Chapter 83

Gao Wen exerted great effort to suppress the impulse to rush forward and unleash a barrage of attacks.

No, buddy, a simp is a simp; a simp has nothing!

Wait, it seems this bastard licks everyone he sees; what is this? a war wolf?

For a moment.

Gao Wen didn't know what to say again; after returning to his room, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

It wasn't just Zoro.

Recently, the experience provided by ordinary pirates has been decreasing; perhaps it isn't solely because their potential has been exhausted.

Laziness is human nature; as Gao Wen's pirate crew's power in the East Blue becomes increasingly stable.

The battles these ordinary pirates face have visibly decreased, and the survival pressure before them has also grown smaller.

The urgency to improve their combat power naturally dropped significantly; even quite a few people simply gave up cultivation, which is evident from the increasingly round bellies of many pirates.

Gao Wen can ignore those who plan to stay in the East Blue to retire.

After all, even if they cultivate hard, the experience points available for Gao Wen to harvest are not many.

But for someone like Sanji, with immense potential who will inevitably follow him to the Grand Line, or even become an important combat force under Gao Wen in the future, absolutely cannot be left unchecked.

"Targets like Zoro, who have clear goals and self-driving ability, can be ignored."

"But as other crew members join later, people like Sanji whose minds are not on getting stronger will only increase..."

"I must find a way to make these bastards grind themselves; after all, if you don't work hard, how can I get stronger?"

"007? Last-place elimination? Or performance-based pay?"

At this moment, Gao Wen finally realized that, from some unknown time, he had become the person he once hated most; don't say...

It's truly awesome!

However, these thoughts were quickly rejected by Gao Wen.

It wasn't that he had a conscience.

Rather, people in the pirate world are not like the cattle and horses of his past life; not only are they middle-aged, but they also average two loans per person, and some unfortunate souls even have three or four loans.

Under such circumstances, even if the boss's conditions are harsher than the Geneva Convention, they can only grit their teeth and grind, after all, cattle and horses are not prisoners.

People in the pirate world, especially those with a couple of tricks up their sleeves, have a huge range of choices; if pushed too hard, they are prone to jumping ship.

"Reverse suppression won't work; then I can only do positive gains."

"The best at this should be pay-to-win mobile games; simply changing the mindset from tricking the boss into paying money to tricking the crew into cultivating..."

After some thought, Gao Wen gradually formed an idea in his heart.

The next day.

Gao Wen found Jango and asked him to lead people to forge a batch of metal plates to hang on the chest.

"Metal engraved plates in the shape of coins, with a hole at the top so a string can be threaded to hang them on the chest."

"Mark numbers on the front, starting from 0 up to 100; engrave the pirate crew's flag on the back."

Jango nodded:

"This is simple; there are ready-made blacksmith shops in the port; with molds prepared, it can be done in a few days."

"But Captain, what do you plan to use these things for?"

"You will know later."

Gao Wen did not explain and added:

"By the way, the engraved plates numbered 1 to 10 are made of gold, and the craftsmanship must be distinct from the subsequent engraved plates."

"The engraved plate numbered 0 is adorned with gems, and the captain's insignia is engraved on the front."

"Additionally, forge another batch of engraved plates with quality equal to numbers 0 to 10; do not engrave numbers, leave the front blank, and adjust according to the situation later."

"No problem."

Jango waved his hand and said:

"Except for the batch made of gold, which is a bit troublesome, the rest can be done in a few days."

"Hmm."

Gao Wen patted Jango's shoulder, entrusted him with this task, and then had someone call the others in the pirate crew to the conference room.

Half an hour later.

Excluding the pirates responsible for patrolling and scouting nearby waters, everyone else gathered in a conference room; even Zoro, who was still recovering from injuries, was no exception.

Xiang Keluo, whose cultivation had been interrupted, looked extremely displeased and frowned, saying:

"Calling us over at this time; what is to be done?"

Jinbe instinctively guessed:

"Preparing to advance into the Grand Line?"

Xiang Keluo shook his head:

"No, the new ship is still being built; even if all of Raven Port's efforts are thrown into it, it will take at least two more months."

"Then it is unclear."

Jinbe raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his body:

"However, the Captain must have his purpose for doing this—!"

"Quiet!"

Jinbe's words were not yet finished when they were interrupted by Gao Wen's voice.

The surging crowd instantly fell silent; everyone's gaze converged on Gao Wen above.

Gao Wen glanced around, confirmed that several officers including Sanji were present, and then spoke directly:

"I won't say much more."

"You all know that in three months we will set sail for the Grand Line, the world's most dangerous sea where there is no room for the weak to survive!"

"If you want to live, you must spare no cost to make yourself stronger!"

As Gao Wen spoke,

everyone's expressions grew serious.

During these few months of battle, they had all personally participated to some extent.

One could say

that if not for Gao Wen, Xiang Keluo, and the other senior officers holding back all the enemy's firepower, they would have long since died under the enemy's cannon fire.

And what kind of hellish scene would the even more dangerous Grand Line present?

Only Xiang Keluo and the others had a spark of eager anticipation in their eyes.

Unsurprised by everyone's reaction, Gao Wen continued:

"At the same time, to determine your status within the team, we will hold the first Martial Arts Tournament in three months!"

"Your ranking will decide your position in the team from now on!"

"Starting today, thirty percent of the pirate crew's net profits each year will be set aside as dividends for the top hundred ranked crew members!"

"The higher the rank, the greater the dividend share; the top ten ranked crew members will also have priority in choosing treasures such as Devil Fruits and famous swords!"

"For those ranked in the top three, within reasonable limits, I can grant you one request!"

His words fell silent.

Everyone's gaze toward Gao Wen froze for an instant, followed immediately by a burst of enthusiastic cheers.

Zoro, Xiang Keluo, and Jinbe's eyes instantly ignited with fire.

They did not care about money or treasure, but Gao Wen's words caused the three to simultaneously connect three key concepts:

combat power, ranking, and status!

Xiang Keluo pushed his glasses up with a cold face, yet the sneer at the corner of his mouth could not be suppressed:

"Determining status directly through combat power? That certainly fits that guy's style!"

Jinbe gritted his teeth:

"In this situation, I cannot afford to lose to anyone!"

In Zoro's eyes, a flame began to burn, and his hand even nervously rested on his sword hilt:

"A contest for the strongest within the pirate crew?"

"Interesting!"

While everyone discussed, Sanji, standing aside, felt his heartbeat suddenly skip a beat; when he came to his senses, his entire body trembled with excitement!

"If I get into the top three, I can, I can, I can have any... reasonable request granted?"

"Even recruiting a female chef?!!!"

(End of this chapter)