Chapter 84: Climbing the Rankings is Basic Cultivation for Leeks

The sound fell to the ground.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Everyone's gazes instantly converged on Sanji, as if a crow flew overhead cawing dryly in the air.

Xiang Keluo, Jinbe, and Zoro couldn't help but turn their heads to look at Sanji, all wearing expressions like they had just eaten shit.

Xiang Keluo's mouth twitched:

"Is this guy an idiot?"

"Absolutely!"

Zoro nodded vigorously.

Jinbe frowned and rubbed his chin:

"I'm considering whether Mr. Gao Wen's decision to recruit this guy into his ranks was a mistake, although as a cook, he is indeed first-rate."

Amidst everyone's murmurs, only the corners of Gao Wen's mouth curled up slightly, completely impossible to suppress.

Look, the fish has taken the bait!

He exerted great effort to keep from laughing out loud, his gaze calm as he looked at Sanji:

"Of course."

"This request is completely reasonable."

"After all, one person cooking food for everyone, even the most first-rate chef, would feel immense pressure."

"You..."

Before Gao Wen could finish speaking, the Sanji before him had already turned and sprinted towards the training room.

Bang!

The conference room door was smashed open.

Everyone couldn't help but turn their heads to look, seeing dust rise like a dragon on the ground in the distance; amidst Sanji's footsteps falling like rain, a few words could faintly be heard:

"Cook! Cook! Beautiful female cook!"

This time even Gao Wen couldn't help but fall silent; it wasn't that he worried Sanji wouldn't work hard, but rather that he worried this little bastard would train himself to ruin.

Immediately, Gao Wen remembered the hidden power within Sanji's body, and he instantly felt relieved.

After all, in the original story, by the later stages, after Sanji awakened his genetic factor, speaking purely of his ability to tank damage, even within the New World, he ranked among the top.

Taking a direct hit from the plague doctor Queen's slash, repairing his entire body's twisted bones with just his fists—those were small matters; this guy could even withstand Admiral Kizaru's laser, which was truly unreasonable.

To be honest, whether one was willing to admit it or not, after Sanji entered the New World, his combat performance indeed created a clear gap with Zoro.

However, during the confrontation with Queen in Wano Country, Sanji directly activated the genetic factor left by his cheap father, catching up in one go.

A life with cheats is just this simple and unadorned.

Gao Wen turned to the remaining people:

"Additionally, I will add one more point."

"Starting from the first Martial Arts Tournament, a Hall of Fame will be established within the pirate crew; the top three of each edition can leave their names on the stone tablet."

Xiang Keluo was stunned, then his eyes lit up:

"If I can be in the top three or even first in every edition?"

"Then your name will be on the Hall of Fame list for every edition."

Gao Wen's tone was indifferent, but in reality, he was secretly delighted.

Climbing the rankings, limited-time titles, and rare rewards—this combination of moves had been played to death by those pay-to-win mobile games, to the point that many people would just scroll past upon seeing them.

But for these people in the pirate world, it was a genuine first time.

Xiang Keluo's breathing instantly grew heavier, his fighting spirit burning wildly in his eyes.

He had already been secretly plotting to defeat Gao Wen and take his place; even if he couldn't defeat Gao Wen, he considered himself the second person, so how could he tolerate anyone other than Gao Wen ranking above him?

"Damn it!"

"That yellow-haired brat got ahead of me first!"

"He has already been training for several minutes longer than me; doesn't that mean he is getting stronger faster than me?"

"Losing to Gao Wen is one thing, but how can I lose to others?"

The next instant.

Whoosh!

A sound of breaking the air came from the conference room, and Xiang Keluo's figure instantly vanished.

Before everyone could even react, they saw the door that had just been closed explode open with a boom; a figure carrying rolling thick smoke disappeared into the end of their line of sight.

Seeing Xiang Keluo's actions, Jinbe and even Zoro, who had just regained his mobility, couldn't sit still:

"It concerns a man's dignity! How can we lose?!"

"My name must be in the Hall of Fame!"

The two simultaneously let out a shout, turned their heads, and quickly disappeared.

Seeing this, Gao Wen nodded with a face full of gratification.

Indeed, suppressing them with force was far less efficient than stimulating their own desires.

Seeing that the main targets had already left and the arrangements for the subsequent Martial Arts Tournament had been basically notified, Gao Wen simply waved his hand and let everyone disperse.

Compared to when they arrived, a flame was burning in everyone's eyes.

"I'm not dreaming about the Hall of Fame, Devil Fruits, or famous swords; those are reserved for the First Mate and Captain Jinbe, but that dividend right is real!"

"Exactly, with the pirate crew's current earnings, thirty percent is still hundreds of millions of Belly; even one percent falling to us is a million!"

"This, this, this... this is far from the limit! With Captain Gao Wen's methods, this number will multiply several times later, or even several dozen times!"

"Hiss!"

"No! I can't fall behind others. I, I, I must go cultivate."

Saying this.

A bald, middle-aged pirate with a potbelly pulled up his waistband, took a step, and walked toward the open cultivation area.

He hadn't walked a few steps.

He stopped, panting heavily, yet stood for only a few seconds before running again.

The surrounding crowd was basically the same.

Half an hour after the meeting ended, shouts of cultivation echoed from all over Para Island.

A group of pirates, bare-chested, cultivated spontaneously in various places.

In the exclusive cultivation rooms, the three great, no, four workaholics gritted their teeth, competing fiercely, fearing that if they lagged even a little, they would fall behind others.

There's no choice but to fight!

Having one's name remain in the Hall of Fame means that anyone who joins the pirate crew later can instantly see everyone's status within the crew.

Who could tolerate that?

"Heh."

"This space is so limited, senior. Please go out. The elderly need more rest and care."

Zoro held a massive dumbbell in one hand, enduring the pain from his wounds, and swung it frantically.

Seeing this, Xiang Keluo did not yield:

"Injured people should just rest properly. Don't leave any sequelae that will affect you for a lifetime!"

"Hmm?"

The two bickering stopped simultaneously, turned their heads, and discovered that Jinbe and Sanji had silently added an extra set of training for themselves.

"Damn it!"

"You are too cunning!"

"Hmph~"

Jinbe smiled without speaking and buried himself in hard cultivation.

Beside him, Sanji wiped away sweat, his legs like whips kicking the human-shaped targets around him this way and that, his speech incoherent:

"Female chef, no, Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame, no, female chef!"

"Right!"

"Female chef!"

"Female chef!"

Xiang Keluo and the others twitched at the corners of their mouths and automatically ignored Sanji's words.

For a moment.

Para Island was filled with a scene of intense internal competition.

Only Nami seemed somewhat at a loss. Watching everyone cultivating with such passion, she inexplicably felt some anxiety.

"Everyone is getting stronger, and I... I must do something too."

She knew she had no talent for combat; her greatest value lay in navigation.

But thinking that after entering the Grand Line, her weak self would become a burden to her companions, Nami couldn't help but bite her lip tightly.

She glanced at Gao Wen's office, her eyes gradually becoming firm.

On the other side.

Gao Wen patrolled Para Island once and nodded in satisfaction.

Especially when passing the cultivation rooms, seeing the four leeks risking their lives to compete, he felt even more satisfied.

"There should be a good harvest tonight."

(End of this chapter)