Chapter 161 A Good Comrade of the Revolutionary Army

Water 7, Harbor.

Several shipwrights from Galley-La Company were diligently carrying out maintenance and repair work on Sabo and his companions' ship, while Hack the Fishman stood quietly nearby, awaiting the results of their inspection.

Earlier, when Hack mentioned staying here to repair the ship, it wasn't simply to create some private time and space for the two youngsters, Koala and Sabo.

This ship had been through fierce battles during Sabo and his team's mission, and it was originally scheduled to sail straight back to the Revolutionary Army's base for an overhaul.

However, Sabo suddenly decided to visit Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates, and so this battle-scarred and rather battered vessel was forced to accompany Sabo and his companions on their long voyage toward the New World.

The New World was distant with ever-changing weather, and it remained uncertain whether this ship could withstand that level of extended navigation.

For the sake of safety on this trip, Hack had indeed sought out Water 7's most renowned Galley-La Company to inspect and repair their vessel.

"Mister?"

The lead shipwright, wearing a baseball cap and sporting a strange, square, elongated nose, stepped up to Hack with a solemn expression after finishing the inspection, and said:

"I am Kaku, a senior shipwright of the Galley-La Company."

"Your ship is severely damaged and must undergo essential repairs before it can continue sailing."

"What?"

Hack furrowed his brows tightly and asked with evident concern, "How long will it take to complete?"

"At least three days."

Kaku rubbed his square, elongated nose, then spoke in a matter-of-fact and calm tone:

"Otherwise, this ship simply won't be able to endure the strain of a long voyage."

"Can't it be any faster?"

Hack's brows knitted even deeper.

Though he didn't know why, Hack could still sense Sabo's urgent desire to reach the New World and visit Ace.

Furthermore, the Revolutionary Army always operated with strict rules, secrecy, and a low profile. Moving off-plan like this meant they especially shouldn't linger in one place for too long.

"Really not possible. Please trust the judgment of a top-tier shipwright."

A formal, practiced smile appeared on Kaku's face, his tone remaining calm and unquestionable:

"Besides, you mentioned that this ship needs to make a long voyage to the New World."

"You are a Fishman, so you should know how immense the risks are on that undersea route to Fish-Man Island."

"To rashly set sail in a compromised vessel is irresponsible toward the lives of the crew, and irresponsible toward the ship itself."

"This..."

Hack looked at the sea vessel, which had suffered considerable damage during the battles, and looked somewhat hesitant.

"And it's clear your ship has been through quite a few battles..."

"If you have operational needs, you should all the more consider the quality and safety of your sea vessel."

Kaku gave Hack a deep look and asked, seemingly in passing:

"You... should be pirates, right?"

Hack's expression stiffened, and the look he directed toward Kaku suddenly grew somewhat guarded.

As a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Army, Hack was always extremely sensitive to questions regarding his identity.

"Hahahaha..."

Kaku, however, laughed heartily, waved his hand, and said:

"Mister, don't worry."

"We here in Water 7 always do business with pirates; there's no way we would report you to the Marines."

"Otherwise, relying solely on the World Government's pitifully few orders, our Galley-La Company would have gone bankrupt long ago."

Hack fell silent for a moment, and simply went with the flow, admitting to his "pirate" identity:

"That's right, we are indeed pirates."

He finally made his decision:

"Then we will stay in Water 7 for three days."

"The repair work for this ship is entrusted to you."

"No problem."

Kaku nodded, a sincere expression on his face as he said, "Then I will take my leave."

"Once the materials are ready, the shipwrights of our Galley-La Company will come as soon as possible to repair this vessel."

With that, Kaku did not drag his feet. After confirming the order with Hack, he called out to the other shipwrights and turned to leave.

Watching the young shipwright's receding back, Hack involuntarily felt the vigilance of a veteran Revolutionary Army soldier.

Yet, upon careful thought, this seemed to be nothing more than ordinary boat repair business, and Hack could not spot any flaws no matter how he looked at it.

"Master Hack!"

Just as he was feeling somewhat conflicted, Koala's voice came from nearby.

"You're back?"

Hack turned around with a smile to greet them, only to be astonished to find that Koala's face still bore un-dried tear tracks.

Moreover, aside from Koala, even the corners of Sabo's eyes beside her were slightly red and swollen, clearly having just cried heavily.

The Fishman Hack couldn't help but feel a bit surprised:

He knew Koala was very emotional and could well up in tears over the smallest things;

Yet Sabo was a resolute young man, and Hack hadn't seen Sabo cry much at all since he was a child.

