Chapter 40: The Monk May Run, But the Temple Won

Parra Island.

Kuro, just disembarked, stared at Zango and the Cat Brothers before him, unsure what expression to wear.

Learning that the gold he had spent over a decade accumulating had been stolen overnight, he was ready to explode with rage.

“So you dozens, maybe hundreds of men, were fooled by two girls aged fifteen or sixteen?”

“I left you to guard the place, and this is how you guard it?”

As he spoke,

Kuro wiped his face with his hand. In his old ways, anyone involved in this matter would have been thrown into the sea to feed the fish on the spot.

“Meeting you lot is truly my stroke of luck.”

“Captain, you say that and we’ll be embarrassed~”

The two pirates assigned to guard duty sheepishly rubbed the backs of their heads.

“You really think I’m complimenting you!”

Kuro’s lip twitched; his claw knife slid from its sheath, gleaming with deadly cold light.

Only then did the others remember that, just over a month ago, this man was still Kuro the Cunning—the bloodthirsty captain who treated his men as tools.

The two guards dropped to their knees instantly, trembling like leaves in a storm, utterly devoid of their earlier carefree demeanor.

“Kuro!”

Gao Wen gripped Kuro’s shoulder.

“Understood.”

Kuro lowered his claw knife, but his gaze toward the two pirates still carried unmasked killing intent.

Negligence in guarding—even failing to grasp the gravity of the situation—is an unforgivable crime in any pirate crew.

Even Gao Wen’s expression grew cold as he looked at the two:

“Tell me, from beginning to end, exactly what happened.”

“Yes!”

Under fear,

their voices shook, words jumbled and unclear.

Yet Gao Wen still pieced together the events from their stammered accounts, murmuring:

“Two girls, fifteen or sixteen, one with short orange hair and strange tattoos on her arm, the other with short purple hair…”

Two figures slowly formed in Gao Wen’s mind, causing the corner of his mouth to twitch upward:

“The monk may run, but the temple won’t.”

“That money won’t be lost—even if it is, we’ll take it back from someone else.”

Kuro exhaled, adjusted his glasses, and fixed the two pirates with a chilling gaze:

“Captain, what should we do with these two?”

The two froze, sensing Kuro’s look was that of a man staring at corpses; they immediately knelt and begged for mercy.

After a moment’s thought, Gao Wen glanced at them and said coolly:

“Lock them up for now.”

“If we recover the money, I’ll spare you. If not, I’ll have you feed the fish.”

Saying this, Gao Wen ignored their pleas and ordered them taken away to confinement.

Not executing them on the spot, as Kuro would have, was already Gao Wen’s mercy.

For if Gao Wen showed excessive leniency in such matters, it would only make the crew more careless, leading to more such mistakes.

This time, there’s still a chance to recover. Next time, it could be fatal.

Thus, even Zango and the Cat Brothers said nothing to plead for the two pirates.

Gao Wen understood this; they had been pirates for years, and they understood too—even Gao Wen’s handling of this was already quite merciful.

“Let this matter end here.”

Gao Wen scanned the group; despite more than half a month having passed, most of the pirates still bore bandages.

Even though Kuro and Akin had regained mobility, their pallid faces were unmistakable.

After brief consideration,

Gao Wen decided to rest and recover for a while, waiting until the crew’s strength was mostly restored before heading to Cocoyasi Village.

Now, it wasn’t just about Kuro’s lost gold.

More importantly, that village held a top-tier navigator—one who, even in the Grand Line and the New World, was considered elite enough to make the Golden Lion himself risk battle to seize: Nami.

If Zoro and Sanji were unquestionably gold-tier in combat, then by comparison, Nami’s navigation skills approached the very ceiling of this world.

Thinking of his own and Kuro’s abysmal navigation skills, Gao Wen’s lip twitched.

The East Blue’s climate had already been hard to endure; if he rashly entered the Grand Line, even the absurd, almost fantastical strange seas alone could sink him.

Thus, a skilled navigator was indispensable.

“If I’ve already got a swordsman and a cook lined up, what’s one more navigator?”

Gao Wen’s gaze hardened.

Then he thought of other places.

Kuro’s potential had now risen to Bai Yin, and he had taken in Akin, who had awakened Observation Haki.

Gao Wen also planned to use this time to further strengthen his own combat power, preparing for increasingly fierce battles ahead.

He also grew more eager to see how much a Bai Yin-level crew member could elevate him.

…

The next day.

On the central stone wall of Parra Island.

Kuro, barely recovered enough to move, impatiently began training.

Shao Si, requiring intense physical exertion, had to be put on hold for now—but Observation Haki, which emphasized perception, was not limited by this.

Kuro slowly sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and sensed everything around him.

Crisp chirps of insects and birds echoed nearby; the sea breeze carried dampness, brushing his skin with a cool touch.

His mind gradually stilled, like stagnant water.

At one moment, a ripple disturbed the surface.

Kuro instinctively raised his hand and pinched a wasp mid-flight from afar.

The wasp’s fearsome mouthparts and sharp stinger writhed in the air; its abdomen leaked a purple-black fluid, clearly toxic.

Kuro opened his eyes, crushed the venomous insect, then closed them again, savoring the sensation, murmuring:

“Observation Haki’s perception isn’t like the five senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste—it’s more like intuition.”

“No logic, no reasoning—I just know you’re there!”

“It’s less a perception than an instinct.”

“Gao Wen said Haki is the manifestation of the heart. Following that logic, Observation Haki must be the body’s instinct for sensing danger.”

“And this instinct can be cultivated and actively released!”

As he spoke,

Kuro had a sudden insight, closing his eyes once more.

He sat motionless there until nightfall, then slowly rose.

Feeling his growing familiarity with Observation Haki, Kuro’s eyes burned with unspoken excitement.

“Once I fully master Observation Haki, I’ll push Shao Si to even greater speeds!”

“Then even that bastard Gao Wen won’t be a match for me!”

As he spoke, Kuro almost saw himself defeating Gao Wen.

Though he now genuinely accepted Gao Wen’s leadership, who wouldn’t want to be the one giving orders?

“Once my body fully recovers, I’ll reclaim my place as captain!”

…

…

…

Elsewhere,

Gao Wen, just finished washing up and preparing for bed, suddenly heard a system prompt in his mind:

“Physique experience +8!”

“Swordsmanship experience +7!”

“Observation Haki experience +33!”

(End of Chapter)