci reached out to pat Hadoli's head, took the coin from Hadoli's beak, and clenched it tightly in his hand.

"I understand, Captain."

After responding, he turned and looked through the porthole at the group training on the deck.

Xiang Keluo sitting alone in silence, Zoro and Sanji making endless noise, Chopper and Beppo obsessed with fitness, Franky and Luo who had just joined the crew not long ago...

One by one, companions, and everything they had experienced together, floated before Lucci's eyes.

He understood that he was no longer alone.

Someone, even risking their life, was still willing to reach out a hand to pull him out of the swamp.

And to repay this emotion, he too had his own resolve.

"I just don't know how long it will be until we meet again..."

"Heh."

Gao Wen chuckled lightly:

"I am not clear on that, but by then, with so many coins in your hand, they will likely not be safe."

"That is also hard to say."

Roubo Luqi smiled faintly, his eyes filled with absolute confidence.

"Even if I temporarily leave the group, it doesn't mean I will give up cultivation."

Night fell.

Gao Wen's group dropped anchor near a desolate island and began a feast using local resources.

Food from the cabin and freshly caught seafood, processed by Sanji, turned into exquisite dishes laid out on the table, causing everyone to repeatedly turn their heads.

Franky, along with Kibi, Mochi, and others, danced an eye-searing dance for the group, and as expected, everyone shouted "pervert."

Kibi and Mochi, long accustomed to such evaluations, didn't mind at all; Franky even became directly excited and danced even more joyfully.

Roubo Luqi remained as silent as ever, sitting aside, though his face now bore many more smiles than before.

"Cheers!"

Zoro walked over holding a wine bottle, filled Roubo Luqi's cup without a word, then clinked glasses on his own.

Ding!

After the crisp sound of clinking glasses.

Zoro downed the ale in his cup in one gulp, then let out a long sigh.

Half-drunk and half-awake, he simply lay down by the fire; before long, faint snoring sounds came from him.

Roubo Luqi also drank the ale in his cup in one gulp; a hint of drunkenness was already in his eyes, yet his mind remained clear.

Looking at the reveling companions around him, he felt only an indescribable warmth in his heart, warmer than the fire in the crowd.

"These are the companions worth protecting; this is my..."

"Justice!"

At the same time.

The New World.

Zeus the thundercloud skimmed the sea surface, racing toward the direction of the Whole Cake Island.

After the battle at Water Seven, the Jin Shizi was defeated and died; seeing the situation was unfavorable, Big Mom retreated directly.

After all, under that situation, if she had stayed there, what she would face next was highly likely to be a siege by Knight Gao Wen and Aokiji.

Facing either one alone, she certainly would not be defeated, but facing both simultaneously was no different from seeking death.

Let alone taking Gao Wen's head; whether she could survive at all depended on luck.

She was arrogant and proud, but not stupid.

This time, the losses to Whole Cake Island were already immense; dozens of warships were burned to ashes, and countless children of the officers died.

What lay before her now was no longer a question of how to take revenge, but how to preserve Whole Cake Island's existing territories.

"Mother, the pirates around Whole Cake Island can no longer hold back."

Katakuri, his body wrapped in bandages and barely able to move, stood beside Big Mom, looking at the distant sea with furrowed brows:

"Several reports have come from Cracker; at least ten subordinate pirate crews can no longer hold back and have begun to nibble away at our territories."

"The neutral onlookers are countless."

"If this continues, the entire Whole Cake Island will likely be affected; there is even a possibility of total collapse."

"No matter!"

Big Mom nodded, clutching the blueprint of Pluton tightly in her hand, her eyes revealing an indescribable madness:

"The Pluton blueprint is in our hands."

"If we can just endure the current crisis and build this warship, we will possess the power to settle everything!"

"By then, the New World will be ours to command!"

"What Red-Haired, Kaido, Whitebeard... none of them are my match!"

"Mother~ Mother~"

Big Mom let out an excited laugh; Perospero's gaze fell on the Pluton blueprint in her hand, and he couldn't help but speak:

"Is this thing really that powerful?!"

"Like in the legends, destroying a country with a single shot?!"

"Not destroying!"

Big Mom shook her head:

"But erasing the land directly from the map."

"I once heard a rumor."

"This world was originally not an ocean; originally there were many, many lands, and it only became this way later."

"The root cause was the misuse of ancient weapons."

"And the power capable of causing such a massive impact across the world, destroying a country with a single shot, is naturally what it should possess!"

Perospero opened his mouth, about to say something.

"Wait!"

Katakuri suddenly spoke, interrupting the two's conversation.

He lowered his gaze toward the distant sea and saw a ship with an exquisite and magnificent design rising and falling continuously with the seawater.

Several figures, faintly radiating a terrifying aura, stood at the bow, as if they had been waiting there for a long time.

But what truly made Katakuri feel horror was the red-haired figure at the head.

"That face... Red-Haired?!"

"No!"

The old woman shook her head, her gaze falling upon the figure with red hair, her eyes filled with indescribable shock:

"That man is not Red-Haired."

