"Hey, this decision of yours is way too sudden!!"
The guy next to him looked at him with surprise, but after only a moment, he couldn't help but pat the bar himself.
"Damn, now that you mention it, it really does seem dangerous!"
Forget it, I'm running away too!
Anyway, that Celestial Dragon won't be staying long. We'll just go back after he leaves!
As soon as the words were spoken, the two people in the bar hit it off immediately. They walked out of the bar together and headed towards their small boat.
But as they approached the dock, they were astonished to discover...
The dock at Whiskey Peak was now completely surrounded by a group of men dressed in black!
Two days later, on the shore of Little Garden, Gawain waved goodbye to the meteorologists who remained at Little Garden and the members of the Black Ice Terrace responsible for protection.
Meanwhile, Dorry and Brogy stood beside the Black Ice Terrace members, waving to Gawain.
"The Celestial Dragon of Rumble-Rumble Fruit, we will miss you!"
"Yes, it's a pity the Island-Eating Beasts haven't come to the Little Garden these days, otherwise we would definitely let you taste the Island-Eating Goldfish!"
"And you've stolen a lot of the techniques of the Nation Conqueror, but that's alright, keep learning!"
"Yes, the techniques of the Nation Conqueror are advanced techniques developed by our ancestors specifically for our bodies. After you learn them, what you use will not be the Nation Conqueror's techniques, but your own unique martial arts!"
"Thank you for the wine you left me, it tastes amazing! I haven't had any spirits in years, all I've had in the Little Garden is fruit wine!"
"You absolutely have to come back again!"
"We'll take good care of these stations for you, don't worry!"
"Ah, so sad, saying goodbye to friends again, boohoo!!"
"If you happen to be passing by, please help us take care of our people!"
Goodbye, Gawain!
On the Dark Bird Ship, Gawain, who had just boarded, smiled knowingly. These two enthusiastic giants had actually managed to create the effect of an entire group just by shouting with their mouths...
However, the kindness and simplicity of these two giants did genuinely touch him.
As the Dark Bird Ship started up, Gawain waved his hand gently, watching Dorry and Brogy gradually shrink in the distance.
Thus began the journey of the Dark Bird Ship to the Whiskey Peak.
Three days later, at dusk.
Sweating profusely, Zephyr had Gawain pinned in his right hand.
Beside her, seeing Gawain's miserable state, Hancock raised her chin in dissatisfaction.
She raised her finger and shouted at Zephyr.
"Old Master Zephyr, quickly put Gawain down for me!"
You have absolutely no sense of martial ethics!
"If you hadn't forbidden Gawain from disengaging from the fight and from using Gawain 'Conqueror's Haki, you could have chased him for ten whole sunsets and still not touched Gawain single finger!"
"Cut!"
Hearing Hancock's words, Zephyr curled his lip in disdain.
"You love-struck fool, mind your own business with Gawain!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zephyr released the mechanical arm and placed Gawain on the messy deck.
Seeing Gawain land, Hancock lost interest in arguing with Zephyr and quickly rushed to Gawain's Gawain to treat his injuries.
As she bandaged the wound, Hancock kept muttering to herself, her voice filled with heartache.
"Gawain, why do you always insist on fighting battles that tie your own hands?"
It breaks my heart to see you like this.
Moreover, a battle fought with restraints cannot replace actual combat, can it?
"Ha ha."
Hearing Hancock's words, Gawain smiled and patted Hancock's hand.
Then, he took two heavy breaths, freeing himself from the weakness of being gripped by the Seastone.
As Gawain sat up with Hancock's help, he spoke softly.
"There's nothing I can do. Although my overall strength is far from reaching the monster level, many of my abilities are indeed somewhat excessive."
"If I don't tie my own hands, neither Rumble-Rumble Fruit nor Conqueror's Haki, while these abilities don't guarantee my victory, have given me the capital that I cannot fail."
As he spoke, Gawain waved to Grandpa Zephyr.
"Old Master Zephyr's move just now was brilliant. Was it some kind of Future Sight? Logically speaking, you shouldn't have grabbed me at the last moment."
Even before you made your move, my Mantra didn't foresee any signs of your next action.
"More or less."
Zephyr nodded slightly.
"Even if we don't use Rumble-Rumble Fruit's speed for running away, but only for combat, it's still a considerable problem."
Add to that your Mantra, without using Seimei Kikan to control brain activity, and without being able to foresee any future scenarios.
Even with my Seastone mechanical arm, it would be difficult to cause any trouble for a speed-type opponent like you."
At this point, Zephyr came to Gawain's side, squatted down, and gently patted Gawain's arm with his left hand.
As for the matter of me making you tie your own hands, sigh...
You need to understand that while speed can indeed make you thrive in the current field, there's another point: all the monster-level powerhouses at sea are, without exception, pure warriors!
Speed can only protect you from being overwhelmed by monsters.
