Gawain's lips curled into a faint smile. Ignoring the warning, he stepped forward.
Bang!
A gunshot rang from the jungle ahead.
The black bullet, before reaching Gawain, was sliced in half by a silver slash, grazing his clothes as it flew past.
"Another step, and my next shot aims for your head!" the voice warned again.
Gawain sensed the fear and unease, already guessing the speaker's identity.
He pressed forward.
A green, afro-like box appeared in his view.
"What's that?" Nami asked, eyeing it curiously, then pointing to a flintlock nearby. "There's the gun! Still smoking!"
The box twitched visibly.
Gawain spotted a foot poking out beneath it.
He strode up, grabbing the afro and lifting.
A middle-aged man's face emerged, his body comically crammed in the box, only arms and feet sticking out.
"Stop pretending. You fired that shot!" Gawain said, recognizing Gaimon, the box-bound oddity from the original story.
Tragic for guarding empty treasure chests his whole life, yet fortunate for finding something truly worth protecting here.
"Let me go, pirate!" Gaimon struggled, his short arms flailing, unable to reach his head—a ridiculous sight.
"What's this?" Nami pushed through, staring at the box-man, baffled. "A person in a box? How do you live like that?!"
The crew gathered, curious. Even the stoic Kuro poked Gaimon's face with a stick, prompting Gin's lip to twitch. "That's a bit rude~"
Suddenly, a chorus of roars echoed from the jungle. Dozens of bizarre beasts charged, baring teeth at Gawain.
Despite his killing aura, they didn't flinch.
Gaimon's eyes widened. Unable to turn in the box, he shouted, "Go back! I've handled guys like this alone before!"
"And you!" he glared at Gawain. "Hurt my friends, and I won't let you off!"
His tiny arms waved, utterly unthreatening, making Gawain's mouth twitch.
"You're making me sound like the villain," Gawain said, rubbing his head and setting Gaimon down.
Gaimon scrambled to the beasts, shielding them with his small frame, glaring warily. "Don't touch them!"
Gawain spread his hands. "As you see, we're pirates. A storm's coming, and we need shelter."
"If it's not too much trouble…"
Gaimon's eyes lit up. "Fine, but you need to help me get something!"
Gawain nodded, already knowing what Gaimon wanted.
"Only you come!" Gaimon insisted.
"Deal."
Gawain signaled Kuro and the others to wait, then followed Gaimon.
No one, except Nami, worried for his safety. If an enemy could challenge Gawain, only Kuro stood a chance among them.
…
Gaimon's short legs moved swiftly.
Minutes later, they reached the island's depths, heading toward a mountain peak.
Gawain, trailing, asked, "Not afraid I'll turn on you?"
Gaimon paused. "I can tell. Your strength dwarfs any pirate I've met. If you were truly evil, I'd be dead from that shot."
"You're not arrogant toward the weak. Not a typical pirate."
He resumed his trek.
Gawain, stunned, shook his head with a wry smile. "A good-guy card, huh? Not bad."
He hurried after.
Soon, they reached a peak.
A massive boulder, twenty meters high, loomed. Gaimon's height and box made climbing impossible, even with his animal friends.
"There," Gaimon said, excited. "Get the box up there. Even if you take what's inside, I need to see the treasure I've guarded for twenty years!"
Gawain, knowing the answer, had little interest. He grabbed Gaimon and tossed him up.
"See for yourself," he said.
Gaimon, too focused to listen, opened the boxes. Silence followed.
After a long pause, a sigh. "So they knew back then… the boxes were empty?"
Gaimon muttered.
Gawain called up, "Find what you were waiting for?"
Gaimon started, looking around. From the island's highest point, he saw everything.
His strange animal friends roamed, heading toward him.
These companions of years—weren't they a treasure worth a lifetime's protection?
Gaimon wiped a tear. "Yeah. The best treasure, worth guarding forever."
"Hmph," Gawain smirked, catching Gaimon as he dropped.
Gaimon looked at him. "Hey, kid, I found my treasure. What about you?"
"What's out there, worth your life, worth waiting twenty years for?"
"Without that, even great strength will be taken by stronger foes!"
Gawain froze, his mind blank. He'd never considered it.
Since crossing over, his sword and crew had made him unstoppable in East Blue.
Monka, Krieg, Arlong—none lasted a single clash.
His plan was to make a name in the Grand Line, become a Warlord.
But that was just a step, not his true desire.
"Something worth my life…" he murmured.
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