Sham chattered on and on, talking incoherently about his experiences after meeting Gawain.
Sanji listened quietly; the cigarette in his mouth burned slowly until he felt a burning sensation on his lips; only then did he come to his senses and casually pressed off the cigarette holder.
He had never actually met Gawain.
But just from Sham's words, it can be clearly understood that he is a good man.
At least he is a captain who truly cares about his subordinates or companions. This alone is far better than countless pirates roaming the sea in this era.
But if Gawain was really such a person, why would he abandon the princess at the most dangerous moment?
If he keeps thinking like this, there is only one answer.
After Sanji pondered for a moment, he said calmly: "What if he's lying? Or what if he's not coming to save you at all?"
Sham was slightly stunned, and then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "If possible, I hope the captain won't come. For people like us, it's fine if we die, but it's different for him..."
"He can lead others to go further, to the Grand Line, the New World, and even... Even the legendary One Piece."
"What a hopeless bastard."
Sanji said these harsh words, but he couldn't help but smile without knowing when.
It is the existence of these idiots that gives people hope of survival in this hopeless world.
He suddenly remembered the experience of surviving with Zeff.
Especially in the scene where he sees Zeff giving all the food to himself and eating his own feet to survive; there may never be such a shocking thing again at sea today.
Ten minutes later.
The pirates in the storage room had already eaten up the fried rice on their plates.
Sanji put away the plates and was about to leave, but at this moment, he heard the voices of gratitude from everyone.
"Blondie, you're a good man, just like the captain!"
There were a few grains of fried rice on Buchi's face, but the corners of his mouth were almost stretched to his ears, and the fat on his face was trembling.
"It's a pity that we probably have no chance of surviving. Otherwise, I would definitely let you get on board!"
"The captain will probably like you very much. He has been muttering for a long time that there is a very interesting young man in this ocean-going restaurant."
"This is the best-fried rice I've ever had!"
Amid the noise of the crowd, Sanji left with the plate in his hand without looking back.
Squeak!
The door of the storage room was about to close, but at this moment, Sanji's voice came to everyone's ears.
"That's right."
"The man called Hawk Eyes just said that you are an interesting group of people, and he probably has no intention of taking your lives."
Sham and Buchi were slightly stunned, and at this moment, a hint of surprise at surviving the disaster appeared in their eyes.
If they had a choice, they would certainly want to live, to stand under Gawain's banner and live as his subordinates.
… … …
On Pala Island, it was already the next morning when Kuro realized that Gawain and Zoro were missing.
He felt a little uneasy for no reason.
Awakening the Observation-Haki can also dramatically improve intuition, and intuition is often the most accurate.
"Where on earth did Gawain and Zoro?"
Kuro frowned.
He gathered the pirates who stayed on Pala Island together, and they talked to each other and gradually pieced together the whole picture of what happened.
"Not only the captain but even Zoro has left?"
"Speaking of which, we have lost contact with the Nyaban Brothers since yesterday. They were supposed to follow the captain's orders and search for the whereabouts of the Baratie in the nearby waters."
"Is there any connection between the two?"
"Also, a boat is missing in the harbor. It looks like the captain and Zoro must have left in a small boat."
Amid the discussion among the crowd, Kuro placed his hand on his forehead.
Without saying a word, if it was just a matter about the Baratie, Gawain should not have hidden it from himself and his companions.
Unless there is something wrong here that involves Gawain's past, so he is unwilling to tell us?
No, if that's the case, he shouldn't have taken Zoro with him.
He can take Zoro with him, but he doesn't want to take us with him…
What's the difference between that kid who only knows how to say he wants to be the strongest swordsman in the world and works so hard?
Wait!
The strongest swordsman in the world!?
Kuro's pupils suddenly contracted: "Hawk Eyes?!"
"He was the one who held the Nyaban Brothers hostage?! If that's the case, it makes sense..."
Bang!
Kuro slammed his palm on the table, and the conference room instantly became quiet.
Gin glanced at Kuro, not knowing what had happened, and saw Kuro cursing: "Asshole!"
"Gawain, you damn bastard!"
After figuring out the whole thing, Kuro didn't even bother to maintain his original image and stood up excitedly: "You want to be a hero by yourself? Have you asked our companion's opinion?"
Nami realized something was wrong, and panic suddenly appeared in her eyes: "Mr. Kuro, what happened?!"
Kuro gritted his teeth: "That bastard Gawain, he wants to die alone!"
Everyone was slightly stunned, and then they remembered Gawain's nearly invincible strength, and the slight uneasiness in their hearts completely disappeared.
"Hey, hey, are you joking?"
"With the captain's strength, not to mention in the East Blue, even in the Grand Line, that may be his opponent."
"You must be overthinking it, right?"
"What if the opponent is a man from the New World? The strongest swordsman in the world!"
"I've heard Gawain mention that man more than once, and he didn't even consider the possibility of winning."
Everyone fell silent instantly and stared at Kuro in a daze because what Kuro said was too shocking.
In their opinion, Gawain's strength is already the strongest without any doubt, and the opponent who can make Gawain completely lose confidence in battle, that is…
Amid the growing anxiety in everyone's eyes, Kuro continued: "This is the only way to explain why Gawain brought Zoro with him."
"Because for that guy, fighting with the man known as the strongest swordsman in the world is far more important than his own life!"
"And we have become a burden to him. No, he doesn't want to see us die with him!"
"They... They are going to bear everything alone and rescue the Nyaban Brothers!"
As his voice fell, the scene fell into complete silence.
Gin bit his lips tightly, hating his own weakness once again.
If... If he could be stronger, could he stand by that man?
This is the thought.
Gin quietly clenched the Tonfa in his hands and stood up without saying a word.
Nami pursed her lips tightly: "Mr. Kuro, what should we do? We can't just watch the captain die!"
"Of course we won't!"
Kuro gritted his teeth and said to the pirates around him with a very serious tone: "There is a high probability that we will be wiped out in this operation. I won't force you to die with me. That guy will never tolerate such a thing."
"Get out now if you don't want to die!"
After his voice fell, no one in the conference room moved, and no one even made a move to stand up.
Kuro looked at the determined eyes of the crowd, and the corners of his mouth gradually curled up.
"That guy is still so popular!"
"In that case, then die with me!"
"But before that, we need to find the location of Baratie. This matter..."
=============
If this fanfic reaches the top 50 in Power Ranking, I'll publish 8 chapters (2 regular and 6 bonus).
Current Rank: 185
Power Stone: 109