Chapter 84

The voice fell silent.

The room fell quiet all at once.

Everyone’s gaze snapped to Sanji, as if a crow had cawed dryly overhead.

Kuro, Akin, and Zoro all turned to look at Sanji, their expressions like they’d just swallowed shit.

Kuro’s lip twitched:

“Is this guy an idiot?”

“Absolutely.”

Zoro nodded sharply.

Akin frowned, rubbing his chin:

“I’m wondering if Master Gao Wen made a mistake bringing this guy into the crew—even if he is an elite chef.”

…

Amid the murmurs, only Gao Wen’s lips curled slightly, unable to suppress the smile.

See? The fish is hooked!

He barely held back a laugh, his gaze calm as he looked at Sanji:

“Of course.”

“That request is entirely reasonable.”

“After all, even the greatest chef would feel pressure cooking for everyone.”

“You—”

Before Gao Wen finished speaking, Sanji had already spun and sprinted toward the training room.

Crash!

The conference room door burst open.

Everyone turned to look—and saw dust rising like a dragon, Sanji’s footsteps pattering like rain, faint words echoing:

“Cook! Cook! Beautiful cook!”

Even Gao Wen fell silent—not because he worried Sanji wouldn’t train hard, but because he feared this bastard would burn himself out.

Then Gao Wen remembered the hidden power within Sanji’s body, and instantly relaxed.

After all, in the original story, after Sanji awakened his Bloodline Factor in the New World, his durability alone ranked among the top—even there.

Blocking Kizaru’s laser beams with his bare fists? That was nothing. Taking direct hits from Kuma’s attacks and repairing his own twisted bones with punches? Routine.

Honestly, whether you admit it or not, Sanji’s combat performance after entering the New World clearly surpassed Zoro’s.

During the Wano battle against Kuma, Sanji simply activated the Bloodline Factor left by his old man—and caught up in one burst.

A cheat life is this simple and unadorned.

Gao Wen turned to the others:

“Let me add one more thing.”

“Starting with the first Martial Arts Tournament, the crew will establish a Hall of Fame—each tournament’s top three may inscribe their names on a stone tablet.”

Kuro froze, then his eyes lit up:

“What if I place in the top three—or even first—in every tournament?”

“Then your name will appear on every Hall of Fame roster.”

Gao Wen spoke casually, but inside, he was thrilled.

Leaderboards, timed titles, rare rewards—this combo had been worn thin by pay-to-win mobile games, making most players scroll past instantly.

But for these pirates, it was the first time they’d ever seen it.

Kuro’s breathing grew heavy, his fighting spirit blazing wildly.

He’d secretly plotted to overthrow Gao Wen—and even if he couldn’t beat him, he’d still consider himself second-in-command. How could he tolerate anyone else ranking above him?

“Damn it!”

“That yellow-haired brat got ahead of me!”

“He’s already trained for minutes longer—doesn’t that mean he’s getting stronger faster?”

“Fine if I lose to Gao Wen—but I won’t lose to anyone else!”

The next instant:

Shhh!

A rush of air pierced the conference room—Kuro’s figure vanished.

Before anyone could react, the recently closed door exploded open, and a shadow streaked into the distance, trailing thick smoke.

Seeing this, Akin—even Zoro, who’d just regained mobility—could no longer sit still:

“It’s about a man’s dignity! How can we lose?!”

“My name must be on the Hall of Fame!”

Both shouted at once, then turned and sprinted away.

Gao Wen watched, nodding with quiet satisfaction.

Forceful domination was nowhere near as effective as awakening their own desires.

With the main targets gone and the tournament arrangements clearly announced, Gao Wen waved his hand and dismissed everyone.

Compared to when they arrived, each of them now burned with fire in their eyes.

“I don’t care about the Hall of Fame, Devil Fruits, or legendary swords—that’s for the vice-captain and Captain Akin. But that profit share? That’s real!”

“Right! With the crew’s current income, thirty percent means hundreds of millions of Berries—even one percent would be a million!”

“This… this isn’t even the limit! With Captain Gao Wen’s methods, this number will multiply—tenfold, even a hundredfold!”

“Whoa!”

“No! I can’t fall behind—I—I—I’m going to train!”

Saying this,

a bald, pot-bellied middle-aged pirate tugged up his pants and marched toward the public training grounds.

He hadn’t gone far

when he stopped to gasp for breath—but after only a few seconds, he was running again.

Everyone around him did the same.

Just half an hour after the meeting ended, shouts of training echoed across Parra Island.

Pirates stripped to the waist, training spontaneously everywhere.

In the private training rooms, the Big Three—no, the Big Four—gritted their teeth, pushing each other, terrified of falling behind even a second.

They couldn’t afford to lose!

Having your name on the Hall of Fame meant every new recruit could instantly see where each member stood.

Who could tolerate that?

“Hmph.”

“This space is limited. Senior, you’d better leave. Old men need rest and recovery.”

Zoro swung a massive dumbbell in one hand, gritting his teeth against the pain from his wounds.

Kuro didn’t back down:

“If you’re injured, stay injured. Don’t leave yourself with lifelong damage.”

“Huh?”

The two fell silent, turning to find Akin and Sanji had quietly added another set of training.

“Damn it!”

“You two are cheating!”

“Hehe~”

Akin smiled silently and buried himself in training.

Beside him, Sanji wiped sweat from his brow, his legs whipping like whips, sending dummies tumbling everywhere, babbling incoherently:

“Cook! No, Hall of Fame! Hall of Fame! No, cook!”

“Yes!”

“Cook!”

“Cook!”

…

Kuro and the others twitched their lips and ignored Sanji’s nonsense.

For a moment,

Parra Island was a scene of pure internal competition.

Only Nami seemed lost, watching the others train with burning passion, feeling an inexplicable anxiety.

“Everyone’s getting stronger—and I… I have to do something too.”

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

But the thought of her weakness becoming a burden to her crewmates after entering the Grand Line made her bite her lip hard.

She glanced at Gao Wen’s office, her eyes slowly hardening.

…

Elsewhere.

Gao Wen patrolled around Parra Island and nodded in satisfaction.

Especially when passing the cultivation chamber, seeing the four leeks straining desperately to coil, he felt even more satisfied.

“We should have a good harvest tonight.”

(End of Chapter)