Chapter 107: Martial Arts Conference 20

The three of them leaned in together, beginning to discuss the details.

Only half an hour passed, and the general schedule of this Martial Arts Conference was settled; the event, originally meant to be held internally within the crew, was changed to be held publicly in the East Blue.

Gao Wen directly copied the procedure of the Colosseum in Dressrosa.

Establish four arenas—Southeast, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest—launch a free-for-all; the last four fighters standing in each arena advance to the top sixteen, then face off in one-on-one matches, with winners progressing until the champion is crowned!

For the first Martial Arts Conference, everyone in Gao Wen's Pirate Crew willing to participate will join, and others may also sign up, setting a precedent for future annual events.

After this edition, Gao Wen's Pirate Crew will establish a rough ranking system; new members must climb up step by step by challenging those above them.

The ultimate winner of the Martial Arts Conference will have their name engraved in the Hall of Fame and receive a substantial cash prize along with other rare treasures.

Honor and wealth both maximized—no fear of lacking participants.

"As for the prizes… the auction house in Loguetown often sells famous swords or Devil Fruits."

"But because it's the execution site of the Pirate King Roger, many pirates cause trouble there every day, carrying large sums of cash; without sufficient strength, they're easy targets."

"The next auction should be in half a month."

Saying this, Gasha blinked his eyes toward Gao Wen, the meaning unmistakable.

Money.

Gao Wen smiled wryly and shook his head, saying:

"There's still some of A Long's earnings left—I can allocate part of it to you first, let Jin… no, I'll go to Loguetown myself."

"You can't leave the port affairs, and that smoke-obsessed bastard? Only I can handle him."

Gasha nodded vigorously.

Turning, Gao Wen conveyed the adjustments to the Martial Arts Conference to his crew members.

The crew's internal rankings will be determined by the results of this Martial Arts Conference; afterward, anyone dissatisfied may challenge others in internal ranking battles to rise in position.

Yet no one expressed the slightest dissatisfaction.

In the conference room.

After hearing Gao Wen's explanation, Sanji's eyes sparkled:

"So this time we'll have a bigger stage—even facing all the commoners and noble young ladies of the East Blue. If I win, they'll see my heroic figure."

"Then… hehehe~"

Saying this.

Sanji's nostrils visibly widened, and his hands even formed an indescribable curve; beside him, Nami's temple throbbed with visible veins:

"Idiot!"

Bang!

Nami punched Sanji in the head, knocking him straight to the ground.

A visible lump swelled on Sanji's head, even steaming slightly.

Zoro glanced at the two, sneered at Sanji, then ignored him entirely, his attention fully drawn to what Gao Wen had said:

"A public Martial Arts Conference?"

"The entire East Blue—or even monsters from the Grand Line—might come."

"To fight such strong opponents, my current strength is probably insufficient."

"Looks like I can't slack off for the next three months."

Nami glanced at Zoro subtly, muttering:

"If you keep pushing yourself like this, just live in the training room full-time—eat, drink, pee, poop, all there."

"Huh?"

Zoro turned his head, puzzled, looking at Nami, who gave him a polite yet elegant smile:

"Nothing."

The newly empowered Cat Brothers, Jin, who desperately wanted to become Gao Wen's second-in-command, and even Fan Fan Aoka, who had just joined and was obsessed with money—all looked eager to participate.

"Fighting within a fixed range isn't fair for snipers."

"But fate is sometimes capricious—fights happen anytime, and you can't always choose a battlefield where you hold the advantage."

Fan Fan Aoka lowered his famed rifle, Qian Lu, then pulled out a pair of revolvers from beneath his coat, carefully adjusted them, and finally nodded in satisfaction:

"This is when you two step in!"

Jin glanced at him, then at the two revolvers, sensing a faint sense of danger:

"You're far more dangerous than you look!"

"Mm~"

Fan Fan Aoka shrugged, his eyes toward Jin filled with wariness:

"I can't possibly match someone like you, Captain Jin."

"But."

Saying this.

He looked around, his gaze passing over the Cat Brothers and Zoro, meeting theirs—four eyes locking, sparks nearly visible in the air.

Fan Fan Aoka's lips curled slightly as he said calmly:

"Aside from you three monsters, I won't lose to anyone else."

"Hoh~"

Zoro didn't back down:

"Funny—I feel the same way. And I'd also like to see just how strong Captain Jin really is!"

"You'll see."

Jin's expression remained calm, but inside, a sense of urgency surged.

Nowadays he could still use a power one tier higher to suppress these ambitious newcomers, but as time went on, the gap between the two sides kept shrinking.

"It's time to find a way to break through my own limits."

"Whether it's the Haki Mr. Gao Wen spoke of, or the Devil Fruit."

"My companions are all growing stronger — how could I possibly be content to stop here?"

……

Above the meeting room.

Gao Wen took in everyone's reactions and nodded with satisfaction.

Looks like.

This restructuring of the martial arts tournament had not only failed to strip this batch of leeks of their fighting spirit, but had actually made the gunpowder smell between them even thicker.

That's the way it should be!

That very evening.

These brand-new leeks handed Gao Wen a perfect report card.

"Physique EXP +781!"

…… (omitted)

"Sniping EXP +62!"

"Devil Fruit — Zoan EXP +50!"

"Navigation EXP +60!"

Inside the room.

Gao Wen listened to the familiar system chime, and the expression on his face, apart from being complicated, was also a little strange.

He summoned the system.

Immediately the familiar character panel appeared before Gao Wen's eyes:

【Host — Gao Wen】

【Age — 24】

【Identity — Captain of the Gao Wen Pirate Crew】

【Skills:

Swordsmanship — LV-10: 6413/12000 (Godspeed, Ultimate Blade)

Physique — LV-10: 8361/12000 (Balance, Harmony) (Human-Beast Form: LV-13 / Beast Form: LV-14)

Shave — LV-5: 1451/2500 (Soru)

Observation Haki — LV-3: 2411/3200

Armament Haki — LV-1: 288/1000

Navigation — LV-5: 165/MAX

Red Dragon Fruit — LV1: 60/2000

Sniping — LV1: 108/400

】

【Badges:

Captain's Fury — Crew stamina recovery speed +20%

Rising Fame — View Potential Ability

Bounty Over 100 Million — Sea's Favor (used)

】

【Rating — Bai Yin:

Bai Yin Limit!

You have awakened your true heart, tempered your will, and taken the first step on the road to supremacy!

】

During this period, his training had been on and off, and the experience in each skill had grown considerably, though not as evenly as before.

His rating had reached Bai Yin Limit; as long as he continued to use his abilities skillfully afterward, he could take another step forward and truly reach Gold level.

The experience for the Zoan Devil Fruit ability was undoubtedly contributed by the Cat Brothers — sixty points a day, not a lot, not a little, but at least much faster than Gao Wen training it himself.

But what truly caught his attention.

Was instead Navigation and the Sniping gained from Van Augur.

"Is Navigation LV-5 already my cap? I didn't even awaken a single sub-entry."

"That's right — this body has no talent for navigation to begin with; otherwise I wouldn't have sailed for years and still only be level one."

"The key is that even though the skill has already hit its cap, this useless experience keeps piling up."

"It's being purely wasted."

(End of this chapter)