Chapter 71: Enemies from Above

Thinking of the words he’d spoken a few days ago, Gao Wen now wanted to slap his own stupid mouth twice.

He’d boasted he could walk sideways across the East Sea…

Hmph.

So now you’re truly invincible, are you? Even enemies from the heavens have come?

After silently cursing himself, Gao Wen closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

Hawk-Eye, as the earliest Seven Warlord to appear in the original story, is also a tier above all other Seven Warlords.

Even in the late stages, every other Seven Warlord—except Blackbeard—still lags behind him by at least one full tier.

Warlords like Moonlight Moria, whose power has severely declined, may be two tiers behind him.

Though Gao Wen’s strength has surged recently, the gap between him and Hawk-Eye remains insurmountable.

Even if you add the strength of all members of Gao Wen’s crew, it’s still like ants trying to shake a tree or a mantis trying to stop a cart—only more deaths.

Under these circumstances, the best choice is naturally to abandon the Cat Brothers and hide like a turtle, lying low until the storm passes.

But Gao Wen couldn’t do such a thing; he didn’t consider himself a good man, but he wasn’t this cold-blooded.

Especially after hearing Hawk-Eye’s words: “Your crew would die rather than betray you.”

The fates of these minor characters, who were meant to be XP fodder for the Straw Hats, had changed because of his arrival.

“Companions…”

Gao Wen murmured softly, his gaze hardening instantly.

…

Half an hour later.

A small boat slipped past all eyes, slowly departing from the rear of Parra Island.

Only two people were aboard.

Gao Wen, studying the map and permanent compass to set their course, and Zoro, steering the sail and rowing with an oar.

At this moment,

Zoro’s eyes burned with endless excitement:

“You’re serious?”

“That man… the man called the world’s greatest swordsman… really came to the East Sea?”

"But why target you? Is this what they mean by the attraction between the strong?"

Zoro speculated, but Gao Wen shook his head, his expression grim:

"Compared to that man, I can't even call myself a strong one."

“Hey, Zoro, why don’t I bring anyone else? Why only you?”

Zoro realized something, his pupils shrinking in disbelief:

“Even you aren’t sure you can protect your crew? Is he really that strong?”

“Yeah.”

Gao Wen sighed:

“Though I hate to admit it, the gap between him and me is a hundred times greater than the gap between him and you.”

“I won’t bring the others because if I lose, none of them will survive.”

“I brought you because for you, this chance matters more than life or death.”

Zoro smiled faintly, a hint of a grin curling his lips:

“Ah, after all, he’s the world’s greatest!”

“I want to know just how strong that kind of guy is—enough to make even a monster like you admit defeat before the fight even begins.”

“You’ll find out soon.”

Gao Wen smiled faintly, but his expression froze the next instant.

He looked down at the map and compass in his hand, then at their heading, and his mouth twitched:

“Forget it, give me the oar—I shouldn’t have let you row.”

“What?”

“You managed to row in the exact opposite direction of the course I set. By the time we get there, the Cat Brothers’ corpses will be cold!”

Zoro refused to believe it, took the map from Gao Wen, compared it briefly, then his face fell.

Bastard!

I really want to argue with him!

…

…

…

At the same time.

Inside the Baratie restaurant.

The Cat Brothers and other pirates were chained by the ankles and thrown into an empty storage room aboard the Baratie.

Originally, Redfoot Zepo, as both chef and owner, refused to do such a thing—but the opponent was too strong and the payment too generous, so he had no choice but to set aside his principles.

After all, it’s about making money.

No shame in it.

Inside the storage room,

Xia Mu counted the number of people and exhaled slightly—he was glad no one had been killed.

He turned to look at Bu Zhi, whose face was filled with guilt, intending to scold him—but the words died on his lips, replaced by:

“Bu Zhi, the captain will understand you. In that situation, you had no other choice.”

“Wuuuaaaahhh!”

Three hundred jin of Cat Brother Bu Zhi collapsed onto Xia Mu, wailing loudly, crushing him until his face turned red and he nearly suffocated; it took tremendous effort for Xia Mu to finally break free.

“But I just… can’t forgive myself…”

Xia Mu silently patted Bu Zhi’s shoulder.

For a moment,

Only Bu Zhi’s quiet sobs filled the storage room.

They didn’t stop until deep into the night.

Everyone had gone without water all day; the room echoed with the sound of rumbling stomachs.

Bu Zhi rubbed his round belly, slumped and listless, drained of all energy; everyone else was equally exhausted, too worn out to muster even a spark of spirit.

Then—

Creak~!

The storage room door opened.

Everyone looked up to see a young man with short golden hair carrying a large basin of fried rice, walking in slowly.

“Smells amazing!”

Bu Zhi’s nose twitched, and a trickle of saliva slipped from his lips.

Everyone stared at the golden-haired youth entering the room, their eyes suddenly brightening.

Sanji, cigarette dangling from his mouth, scanned the surrounding pirates and said calmly:

“A restaurant never lets anyone leave hungry.”

Saying this,

Sanji divided the fried rice equally among them and handed each portion out.

Instantly,

The only sounds in the storage room were the clinking of spoons against bowls; Bu Zhi devoured his portion in seconds, then stared longingly at Sanji with his empty plate.

Sanji chuckled helplessly and added another portion to Bu Zhi’s plate.

Bu Zhi’s already small eyes narrowed into slits, looking exactly like a fat cat.

Only Xia Mu, holding the fragrant fried rice, didn’t eat immediately—he looked up at Sanji:

“We don’t have money to pay you…”

“It’s free. Eat.”

Sanji sat down casually on a nearby spot, took a drag from his cigarette, and asked:

“Hey.”

“What kind of man is your captain, Gao Wen?”

Last time in Crow Harbor, after Jia Ba stormed off, he’d heard rumors about Gao Wen—all of them from commoners expressing gratitude; a pirate was more trusted by the people of Crow Harbor than the Marines.

Today he’d witnessed how Xia Mu’s men refused to betray Gao Wen even at the cost of their lives.

Sanji couldn’t help feeling a flicker of interest in this man who had betrayed his most revered queen and lived alone.

“Captain?”

Xia Mu paused, then set down his bowl, his eyes filled with deep respect:

“Though this might sound harsh, as a pirate, he’s completely unfit.”

“But as a companion, he’s the most reliable man alive!”

“He gave us, these scumbags, a chance to live again.”

(End of Chapter)