Chapter 57: All Wanted!

East Sea.

Shortly after Gao Wen left Cocoyasi Village, he arranged for materials linking the Rat and A Long to be delivered to the nearby Marine Base 77.

The base commander of this station was none other than Brigadier General Brinbrin, who in the original timeline had led a force to crush the A Long Pirates out of disgust for their actions—and ultimately died in battle.

His character was beyond reproach.

Let’s calculate the time.

The Rat’s affair should have already reached Marine Headquarters in Marineford by now.

Gao Wen is still planning to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea; he must avoid unnecessary conflict with the Marines.

If the Marines don’t deal with the Rat, then I’ll handle it before he leaves the East Sea!

…

The pirate ship sailed toward Parra Island as planned.

With Nami plotting the course,

the Gao Wen Pirates precisely avoided numerous dangerous currents and bizarre weather patterns along the way.

The crew’s attitude toward Nami shifted from initial skepticism to near-blind trust—this transformation took only a few days.

Her standing among them was now nearly equal to A Jin’s, making her an absolute core member of the Gao Wen Pirates.

After all, a skilled navigator could instantly elevate the entire voyage experience.

At this moment,

Nami had changed into a swimsuit and lay on a deck lounger, soaking up the sunlight.

At fifteen or sixteen, Nami’s body had not yet developed into the breathtaking proportions of her later years, but the signs were already evident.

Her curves were graceful, her waist slender enough to be clasped in one hand.

Except for her flat chest, which Gao Wen found utterly dull.

“Miss Nami, here is your orange juice.”

A pirate wearing a chef’s hat offered the drink with obsequious deference.

“Thank you!”

Nami smiled sweetly, took the juice, sipped it, and her eyes lit up:

“Delicious~”

Just then,

a messenger bird flew in from afar, circled the mast, then landed gently before Nami, dropped a newspaper, and snatched up the two hundred Beri she offered before flying off.

Nami leisurely unfolded the paper, read the headline, and a faint smile curled her lips:

“A Long Pirates annihilated; Base Commander of East Sea Base 16 arrested…”

Another heavy stone lifted from Nami’s heart.

Cocoyasi Village would be reborn.

Gao Wen had not hidden his actions from her; now, recalling them, Nami felt even more moved.

Her gaze dropped to the wanted posters—and her face twisted in shock:

“This is…”

“Baiji Kelo’s bounty: 33 million Beri. Demon Man A Jin’s bounty: 20 million Beri. And… Knight Gao Wen’s bounty… still 85 million Beri.”

“It’s this photo…”

Looking at the familiar image on the wanted poster, Nami’s lips curled into a mischievous grin.

She called everyone to the deck and laid out the three wanted posters side by side—immediately drawing all attention.

“Oh~”

“Did my bounty go up too?”

Kelo’s lips twitched with a barely perceptible smile.

The bounty that once tormented him had now become proof of his strength.

“Even A Jin’s bounty is now equal to A Long’s?”

“But—”

“For us heading into the Grand Line, this is the level of power we should have.”

As Kelo murmured, everyone’s eyes fixed on Gao Wen’s wanted poster—especially his face, which wore a constipated expression, triggering a burst of laughter.

“Hahahahahaha!”

“Did the Marines replace our captain’s photo with that movie character?”

“They even added a caption: ‘This is Gao Wen’s true appearance!’”

One pirate pointed to the bold red characters on the left side of Gao Wen’s poster and laughed until tears streamed down his face.

Nami glanced at Gao Wen, then whispered to Kelo:

“Is the captain really the real-life prototype of that movie character?!”

Kelo nodded vigorously:

“Yes—the knight who had an affair with the queen and was banished. But he’s never mentioned his past.”

“No wonder he reacted so weirdly last time~”

“Hahahahaha~”

Hearing Nami’s tinkling laughter, Gao Wen shot them both a disgruntled look, then turned and walked into the cabin.

He felt utterly miserable.

He used to laugh at Sanji’s wanted photo—now he realized the fool was himself.

Anyone who saw that photo would know the black history left by his predecessor…

Damn it!

You’re truly not human!

How long am I supposed to carry this damn blame?

Thinking of it, Gao Wen’s mouth twitched.

He turned, looked through the porthole at the clear amusement on everyone’s faces, and could only smile wryly and shake his head.

Unlike his past friends who owed him money and stabbed him in the back, these bastards who mocked him were the ones he could trust with his back.

“Really…”

“How boring is this stupid joke? Can’t it just die?!”

…

Soon after,

the crew on deck gradually dispersed, and the sky darkened.

Nami looked up at the thickening clouds in the distance, her brow furrowing.

“Is this… a sign of an approaching storm?!”

To confirm her suspicion, she turned and hurried into her cabin, picked up her telescope, and scanned the distant sea.

Dark clouds loomed.

Lightning flickered.

The sea, once calm, now churned violently, rising in furious waves!

Confirmed, Nami rushed into the captain’s cabin, urgent:

“Captain!”

“A storm—a massive one—is coming.”

“It will cover the entire sea. Our ship’s structure won’t hold up!”

Gao Wen nodded, fetched the nautical chart, and after consulting with Nami, their brows tightened further.

“No—it’s larger than I thought!”

Nami gasped:

“The East Sea hasn’t seen a storm this strong in years. Every route back is covered.”

“We must find a port or island to shelter—or we’re in serious trouble.”

Gao Wen nodded. He trusted Nami’s navigational judgment almost completely.

After a brief search of the chart, he pointed to an island:

“We go here!”

Nami glanced at the spot Gao Wen indicated, thought for a moment, then nodded:

“Beast Island?”

“There’s a mountain peak at its center to block the storm, and it’s only dozens of nautical miles away—this is clearly our best option.”

Quickly,

Gao Wen’s order was passed down.

Seeing the sky darken further and the ship’s motion grow increasingly violent, the crew hastened their actions.

The ship turned around.

Headed toward nearby Beast Island.

…

At the same time,

On Beast Island.

Three figures stared at the boat nearly severed in half, then at the storm brewing in the distance, falling silent for a moment.

Several breaths passed.

Joseph turned to Zoro beside him, his mouth twitching involuntarily:

“I must’ve been blind to choose you to lead us!”

(End of Chapter)