Chapter 2: Survival Is Impossible Without Strength

"Captain System?"

Realizing what had happened, Gao Wen's eyes lit up as a faint blue, semi-transparent panel slowly unfolded before him.

The people around him showed no reaction whatsoever, clearly indicating that only Gao Wen could see this panel.

【Captain System】

【Host - Gao Wen】

【Age - 24】

【Identity - Captain of the Gao Wen Pirate Crew】

【Bounty - 8,000,000 Berries】

【Title - Knight】

【Skills:

Swordsmanship - LV-4: 431/800

Physique - LV-3: 357/400

Navigation - LV-1: 39/50

】

【Badge:

Captain's Wrath - Subordinates' stamina recovery speed +20%

】

【Rating - Iron: Small fry, no need for further comment.】

Seeing the glaring words "small fry" at the end of the panel, the corner of Gao Wen's mouth twitched imperceptibly, after which he focused all his attention on the system.

Very quickly.

Gao Wen figured out the system's functions.

For every unit of progress a crew member made in cultivation, Gao Wen would receive ten times that benefit.

As for the character rating, it represented one's current strength, consisting of six tiers from bottom to top:

Iron, Bronze, Bai Yin, Gold, Legend, Myth.

The higher the tier, the stronger the combat power; for instance, peak figures like Whitebeard and Luo Jie were basically at the Legend tier, while the Four Emperors and Admirals started from the Gold tier with some also reaching the Legend tier, whereas the Seven Warlords of the Sea were mainly concentrated between the Bai Yin and Gold tiers.

As for the highest tier, Myth, it existed only in theory.

Someone like Gao Wen, rated as Iron, was undoubtedly at the very bottom of the pirate world, a proper small fry, though compared to the other pirates on the island, Gao Wen barely counted as a slightly larger small fry.

The badge mentioned in the earlier prompt sound was also displayed on the panel, capable of increasing subordinates' stamina recovery speed by 20%.

"In other words, as long as I let my subordinates cultivate hard, I can directly obtain ten times the returns?"

"I can even rely on the system badge's function to make these leeks... I mean, these crew members accelerate their cultivation speed, allowing me to harvest even faster?"

"What kind of cyber-capitalist is this?!"

Gao Wen looked at the pirates surrounding him.

He counted them briefly.

Including the few shipwrights who had stayed behind on the ship for repairs, the number of pirates remaining here exceeded ninety.

He then turned his head to look at a pirate nearby:

"If we hide with all our might here, how long can we drag things out?"

"Optimistically estimating, about a month."

"A month..."

Gao Wen did a quick calculation.

Thirty days, one hundred people, ten times efficiency...

In other words, as long as he took this shipload of pirates and cultivated here for a month, he could obtain the results of an ordinary person cultivating for over eighty years?

Furthermore, after surviving this crisis, if he could recruit more geniuses under his command, then as long as they cultivated, he could become stronger at ten times the speed?

This speed was even stackable!

According to the memories in Gao Wen's mind, the current time was approximately year 1517 of the Sea Circle Calendar, which was the year Ace set sail.

"Ace's potential should be far above that of an ordinary person; after all, he will later awaken Conqueror's Haki, plus he has the boost of Luo Jie's bloodline."

"Moreover, the two main combat forces of the future Straw Hats, Zoro and Sanji—one is still working as a pirate hunter, and the other is still an apprentice at the sea restaurant Baratie."

"As long as these three do not die prematurely during their growth, according to the system's evaluation standards, they will at least reach the Gold tier or even the Legend tier in the future!"

"If I can recruit them under my command, how fast will my growth speed be?"

"Forget it."

"For now, I should think about something practical; let's set a small goal first: instant-kill Morgan!"

Looking at the pirates before him who were gazing at him with awe, Gao Wen formed a plan in his heart.

Early the next morning.

Although the upheaval that occurred within the pirate crew last night was huge, Gao Wen had also displayed a decisiveness completely different from his past, bringing everyone unprecedented confidence.

Therefore, their mental state was quite good; they were no longer at a loss and panicking as before, with fear written all over their faces, and even their actions had become orderly.

Gao Wen stood before everyone, looking satisfactorily at his leeks.

After remaining silent for a while.

He finally spoke with a slightly heavy tone:

"Ahem!"

"Brothers, after the shipwrights worked through the night on repairs, I can only regretfully announce that we cannot set sail again; this means there are now only two paths to survival left for us."

"First, we hope another ship passes by before the Navy finds us, but while that possibility isn't zero, it is vanishingly small."

"Second, we wait for the Navy to arrive and then seize their warship; however, the marines led by Morgan are absolutely an elite force in the East Blue, especially since we just suffered a crushing defeat at their hands."

As soon as these words were spoken.

The pirates on the scene immediately panicked; the hope that had just risen because of Gao Wen was instantly doused with a bucket of cold water.

In the hearts of this group of pirates, Morgan was nearly an invincible existence.

After all, even their own captain, strong as he was, had been injured by him, and bandages still wrapped his body even now.

"I..."

"I don't want to die; Captain, save me."

Even sobs could be heard rising from the crowd.

In truth, the vast majority of pirates in this era were merely ordinary people who could no longer survive in their hometowns.

Wielding knives and spears against other common folk, they naturally feared nothing, but fighting certain monsters was nothing short of a fool's dream.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Gao Wen curled the corners of his mouth slightly and thought to himself:

Done!

Calling it brainwashing might be an exaggeration, but the tactic used by countless short-video course sellers in my past life was exactly this: first create anxiety, then sell the product.

The trick is simple yet never fails; after all, with so many people, there will always be a few fools who fall for it.

To Gao Wen, these pirates who had barely attended school and never experienced the shock of the information age were no different from fools.

"But!"

Gao Wen raised his voice:

"Can we just sit here and wait for death?"

"Think of the vows you made when you set sail; not to mention finding the One Piece, but what about the money? Where is the money?!"

"We haven't found anything yet, so how can we surrender to the Navy?!"

"With just over a month left, do you want to gamble and become heroes, or stretch your necks for the blade?"

The crowd instantly erupted with even louder noises; under Gao Wen's instigation, the pirates turned red in the face and neck, boiling over with rage on the spot.

"Let's fight them to the death!"

"Damn it, the timid starve to death while the bold eat their fill!"

"Captain, tell us what we should do!"

The crowd grew increasingly emotional.

After sighing inwardly that they were so easy to fool, Gao Wen continued:

"Brothers willing to follow me and take this gamble, please raise your hands!"

Swish!

Without a single exception, nearly a hundred people raised their hands with serious expressions, their eyes fixed on Gao Wen as if a fire were burning within them.

"Very good! Full of spirit!"

Gao Wen smiled slightly and spoke:

"For the next month or so, put aside all distracting thoughts and follow me in cultivation; I will impart everything I have learned to you!"

"Remember!"

"You are not cultivating for me, but for yourselves, because in this era, if you are not strong, you cannot survive!"

"Your money can be taken by swords and spears, but your strength no one can ever take away!"

"Oh!"

A surge of excited shouts suddenly erupted from below; the pirates were all convinced by Gao Wen's words.

"That's right; only strength is fundamental."

"In the past, I was even naive enough to think the Navy would uphold justice for me and help me reclaim my property."

"But when I saw the noble who stole my property standing together with the Navy, chatting and laughing, I understood that this world was already beyond saving."

"Only strength is everything!"

A pirate sporting a mohawk hairstyle gazed with fervent eyes:

"That's right!"

"If you aren't strong, you cannot survive!"

"And now, the only one who can give us hope is Captain Gao Wen!"

(End of Chapter)