How can I become the Pirate King if you don’t work hard?.

Chapter 285 Parting
a few days later.

The Grand Line.

The glaciers, seemingly endless, extend into a port.

Busy dockworkers were clearing ice floes from the sea, but their movements suddenly stopped.

This was because on the distant ice surface, countless pedestrians, like ants, gradually grew from small to large and connected into one.

"We've...arrived!"

A cheer suddenly erupted from the survivors' camp, like a drop of cold water thrown into hot oil, causing an immediate uproar.

Some people looked excited and bowed their heads to kiss the ice beneath their feet.

Some people collapsed onto the spot, bursting into tears and venting their pent-up emotions.

Like a madman.

"Hahahahahaha..."

"The Seven Waters are gone, but I am still alive, alive... as long as I am alive, there is hope!"

"That disaster, that nightmare that lasted for months, is finally over, but I have lost everything."

"But now we finally have hope again..."

……

“These emotions and these voices must have been building up in their hearts for a long time.”

Fujitora looked at the out-of-control crowd around him and instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

These people wouldn't have endured such a long nightmare if the Navy had acted immediately instead of remaining inactive as it is now.

In the end, there will be more than just tens of thousands of survivors.

Gawain nodded:

"They are all...ordinary people."

He said these words many times, but each time they carry a new weight.

The arrival of the survivors quickly caused a commotion in the port, and the port guards kept them outside, fearing it was a pirate attack.

After all, the densely packed crowd that stretched to the horizon was simply too large, even exceeding the total population of the island.

However, the lord of the port soon ordered the guards to let them pass and even designated an area around the port for these survivors to stay in.

It wasn't that the lord was being kind; he had simply seen Gawain, who was leading the group.

This place is only a few hundred nautical miles from Water Seven, so it's impossible for him to be kept in the dark about what happened in Water Seven.

The name of Gawain the Knight spread throughout the area surrounding Water Seven, and he was basically equivalent to one of the Four Emperors.

He knows who he should mess with and who he shouldn't.

Soon, under the arrangement of Barry and others, everyone entered the temporary camp in an orderly manner and settled down.

Tents were set up one by one, and warm soup and bread relieved everyone's fatigue, gradually easing their anxieties.

Gao Wen and his group then selected a sufficiently large ship in the port and prepared to leave.

After all, that's all Gawain can do for these survivors.

The biggest crisis has passed, and these survivors have a long life ahead of them. They can only rely on themselves for the rest of their lives.

……

The next morning.

In the port.

A cargo ship is about to set sail. Gawain stands at the bow, with the survivors of Water Seven coming to see him off in the distance.

The crowd surged, and every now and then, excited shouts of gratitude could be heard.

Fujitora was also standing in the crowd, waving at Gawain.

He has decided to stay here temporarily and do his part for these ordinary people who have survived hardship.

Gawain had anticipated this, so he simply nodded to Fujitora.

But there were also things that Gawain didn't expect.

Barry, who had previously vowed to build a dream warship, and even a group of shipwrights from the Carrera shipyard, were among those seeing them off.

But upon further reflection, Gao Wen understood why they had made that choice.

The people at Carrera Shipyard were different from the Frankie family.

They were all handpicked and cultivated by Iceberg, and their feelings for Water Seven were far deeper than those for the Franky family. It was even less likely that they would choose to abandon these people and leave alone at this time.

Making the choice now is perfectly reasonable.

"Barry?!"

Franky looked at Barry in the distance, momentarily puzzled:

"You bastard, didn't you say you'd come with me to bring that dream ship into reality?!"

Barry's expression froze, his eyes filled with undisguised reluctance, and even now he was still clutching the design drawing tightly in his hand.

He took a deep breath, and his gaze quickly hardened:

"Sorry, Franky."

"I want to stay here. Water Seven is Mr. Iceberg's life's work, and I can't give it up."

"After we overcome the current difficulties, I will carry on Mr. Iceberg's legacy and lead these people to rebuild Water Seven and bring back the train that once raced across the sea!"

"Until one day the seas are connected into one!"

Barry practically yelled the last part.

He was scared.

I'm afraid that I might accidentally make a different choice here.

