Life is pretty damn messed up.
Just yesterday morning, Gawain had passed the civil service interview back in his county hometown. He thought in a few months he'd officially start work and have the rest of his life secured.
Sure, a civil servant's life was plain and uneventful, but in this era where hitting thirty-five was practically considered retirement in all but name, who could refuse a lifetime meal ticket?
As for the low salary and the issue of finding a partner…
Heh. In today's version, that kind of stuff isn't even worth mentioning.
Besides, in the matchmaking market, civil servants could safely be ranked at the very top tier, no exaggeration.
Yet who could have guessed that after one night's sleep, Gawain would wake up on this desolate island, dressed in tight black leather armor, with several bandaged wounds still seeping blood?
It hurt.
At the same time, a noisy racket reached his ears…
"Although we've temporarily shaken off that bastard Morgan, within two or three months at most he'll find this place."
"Our ship also took heavy damage in the last battle. Without repairs, it'll be hard to sail much longer. When that happens…"
"Captain, what should we do next?"
…
Dozens of pirates surrounded Gawain, voices clashing all at once. The air was filled with chaos, and anyone could hear the fear lacing their words.
Feeling dizzy, Gawain instinctively barked,
"Quiet!"
After taking a moment to sort through the scrambled memories in his head, things became clear.
He was the captain of this pirate crew. A wanted pirate with an 8-million-Berry bounty, "Knight" Gawain.
A few days ago, they had clashed with Morgan at sea. Outmatched, he had led his battered crew in retreat until they reached this island.
Not only had he inherited the name of some predecessor, but even his look matched that guy's servant skin from a certain Chaldea. Of course, he wasn't actually a Fairy Knight, he just lacked the other's invincible power under the noonday sun.
For a moment, Gawain thought life had just gotten even messier.
It was one thing to transmigrate. But to transmigrate into the world of One Piece, with a bounty already slapped on his head and the Navy hot on his trail?
At best, he'd end up rotting away in Impel Down, wishing for death. At worst, he'd sink to the bottom of the sea.
Neither sounded good.
As for Morgan, Gawain vaguely remembered the guy.
Truth be told, in the grand scheme of One Piece, Morgan was just a washed-up Navy officer who could barely strut around in East Blue. On the Grand Line, just about anyone could hang him up and beat him.
But the problem was…
Gawain couldn't beat him.
The body's former owner had already fought him once, only to get completely dominated. His so-called knight's sword now bore several nicks from Morgan's axe.
That fact alone proved something: sure, Axe-Hand Morgan was trash, but he was still someone who once drew blood from Old Man Kuro. Not just anyone could claim that.
Which also made Gawain's own combat strength painfully clear:
Cannon fodder.
Compared to the freaks he remembered from the series, he wasn't even in the same league.
His brow furrowed.
He was the type who lived in the moment, only caring about the problem at hand.
And right now, the most important thing was figuring out how to survive Morgan's relentless pursuit.
After thinking for a while, he still had no clue. His gaze drifted toward the pirates in front of him.
Most wore panicked, confused expressions.
After half a month of running, the crew's morale had already collapsed. There were even whispers of mutiny.
So far, he had only managed to suppress it by force, but now…
Gawain glanced at his bleeding wounds.
In the crowd, one man's eyes lingered on those wounds. The corners of his mouth curled into a sinister smile as he stepped forward, his voice sharp like nails scraping glass.
"If you ask me, we might as well disband."
"These past months, following the captain hasn't brought us a single score. We're even forbidden from attacking civilians. The brothers aren't just missing out on a good life, we can barely get food."
"Are we really gonna sit here and wait for death?"
"Or maybe it's time we picked a new captain…"
The words set the crowd buzzing again. The pirates who had been standing close to Gawain instinctively stepped back.
Gawain got a good look at the speaker.
A bald brute over three meters tall, built like a tank, but with a shrill voice like a woman's.
His name was Lancer, Gawain's so-called first mate. But the man had been coveting the captain's seat for a long time.
He had never liked Gawain's refusal to plunder civilians, and had even gathered a faction of followers, setting himself up as a rival leader.
