Chapter 94: Cat Abuse

I am still too weak. Even after eating a Devil Fruit, even after gaining power surpassing that of port soldiers, I am incomparable to the monsters of the Grand Line.

Last time, I could rely on Mr. Gao Wen to resolve all obstacles—but this time…

The more she thought.

The more guilt filled Gasha’s heart.

She had originally believed that if she worked diligently, governed the port well, and improved the residents’ livelihoods, she could call herself an excellent lord.

But now she saw: she had been naively childish all along.

In this turbulent age, pirates run rampant, the Marines stand idle, and nobles, driven by greed and the existence of Celestial Gold, crush the common folk with all their might—even to the point of madness.

To survive, one needs strength!

Strength far greater than anyone else’s!

“If I am saved, if I still have a future, I will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely gain strength greater than anyone else’s!”

As she thought this.

Gasha’s pupils shrank sharply—she finally understood the root cause of why she had fallen into this predicament twice.

Those who wait to be rescued will never be freed!

“No!”

“I will live at any cost!”

“Even if I must fight stray dogs for scraps, even if I must give up everything I have—I will live!”

“Live until the day I gain power!”

Thoughts churned in her mind. Though her body and spirit were exhausted, she had found the true pillar of her inner world.

The ship rocked violently; sounds filled the darkness, and pirates with lewd grins guarded the door.

Yet in Gasha’s heart, now clear about what she truly wanted, there was no fear—only the resolve to live at any cost and seize power!

In the darkness.

The curled body in the corner gradually straightened; her trembling limbs slowly steadied.

Gasha closed her eyes and waited quietly—for her final fate, or for the moment to strike back.

Time passed; long hours slipped by in the dark.

The ship’s rocking suddenly intensified, as if struck by cannon fire; frantic footsteps echoed outside the cell.

“Attack! Attack!”

Gasha slowly opened her eyes, struggled to crawl toward the door according to her memory—and in the next instant…

Shhh!

A silver blade slash sliced deep into the ship’s hull, dissolving mere centimeters before Gasha’s eyes.

Gasha gritted her teeth, dragged her weakened body—crippled by the Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs—and crawled out through the crack.

Only then did she realize.

The blade slash had nearly split the pirate ship in two; sunlight streamed straight through the fissure.

She also saw clearly the distant sea, and the pirate flag fluttering above it.

A round shield base, engraved with a skull.

“Mr. Gao Wen…”

Gasha stared at the figure racing toward her from afar, her face flushed, her eyes already wet.

Did he come for me?

No no no… was it for the injured comrades? But… but surely there’s some part of it for me too?!

For a moment.

Gasha’s heart was in chaos—until the ship’s violent shaking snapped her back to reality, and she struggled toward a safer spot.

On the chaotic pirate ship, everyone was busy fighting the attackers and had no attention left for the captives.

…

Thud!

Gao Wen crashed heavily onto the deck; the violent impact made the entire pirate ship sink slightly, displacing more seawater.

Labute and Lachet glanced at the terrifying gash on the hull, then turned to Gao Wen, their hearts filled with unspoken fury:

“A swordsman who wields aerial slash techniques?”

“In the East Blue, you might run wild—but do you know what happens when you provoke us?!”

As they spoke.

Lachet arched his back, transforming into his beast-human form; his tall, slender frame combined with the naturally swift leopard cat traits made him look terrifyingly fierce.

Labute’s face turned icy.

He too transformed into his beast-human form, his body swelling rapidly, covered in bulging, knotted muscles; the lynx’s fangs gleamed with cold, deadly light.

He had originally been much shorter than Lachet, but now, in beast-human form, he towered over him—his shoulder height already nearing four meters.

With that exaggerated musculature, he stood before Gao Wen like a wall.

Two giant cats stood on the deck.

Without a word, the killing aura they radiated froze the surrounding pirates, who all scrambled away.

Some, terrified of being caught in the crossfire, grabbed life rings and jumped into the sea.

“When both Labute and Lachet unleash this form, together they’ve killed pirates with bounties over 100 million! That guy is dead!”

“Anyone who dares attack the Hanafuza Pirates must be ready to die!”

…

All eyes turned to Gao Wen, filled with glaring anger—they already saw him as half-dead.

Gao Wen, holding his sword in one hand, turned to Labute and Lachet, his gaze cold and sharp:

“You wrecked my territory, stole my things—if I let you leave so easily, what kind of pirate am I?”

“Where are my things and my people?!”

Lachet curled his lips into a cruel grin:

“So that port really belongs to you?”

“What a pity—the woman was already raped to death by the crew. Even as she died, she kept screaming your name~”

“And that Devil Fruit? We already ate it!”

Beside him, Labute also sneered mockingly:

“Your face looks nothing like the wanted poster, but you must be that so-called knight, Gao Wen—bounty 85 million. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it?”

“But.”

“The Grand Line is nothing like the Four Seas. Even with the same bounty, pirates who carved their names in the Grand Line are fundamentally different from you trash.”

“Just mastering aerial slash techniques doesn’t make you a sword saint!”

Gao Wen stared at the two cat-men, his brow slightly furrowed:

“Though cat-murdering is cruel, cat-people aren’t cats, right?”

Lachet caught the implication in Gao Wen’s words; his face darkened, his killing intent blazing.

He struck without hesitation.

He bent his back, pushed off the deck, crushing it inward, then shot forward like a coiled spring.

His clawed fingertips flashed with lethal coldness, striking Gao Wen’s face in an instant!

Animal-type Devil Fruit users are naturally powerful; with proper training, Lachet’s claws could easily tear through steel plates—or even the hull of a pirate ship!

Shhh!

The claws slashed down—but the familiar sensation of cutting flesh never came.

As Lachet froze in shock, he saw two feline arms fly through the air—he blinked in confusion:

“Huh?”

Then came a piercing pain—he realized those were his own arms.

In an instant.

The agony of his severed limbs surged into Lachet’s mind, shattering his beast-human form; he screamed and collapsed to his knees before Gao Wen.

“Ughhh—!”

(End of Chapter)