"No!"
Vivi's eyes turned red as she argued. "I know my father. He doesn't even have enough food himself just to save a little bit of supplies for the people. How could he possibly use a banned substance with such huge side effects?"
"It's Crocodile. I saw his men transporting Dance Powder with my own eyes. He is the culprit responsible for the destruction of these towns!"
Between her words, Vivi's attention was on Gawain in the distance.
However, the latter only glanced at the town with an indifferent expression and then had no other reaction.
She couldn't help feeling disappointed.
During the time on the ship, Vivi's movements were not restricted too much.
She has become familiar with Chopper, Nami, and others.
They can't be called partners, but they are definitely friends.
Naturally, she also learned about Gawain's past experiences.
He became a pirate after his forbidden love affair with the princess was exposed. He was a pirate but a kind-hearted man. He even saved Nami and Chopper's hometown from suffering.
Vivi originally had expectations for Gawain, but now her expectations are gradually being dashed.
The hope of saving Alabasta and rescuing the people will ultimately rest on herself.
She sighed, she could no longer accept the scene before her and turned back to the cabin.
... ... ...
Gawain naturally saw Vivi's reaction, but to him, it was still the same sentence.
Without sufficient benefits, taking direct action against Crocodile will only put him in jail.
If things go wrong, all the Seven Warlords of the Sea will be stripped of their titles.
By then, with the combat capability and potential that he has shown now, the opponent he will face will most likely be at the admiral level.
Although it is not impossible to escape, it will definitely be a big trouble.
Just based on rational judgment, Gawain had no reason to take action.
But when he saw the white bones in the yellow sand, he still felt a fire burning in his heart.
These people didn't have to die, but the World Government imposed heavy taxes on them while pirates exploited these people to death.
For these ordinary people, survival is already difficult.
Even though the living environment is difficult, there are still people who do not hesitate to destroy their last living space for their own purposes.
In this world, human life is worthless.
Who cares about their lives?
Dalton cares, Vivi cares, Cobra cares, but these people don't have the ability to change the status quo...
At this moment, Gawain just felt like there was a stone blocking his chest.
He simply returned to the room, but the sword at his waist continued to make a buzzing sound.
... ... ...
A few days later, the Raven slowly docked into a small coastal town.
The fresh water on the ship was almost used up, and there was no corresponding seawater purification equipment, so Gawain planned to replenish the freshwater here.
But they only discovered it when they arrived at the town.
This place is already deserted; the rivers flowing into the sea have dried up, and at a glance, they can even see a few dried corpses half-buried in the yellow sand.
The dead still maintained the same struggling movements they had in life.
But this is a coastal town!
It should be prosperous enough to be a national transportation hub.
It can lack anything but water. It can only be caused by external factors.
Gawain also understood the specific reasons.
At this moment, the Guanze Masamune on Gawain's waist began to hum again, and the vibration of his sword became visible to the naked eye. "Gawain..."
Kuro glanced at the Guanze Masamune on Gawain's waist and couldn't help but speak.
As the first person to follow Gawain and the de facto second-in-command in the Pirate crew, he is almost the person who knows Gawain's character best on the ship.
He knew that although Gawain always said that interests came first, he would only make decisions that were in his best interest based on the current situation.
But he also knew.
Gawain has a heart that can empathize with the weak and ordinary people more than anyone else.
If he didn't know about Gawain's past.
He almost thought that Gawain had also had such a life.
Life is like the grass in the wind, the yellow sand all over the ground, and the ants being crushed at will by people on the roadside.
As a deputy captain, his duty should have reminded Gawain to put his own interests first.
For the sake of these ordinary people, fighting against another Warlord would not be worth it, regardless of the outcome.
But what he said became: "Whatever you do, I support you."
Gawain did not reply immediately but said: "Let's go down and take a look."
A few minutes later, a dilapidated and desolate town came into everyone's sight.
The surrounding buildings had long been dilapidated, and only in the corner was there a bar with lights on.
"Is there anyone else in this damn place?"
Gawain was slightly stunned, then walked in quickly.
Squeak!
The door to the bar opened.
Unexpectedly, the interior furnishings were still brand new, and there was even a gramophone playing classical music.
Piled up on the lockers are not the various famous liquors commonly seen in bars but books, some of which are quaint and worn, some are brand new, and some even smell of ink.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Mr. Gawain."
Gawain looked at the side of the bar suddenly, but there was no one there. There was only one Den Den Mushi that was connected, and the sound came from the receiver.
"Who are you..."
"You can call me Miss All Sunday!"
Gawain was slightly stunned, but a familiar face appeared in his mind.
Tall, intelligent, and always with a warm smile on her face... Nico Robin.
Her code name during her time at the Baroque Works was Miss All Sunday.
As the only survivor from the Ohara, Robin is also one of the few remaining people in the world who can interpret the historical text.
Gawain was not very interested in the so-called great secret treasure, One Piece.
But he's very envious of the buried, unimaginable technology of the ancient kingdom.
You should know that even Vegapunk, the smartest man of this era, made the greatest contribution in his life not through inventions but through archaeology.
More than 80% of the technologies that appear on Egghead come from ancient kingdoms buried in history, and more technologies are still buried in history.
Robin has the ability to discover it!
Although such a person is not in Gawain's expectations, she is enough to win his favor.
After all, Robin's combat capability is not weak. If she is placed in the Marines in the later period, he will at least be able to serve as a Vice Admiral.
If converted into a system rating, she has silver-level potential.
"Yeah?"
Gawain's lips curled up into a smile.
"As a senior executive of Baroque Works, you can't be considered a big shot if you keep hiding like this."
"Ahhhh."
Robin's voice contained a hint of 'as expected' as she said softly: "For a big man like the Warlord of the Sea, I should still have the most basic respect. At least I don't think I can easily get away from you."
"However, from the moment you left Whisky Peak, you were targeted by another Warlord."
"Crocodile?"
There was a sudden silence on the other end of the receiver. After a few seconds, Robin continued: "It seems that my worries are unnecessary."
"But."
"I still have to remind you that even among the Warlords, there are differences."
"Twenty years ago, Crocodile was already strong enough to stand on equal footing with a monster like Douglas Bullet. Now, no one knows how strong he is."
"Yeah?"
Gawain smiled faintly: "Why help me?"
"Who knows?"