Chapter 90: The Man Who Can Walk a Runway Even at Fifty Meters

"Didn't expect him to be so money-obsessed..."

Gao Wen's mouth twitched.

In fact.

Through this name, he had basically confirmed that the man speaking with him was the captain of the third ship under Blackbeard in the original story.

Snipe-Fan Fan Aoka.

Judging solely by sniping ability, Fan Fan Aoka was absolutely an existence standing at the pinnacle of Jin Zita.

This was clear to see from the battle against Katakuri in the later stages.

Although the main force in that battle was the former Marine Admiral Aokiji, what truly made people exclaim that it was absurd was Fan Fan Aoka taking down one Biscuit Man with a single shot.

You have to know that thing could withstand attacks from Luffy's Gear Fourth state.

In other words.

The destructive power Fan Fan Aoka displayed in that battle was equivalent to taking down one Marine Vice Admiral with a single shot; even Gao Wen at this moment, upon seeing it, would only run as far away as possible.

Inferring from this, Fan Fan Aoka's potential in combat was at least Silver-tier to start with, and even Gold-tier was not impossible.

It was false for Gao Wen to say he wasn't tempted; moreover, recruiting an excellent sniper was already part of his plan, and Fan Fan Aoka was qualified from every angle.

"Hey, don't die."

"Ah la ah la~"

Fan Fan Aoka gave a wretched smile:

"That request is a bit difficult for me."

"However, if the reward is sufficient, I might not be unable to—!"

Gao Wen's eyelid twitched:

"Then you might as well just die."

"Hey hey hey, saying that to an injured person, doesn't that seem a bit excessive no matter how you look at it?!"

Fan Fan Aoka's voice visibly dropped; he was about to continue saying something when his face flushed red and he coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

Gak!

He couldn't help but look at his chest; two crossed claw marks had almost ripped him open from belly to chest.

Not only the surface flesh, but even the bones of his chest and the internal organs had been injured; at this moment, he was long past his limit.

"Is this my fate? It is truly hideous..."

Accompanying his words, Fan Fan Aoka felt a dizziness in his brain, a symptom caused by excessive blood loss.

Using his last strength, he warned:

"They have already left after getting what they wanted; even this storm couldn't keep them. It seems they are preparing to cross the Red Line and enter the Grand Line."

"By the way, one of them, no, two of them are Zoan-type ability users."

"Very strong."

"At least I have never seen pirates that strong in the East Blue."

"If you act against them, you must be mentally prepared."

Gao Wen curled a sinister smile at the corner of his mouth, looked at Guanshi Zhengzong on the table, and said:

"That is perfect; I also feel terrifyingly strong right now."

"Additionally, if you are short on money, I can point out a money-making path for you, of course on the premise that you can survive."

Fan Fan Aoka instantly perked up:

"If you are going to talk about this, then I am not sleepy anymore."

Gao Wen was momentarily speechless; ignoring Fan Fan Aoka's call, he hung up the phone directly and focused his attention on this incident.

His expression gradually darkened.

"It seems my name is not loud enough; what stray cats and dogs on the Grand Line dare to touch my things."

"They are tired of living!"

The voice fell to the ground.

Gao Wen grabbed Guanshi Zhengzong from the table, pushed open the door, and walked into the port.

At the same time.

The news of the attack on Raven Port spread across Para Island; the crowd was first surprised, followed by immense anger.

"Since the Captain's name spread, how long has it been since no one dared to act against us?"

"Given the Captain's style, even if he chases them into the Grand Line, he will probably slaughter them all!"

"This time, the Captain's blade will draw blood again!"

"But just how strong is the Captain right now?"

"Who can say clearly about such things?"

Amidst the crowd's noisy voices, Xiang Keluo and the other executives stood silently in the center of the port, waiting for Gao Wen's orders.

Now in their eyes, Raven Port was already their territory, and for pirates, such an action by the other side far exceeded the scope of provocation.

This was war!

A war between pirates that must draw blood!

While the crowd remained silent, a sound of hurried footsteps came from the distance...

Da!

Da!

Da!

Everyone turned their heads and saw a tall figure striding over.

Gao Wen stepped past Xiang Keluo and the others, walked to the front, and reached out to feel the flagpole of the pirate flag.

The round-shield skull banner snapped and fluttered in the wind, rustling loudly, and the air between heaven and earth was thick with a murderous atmosphere.

Gao Wen turned to look at the crowd and said in a deep voice:

"Now I can speak plainly to all of you."

"Raven Harbor is the retreat I chose for the companions in our crew."

"Those who have lost their fighting ability, those who are sick and cannot go any further — they can all live there, and even live very comfortably."

"But now, someone is reaching for our cake. Can you accept something like that?"

A sudden roar like mountains crashing and seas surging erupted from the crowd.

"No!"

"No!"

"No!"

……

The tide of people surged, their voices like rolling thunder.

In fact, over this period, as the cooperation between the pirate crew and Raven Harbor deepened,

their quality of life had visibly improved by a great deal.

More and more people began to realize that Raven Harbor was the retreat Captain Gao Wen had chosen for those companions of theirs who could no longer keep up the pace.

Though no one said it out loud, they all kept this gratitude tucked in their hearts.

Touching Raven Harbor was not only touching their immediate interests — more importantly, it would destroy a labor of love by Gao Wen.

In this era, let alone pirates, even the Marines or the nobles could never do this much for their subordinates.

"Captain, let me go! Even if I die on the battlefield, I'll tear a chunk of flesh off those bastards!"

One pirate's eyes were red-rimmed, but the man beside him refused to yield an inch:

"I'll go! I'm stronger than him!"

"How dare they destroy the captain's lifework and cut off our retreat!"

"Damned bastards!"

……

The crowd's emotions grew increasingly fierce, and in their eyes nothing remained but a glaring hatred.

Xiang Keluo swept his gaze around the circle, but in his mind he could not help recalling his past experiences.

From Zango to the Cat Brothers, and then to Ah Jin, Zoro, and Sanji — Gao Wen seemed to possess a kind of magic that could make the companions around him sincerely devoted.

Even himself……

Damn it!

I'm the one who's supposed to overthrow this guy and become captain!

Xiang Keluo shook his head hard, flinging the unwanted thoughts away, but instead drew a strange look from Ah Jin.

"What?"

"Nothing. Thinking about how to cut those bastards down!"

Ah Jin withdrew his gaze and quietly tightened his grip on his iron crutch; Zoro beside him did the same.

Seeing that the pre-battle mobilization was nearly complete, Gao Wen proceeded directly to issue various deployments:

"Zoro, you…… forget it. Ah Jin, you take one ship to Raven Harbor, maintain order over there, and at the same time prevent other forces from making a move while they can."

"Yes!"

Ah Jin responded.

Zoro frowned:

"Hey, hey, hey, Captain, what do you mean 'forget it'?"

Gao Wen glanced at him and said flatly:

"A man who can't walk fifty meters without veering off the track shouldn't be thinking of leading a squad on his own."

(End of chapter)