But what he knew even more was that if Iceberg were here, he would never abandon these people.

After all, a city is made up of people, and if people are not in the city of Seven Waters, it will fall apart.

If even I am gone, then the once glorious Water City will be lost to history.

"He looks really cool!"

"You~"

Franky adjusted his sunglasses, leaped onto the deck railing, struck his classic pose, and bid farewell to his friend's choice:

"Super! This is the romance of men!"

"Are you a pervert?!"

Barry scoffed, but his face didn't show the same disdain as before; instead, there was only a faint smile.

If we're talking about who understands him best since Iceberg, it's only Franky right here in front of us.

Woo——!
After a blast of its horn, the cargo ship set sail and slowly disappeared from sight.

……

at the same time.

Naval Headquarters, Marinevando.

A report on Gawain's operation was sent to Sengoku's office.

He glanced at it, but his gaze froze at that moment:

"Are there really pirates like this in the world?!"

In his original prediction, Gawain's objective should have been the same as most pirates: to obtain the Pluton blueprints.

But now that Water Seven has been destroyed and Hades' blueprints have been completely exposed, Gawain has no reason, nor any right, to do such a thing.

But he did it anyway.

They even escorted these civilians all the way to a safe port before leaving.

For a moment, Zhan Guo fell silent, his eyes shifting as he pondered whether he had overlooked anything and whether Gawain had other motives.

After all, no matter what, a group of pirates would never do such a thing at this time.

Especially when the Navy becomes the executioner, Gawain's actions seem like a slap in the face.

But when he reviewed everything, all that flashed through his mind were the praises from the high-ranking Navy officers who had interacted with Gawain. Not to mention Zephyr, Kizaru, and Aokiji, even Akainu, who had the lowest tolerance for pirates, remained silent about Gawain.

They spout nonsense like there are outcasts among pirates and that compromised justice can't save anyone.

"us……"

Zhan Guo opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

But Zephyr, sitting next to him, couldn't help but smile slightly.
"There are always some pirates in this world who are different."

"You were captured by that guy before, does he have some kind of special Devil Fruit ability?!"

Zephyr shook his head, completely unaffected by the Warring States period:

"It was because I was captured by him that I learned what true justice is, or rather, who created this era."

"..."

Sengoku did not respond. He put down the report, took a deep breath, and looked out the window.

The sunlight shone on the flag of justice in the center of Marineford, and its projection blocked the sun and also blocked Sengoku's view.

He slowly turned his head to look at Zefa, a resolute glint in his eyes:
"I admit that my past actions and choices had certain problems. After all, even if we want to build a stable maritime order, we cannot have unlimited power."

“Zeff, I need your strength. I need another voice within the Navy. Only then will I have the leverage to talk to those above me.”

Zefa was slightly taken aback, but a smile suddenly appeared on his lips, and a deep-seated... madness was hidden in his eyes!
I'm definitely not the only crazy one!
Warring States Period, you too!

Zephyr slowly spoke:
"One voice is probably not enough."

"What's the meaning?!"

"Why couldn't it be another...naval officer?!"

Zhan Guo stood up, his breath almost stopping at that moment:
Do you even know what you're saying?

"Of course, I am perfectly sober."

Zefa sat up straight, showing no sign of backing down:
"You need to talk to the higher-ups. You want the Navy to have enough power to control the World Government and even Mary Geoise, and you just want to have a voice..."

"not enough."

"You're absolutely crazy!"

The Warring States period was furious:
"Do you know how much risk this carries? If something goes wrong, the entire world order will collapse, and countless people will be buried with your choice!"

"Yeah……"

Zefa sat calmly in his seat.

He was well aware of the consequences of what the Warring States period had said.

But even in the worst-case scenario, where the navy completely loses control of the seas, it would only lead the world to the ending Roger had envisioned.

The ever-expanding number of pirates completely overwhelmed the World Government's control mechanisms.

The times are changing rapidly, and the world order is being reshaped.

In comparison, using the navy to restrict the world government is a relatively peaceful option.

Moreover, Zefa understands the Warring States period...

"You'll agree."

"You're dividing the Navy! I can't accept this!"

