Chapter 292: What Is Called Fate

The next day.

In the lord's office at Oilseed Flower Port.

Gao Wen, Xiang Keluo, Robin, and others gathered here, frowning as they studied the latest intelligence just sent back by Roubo Luqi.

"The World Government is watching Jin's ability?!"

"The Bone-Bone Fruit?!"

Gao Wen murmured, suddenly remembering how Darz Bonis, Crocodile's top lieutenant, had come to the Roguetown auction seeking exactly that fruit.

Even after securing it, he immediately retreated—had it not been for sheer chance, the Bone-Bone Fruit would never have ended up in my hands, and ultimately been eaten by Jin.

This thing might not be as simple as I thought…

Indeed.

In the next instant, Robin's words confirmed Gao Wen's suspicion:

"While browsing ancient texts hidden in Alabasta, I once came across an interesting rumor."

"It's said that a thousand years ago, the king of a kingdom in the New World used a Devil Fruit's power to attain eternal life—technically, he should still be alive today."

"And Jin's Bone-Bone Fruit corresponds precisely to one of the five abilities described in that legend: 'flesh, bone, heart, blood, soul.'"

Midway through, Robin shook her head and said:

"But."

"This is most likely just baseless gossip."

"After all, the World Government has only existed for eight hundred years—if someone had truly lived since that distant era, they would have witnessed all of history."

"And a World Government that buries history at any cost—even launching a Shichibukai purge—would never allow such a person to exist."

Gao Wen nodded in agreement.

If one truly sought immortality, Rob Lucci's Surgical-Surgical Fruit was far more practical and efficient than some vague legend.

Even for the Celestial Dragons of Mary Geoise, immortality could be sought through Imu.

After all, the Five Elders have been confirmed to have ruled this world since the founding of the World Government—over eight hundred years—and possess near-immortal vitality.

In other words, they possess not only supreme authority at the world's peak, but also the matching power: an immortal body, paired with a awakened Mythical Zoan, grants at least Gold-Level strength.

No one understands better than Gao Wen how infuriating an opponent who cannot be killed truly is.

"Perhaps it's just some bored Celestial Dragon's whim."

"Jin's third strongest fighter has already reached Gold Rank—equivalent to a Shichibukai. As far as I know, no one in CP has the strength to match him."

"Besides, anyone who wants to move against my people must first answer to my blade."

Gao Wen turned to Jin and warned:

"Be careful in the coming days."

"Since the opponent chose to act through CP, it means this matter is hidden even within the World Government—Marines likely won't get involved."

"Your strength is enough to repel CP attacks, but I fear they'll make covert moves behind the scenes."

Jin nodded:

"Understood, Captain."

"With Roubo Luqi around, even if CP makes any moves, we'll know in advance—no real problem."

"Hmm."

Gao Wen hummed in reply, then set down the letter and turned to Robin with quiet curiosity:

"By the way, I'm curious—who was that king in the legend who gained immortality?"

Robin spoke:

"Legend says he was the first king of Britannias, known as the Demon Dragon… Fafnir!"

Gao Wen froze.

Whoosh—!

The wind at the port surged violently, smashing through the office windows and flooding inside.

The wind tore at the curtains and whipped up Gao Wen's bangs, revealing eyes wide with shock.

"So… this is what they call fate?!"

Gao Wen gripped the hilt of Guanshi Zhengzong, tendons bulging on his knuckles, his eyes now shining with starlike brilliance:

"Interesting."

"I'm growing more eager than ever to go there—to see what this so-called legend, this so-called battle of fate, truly is—and how many of my cuts it can withstand."

"Ha."

After a soft laugh,

Robin stepped forward and closed the windows again.

The meeting resumed, and the group finalized plans for the Martial Arts Tournament and Oilseed Flower Port.

This place is essentially Gao Wen's own territory—it naturally required careful planning.

Fortunately, Robin is a true polymath, far outperforming Gao Wen and Xiang Keluo, both complete outsiders in this field.

Even compared to Gasha, the lord of Crow Harbor, she matches him without effort.

But.

The Martial Arts Tournament has now expanded significantly; Gasha has even leveraged Stussy and Du-Field's influence to establish regional preliminaries across the Four Seas.

The structure Gao Wen originally designed—Four Seas qualifiers, Paradise advancement rounds, New World finals—is beginning to take shape.

Yet the problems he once feared are now emerging.

In the East Blue, where he carved his reputation blade by blade, the Shichibukai title carries undeniable intimidation; the same holds true for Paradise.

