A smile appeared on Van Augur's lips as he carried the three almost completely exhausted people onto the deck one by one.
The rough action hurt Zoro so much that he wanted to curse, but he didn't even have the energy to speak.
After getting on board, Van Augur got some hemostatic drugs from the ship's doctor's room, and then he skillfully stopped the bleeding, disinfected, and sutured the wounds for the three people.
Time flies, and half an hour has passed.
With their wounds bandaged, Gin and Lucci sat side by side on the deck, looking at the sea in the distance, no one knew what they were thinking at this moment.
After a long time, Gin opened his mouth and said: "I'm not a fool."
Lucci was stunned when he heard this, and he had a bad feeling in his heart.
Seeing Lucci's sudden silence, Gin became more certain of his judgment.
At that time, it didn't matter whether Lucci followed the order and left with Kalifa or turned around and stayed with him.
But the problem was the hesitation and doubt he showed for a moment after hearing what Who's-Who said.
Gin smiled slightly and said: "From the first moment I saw you, I knew that you and I were the same kind of people."
"Once you decide on something, you will carry it out accurately even if you know it is wrong."
"But I am luckier than you. I have met Captain Gawain, but you haven't."
Gin reached out and patted Lucci's shoulder, his tone becoming more serious: "I gave you and Kalifa the opportunity to get on board. If one day you really do something irreparable, I will kill you with my own hands."
Lucci was silent, only to feel the weight on his shoulders suddenly become heavier, like a mountain pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe. He was silent for a few seconds before replying: "I understand."
Gin was stunned; a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he didn't say much. He just slowly stood up and walked towards the cabin.
On deck, Lucci looked at the undulating sea in front of him.
The sea breeze hit him, bringing a biting and icy chill.
But at this moment, not only did he not feel cold, he could not even feel the pain from his wounds.
Time flies, and half an hour passes.
Kalifa returned to the ship with the crew.
As everyone cheered for victory, Kalifa quietly sat next to Lucci.
The two have known each other for many years, have shared life and death many times, and have fought side by side from the sea of blood.
The relationship between them has long been more than just ordinary colleagues.
They are real companions; even if they themselves are unwilling to admit it, no one denies it.
"Lucci, you… "
Kalifa could tell at a glance that something was wrong with Lucci.
Considering Lucci's previous reaction, Kalifa instantly understood his inner struggle.
She reached out and patted Lucci's shoulder, comforting him: "You are no longer in a good condition to continue the mission. You still have a chance to escape unscathed before being discovered."
"After the turmoil here is over, I will apply to Spandam…"
"No."
Lucci was silent for a long time before he spoke: "It's useless. Neither Spandam nor the World Government nor the justice we seek cares about the survival of tools."
There was a hint of self-mockery in Lucci's voice, and Kalifa was even more shocked when she heard it.
It was because after all these years, this was the first time she heard such emotion from this ice cube, and there was even a hint of confusion in it…
"What happened?!"
"Gin saw through my identity."
Kalifa's pupils shrank, her body froze instantly, and a cold light flashed in her eyes: "I'll take care of him."
Just as she was about to make a move, she was held down by Lucci.
Kalifa turned her head and looked at Lucci in confusion but heard words that puzzled her even more.
"He helped me keep the news secret."
"Why?!"
Kalifa's face was full of astonishment: "Why would anyone keep a sword around that could stab them in the back at any moment?!"
If they wanted to pretend to be close friends in order to infiltrate White Knight Pirate in the beginning, the development of the situation has now exceeded her cognition.
Lucci stretched out his hand, inserted his five fingers into his hair, gritted his teeth, and said: "I also want to know what kind of reason could make that man make such a choice."
"So…"
"He can't die until we find out why."
"Do you understand?"
Kalifa was stunned, she raised her hand and pushed her glasses indifferently, and for a moment she felt that Lucci was extremely strange at this time.
There was something new about him that was unprecedented and hard to fathom.
Kalifa didn't know what this was, but she knew that she had never seen this in the CP organization or even in the World Government officials.
After a while, Kalifa whispered: "I see."
While the two were talking, they had not noticed at all that in the observation tower of the Raven, a pair of indifferent pupils were looking at them intentionally or unintentionally.
"Interesting."
Van Augur fiddled with the receiver of the Den Den Mushi in his hand, with an inexplicable smile on his lips.
This was, of course, a wiretap Den Den Mushi. When he shot Kalifa in the snowy field, he had the intention of installing a wiretap Den Den Mushi on her. He had never expected that it would come in handy so soon.
"Even agents of the World Government were shaken; it is because of Gin's existence?"
"No!"
Van Augur's eyes cleared up: "What really made them waver was the will of this Pirate crew because of the captain's existence."
"I am increasingly curious about where their fate will eventually lead."
"Is it a complete break with the World Government and truly boarding our ship, or is it the end of their life?"
Between his words, Van Augur took a towel and disassembled his beloved gun body, meticulously and comprehensively maintaining it bit by bit.
After doing it all, Van Augur turned his head and looked towards the top of Drum Island at the chimney-shaped peaks that were over 5,000 meters above sea level.
Purple spores condensed into clusters, surrounding the middle of the mountain, revealing an inexplicable and enchanting beauty.
Van Augur knew how deadly those spores were. "I hope there won't be any accidents on Kuro's side."
… … …
At the underground of Drum Island, beside the muddy and filthy underground river, several figures were rubbing their way forward.
Under the double attack of dampness and coldness, even Musshuru, who was standing at the front of the team, couldn't help sneezing for a moment, and his snot was frozen into ice cubes.
The pirates around him were trembling all over and speaking incoherently due to the cold.
"Captain, I… We have been walking for a long time. Are you sure we are on the right track?!"
Musshuru blushed and argued: "Trust me, I won't be wrong this time!"
"As long as I get there, I can make all the spores that I have cultivated in my body for many years explode at once! At that time, everything in this country will cease to exist!"
Musshuru picked up the map at hand, looked at it again and again, and finally confirmed that he was not in the wrong place, and said: "There are still a few hundred meters left, and we'll be there!"
The pirates didn't know how many times they had heard this, but under the pressure of Musshuru's power, they could only follow him to the end.