Chapter 60: About the Treasure (Please Follow! Tuesday PK Recommendation Slot!)

Gao Wen’s lips curled into a faint smile; he ignored the warning and took a step forward.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out from the dense forest ahead.

The black bullet had not yet touched Gao Wen’s body when a silver blade of light sliced it cleanly in half, sending the two halves whistling past his clothes.

“Take one more step, and my bullet will aim for your head!”

The warning voice echoed again from the forest.

But Gao Wen had already seen his fear and unease—and even guessed the man’s identity.

He kept walking forward.

A box with a green spiky hairdo appeared in Gao Wen’s line of sight.

“What’s that?”

Nami peered curiously at the box ahead, then pointed to the flintlock gun beside it:

“The gun’s there! And it’s still smoking!”

The words had barely left her mouth.

The box trembled visibly.

Gao Wen even caught a glimpse of a small foot peeking out from beneath it.

He stepped forward, grabbed the spiky hairdo inside the box, and lifted it up.

A man’s face instantly emerged from the box—his arms and feet barely extended beyond the edges, while the rest of his body was crammed tightly inside.

“Stop pretending—you’re the one who fired that shot!”

Gao Wen recognized the strange man trapped in the box: it was Kamon, the iconic Box Man from the original story.

He was unfortunate—having guarded a lifetime’s treasure that turned out to be nothing but a few boxes—but also lucky, for here he had found something truly worth protecting.

“Let me go! Pirate!”

Kamon struggled wildly, his stubby arms unable to reach even the top of his own head—the scene was absurdly comical.

“What is this?”

Nami pushed through the crowd, staring at the wriggling Box Man in Gao Wen’s hands, her eyes wide with astonishment:

“A person inside a box? How does anyone live like this?!”

Others nearby grew curious and slowly gathered around.

Even the usually cold Kuro, unable to resist, poked Kamon’s face with a stick, making Akin’s mouth twitch:

“That’s a bit rude, isn’t it?”

Suddenly,

A roar echoed from the distant trees as dozens of bizarre beasts burst forth, baring their fangs at Gao Wen, who held Kamon.

Even Gao Wen’s overwhelming aura of killing intent failed to make them retreat.

Kamon’s pupils shrank; his body, cramped inside the box, couldn’t turn around—he could only cry out anxiously:

“Go back, all of you!”

“I used to take down a whole pack of these things by myself!”

“And you!”

“If you harm my friends, I swear I won’t let you off!”

As he spoke,

Kamon flailed his tiny arms—his threats had zero intimidation, and only made Gao Wen’s lips twitch.

“You’re making me look like the villain.”

Gao Wen sighed, rubbed his head, and gently set Kamon down.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Kamon scurried forward on his stubby legs, placing his small body between the strange beasts and Gao Wen, glaring warily:

“Don’t even think about touching them!”

Gao Wen spread his hands:

“As you can see, we’re pirates. A storm came, and we needed a place to hide.”

“If it’s convenient…”

Kamon’s eyes lit up:

“Fine—but you have to help me retrieve something!”

Gao Wen nodded. He already knew what Kamon needed him to fetch.

“Only you can come!”

“Fine!”

With that,

Gao Wen nodded to Kuro and the others, telling them to wait, then turned and followed Kamon away.

No one, except Nami, raised any concern for Gao Wen’s safety—after all, if the enemy couldn’t defeat Gao Wen, everyone else here, except Kuro, would just be adding corpses.

…

Kamon’s legs were short, but his pace was swift.

Within minutes, the two reached the island’s interior, heading toward a mountain peak.

Gao Wen followed behind, unable to resist asking:

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll turn on you?”

Kamon halted.

“I can tell.”

“Your strength far exceeds any pirate I’ve ever seen. If you were truly evil, you would’ve killed me the moment I fired that shot.”

“You don’t look down on the weak—you’re nothing like a typical pirate.”

With that,

Kamon resumed his short-legged sprint deeper into the island.

Gao Wen stood frozen for several seconds, then let out a wry smile:

“Did I just get a ‘good person’ card?”

“But…”

!

“Feels pretty good.”

Gao Wen quickly caught up.

Soon,

The two reached the summit of a mountain.

A massive boulder stood at its center, rising nearly twenty meters above ground—Kamon’s height, even with his animal friends’ help, could never reach it.

“That’s it—get that box down for me. Even if you take it after opening, I still want to see what treasure I’ve guarded for so many years!”

Kamon’s voice trembled with excitement.

Gao Wen, already knowing the answer, had no interest—he grabbed Kamon and tossed him up.

“You see it yourself!”

Gao Wen said calmly.

Above, Kamon paid no attention—he heard several metallic clicks as boxes opened, then silence.

After a long pause,

A long, weary sigh came down:

“So… they already knew these boxes were empty back then?”

Kamon murmured to himself.

At that moment,

Gao Wen’s voice rose again from below:

“Well? Did you find what you were waiting for?”

Kamon froze.

He looked around.

This was the highest point on the entire island—from here, he could see every corner of it.

Dozens of strange beasts moved across the island, slowly gathering toward his position.

These friends who had walked beside him for years—weren’t they, too, a treasure?

Kamon wiped a tear from his eye:

“Ah.”

“The best treasure of all—worth protecting for a lifetime.”

“Hmph.”

Gao Wen smiled faintly, catching Kamon as he dropped down.

Kamon looked up at him and asked:

“Hey.”

“Kid, I’ve found my treasure—what about you?”

“After setting sail, is there something you’d wait twenty years for—even if it costs your life?”

If you don't have it, even with great power, you will eventually lose everything to a stronger enemy!

Gao Wen froze, his mind going blank—he had never considered this question.

Since his transmigration, with the knife in his hand and his companions' efforts, he had no rival left in the East Blue.

Everything had been too smooth.

Whether it was Monka at first, or later Krieg or A Long, none could withstand his swordsmanship for a single strike.

His original plan was to make a name for himself on the Grand Line and become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

But that was merely one step in the plan, not what Gao Wen ultimately sought.

Something worth giving one's life to obtain...

(End of Chapter)