Chapter 2: If You

"Captain System?"

Realizing what had happened, Gao Wen’s eyes lit up as a faint blue, translucent panel slowly unfolded before him.

Yet those around him showed no reaction—clearly, only Gao Wen could see the panel.

【Captain System】

【Host—Gao Wen】

【Age—24】

【Identity—Captain of the Gao Wen Pirates】

【Bounty—8 million Berries】

【Title—Knight】

【Skills:】

Swordsmanship—LV-4: 431/800

Physique—LV-3: 357/400

Navigation—LV-1: 39/50

】

【Badges:】

Captain’s Fury—Subordinates’ health recovery speed +20%

】

【Rating—Iron: Scum, no need to elaborate.】

Gazing at the glaring word “scum” at the bottom of the panel, Gao Wen’s lips twitched faintly, then he turned all his attention to the system.

Soon.

Gao Wen understood the system’s function.

For every bit of progress his crew made in cultivation, Gao Wen would gain ten times that amount.

The character rating represented his current strength, with six tiers total, from lowest to highest:

Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Legendary, Mythic.

The higher the tier, the greater the combat power—for example, peak Whitebeard, Roger, and others were mostly in the Legendary tier; the Four Emperors and Admirals started at Gold and some reached Legendary, while the Seven Warlords were primarily between Silver and Gold.

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

Gao Wen’s Iron rank was unquestionably the bottom of the pirate world—a true scum, though compared to other pirates on the island, he was at least a slightly larger scum.

The badge mentioned in the earlier notification also appeared on the panel, increasing his subordinates’ health recovery speed by 20%.

“So if I make my crew train hard, I get ten times the results directly?”

“And I can use the system badge to make these… I mean, my crew train faster, while I reap the benefits even quicker?”

“What kind of cyber-capitalist is this?!”

Gao Wen looked around at the pirates.

He did a quick count.

Including the few shipwrights still repairing the vessel, over ninety pirates remained here.

He turned to a nearby pirate:

“If we hide here at full capacity, how long could we hold out?”

“Optimistically, about a month.”

“A month…”

Gao Wen did a quick calculation.

Thirty days, one hundred people, tenfold efficiency…

That meant if he took this entire crew and trained here for a month, he’d gain the equivalent of what a normal person would achieve in over eighty years?

And after surviving this crisis, if he could recruit more geniuses, as long as they trained, he’d grow stronger at ten times their speed?

This effect could even stack!

According to Gao Wen’s memories, the current year was approximately Sea Calendar 1517—the year Ace set sail.

“Ace’s potential is far beyond ordinary people—he’ll awaken Conqueror’s Haki later, and he carries Roger’s bloodline.”

“And in the future, the Straw Hats’ two main fighters, Zoro and Sanji, are still a pirate hunter and a trainee at the Baratie, respectively.”

“If these three don’t die in their growth, according to the system’s standards, they’ll all reach at least Gold—or even Legendary—level!”

“If I could recruit them, how fast would I grow?”

“Forget it.”

“Right now, focus on something practical—set a small goal: kill Monka!”

Gao Wen looked at the pirate before him, who gazed at him with awe, and made up his mind.

…

The next morning.

Though the pirate crew’s upheaval the night before had been massive, Gao Wen had shown a decisiveness unlike anything before, granting the crew unprecedented confidence.

Thus their morale was excellent—they no longer looked lost and panicked, and even their movements had become orderly.

Gao Wen stood before them, satisfied as he gazed at his leeks.

After a long silence,

he spoke with a heavy tone:

“Ahem!”

“Brothers, after the shipwrights worked through the night, I regretfully announce we cannot set sail again. That leaves us only two paths forward.”

“First, hope another ship passes by before the Marines find us—but even if it’s possible, the odds are negligible.”

“Second, wait for the Marines to arrive and seize their warship. But Monka’s marines are elite in the East Blue—they just crushed us.”

At these words,

the pirates immediately panicked; the hope Gao Wen had sparked was instantly doused.

To these pirates, Monka was nearly invincible.

After all, even their own captain had been wounded by him and still wore bandages.

“I… I don’t want to die, Captain, save me.”

Sobs broke out among the crowd.

In truth, most pirates of this era were ordinary people who couldn’t survive at home.

With weapons in hand against other civilians, they were fearless—but fighting monsters was pure fantasy.

Gao Wen saw their reactions, and a faint smile curled his lips as he thought:

Gao Wen saw the others’ reactions, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he thought to himself:

Calling it mind control was exaggerated, but the countless short-video course scams of his past life worked exactly like this: first create anxiety, then sell the product.

The tactic was simple, yet always effective—among crowds, there were always a few fools who fell for it.

To Gao Wen, these pirates, with little education and no exposure to the information age, were no different from fools.

To Gao Wen, these pirates—who had read barely a few books and never felt the impact of the information age—were no different from fools.

Gao Wen raised his voice:

“Can we just sit here and wait to die?”

“Think of the vows you made when you set sail—not necessarily to find the One Piece, but where’s your money? Where is it?!”

“We haven’t found anything yet—why should we surrender to the Marines?!”

“You have over a month left—do you want to gamble and become a hero, or just let them cut your throats?”

The crowd erupted in louder shouts; the pirates, under Gao Wen’s manipulation, turned red-faced and heated.

A louder roar erupted from the crowd; under Gao Wen’s persuasion, every pirate turned red-faced and neck-deep, burning with fervor on the spot.

“Screw it! The timid starve, the bold feast!”

“Captain, tell us what to do!”

“Captain, tell us what we should do!”

The crowd grew more emotional.

Gao Wen sighed inwardly at how easily they were fooled, then continued:

“Brothers who are willing to gamble with me—raise your hands!”

“Brothers who are willing to gamble with me, raise your hands!”

Nearly a hundred men raised their hands without exception, their eyes burning with fire as they stared at Gao Wen.

Nearly a hundred men, without exception, raised their hands with solemn seriousness, their eyes fixed on Gao Wen as if flames burned within them.

Gao Wen smiled slightly and said:

“For the next month, drop all distractions and follow me in training—I will teach you everything I’ve learned!”

“For the next month or more, put aside all distractions and follow me in cultivation—I will impart to you everything I have learned!”

“You’re not training for me—you’re training for yourselves, because in this world, if you’re not strong, you won’t survive!”

“You can have money taken from you by swords and knives—but your strength, no one can take away!”

“You can lose your money to knives and swords, but no one can take away your strength!”

A surge of excited shouts erupted below; the pirates were utterly convinced by Gao Wen’s words.

A burst of excited voices erupted below, and all the pirates were convinced by Gao Wen’s words.

"That's right. Only strength is fundamental."

"I once foolishly believed the Marines would deliver justice and help me reclaim my property."

"Until I saw the noble who stole my wealth laughing and chatting with the Marines—I understood this world was beyond saving."

"Only strength is everything!"

A pirate with a mohawk stared with burning eyes:

"That's right!"

"Without strength, you cannot survive!"

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

(End of Chapter)