"Captain! We found a survivor on the island; it looks like he drifted here before the storm."
Kalifa rushed into the room and reported to Gawain.
"It's a white polar bear, but it's wearing human clothes. Based on our initial judgment, it's probably from the Mink tribe."
Gawain's eyes narrowed slightly.
A white polar bear, suspected to be from the Mink Tribe... Those details immediately reminded him of Bepo, the navigator of Trafalgar Law's crew.
But at this point in the timeline, according to the original story, Bepo should still be in the South Blue with Law.
Could it be Bepo's older brother? What was his name... Zepo?
Zepo should be in the New World, already part of the Nox Pirates, making it impossible for him to be here.
So, was it another Mink?
"Take me to him..."
… … ...
A few minutes later.
Gawain pushed open the door of the cabin and saw a white Mink lying on the deck.
He was seriously injured; his left arm and legs were twisted and deformed, and there were two penetrating wounds on his chest.
Many wounds have even rotted due to being soaked in seawater for too long, and it is obvious that some time has passed since he was injured.
Although Chopper has taken the lead to help him treat the wound, with such an injury, whether he can survive depends on whether he is strong enough.
"Is this Bepo, the navigator of the Heart Pirates?"
Gawain immediately recognized him upon spotting his orange jumpsuit. But the moment he saw the symbol on Bepo's chest, his brows furrowed.
Instead of the heart pirates' emblem, a different pirate flag was printed on it, one with wings.
"... This is the Golden Lion Pirates?"
Gawain had a playful smile on his face: "If there is anyone in this world who can solve the problem on Golden Lion's head, it is probably only Law's Op-Op Fruit."
"That means that Golden Lion may have solved his old injury, and there will be no restrictions on the use of Haki?"
"Interesting!"
"According to my original speculation, the only thing that could attract Golden Lion's attention inside Alabasta was probably the historical text that recorded Pluton."
"That is to say, for some reason, he had learned about Alabasta in advance, so he chose to fight me there."
"Even though he abandoned the fight after his old injuries relapsed up, there's still a chance that he learned about the Op-Op Fruit and chose to prioritize healing himself over the Pluton blueprint."
Gawain has not forgotten.
In the battle at Nanohana city, Golden Lion showed a fighting power far superior to that against Straw Hat a few years later.
Conqueror Haki and the ability to control everything, coupled with extremely sharp swordsmanship.
After the combination of these three, what finally appeared in front of Gawain was a top pirate close to the level of the four emperors in the New World.
It was also in that battle that Gawain saw that Golden Lion was strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
The rudder embedded in the top of his head had a huge impact on his power after all.
In the beginning, Golden Lion should have been able to capture him alive in a situation where he had an almost complete advantage, but he still had to choose to use a killing move.
The only reason could be that the high-intensity battle caused his old injuries to relapse or even worsen.
In the end, in just a few years, his strength declined to the level when he fought with the Straw Hats.
But now everything is different.
After healing the old injuries, even if he can't recover to his prime, Golden Lion, who is still firmly at the level of the four emperors, how strong will he be?!
And how much Conqueror's Haki experience can he bring?!
Gawain glanced at the system panel indifferently.
The Conqueror's Haki, which has reached level 4, lies quietly in the skill column.
It is not conspicuous.
But it is the only ability that Gawain can rely on his own practice at the moment.
Pure practice cannot cultivate an invincible will, let alone an invincible heart.
In addition to being more proficient in controlling his own Conqueror's Haki, the little growth brought by practice can be almost ignored.
Only by constantly fighting with the strong, by the confrontation of wills, and by constantly failing and then standing up to defeat the opponent in front of him can he forge an invincible heart.
Then, the Conqueror's Haki, based on faith, can become stronger.
Gawain knows this, and he has no lack of courage to fight with the strong.
Even though he knows that what awaits him in the Water 7 must be a series of battles, the opponents may be the Warlords of the Sea, the Marines, the four emperors, and the monsters hidden within the World Government, there is no fear in his heart, or Gawain even looks forward to that moment.
However, Gawain knows more clearly that as a captain, he can no longer act recklessly according to his temper.
The first priority task is not to join this melee and fight with the strong but to find Lucci first.
Hiss!
Gawain took a deep breath and suppressed the throbbing in his heart.
He held down the restless Guanze Masamune with one hand.
Then he lowered his eyes to look at Bepo lying on the deck, but Law's face emerged in his mind.
To be honest, he was feeling greedy again.
As one of the Worst Generation who first appeared in the Sabaody Archipelago in the manga, Law is also the most versatile one among them, and his potential is unquestionable.
After the battle of Onigashima, Law teamed up with Kid to defeat Big Mom. Even if his combat power is not as strong as the emperor's, he is still the top pirate under the four emperors.
As a crew member, his cost-effectiveness is not lower than that of Chopper, who has a bounty of 500 Belly but has the fighting powers of hundreds of millions of Belly and even works part-time as a ship doctor.
More importantly, Law also uses a sword!
Once Law is recruited to join the group, he can also get rid of the dilemma of only Zoro being a leek in swordsmanship.
"But."
Gawain frowned slightly: "As one of the three captains of the Worst Generation, Law has always had a clear goal and a well-thought-out plan, first revenge, then obtaining One Piece."
"Such a proud person will not bow his head so easily."
After thinking for a while, Gawain still had no idea. He shook his head, put the problem aside for the time being, and focused his attention on Bepo in front of him. "This guy is lucky to meet us."
"Chopper, he will be left to you."
"Yes, captain!"
Chopper raised his little hoof and waved to Gawain, showing a serious expression: "As a doctor, I will never watch a patient die in front of me… Woo woo woo woo…"
Before he finished speaking, Gawain pressed his head and kneaded it for a while, and the faces of the people around him also showed a knowing smile.
Time flies.
Two days later, in the Raven's ward, Bepo was still lying on the bed. His wounds had been bandaged, and his broken arms and legs had been put back in place by Chopper.
At this moment, even in his sleep, Bepo's brows were tightly knitted together, and his body twisted restlessly.
"Shachi, Penguin, run away quickly; this is a trap; Golden Lion is going to kill us…"
"And Law...!"
"Law!"
After a cry of surprise, Bepo sat up suddenly and opened his eyes.
Just as he thought everything had been a dream, sharp pain radiated from his wounds, and crimson blood seeped through his bandages.
It was only then that he realized everything he had experienced was real. He had survived, but just barely.
"Law...!"
"I haven't told him yet; we were deceived! Spandine... No, it was Golden Lion's trap!"
Panic filled Bepo's face. Ignoring his injuries, he yanked out his IV drip and attempted to get up.