Law sat motionless before the ruins for days and nights.
Until every inch of the island had been searched, and the last sliver of hope in his heart was completely crushed.
"Law-sama, there's still no sign of Bepo and the others."
"I see."
Law lowered his gaze and answered softly.
After the pirate delivering the report left, Law finally lifted his head.
The fury in his eyes had not subsided with the deaths of those three pirates. On the contrary, as time passed, it grew heavier and more intense.
His grip on his sword tightened, veins bulging on his arm. His gaze toward the distance was filled with hatred so real it seemed tangible.
Golden Lion had overlooked one thing.
Law was different from most pirates who roamed these seas.
He wasn't a fool.
Doflamingo had once genuinely raised him as the next heart executive.
His combat skills and swordsmanship were personally trained by Diamante, leader of the Diamante Army subdivision, and Lao G, the most senior member of the Donquixote family.
Moreover, Doflamingo himself had taught him various fields of knowledge.
Even without considering his medical expertise, among the Worst Generation who would one day arrive at Sabaody Archipelago, Law was the most versatile and well-rounded of them all.
"There are many within Golden Lion Pirates who resent Golden Lion. Some might even be foolish enough to rebel against him on this floating island that depends on his power to stay aloft."
"But no one would target Bepo and the others without reason."
"Heh..."
With a cold sneer, Law turned his gaze toward the distant palace. As memories of the time spent with Bepo and the others flooded his mind, an agonizing pain twisted in his chest.
He didn't lack the courage to challenge Golden Lion.
But he also knew that with his current strength, if he confronted Golden Lion now, he wouldn't just fail to avenge Bepo and others, he would lose his own life as well.
Law looked down at his hands.
These hands had saved countless lives. They carried a power he had once been so proud of.
But in the face of a monster like Golden Lion, it all felt utterly meaningless.
Too weak!
So weak that even revenge was beyond his grasp!
He must seize every opportunity to become stronger, strong enough to control everything.
With that thought, Law slowly stood up.
He took one last look at the traces of the past, the place where he had lived with Bepo and the others.
Then, he raised his hand…
Whoosh!
A sharp gust of wind swept through, scattering the ruins before him and kicking up a cloud of dust.
By the time the dust settled, Law's figure had already vanished.
...
At the central area of the floating island, inside the grand palace, Golden Lion stood, watching Law in the distance. Then he nodded to himself.
"That kid has gotten back up."
"Looks like I finally have a deputy captain worthy of standing beside me, like Rayleigh was to Roger like Kouzuki Oden was to Newgate."
Beside him, Spandine was still trembling in fear.
"Captain... Aren't you afraid that Law will find out the truth?"
"Does it matter?"
Golden Lion smirked disdainfully. Seeing Spandine's stunned expression, he shook his head and said: "If he can't see the truth now, then he never will."
"If he has already seen through it yet chooses to endure, that means he fears my power. As long as I remain strong, he will never dare to rebel."
"Courage fades with time. The more rational a person is, the more they weigh the pros and cons, the more excuses they will find to abandon their revenge."
"Until, one day, they forget it entirely..."
"But..."
Spandine glanced at the wrinkles on Golden Lion's face, hesitated, then parted his lips as if to speak.
He wanted to say that no matter how powerful one is, age comes for all.
Even Whitebeard could not escape the erosion of time.
When illness weakens the once-mighty body, and when the strength that once ruled the seas fades away, then it will be the perfect moment for revenge.
Golden Lion shot Spandine a sideways glance and immediately saw through his thoughts.
But instead of diminishing, his overwhelming aura flared even stronger!
"You want to say that one day I'll grow old, that I'll lose my strength while Law still has time to surpass me?!"
"I will never grow old!"
Confidence and absolute conviction shone in Golden Lion's eyes.
"Or rather, if such a day ever comes, if I die at the hands of someone like him, and he carries on my will, wouldn't that be the perfect ending?!"
"Hahahahaha!"
A wild, unrestrained laugh echoed through the palace, shaking the floating clouds around it.
Spandine stared blankly at the man before him, someone who could speak of death and aging with such ease, and suddenly realized a terrifying truth: He could never be like this man.
… … ...
Somewhere in the Grand Line, dark clouds loomed overhead. Thunder crackled, illuminating the vast ocean, but the only thing visible was the endless, churning black waves.
At this moment, even the Sea Kings, which had frequently surfaced in the past, were nowhere to be seen.
The Raven rocked violently with the waves, tilting to the point of nearly capsizing multiple times.
It was only thanks to Gawain, who possessed the ability to fly that the ship was forcibly pulled back into position, barely maintaining stability.
Yet, despite their efforts, the intense storm continued to wreak havoc on the already weakened ship. The propulsion system groaned under immense strain, emitting a series of nerve-wracking creaks.
"Damn it!"
"If this keeps up, the propulsion system that the instructor repaired won't hold out for much longer!"
"What do we do? This is beyond what we can handle. The instructor always took care of these things before!"
"Why did this damn storm have to hit us now?"
"The closer we get to the New World, the worse the weather becomes?!"
Inside the ship's cabin, the shipwrights could only watch helplessly while cursing their own incompetence.
At the same time, they became even more acutely aware of just how important Lucci was, not just to the ship but to the White Knight Pirate as a whole.
Fortunately, half an hour later, a deserted island emerged on the horizon.
The crew worked together to anchor the Raven offshore, lowering the sails and dropping the anchor just in time to barely survive the storm.
"How's the propulsion system holding up?"
Gawain stepped onto the lower deck and directed his question at the shipwrights trained by Lucci.
The leading shipwright let out a sigh of relief.
"Barely holding together."
"But it's not what we originally expected. This ship, originally a modified marine warship, is simply too old."
"It's already struggling to keep up with our current voyage, let alone what lies ahead."
"There are a lot of issues that only the instructor could fix. We..."
The shipwright clenched his fists, his face filled with frustration and shame.
"Captain, the instructor... He is indispensable to you."
"No."
Gawain shook his head.
"Everyone on this ship is indispensable."
"For now, I'll have to rely on you all for the upcoming journey."
The shipwrights were momentarily stunned, their eyes reddening with emotion.
As shipbuilders, they had always felt overlooked on board, yet Gawain still acknowledged them.
"Captain, I... I swear on my life, I'll keep this ship sailing to the New World!"
"Me too!"
Gawain nodded, about to ask for more details, when an urgent voice reached his ears.
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