But in the other three seas, people have no direct experience of Gao Wen's might, so their respect is weaker—and already, some pirates have begun challenging them, and even kingdoms have started demanding taxes.

Although these matters had been temporarily suppressed by Stussy and Du-Field, the longer time passed, the weaker the deterrent power of the Martial Arts Tournament would become.

"In the end, we'll still have to draw our knives."

"However."

"For now, the most urgent task is to first establish a firm foothold in Britannias."

"We temporarily lack the energy to deal with these small fries."

"We can only let them be for now; it just so happens we can do some fishing during this period."

Very quickly.

This small meeting was declared concluded.

Gao Wen and his party resumed their journey that afternoon, departing from Rapeseed Port and heading straight for the Sabaody Archipelago.

According to the route charted by Nami, they would coat their ship there, pass through Fish-Man Island, and Enter the New World.

Before departing, Gao Wen had also brought Reiju under his command, though she did not accompany him Towards the New World; instead, she remained at Rapeseed Port as Robin's guardian.

Remaining here alongside Reiju were the shipwrights of the Franky Family.

They themselves possessed considerable combat prowess, and working in tandem with Reiju, whose strength rivaled that of a Navy Rear Admiral, guarding a port in Paradise posed no issues whatsoever unless a Great Pirate of Warlord caliber arrived in person.

……

……

……

Sabaody Archipelago, Bartering Bar.

A crowd of drinkers gathered here, chatting about everything under the sun, boasting and blathering, the environment exceedingly noisy.

Creak~!

The bar door was pushed open.

The piercing sound, like countless sharp thorns, grated against everyone's ears.

"Looking to die, you bastard!"

A pirate, face flushed red and reeking of alcohol, was just looking for an excuse to cause trouble and conveniently skip out on his tab.

Seeing someone enter, he was about to open his mouth, but upon catching sight of the figure walking into the bar, he shrank instantly like a chick with its throat pinched, wilting on the spot.

Even his legs were trembling incessantly.

"Hey, what's wrong with Baturu? Scared enough to piss yourself?!"

"I told you this guy was a softie..."

Another pirate instinctively moved to mock him a few words, but only when the sound left his mouth did he realize that he was now the only one speaking in the entire bar.

Realizing something was amiss, he turned his neck stiffly.

Before his eyes stood a man wearing a felt hat, carrying on his back a pitch-black long sword shaped like a cross.

And what made him feel as though his very soul was trembling was that man's eyes!

Eyes like those of a hawk!

"Ha-Ha-Ha... Hawk-Eye Mihawk?!"

Terrified and startled, he stumbled away, fleeing out the back door of the bar together with his companion.

Hawk-Eye glanced faintly at the two, then lost all interest in them.

He walked calmly to the counter and spoke:

"One bottle of red wine, one serving of steak."

"Understood, customer~"

Xia Qi leaned against the counter, looking at the man before him, a bit more interest appearing in his eyes:

"Never thought I'd get to witness such a big shot right here~"

Hawk-Eye did not respond, merely glancing at Rayleigh, who was already dead drunk and unconscious in the corner, and said faintly:

"That's something I should be saying; never thought I'd get to witness the legendary man here, the right hand of the Pirate King Luo Jie, known as the Dark King..."

"Mm~"

Rayleigh seemed to be awakened by the commotion around him; sitting up at just the right moment, he stretched lazily and pointed a finger at the wine glass on the table:

"Xia Qi, serve some wine!"

"That won't do~!"

Xia Qi waved his hand:

"You haven't paid a single cent for your drinks from last month until now..."

"Next time for sure!"

"Don't say 'next time'; if you can't pay this time, not throwing you out is already me remembering our old friendship~"

Rayleigh's expression stiffened; he took the wine bottle from his bosom and shook it.

It was empty too.

Unable to help himself, he let out a few bitter laughs, then stood up preparing to leave.

Bang!

Hawk-Eye placed a bottle of strong liquor on the table.

"This bottle is on me."

"Oh my~"

Rayleigh was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at this man who had already gained some renown back in Luo Jie's era, feeling somewhat puzzled:

"Do we know each other?!"

"Some red-haired bastard mentioned you."

"Shanks, huh~"

Lei Li understood.

He reached out, picked up the strong liquor on the table, and rubbed his fingertips over the emblem on the bottle.

What floated before his eyes, however, was the image of Shanks and Buggy chasing and roughhousing on the ship back in those days.

"In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed; the child we once saved has now become a major figure who commands wind and rain across the seas."

"As for that headache-inducing brat Buggy, he's still just the same as before."

