Thinking of what he said a few days ago, Gawain wanted to slap himself twice.
What does he mean he can walk sideways in the East Blue…
Oh.
Is he really invincible in the world? Now, an outrageous enemy is waiting for him this time.
After complaining a few words in his mind, Gawain closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.
Hawk Eyes is the first of the seven warlords to appear in the manga and also the most powerful figure among them.
Even in the later period, except for Blackbeard, there was a gap of at least one level between him and the other warlords of the sea.
For a Warlord whose strength has seriously declined, such as Gecko Moriah, there may even be a gap of two levels.
Although Gawain's strength has increased dramatically now, there is still an insurmountable gap between him and Hawk Eyes.
Even if he takes into account the whole White Knight Pirate, it is just like an ant trying to shake a tree, making more people uselessly die.
In this situation, the best choice is naturally to abandon the Nyaban Brothers, become a coward, and stay out of the spotlight.
But Gawain would not do such a thing. He considered himself not a good person, but he was not so cold-blooded.
This is especially true when Hawk Eyes said that his Nyaban Brothers and others didn't want to betray him, even if it meant they would die.
The fate of these minor characters, who were originally supposed to be used by the Straw Hat Pirates to gain experience, eventually changed because of his arrival.
"My companion."
Gawain murmured, and his eyes gradually became firm.
Half an hour later.
A small boat, avoiding everyone's sight, slowly left from the Pala Island.
There were only two people on the boat.
Gawain was looking at the nautical chart and the permanent compass to determine the course, and Zoro was manipulating the sails and holding the oars.
Now, there was only endless excitement in Zoro's eyes: "Captain, are you serious?"
"That man... Who's known as the strongest swordsman in the world really comes to the East Blue?"
"But, he actually targeted you? Is this what they call the attraction between strong people?"
Zoro couldn't help but guess, only to see Gawain shaking his head with a very serious expression: "Compared to that guy, I'm not that strong."
"Hey, Zoro, why do you think I don't want to bring others with me and only take you?"
Zoro realized something; his pupils shrank suddenly, and he said in disbelief: "Even you are not sure you can protect others? Is he really that strong?"
"Ah."
Gawain sighed: "Although I don't want to admit it, the gap between him and me is a hundred times greater than the gap between you and me!"
"I don't want to take them with me because if I lose the battle, no one will survive."
"I brought you with me because this opportunity is far more important to you than life!"
Zoro stared ahead with a hint of a smile on his face: "Ah, after all, it's the strongest swordsman in the world!"
"I also want to know how strong that guy is. Even a monster like you admits that you are no match for him before the fight even starts."
"You'll find out soon enough."
Gawain smiled faintly, but his expression froze the next moment.
He looked down at the nautical chart and compass in his hand, then at the heading, and the corner of his mouth twitched: "Forget it, just give me the oars. I shouldn't have let you row the boat."
"Why?"
"Following the route I set, you can still row the boat in the wrong direction. By the time we get to the destination, the bodies of the Nyaban Brothers will be cold!"
Zoro didn't believe it. He took the sea chart from Gawain's hand, compared it briefly, and then his expression fell.
… … ...
At the same time, in Baratie.
The Nyaban Brothers and other pirates had their feet chained and were thrown into an empty storage room in the cabin.
Originally, Zeff, the chef and store manager, was unwilling to do this, but his opponent was too strong and offered too much, so he had to put aside his principles and do as he was told.
After all, it's about making money.
In the storage room, after Sham counted the number of people, he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
Then he turned to look at Buchi, who was looking guilty. He wanted to say something, but when the words came to his lips, they turned into: "Buchi, the captain will understand you. After all, you have no choice in that situation."
"Aaah..."
Buchi, the 300-pound cat-man, lay on Sham and howled loudly. He pressed his face so hard at Sham that his face turned red, and he almost suffocated to death.
"But, I can't get over it in my heart..."
Sham patted Buchi's shoulder wordlessly.
For a while, the only sound in the storage room was Buchi's quiet sobbing.
It didn't stop until late at night.
No one had a drop of water all day, and the sound of rumbling stomachs could be heard everywhere in the storage room.
Buchi touched his round belly, and he looked listless and lifeless. Everyone was also exhausted both physically and mentally, and they couldn't muster any energy.
But at this moment…
Squeak!!
The door to the storage room was pushed open.
Everyone looked up and saw a figure with short golden hair carrying a large bowl of fried rice, walking in slowly.
"It smells so good!"
The tip of Buchi's nose loosened, and a trace of saliva flowed unconsciously from the corner of his mouth.
Everyone also looked up at the blond young man who pushed the door open, and their eyes lit up at this moment.
Sanji held a cigarette in his mouth, glanced at the pirates around him, and said calmly: "It doesn't make sense for a restaurant to let people leave hungry."
After speaking, Sanji divided the fried rice according to the number of people and handed it to everyone one by one.
For a while, the only sound in the storage room was the sound of the spoon hitting the plate.
Buchi quickly finished a portion of fried rice and looked at Sanji eagerly with the empty plate in his hand.
Sanji smiled helplessly, then added another portion to Buchi.
Buchi's eyes, which were not big to begin with, narrowed together in an instant, making him look like a fat cat.
Only Sham looked at the fragrant fried rice in his hand and did not eat it immediately. Instead, he looked up at Sanji: "We don't have any money to give you now..."
"It's free, so eat it."
Sanji found a random place to sit down, took a puff of the cigarette in his hand, and asked: "Hey."
"What kind of man is your captain?"
The last time in Raven Harbor, after Gaza left in anger, he also heard information about Gawain.
Without exception, they were all expressions of gratitude from the common people. In the hearts of the common people in Raven Harbor, a pirate is more reliable than a marine.
Today, he witnessed the scene where Sham and others would rather die than betray Gawain.
Sanji couldn't help but feel a little interested in this man who betrayed his most respected princess and lived alone.
"Captain?"
Sham was stunned, then put down the plate in his hand, his eyes full of respect: "It may be a bit exaggerated to say this, but as a pirate, he is totally unqualified."
"But as a companion, he is the most reliable one!"
"It was he who gave us scumbags a chance to live again."
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