Sengoku was furious and waved Zephyr away, but then called him back as Zephyr grabbed the doorknob.

"return!"

When Sengoku closed his eyes, and opened them again, there were several noticeable blood vessels in his eyes:
"Vergo has been confirmed to be Doflamingo's spy planted in the Navy. He was imprisoned in Impel Down a few months ago. That position is temporarily vacant, and you will fill it. What you want to do is none of my business."

"I won't give you any support... Fine, the Sword team is yours too."

"Humph~"

Zephyr stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Sengoku, and a hint of mockery appeared in his eyes:

"You're even more impatient than before!"

Sengoku's hands trembled as he thought about the possible consequences.

But what he understood even more clearly was that if the World Government and the Celestial Dragons continued to abuse their power at will, it would be disastrous.

There will only be more and more incidents like Water Seven, or situations where orders are given directly to naval officers without their consent.

"You crazy person!"

"Hahahahahaha..."

……

……

……

The Great Voyage.

The waves surged and crashed against the cargo ship's hull, yet they could not budge it an inch.

Kro and the other Scroll Kings, along with Luo who had just been assimilated, were all diligently cultivating on the deck.

For a time, the deck was filled with burly men, shirtless and sweating profusely.

Even many members of the Franky family joined in, experiencing the pleasure of pushing their physical limits, and they couldn't stop.

Gawain sat in the captain's cabin, looking through the porthole with satisfaction at the chives below that had already begun to germinate and reproduce on their own.

Law's potential is undoubtedly at the same Gold level as Sanji and Zoro, and his abilities are also biased towards swordsmanship and Paramecia-type Devil Fruits.

The latter was naturally useless to Gawain, but thanks to Law's addition, his swordsmanship experience increased by nearly half, and he was not far from reaching LV-15.

According to Gawain's estimate, it would take at most one or two months to meet the upgrade requirements, at which point Gawain's swordsmanship would also unlock the next entry.

Gao Wen was extremely excited about this.

The two sword techniques previously provided, Swiftness and Extreme Weapon, almost laid the foundation for Gawain's early Swiftness Thrust fighting style, and they continue to be of great help to Gawain even now.

The third entry is highly likely to continue along this path, at which point Gawain's direct pressure will be even stronger and more unsolvable.

After a moment's thought, Gao Wen had a plan in mind and turned his gaze to the distant sea.

After leaving the port, Gawain embarked on his journey back to Alabasta.

With the Raven destroyed and no hope of navigating the New World on this cargo ship, direct entry into the New World is temporarily impossible.

Now, the only option left for him is to return to Alabasta, rebuild the ship, and completely solve the navigation problem.

Although the top shipwrights at Carrera Shipyard did not board Gawain's ship, Kaku and Bruno chose to return to the CP organization after completing their mission.

However, Gawain also has two top shipwrights, Franky and Lucci, under his command, plus the Franky family, so building a high-quality pirate ship is no problem at all.

Moreover, Gawain had other plans.

Before entering the New World and establishing a foothold in Britannias, Gawain had no plans to build a large fleet.

That thing not only takes a long time to make, but it's also a money pit; no amount of money is enough to buy it.

Furthermore, Gawain did not have any ability users like Shiki who could directly transform ships into space battleships, giving them an absolute advantage in naval battles.

At times like this, a large fleet would be nothing more than a burden to him.

On the contrary, after the reconstruction of Rapeseed Flower Port, it will become the first stop of the Martial Arts Tournament on the Grand Line.

As the leader, Robin also needs some capable people under his command.

Franky's shipwrights, while not as powerful as the big pirates with bounties of hundreds of millions, are generally capable of dealing with ordinary pirates under normal circumstances.

Moreover, the real value of these people lies in their excellent shipbuilding skills rather than their combat abilities. They could easily carve out a piece of land around the Rapeseed Flower Port and open a shipyard without any problems.

It's a classic case of cooking one fish in two ways.

So much money.

Sudden.

A series of urgent knocks on the door interrupted Gao Wen's thoughts.

"Enter!"

Squeak-!
Lu Qi pushed open the door and entered, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

"Captain, the CP organization has issued me a decree, and I need to leave for a while."

(End of this chapter)