"Although his appearance is very similar, that man's eyes differ from Red-Haired's; he lacks that scar. Moreover, while his aura remains powerful, it lacks the majestic, domineering, and unparalleled feeling of Red-Haired."

"Instead, he appears somewhat gloomy and perverse, full of... arrogance!"

"Wait, this face, this aura..."

The old woman's pupils suddenly contracted, memories from decades ago awakened.

What floated in her mind was that man from God's Valley back then, with scarlet hair like a crescent moon, yet incomprehensibly powerful, even enough to rival Whitebeard and Luo Jie!

"What is Garin of the God Knights to you?!"

"..."

The only answer to the old woman was the sea wind gradually growing noisy over the ocean.

Before the old woman and the others could make any move, the person on that ship had already acted.

One of them transformed into a Kirin form, raised a hand, and released a layer of concentric circular light waves, instantly enveloping the old woman and the other two.

"What is this thing?!"

Perospero raised a hand to block in front of his eyes, yet he was still a step too late, pierced by that invisible light wave. Unexpectedly, not a shred of pain was transmitted.

"Hmm?!"

Just as Perospero was puzzled, a familiar figure gradually took shape on the distant sea surface.

That figure was entirely crimson, with flesh and blood of the skin rolling and turning, but that familiar figure and its ferocious face immediately awakened Perospero's suppressed memories.

"That is... Mother?!"

Perospero trembled all over.

During this period, he was often awakened by nightmares.

The scene of the out-of-control old woman devouring her children constantly floated in his mind, nearly causing his spirit to collapse.

He was unwilling to admit such a monster was his mother, but he knew even more that the current Whole Cake Island could not do without the old woman's powerful strength!

But now.

His nightmare had turned into reality; merely seeing that figure, his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"A Mythical Zoan?"

"Brother Perospero..."

Charlotte Katakuri noticed Perospero's abnormality and couldn't help but reach out to shield him behind him. He turned his head to look at the old woman beside him and said:

"Mother, these guys are not weak. Fighting them at this time brings no benefit. We..."

"Whether we fight now or not is not up to us to decide."

The old woman's tone was Solemn. She raised her head to look into the distance and asked her question again:

"Who is Red-Haired to you!"

"Let's just say he is my twin brother."

The red-haired man replied calmly, slowly drawing the long blade from his waist.

Clang—!

His aura erupted, like a wild wind sweeping through the surroundings, blowing the sea waves to roll back.

Crimson Lei Guang surged in the void; the great sea almost boiled at this moment due to the man's simple action!

At this moment, the old woman truly had the illusion of facing Red-Haired directly.

Obviously, what the man before her shared with Red-Haired was not just his appearance, but also that equally formidable power!

"Lend me your Soul-Soul Fruit!"

"That depends on whether you have the life to take it!"

The old woman roared loudly, raised a hand to grasp vaguely, and Napoleon, remade after snatching souls from her head, transformed into a long blade. Immediately after, she charged towards the God Knights in the distance!

A fierce battle erupted thereafter.

The noise of the sea lasted for nearly three whole days before gradually subsiding. Several nearby islands were completely destroyed by the battle between the two sides and sank into the sea.

Three days later.

On a desolate island nearby.

The red-haired man, namely Xia Mu Luo Ke, was covered in blood. One arm hung lifelessly by his side as the long blade transformed into a Cerberus was slowly sheathed.

His gaze, however, remained on the unconscious old woman before him.

"Powerful Haki, top-tier Paramecia Devil Fruit ability, plus a physique that is nearly inhuman..."

"Worthy of being called one of the Four Emperors. It seems, however, that I ultimately have the upper hand."

While he spoke, several figures landed beside Xia Mu Luo Ke, their faces bearing a hint of unwillingness.

"Those two escaped."

"No big problem."

Xia Mu Luo Ke waved his hand, looked down at the unconscious old woman, and said:

"Now that the ability of the soul has been obtained, all we lack is bone and heart."

"According to the intelligence returned by the CP organization, the ability of the heart is still in the hands of a woman named Jeanne in Britannias."

"Britannias?!"

A tall member of the Divine Corps revealed an expression of lingering fear:

"The people of that place are somewhat sinister. The existence known as the Crusaders are all reckless madmen who do not fear death. That time, if not for that fellow Manticore, we would all have..."

"In short, avoid that place if you can."

Halfway through his sentence, he couldn't help but turn to look at Xia Mu Luo Ke:

"I just never understood why the Captain relentlessly pursued that legend; even if his lifespan was nearing its end and he craved immortality, the Surgery-Surgery Fruit would have been a better choice."

"Even if it was the worst possible choice..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

The tall member of the God Squad noticed Xia Mu Luo Ke's icy gaze and immediately swallowed his complaint.

The Holy Knights were Mary Geoise's most mysterious and most powerful unit.

But few knew that nearly half the members of the Knights were not even descendants of the nineteen Wang Zu.

(End of Chapter)