After the farce, the banquet quickly returned to its original happy and drinking state.
Robin also relied on her years of communication skills to mingle with everyone, and even Kalifa, who changed her clothes and reappeared, drank a few glasses with her.
As the night deepened, everyone drank until they were unconscious, lying on the ground by the fire, and the scene was snoring.
Lucci sat in the crowd, his eyes swept across everyone's faces one by one, and finally, he looked at Gin, who was smiling and toasting with Kuro.
"Are you worried?!"
Gawain, holding a bottle of wine in one hand, passed the pirates lying on the ground around the fire and sat down next to Lucci.
Lucci shook his head: "No, I just feel a kind of peace in my heart that I've never experienced before. I wish this moment could last forever."
Lucci raised his hand to take off the hat on his head and lay on his back.
"Haa!"
He took a deep breath, feeling the salty air brought by the sea breeze, and murmured: "Captain, where is the end of this journey?"
"Huh?"
Gawain took a sip of wine, and his eyes fell on the bonfire in the distance: "I haven't thought about this question yet."
"However, a man trapped in a treasure chest in the East Blue told me."
"The most meaningful thing about travel and adventure is never the end, but the people and things you meet along the way."
"If I have to say a destination, our next step is to go to the New World and seize a place where everyone can settle down."
"As for the so-called One Piece, it's not waiting for me."
"Is that so..."
Lucci opened his eyes and looked at the sky; under the shining moon, the white pigeon Hattori landed on his forehead at the right time, holding his head high and showing a very proud posture.
"Gu!"
Hattori made a cheerful cry.
Lucci's mouth also unconsciously revealed a smile, but he did not speak; he just quietly felt the warmth coming from the wind.
"Well, if you don't want to say it, forget it."
Seeing this, Gawain did not ask any more questions.
Everyone who can get on this ship has their own story.
Kuro once wanted to give up his identity as a pirate and secretly planned to exchange it for a peaceful life, but in the end, it was all in vain.
Gin gambled his life for loyalty but only got ruthless abandonment from Krieg.
Zoro is so crazy about pursuing the title of the strongest swordsman in the world, not only because it is his dream but also because of his friends who passed away many years ago.
Sanji, Robin…
Everyone has their own past, and it is enough to find a sense of belonging here and recognize each other.
"But."
Gawain turned to look at Lucci: "No matter what your past is or what your future will be like."
"Even if the World Government wants to take action against you, it has to get past me first, or at most sacrifice the identity of the Warlord of the Sea."
"Anyway, once you're on this ship, you're mine, and there's always a place for you on this ship."
"I know, I've always known."
Lucci responded and said no more. The remaining hesitation in his heart also completely dissipated at this moment.
"Well."
Gawain raised his hand and patted Lucci's shoulder, then stood up and left, leaving the space to him alone.
Early the next morning.
Gawain set out to send Robin back to Alubarna.
Thanks to Gawain's careful planning, Robin had now completely escaped the pursuit of the World Government.
Kizaru, who knew her identity, had an ambiguous attitude. Zephyr completely denied everything the World Government did to Ohara, and Aokiji had already treated her as his half-daughter.
The three of them had no reason to take the initiative to expose Robin's disguise. In other words, Robin already had the qualifications to come out in the open.
Leaving Robin in Alabasta with the identity of the eldest princess of Alabasta is much safer than boarding Gawain's ship. Besides, Robin will also hold the subsequent Martial Arts Tournament, which is an extremely important part of Gawain's plan.
Once Gawain has established a foothold in the New World and expanded to the Martial Arts Tournaments in the four seas, it will provide a steady stream of new blood for the White Knight Pirate.
In terms of talent selection alone, Gawain, who holds the Martial Arts Tournament, is comparable to the Marines.
Compared with Whitebeard, who relies on the father-son relationship, Kaido, who relies on taming captives or pirates who surrender to him, and even Big Mom, who holds a marriage alliance, the three forces are much more stable and reliable.
But that's all for later, on the deck.
Lucci put on a work suit and looked at the red dragon in the distance.
He didn't retract his sight until Gawain completely disappeared in the clouds.
After picking up the maintenance tools in one hand, Lucci turned around and returned to the lower cabin to continue inspecting the Raven's power system.
Seeing Lucci's arrival, several shipwrights quickly surrounded him, talking to each other and reporting the progress of the work.
"Instructor, the power system of the Raven has been inspected almost."
"The cracks on the transmission shaft have been repaired, and some aging parts of the hull have been replaced."
"There will be no problems in the subsequent voyages as long as there is no serious impact. This ship may really take us to the New World!"
"Hmm."
Lucci nodded repeatedly, and after confirming that there were no major problems with everyone's work, he let them leave, and he stayed in the cabin to recheck the hidden dangers on the ship.
He has a calm and composed personality, is meticulous in doing things, and even has a certain degree of detail control.
Originally, the inspection of the Raven was already demanding, but it was not like today. He checked the entire ship from top to bottom, bit by bit.
Even the smallest problem was not left out.
Time passed quickly, and it was already late at night.
Lucci sat alone under the cabin.
The lights flickered, and the dim firelight shone on Lucci's face. The sound of the hull being pressed by the sea water continued to come.
Squeak!
The cabin door was pushed open, and Kalifa walked in quickly and said to Lucci with a serious face: "Lucci, how are you going to deal with the matter with Spandam?"
"That guy is contacting us again now, and he didn't even mention the CP organization's backstabbing of us before…"
"Is this a misunderstanding, or are there other reasons?! "
Lucci put down the tools in his hand, raised his hand to catch the falling white pigeon Hattori, and said lightly: "Does it matter whether it is or not? Or are you willing to go back to that place again?"
"How is it possible!"
Kalifa sneered, and her disdain was evident in her words.
The more she integrated into Gawain's group, the more clearly she felt that the World Government had never regarded her as a companion.
Justice is not her destination.
"That's it."
"But if we really disobey the orders of the CP organization, it may implicate everyone."
This is what Kalifa is really worried about.
As agents carefully trained by the CP organization, they have been exposed to too many dark things hidden by the World Government and have known too many secrets.
No matter what, the World Government will not let them leave, let alone join a group of ambitious and powerful pirates.
Once the truth of their defection is revealed, there is only one way to go, and Gawain and everyone will also be implicated and face the encirclement of the Marines.
Kalifa can see this, and Lucci can see it too.