Chapter 97: That's My Line!

Looking at Gao Wen before her, Gasha could not help but ask.

"Ah, but now they should be able to rest in peace."

Gao Wen gave an acknowledgment, then saw Gasha's body go limp and fall backward; he hurried forward to catch her.

Only then did he realize Gasha's body had already reached its limit—the hunger and exhaustion accumulated over half a month had nearly dragged this body to ruin.

What Gasha had been doing just now was simply forcing herself to hold on through sheer willpower.

Gao Wen reached out and flicked a finger under Gasha's nose; once he confirmed she was fine, he hoisted her onto his shoulder in one motion and casually grabbed the treasure chest containing the Devil Fruit.

He then leaped up and landed steadily on his own pirate ship.

After handing Gasha over to the ship's doctor to treat her injuries, Gao Wen turned his head to look at the pirate ship in the distance.

He raised his hand and slashed out with one blade.

Hiss!

The silver-white flying slash cut the pirate ship clean in two; within a few breaths it was completely swallowed by the sea.

Only then did Gao Wen turn his attention to the treasure chest in his hands. He lifted the lid, revealing the Devil Fruit hidden inside.

"So this is a Devil Fruit?"

Nami leaned over.

She gazed at the strange fruit in the chest—crimson all over, bristling with thorns.

She could not help but reach out and touch it, exclaiming in wonder:

"They say after eating one, you can gain all kinds of miraculous powers—turn into an animal, or control lightning and fire?"

"The key thing is… they say just this one fruit alone could fetch a sky-high price of over a hundred million Beri at auction!"

Xiang Keluo, standing to the side, gave the fruit a glance, then pushed up his glasses and said flatly:

"After eating it, you also lose the ability to swim—turning into a complete landlubber."

"Over ninety percent of this world's surface is covered by seawater. There's no survival space for a landlubber."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Gao Wen nodded and said:

"When the cost outweighs the benefit, there's no way I'd eat it."

"For example, if this fruit's ability is just an ordinary Zoan Human-Human type, that would be pure comedy."

Nami was taken aback:

"Human-Human Fruit?"

Gao Wen explained:

"It's one that, after eating, grants the ability to transform into a human."

"But we're already human to begin with."

"So not only would you gain no special power, you'd also become a landlubber."

When Gao Wen's words fell, the two of them suddenly felt it was utterly dull, and their interest in the Devil Fruit dissipated by more than half on the spot.

Seeing this, Gao Wen could not be bothered to keep explaining.

His gaze settled on the Devil Fruit in the chest, and he too abandoned the plan to eat it right away.

Although the fact that this fruit had drawn a Warlord of the Sea to come all the way down from the Grand Line specifically to seize it meant it was very likely some rare ability—possibly even a Logia, or even a Mythical Zoan.

But it also couldn't be ruled out that he had taken a commission, or that it was some kind of highly supportive ability.

After eating it, not only would there be no obvious boost to his own strength, it would also bring a severe drawback.

The loss would outweigh the gain.

At least until he figured out what type this fruit was, Gao Wen had no intention of eating it.

Bang!

He closed the chest.

Gao Wen turned and walked into the ship's cabin.

The battle ended here.

Xiang Keluo, who remained on deck, also confirmed there were no survivors before commanding the pirate ship to return.

As the flag of Gao Wen's pirate crew disappeared at the edge of sight, wind and waves gradually rose on the sea before the Red Line.

Bloodthirsty sharks greedily devoured the floating corpses, leaving behind only a tattered pirate flag that rose and fell with the waves.

By the time a Marine warship arrived at the scene, all that could be seen was an endless expanse of sea.

The Marine officer at the head frowned tightly, an inexplicable sense of foreboding rising within him.

When the Marines on board fished up a pirate flag bearing a lizard skull, the Marine officer felt a chill run down his spine in an instant.

He immediately ordered the divers on board to go down and investigate, and as expected they found a large pirate ship, snapped in two, on the seabed.

"A pirate ship under the flag of Warlord of the Sea Hanafza has been sunk in the East Blue. The attacker is suspected to be the East Blue's most prominent great pirate, the Knight Gao Wen."

"The East Blue is about to change."

"This matter has already exceeded the East Blue Marines' scope of handling. Report to Headquarters immediately!"

"Now!"

……

Crow Harbor.

The lord had been captured by pirates, and the surviving Molly lacked the ability to command the people's loyalty.

Originally the place had already fallen into utter chaos; ships could not even set sail normally, and several pirate crews that had once been driven out by the cat-man brothers together even took the opportunity to invade, hoping to grab a share.

Under a string of pressures from within and without, the situation in Crow Harbor grew ever more rotten.

In Molly's moment of despair, Ah Jin arrived at the head of his troops.

A Bronze-tier combat power, in the East Blue where the average bounty is under five million Berries, is an absolute slaughter.

After Jin continuously killed several pirates whose bounties exceeded the East Blue average, the situation around Raven Port stabilized instantly.

Order within the port also returned to normal at a startling speed, and merchant ships coming to Raven Port for transit and supplies were even more numerous than before.

This is the sense of security brought by military might.

Inside the Lord's Mansion.

The cat brothers, Zango, and Fonga, who had luckily kept his life, lay quietly on the hospital beds.

The few of them chatted idly, here and there.

"Say, what kind of person is that man?"

Fonga couldn't help but ask.

During his time in Raven Port, he had heard commoners and people of the Lord's Mansion talk about Gao Wen countless times.

The respect and gratitude in their words had reached a point where it could no longer be concealed; he had never seen a pirate receive such an evaluation from commoners.

Pirates, ah~

Aren't they all beings who burn, kill, rob, and plunder everywhere, leaving a mess behind?

Why is there such an outlier in the East Blue?

"Captain Gao Wen?"

Seeing Fonga nod, Sam's lips curled up slightly with a smile:

"He was once the Knight Commander of the Goya Kingdom, and also the man who let us villains be reborn..."

Bu Zhi Chongchong nodded beside him, turned to look at Fonga, opened his eyes wide, and said:

"That's right!"

"He is completely unqualified as a pirate, but as a leader, nothing makes one feel more a sense of belonging than becoming his subordinate."

Sam's lips twitched:

"That's my line!"

"Don't mind those details~"

"Bastard!"

"Meow-woah~!"

The two started brawling on the spot; although both carried not-light injuries, it could not stop the two who were gradually getting heated.

Fonga's lips also couldn't help but curl up with a smile, yet there was also an unspeakable regret:

"It's just a pity."

"Facing opponents from the Grand Line, even that guy should find it difficult to escape unscathed—!"

Bang!

A rough door-opening sound interrupted Fonga's muttering to himself.

He turned his head and saw Jasmine with an excited expression:

"Mr. Gao Wen and the others have already set sail, and they will arrive here in a few days!"

Fonga was stunned:

"Did they give up?"

"No!"

Jasmine shook her head:

"According to the Young Lady, no, the Lord, Mr. Gao Wen killed those two bastards with only two sword strikes!"

(End of this chapter)