For monster-level powerhouses, no matter how fast you are, as long as you still want to attack them, they can make countless mistakes, and you can attack them countless times.
On the contrary, if you make just one mistake, then you..."
Zephyr paused for a moment, looking at Gawain who was listening attentively in front of him, and he suddenly remembered the past.
At that time, he also had a disciple with speed, whose speed was not only comparable to Gawain's, but in terms of straight-line speed, that guy even surpassed Gawain!
Thinking of this, Zephyr couldn't help but raise his hand, instinctively wanting to ruffle Gawain's hair.
But just as his hand approached Gawain, he suddenly remembered Gawain's identity.
For a moment, Zephyr hesitated. Even though Gawain had never cared about his status on the ship, it didn't change the fact that he was World Nobles!
Thinking of this, Zephyr immediately wanted to retract his outstretched left hand, but in the instant he did so, Gawain, who was very observant, had already seen through his thoughts.
So Gawain stood up without making a sound, and as soon as he stood up, Zephyr's hand, which hadn't yet withdrawn from his head, naturally landed on his head as well.
Feeling the smooth strands of hair in his hand, Zephyr was slightly taken aback.
The next moment, looking into Gawain's smiling eyes, Zephyr breathed a sigh of relief and then casually ruffled Gawain's hair.
"Keep it up, kid! You need to develop the skills to support your dreams as soon as possible!"
As he spoke, Zephyr smiled and withdrew his hand, then patted Gawain on the shoulder.
"That's all I can teach you today, Sense. My body really isn't what it used to be."
You should go see Dr. Kureha for treatment quickly; you also need to study Observation Haki with Brother Xiao tonight."
"Don't worry, I'm fine. It's you, old man, who's in trouble."
Even though you have a new right hand, you shouldn't be so excited as to use it nonstop, right? You need to take care of your health."
Gawain responded with a smile, and then walked towards the dinner location with Zephyr and Hancock.
However, they had only taken a dozen or so steps when the sky in the distance suddenly turned dark!
Just as the sky darkened, a fierce gale howled incessantly, reaching the strength of a typhoon, causing West City on the deck of the Dark Bird Ship to fly in the wind.
In the distance, the figurehead on the Dark Bird Ship, sitting cross-legged and watching the sunset, suddenly slaps his hand down.
The next moment, everything that was about to fly everywhere floated calmly in the air.
Meanwhile, the Kuma, who was happily eating a sandwich at the table, suddenly grabbed Gawain's Quotations and rushed towards the Dark Bird Ship's lookout tower.
Standing atop the lookout tower, after glancing at the slightly panicked lookout, Kuma raised his right hand.
In that instant, an enormous Paw-Paw enveloped the entire Dark Bird Ship!
Looking at the Paw-Paw barrier that had now replaced the sky, Gawain nodded approvingly.
"In just a moment, Paw-Paw large enough to cover the entire Dark Bird Ship was created!"
Kuma, your Devil Fruit ability has improved even more!
On the distant observation platform, Kuma heard Gawain's words and couldn't help but nod slightly.
"What you say is right, sir. I have indeed made some progress recently."
Perhaps it's because I no longer need to focus my energy on things that are disturbing my mind.
As they spoke, the hurricane near the Dark Bird Ship vanished completely thanks to Kuma's power. Then, with Franky making a series of adjustments to the Dark Bird Ship finally spread its wings!
Once its wings were spread, the Dark Bird Ship slowly left the sea, and with the help of the hurricane, the Dark Bird carrying the island Luffy.
As the Dark Bird Ship took off, Kuma continued speaking.
"However, although the range of my ability has expanded somewhat, within this range, if I want to deflect a real attack, my stamina will be severely depleted."
Therefore, this Paw-Paw, covering an area of several kilometers, can only withstand a gentle breeze and rain with minimal impact.
After speaking, Kuma returned to silence, but his words completely shocked Ace and the other young people.
Looking at the Dark Bird Ship, which could still maintain its elegance even when faced with a hurricane that blotted out the sky.
Ace and his crew, crammed into the training ground, exclaimed in shock.
"Is this... the strength of the officers on this ship?!"
We've only ever had Rayleigh and Zephyr as practice partners!
Those two old men were only slightly better than us throughout!
The result... this ability to cover an entire island at a time, and the insight to manipulate every small object on the ship that is blown by the wind in the blink of an eye...
Can humans really become that powerful?!
As he spoke, a brilliant light flashed in Ace's eyes!
"This is fantastic! Haha, once the hurricane is over, we must ask each of them for advice!"
If every cadre had this level of ability, we would be so incredibly fortunate!
In the distance, Gawain, who was being supported by Hancock, heard Ace's words and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
Even though Ace had been on the ship for over a month at this point, he was still a clueless brat.
After all, while the sparring sessions they had conducted on the ship were intense enough, their overall level of intensity was far from sufficient.
Intensity is the power that each strike in training carries, while ferocity is the destructive power contained in each strike.