"What's wrong?!"

Hack asked with considerable worry, "Why were you crying?"

"It's nothing."

Though Sabo's eyes were somewhat red and swollen, the smile on his face was bright and radiant.

That heartfelt joy was completely melted into his deeply optimistic voice:

"I just encountered something very happy."

Even though he had parted ways with Galt early and walked all the way back to the harbor, Sabo's mind was still immersed in that extremely rare and precious reunion.

Through Galt's Den Den Mushi projection screen, Sabo had seen Luffy, whom he had forgotten for a full eight years, and Luffy had also found Sabo, the older brother he thought had died.

Two exceptional youths blessed with the protagonist's halo cried like a couple of hundred-pound children under those circumstances.

And Sabo still couldn't forget Luffy's unwavering reply when he said he would return to the East Blue to see Luffy:

"You don't need to come looking for me. Just knowing you're still alive is enough."

"I'm the man who's going to become the King of the Pirates!"

"I'll find you on the sea with my own strength, Sabo!"

Although he didn't know why...

Luffy's original words weren't "King of the Pirates," but something like "King of the Navigation."

Furthermore, right after saying that, Luffy had noisily shouted things at Galt like "I will definitely defeat you," "I'll take the title back sooner or later," and other remarks that Sabo couldn't understand at all.

Yet, aside from this minor point of puzzlement, the optimistic, cheerful smile on Luffy's face and his unshakeable tone when he spoke those words were things Sabo would find hard to forget for a long time.

"That's great..."

Recalling these scenes, Sabo couldn't help but murmur again with a heart full of gratification:

"You haven't changed at all, Luffy."

Watching Sabo's dazed appearance, Hack grew even more worried.

He simply turned his head and asked his apprentice, Koala:

"Koala?"

"What on earth happened to you guys in the city?"

Koala replied with a smile: "We ran into that Warlord Galt."

"Oh..."

"You ran into Galt..."

Hack murmured, repeating his disciple's words, and remained stunned for a long time before suddenly reacting:

"What?!"

Hack was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out of his head: "You ran into that Galt?!"

His face turned pale, and he anxiously asked:

"Where is he?"

"You weren't hurt, right? Are we safe now?"

Hack immediately struck a Fishman Karate stance, ready at any moment to deal with the attack of that evil and powerful Celestial Dragon he imagined.

"It's fine, Master Hack!"

Koala, however, smiled and grabbed Hack's tensed arm, saying with a relaxed expression:

"That Galt isn't a bad guy at all!"

"Huh?"

Hack's body froze, his face filled with astonishment.

"That's right."

Sabo also nodded earnestly and added:

"We misunderstood him before."

"Not only is Galt not some Celestial Dragon, he is actually a good comrade of our Revolutionary Army!"

The word "comrade" was also something Sabo had just learned from Galt, used specifically to refer to those who strive and fight together for a common aspiration.

"W-What?"

Hack trembled all over with shock: "You didn't even tell him that we're from the Revolutionary Army, did you?"

"We didn't say it..."

Koala explained with a hint of thoughtfulness:

"Regarding the Revolutionary Army, that Galt seemed to know more about certain things than we do."

"For instance, our leader's son turns out to be..."

Hack's vision went dark, and he looked as though he was about to lose his footing.

Who their leader's son was—even he, a senior cadre of the Revolutionary Army, didn't know;

Yet such top-secret information of the Revolutionary Army was thoroughly known by a "Celestial Dragon."

Sabo hurried forward to steady the unsteady Hack and said:

"Don't worry, Senior Hack."

"We can be sure he is no Celestial Dragon, nor is he any lackey of the World Government."

"The theories he spoke of are things only a true comrade could utter!"

"That's right!"

Koala chimed in repeatedly, a trace of distant reverence for Galt appearing between her brows:

"After meeting him, I finally understood what the true mission of our Revolutionary Army is..."

"..."

The astonishment on Hack's face did not diminish in the slightest; instead, a few more shades of worry crept in: "Did you two get brainwashed by the enemy?"

"No!"

Koala and Sabo answered with unwavering firmness.

Hack furrowed his brow and simply asked Sabo:

"If you say Galt isn't a Celestial Dragon, then wasn't it him who killed your family?"

"No, it was him."

Sabo nodded very honestly.

Hack's expression froze, and he said with a pale face:

"You—you two have definitely been brainwashed!"