Chapter 39

West Sea, Twin Serpent Island.

Casino.

A gambler named Yisheng, forever clutching a blind cane, stood like a door god inside the casino, beside him stood Mihawk, expressionless.

“Mr. Mihawk, could you tell me what kind of person your captain is?”

Yisheng was genuinely curious: what manner of man could earn Mihawk’s approval, a feat Yisheng knew he could never achieve himself.

Mihawk’s approval stemmed solely from swordsmanship—he might become a companion, but never a captain.

Mihawk pondered for several breaths.

“Barzab Seven… hard to judge.”

“Two years ago, I met Barzab Seven at Twin Capes, sailing to Loguetown to bid farewell to his captain, the Pirate King Roger.”

“He is ruthless toward enemies, but never targets civilians. In his words, the strong draw their blades against stronger foes; only the weak prey on the weak.”

“Those pirates who target civilians deserve only to be called low-grade pirates.”

“Low-grade pirates?” Yisheng stared in shock.

“I’ve never heard such a phrase before. Your captain is truly an odd one—has he ever said why he set sail again? He’s already reached the final island…”

Mihawk replied coolly: “For freedom.”

“Freedom?” Yisheng fell into thought.

What is freedom?

On this sea, freedom means living without being bound by anything, following your own will to the end.

Never bowing to power, never enslaved by rules, never compromising your heart, always choosing your own path, protecting those you wish to protect, until reaching your inner destination.

The sea’s essence is the unknown; freedom is daring to sail into the unknown, daring to chase your dreams.

Whether seeking the Great Treasure, exploring the Empty Century, or fulfilling personal goals, it means never being trapped by the present, always yearning for farther horizons.

In short, freedom is living exactly as you wish to be.

Simple to the extreme,

yet hardest of all to achieve.

For on the path to freedom, you will fall from setbacks, lose yourself to temptation, hesitate from duty, be crushed by authority—

but this is the true face of the sea!

True freedom is seeing every chain clearly, yet still gripping your heart, stepping onto the waves to set sail.

Even if towering waves loom ahead, as long as companions stand beside you, you dare charge forward toward your heart’s desire, never turning back!

“Huh～”

Thinking of how he had sunk into gambling on Twin Serpent Island after his homeland’s fall, Yisheng let out a bitter smile.

“Even if one truly understands these truths, one may still fail to live well.”

Boom～ Boom～

Thunder split the night sky, echoing endlessly, drowning out all noise from the casino.

Mihawk gazed at the churning clouds outside.

“He’s here.”

Before the words faded, a gale surged, blowing open the casino’s heavy wooden doors.

In the flickering light of lightning and thunder, a tall figure emerged, wreathed in crackling sparks of electricity—Barzab Seven, arriving at high speed from the Gyadao waters.

“Saxi bu li da na, Mi-san.”

“Saxi bu li da na.”

As the gamblers recognized the figure at the door, their eyes sparkled with awe and cries erupted.

“A pirate with a bounty of one billion.”

“Barzab Seven, crewman of the Pirate King!”

Seven raised an eyebrow: one billion bounty?

Well, no wonder these West Sea gamblers knew him—no doubt the Marines had issued a new bounty notice, spreading it across the seas.

Meaning, he was now officially a famous pirate.

“Mi-san, what do you need one billion Berries for?”

Seven asked knowingly.

Mihawk turned aside: “This is Master Yisheng, the great swordsman. He owes the casino one billion in gambling debts.”

Seven nodded, glancing at the stunned dealer: “Call your boss.”

The dealer hurriedly replied: “Y-You wait a moment.”

A pirate with a one-billion bounty was a catastrophe-level threat to the Four Seas; even summoning nearby Marine bases would be useless.

Better to obey properly.

Moments later, a middle-aged man with a beard rushed over, holding a Den Den Mushi in both hands.

“Sir, our boss would like to speak with you.”

Before Seven could think further, the arrogant expression on the Den Den Mushi told him exactly who the casino’s backer was.

“Oh～ So it’s a brat from the Donquixote family.”

“Fufufufu.”

The Den Den Mushi laughed extravagantly: “Barzab Seven, crewman of the Pirate King Roger—you truly know the secret of the Celestial Dragons.”

Seven instantly lost interest: “I have nothing to discuss with a brat like you.”

Being called a brat by a seventeen-year-old made Doflamingo visibly flustered.

The Den Den Mushi narrowed its eyes: “The Sea Transport King says you’re collecting Devil Fruits. Lucky for you—I’ve got quite a few good ones.”

Seven immediately broke into a bright smile.

“Brother Doflamingo, I’ll be heading to the North Blue soon—shall we meet then?”

The Den Den Mushi grinned: “Then I’ll await your arrival… and your one-billion debt? Consider it forgiven…”

Seven cut him off swiftly: “I don’t have a habit of owing money—especially not to my own brothers.”

One billion Berries for a future Marine Admiral? A guaranteed profit—don’t you dare mess up my plans.

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Seven casually waved his hand, producing a stack of one-billion Berry notes, and turned to the casino manager.

“Bring out the IOU.”

The middle-aged man chuckled awkwardly: “Master Yisheng never signed any IOU—we trusted his word. The debt is settled.”

Seven looked at Mihawk and Yisheng: “Mi-san, Master Yisheng, let’s go.”

Note: Tenghu is the codename Yisheng used as Marine Admiral; Yixiao is an old translation.

Yisheng bowed in thanks.

“Thank you, Seven… sir.”

Seven waved dismissively: “We’re all family.”

The three left the casino and arrived at Twin Serpent Island’s harbor.

Mihawk stared at the nearly empty harbor—no different from when they’d arrived—and couldn’t help a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. Three people… a coffin-boat… should fit.

Since Seven’s arrival at the casino, Mihawk had kept glancing at him, utterly baffled—just two years had passed, how had this guy grown so tall?

Two years ago, he was clearly shorter than Mihawk.

Thirty-two-year-old Yisheng stood at 2.7 meters, fully grown; he could only widen now.

Seventeen-year-old Seven stood at 2.6 meters, still with ample growth left—exceeding three meters was all but certain.

Twenty-one-year-old Mihawk stood at 1.98 meters, and still had some growth potential.

Grabbing Mihawk before he could leap onto the coffin-boat, Seven pointed at the empty sea.

“Board our pirate ship.”

“A ship?” Mihawk frowned.

“Look closely, Mi-san,” Seven drew his sword, Dream One: “You will never forget this day for the rest of your life.”

With a single horizontal slash, Seven unleashed a flying cut that split the sea like a curtain. When the water fell, upon the horizon—

A massive pirate ship, painted primarily in blazing red, adorned with black-gold dragon-shaped prow and crimson sails, filled Mihawk’s entire vision.

Seven elbowed Mihawk, brimming with pride: “How’s that? Cool, right?”

Mihawk’s lips curved upward: “Cool.”

“My beloved crew!” Seven raised his arm: “Board! The East Sea Emperor sails!”

East Sea Emperor