Clearly, he intended to use Gawain's injuries as the perfect chance to seize power.
Less than a hundred men, and already full of schemers. Gawain could only think: in a small temple, the demons run wild; in a shallow pond, there are too many turtles.
Normally, any other pirate captain would have simply cut down a challenger.
After all, even Usopp got beaten bloody for challenging his captain's authority back in Water 7.
But Gawain's predecessor hadn't done that. He had insisted on his so-called knightly code, mumbling about mercy and compassion, nonsense fit only to fool children.
If you're so upright and righteous, what the hell are you doing being a pirate?
Wait, what's this about sleeping with the Queen of Goa Kingdom?
And her name was Guinevere?
Hold on, isn't that something the purple-haired guy who hated you did in another story?!
You enjoyed yourself, left, and I'm the one who has to deal with the fallout?!
Gawain's eyes hardened, his face turned cold.
A mutiny was brewing, and in a pirate crew, if the captain lost, it usually meant death.
He didn't plan on dying. Which meant the others would have to.
Even if he had transmigrated, the body's memories and combat instincts still lingered, inevitably shaping his thoughts.
And as for killing…
Sure, his predecessor upheld knightly ideals. But he had still been a pirate, and every pirate had blood on their hands.
Besides, knightly mercy was reserved for comrades. On the battlefield, a knight often played the role of executioner.
Right now, Gawain had the decisiveness his predecessor lacked, and his predecessor had the combat ability Gawain needed.
So what if he couldn't handle monsters of the sea?
He could damn well handle this mutinous bastard.
His eyes locked on Lancer, his voice like ice:
"What?"
"You plan to make a move against me?"
Clang!
The knight's sword slid from its sheath, gleaming coldly in the firelight.
Gawain's aura shifted in an instant, sharp, lethal, murderous.
The sudden change shocked the surrounding pirates. In all their years with him, never had they seen Gawain exude such terrifying killing intent.
Lancer faltered, fear flashing in his eyes, but he had already drawn the bowstring and couldn't stop now.
True, Gawain was injured, and even in a direct fight Lancer wasn't sure he could win.
But he counted on Gawain's nature: soft-hearted, indecisive, merciful to his crew. Easy to fool. Easy to deal with.
Clutching a flintlock, Lancer put on a pained, righteous expression.
"Captain, are you really going to let the crew all die before—"
He never finished.
Gawain stepped forward in a blur, crossing the distance in a heartbeat. His sword flashed silver in the air.
By the time the others realized what happened, a head was already rolling across the ground. The flintlock in Lancer's hand had been cleaved in two.
Clatter!
The broken barrel spilled its unused black powder like sand.
Lancer's headless body still held the gun in mid-draw, twitched a few times, then collapsed backward into a spreading pool of blood.
Whoosh!
Gawain flicked the blood from his blade, eyes sweeping the crowd coldly. His voice didn't waver in the slightest:
"Anyone else?!"
Silence. Absolute silence.
The sight had frozen them with fear.
No one had expected Gawain to act so ruthlessly, leaving Lancer no chance at all.
With his old personality, he would never have struck down a comrade until the very last moment. That weakness was exactly why Lancer dared to rebel despite being weaker.
But now, everything was different.
This version of their captain terrified them, but also reassured them.
This was what a pirate captain should be.
Strong, cold-blooded, merciless. Only someone like this could survive at sea.
When no one dared respond, Gawain sat back down.
A few pale-faced pirates dragged Lancer's corpse away, leaving a long, bloody trail.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
From Lancer's betrayal to Gawain's strike had taken mere seconds, but the impact was overwhelming.
The captain who once upheld knightly ideals had finally bared his fangs.
The pirates looked at him with renewed eyes.
If moments ago they had looked at him out of instinct, now they looked at him as their only hope.
Gawain ignored their reactions.
A mechanical chime suddenly rang in his mind:
"Captain System activated!"
"Congratulations! Badge unlocked—Captain's Fury!"
"Crew stamina recovery speed +20%!"
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