This is the Dark Bird Ship; who would actually want to destroy Dark Bird Ship in a sparring match?
Ace was quite clear about his own strength. His clash with Dorry on Little Garden had left Ace in awe.
But apart from himself, the other officers on the ship rarely showed their strength, so Ace didn't know anything about them.
Thinking of this, Gawain smiled slightly, knowing that Ace would understand them sooner or later.
According to Gawain's observation, Ace's strength has been steadily increasing recently. Having eaten the Mera Mera no Mi, he is estimated to reach a level where he can fight Jinbe to a draw in at most six months!
Come to think of it, Logia Fruits have always been the Devil Fruit allow for the fastest power progression in the early stages of the Pirate King world.
This can be seen from many things.
Many people say that Zoan progress quickly in the early stages, but in reality, most Zoan -Zoan, including Mythical Zoan, are late bloomers.
Even Teacher Kaido was already a well-known expert before he went to Rocks.
But it wasn't until he ate the Fish-Fish Fruit in the Rocks Pirates and more than twenty years later that he truly possessed the strength of the Emperors of the Sea.
Ace, the ordinary son of the Pirate King, could only fight on par with a Marine lieutenant before entering the Grand Line.
Ace's path is that of a fairly normal human genius, without possessing any special physical attributes or a special Devil Fruit.
Ace was originally supposed to follow in the footsteps of his father, the Pirate King Roger, sailing the seas for over a decade, becoming Shichibukai -level powerhouse in his twenties, aspiring to Yonko commander-level strength, and then leaping to monster-level strength after the age of thirty.
Even if Ace was a genius, so genius that he could learn Armament Haki in three days, it would still take him at least ten or twenty years to qualify as a General.
However, after he ate the Mera Mera no Mi...
Less than a year after he set sail, he fought Jinbe for five days and five nights in the Sabaody Archipelago, which ended in a draw.
Two years later, he secured his position as the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, becoming a solid Yonko-level fighter.
If nothing unexpected happens, then it will probably be five years after Ace set sail, around the time Sabo becomes the Flame Emperor.
If Ace were still alive, he would probably have possessed the strength of a King-level general!
This is the change that the Mera Mera no Mi brought to Ace!
Many people only remember that Ace died at the hands of Akainu.
But many people have forgotten that Ace, who died at Akainu's hands, was just a rookie pirate who had only been at sea for about three years.
Thinking of this, Gawain sighed softly, then suddenly smiled.
What am I thinking? Am I still dwelling on past regrets?
No, none of that will be anymore!
Now that I've come to this sea, how can I allow regret to appear before me as it has in the past?
If fate still intends to present those things to me...
Even if it's fate, it will only earn you your own ridicule!
Because Gawain firmly believes that the next era of this sea will be called Gawain, not Nika, not Luffy, and certainly not Oden!!
At that moment, Gawain's pupils suddenly shrank, then became completely ring-shaped, and his Conqueror's Haki erupted fiercely!
In an instant, Gawain's Conqueror's Haki shattered Kuma's Paw-Paw barrier from within, completely tearing apart the hurricane that was howling near the Dark Bird Ship!
Along with the hurricane, the clouds that obscured the sunset were also torn apart.
For a moment, the area around the Dark Bird Ship, amidst the fierce winds, was bathed in the glow of the setting sun and a brief period of tranquility.
Gawain's Conqueror's Haki vanished in an instant; a moment later, his pupils returned to normal.
So the people on the ship immediately began to stuff all the people who had just fainted into the cabin to prevent them from being blown away by the strong wind.
Although strong winds are rare, the people on the ship are already used to being baptized by the "baptism of Conqueror's Haki"!
After all, on this vast ocean, besides the Rocks Pirates of the past and the current Dark Bird Ship, what other ship could gather three people with Conqueror's Haki?
While everyone was busy, Hancock couldn't help but ask a question beside Gawain.
"Just..."
After uttering just one word, Hancock smiled and looked at Gawain. "Your Conqueror's Haki seems to have gotten a little stronger!"
"And Gawain," he said with a smile.
"Just now, I thought of something interesting."
After responding, Gawain gently pulled Hancock into his arms.
Beside her, a slightly dazed Kalifa shakily approached Gawain.
"Sir... this is Whiskey Peak, which is surrounded by hurricanes. We've reached Twin Capes... uh..."
Sorry, I'm a little dizzy. I apologize, sir!
We... we've reached Whiskey Peak.
Because of its proximity to the Red Line and Reverse Mountain, the island's airflow, after passing over the Red Line which is tens of thousands of meters high), gradually descends after flowing over Whiskey Peak, thus forming a hurricane that surrounds Whiskey Peak.
Although celestial phenomena along the Grand Line are frequently changing, if you encounter a hurricane like the one before you, even if you're on the right course...
That means Whiskey Peak is just around the corner!
I drank too much again; I've been craving alcohol these past few days.