Legends like Luo Jie, Whitebeard, and Jin Shizi once shone brilliantly, their names echoing across the oceans, yet in the end, they have all passed away.

Boom—!

Lei Li raised his hand, removed the cork, and took a gentle sip.

The stimulating, spicy liquor slid down his esophagus into his stomach.

In an instant, warmth spread through his entire body.

"A major figure like you wouldn't appear on the Sabaody Archipelago without reason."

Hawk Eyes nodded:

"Previously, while searching in the East Blue, I encountered a certain interesting man."

"In this era, he might surpass me in swordsmanship; I look forward to the day he stands before me."

"Truly arrogant..."

Lei Li shook his head, unable to prevent a slight smile from curling his lips.

Yet, as he looked at Hawk Eyes before him, what filled his heart even more was awe.

Awe at this talent, this confidence, and the power that matched them.

"If I were ten or so years younger, perhaps we could have crossed blades, but now, forget it; this old bones of mine can't withstand such torment."

"But the East Blue, huh..."

East Blue, swordsmanship.

Putting these two terms together, what floated before Lei Li's eyes was a face excessively young:

"Knight Gao Wen? You know him too?"

"Well, after all, even that fellow Jin Shizi was defeated by his hands."

Mentioning a former rival, Lei Li's eyes dimmed slightly; he took another sip of wine and remarked with emotion:

"Decades have rushed by in a flash; pirates of my generation have either vanished like me or been devoured by monstrous new generations."

"Even that fellow Jin Shizi could not avoid such an ending."

"However, being defeated by a new lion might be considered a fulfilling end for him; after all, since his defeat in the Battle of Edd War, that fellow had never been reconciled, it's just that..."

"Even if that battle were to be fought again, the result would remain unchanged."

Speaking of which.

Lei Li raised his gaze to look at Hawk Eyes, unable to hide an expression of keen interest:

"Looking at it that way, a man capable of defeating Jin Shizi indeed qualifies to catch your eye."

"No!"

A rare trace of a smile appeared on Hawk Eyes' face, and even his sharp, imposing aura rippled slightly at this moment.

Lei Li even saw in those hawk-like pupils an emotion that could be called pride.

"Long before he was still in the East Blue, before his rise, I had already found this unpolished gem."

"Transcendent talent, the resolve to stake his life—these are already extremely rare; even more astonishing is that he could reach such heights in less than two years."

"In all the history known to me, there is only this one person."

Hum—!

Accompanying Hawk Eyes' gradually rising fighting spirit, the black blade erupted with a humming sound.

The piercing noise even reached the streets outside the bar, making everyone feel an instinctive panic and fear akin to that of prey.

Lei Li smacked his lips after a sip of wine, his expression calm as usual:

"So, you intend to take his head right here?!"

Hawk Eyes did not respond, merely raising a hand to adjust his hat and speaking to himself:

"This is the only passage to Enter the New World; with that fellow's nature, he would absolutely not be content to stay in Paradise."

"He will definitely pass through here, and I will wait here for him."

"I want to see with my own eyes to what extent this brand-new blade has been tempered, and how far it still is from me."

Lei Li smiled faintly:

"An answer just as expected."

"You've made me feel somewhat fired up; if this battle requires a witness, I would be delighted."

Lei Li raised his wine bottle, clinked it against Hawk Eyes' wine cup of his own accord, drained the strong liquor in the bottle in one gulp, and then slumped onto the table.

A few breaths later, soft snoring echoed within the bar.

Hawk Eyes raised his cup and took a sip of red wine in response.

At this moment, from the old man before him, he actually saw a shadow of his close friend.

After having his fill of food and drink, Hawk Eyes did not linger long; he stood up and departed quickly.

Lei Li, whose eyes had originally been closed, slowly opened them; watching Hawk Eyes leave, he couldn't help but let out a sigh:

"Our era has already passed."

"These seeds from the past are gradually sprouting in this era, but to accomplish what Luo Jie wanted to do, it is still not enough..."

"Far from enough."

Suddenly.

Xia Qi spoke, breaking the current atmosphere:

"Lei Li!"

"That fellow hasn't paid for his wine yet; add it all to your tab."

"He didn't pay?!"

Lei Li's eyelid twitched.

In his heart, he exclaimed that young people these days didn't know the first thing about respecting the old and caring for the young.

But looking at Xia Qi's outstretched hand, he could only smile helplessly:

"Put it on the tab; I'll have it in a few days."

As if remembering something amusing, Xia Qi teased:

"Trying the same old trick again?!"

(End of Chapter)