Chapter 288: Swordsmanship Grandmaster, Tempering the Black Blade!

In his mind, he had already seen himself awakening before Gao Wen, and the look of frustration on the latter's face!

For in Xiang Keluo's eyes,

since the Eastern Sea, Gao Wen had displayed a learning ability and growth speed that could be called terrifying.

Upon first meeting, he had deciphered Shusui, and within just a few short days, mastered it thoroughly, integrating it into his own combat style.

Later, by merely observing, he saw through the secrets of the Six Powers, organized them in less than a month, and even mastered Soru, which Roubo Luqi had spent over a decade to master, with great speed.

That was the condensation of the lifelong studies of countless strong men within the World Government, yet Gao had cracked it in this most primitive way. Xiang Keluo still remembered the look on Roubo Luqi's face, as if he'd seen a ghost, when he learned Gao Wen had mastered the Six Powers!

Since boarding Gao Wen's ship, he had experienced defeat after defeat. Although he had long abandoned the idea of defeating Gao Wen to become captain, how could he possibly be content to eat Gao Wen's exhaust fumes?!

Now he truly saw a glimmer of hope to surpass Gao Wen!

Even if it was only in terms of ability development!

"Hmph~ Gao Wen."

Xiang Keluo crossed his arms, his tone punctuated, his chin raised slightly:

"I have already felt the consciousness hidden within the Devil Fruit."

"Once I thoroughly tame it, my ability will reach a new level, awakening before you."

Hearing the obvious emphasis on the words 'before you', Gao Wen's eye twitched uncontrollably:

"If you wish to use pressure to awaken again, I don't mind helping you once more."

Gao Wen placed one hand on Guanshi Zhengzong, deciding in his heart that this time he would make Xiang Keluo clearly distinguish who was the big boss and who was the small one.

Little did he know Xiang Keluo completely refused to take the bait, his face becoming even more smug:

"Even relying on myself, I can do it. How could the pressure you bring possibly be stronger than motivation?"

Having said that, Xiang Keluo turned and floated away, vanishing without a trace in a few breaths, fearing Gao Wen might break the rules and attack him, an old comrade.

"A man's desire for victory?!"

"Boring."

Gao Wen laughed and cursed, putting on an air of complete indifference, yet his hand unconsciously tightened around Guanshi Zhengzong at his waist.

No!

I cannot let that old guy get ahead!

Gao Wen's heart tightened; he summoned the system panel and glanced roughly at his various stats:

【Host - Gao Wen】

【Age - 25】

【Identity - Captain of the Gao Wen Pirates】

【Skills:

Swordsmanship - LV-14: 74231/75000 (Divine Speed, Extreme Blade)

Physique - LV-16: 111315/300000 (Balance, Harmony, Heaven and Man) (Demon Form: LV-18 / Human-Beast Form: LV-18 / Beast Form: LV-19)

Shusui - LV-9: 45/20000 (Soru)

Red Dragon Fruit - LV-7: 45342/100000 (Battle Armor)

Six Powers (All) - LV-8: 2312/150000 (Soru)

Observation Haki - LV-7: 24897/50000 (Precognition)

Armament Haki - LV-6: 17650/30000 (Diamond)

Conqueror's Haki - LV-5: 413/50000 (Overlord Body)

Navigation - LV-5: MAX

Sniping - LV-5: MAX (Precision)

】

【Badges:

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

Rising Fame - View potential abilities

Bounty Over 100 Million - Grace of the Great Sea (Used)

Warlord of the Sea - Experience Storage Tank (Allocated: Navigation, Sniping, Paramecia-type Devil Fruit)

】

【Rating - Legendary:

Emperor of the Seas, Admiral of the Army!

】

Compared to a few months ago, Gao Wen's various stats had surged, his strength had advanced further, and he was several steps stronger.

According to the rating standard Gao Wen himself established, his panel data was roughly between the mid and upper tiers of Legendary, but due to the Red Dragon Fruit's nearly perverted close-combat ability, Gao Wen's actual combat capability was far above his panel data.

If the battlefield was suitable, there was almost no possibility of being defeated head-on, unless the opponent could restrict the Red Dragon Fruit's ability from being used, but there was no doubt that Gao Wen was already one of the few people in this era closest to the peak.

Previously unshakable and slow-progressing Swordsmanship had also accelerated significantly with the addition of Roronoa Zoro, about to reach LV-15 and awaken a new trait.

The time would be roughly tonight.

However.

What Gao Wen cared about most now was not these panel data he had seen countless times; his gaze fell upon the Red Dragon Fruit.

"To reach LV-10, the experience required will be massive; even calculating based on current gains, it will take at least one or two years."

"And to rely on myself to awaken, I haven't even touched the door yet; this is even worse than not looking at all."

Thinking of Xiang Keluo's arrogant posture, Gao Wen's eye twitched uncontrollably; he shook his head, his gaze fell upon Swordsmanship, and only then did he nod in satisfaction:

"The awakening of the Red Dragon Fruit is far off, but the advancement of Swordsmanship is tonight; I just don't know what trait will be unlocked."

While Gao Wen pondered, the battle below erupted into renewed intensity.

After a brief respite, Zoro and Sanji launched another offensive; flying sword qi and surging flames ravaged the battlefield, bringing the atmosphere around them to a fever pitch!

This fierce duel lasted until late night, when both finally collapsed from exhaustion.

Their strength was nearly equal, and after fighting day and night, their minds and bodies had reached their limits; at this moment, they were merely propping themselves up on sheer willpower.

Franky, acting as a guest referee, stepped in to begin the count. At the very last moment, Zoro managed to stand up just in time, while Sanji was half a step too slow, losing by the rules and exiting the field in regret.

"Tch!"

Sanji pouted, simply sat down with a thud, and took deep breaths of fresh air.

He looked utterly battered, but only when facing Zoro did he refuse to admit defeat:

"Did I let my guard down?!"

"Hah~"

Zoro wasn't in much better shape, but facing his old rival, he had to hold his ground no matter how badly he'd been bested.

Ignoring the aches all over his body, he forced a relaxed posture and calmly sheathed the long sword at his waist.

"A one-second difference is still a difference!"

"Again?!"

Sanji's eyes blazed with fire.

Seeing the two about to start a second fight immediately, Gao Wen appeared in the center of the battlefield in an instant, kicked both of them out with a single foot each, and predictably triggered a burst of laughter.

Gao Wen glared angrily at the two troublemakers.

Seeing that the clash of high-level combatants had basically ended, Gao Wen simply handed over the task of maintaining order and stopping the fight in time to prevent casualties to Kuroobi, then turned and returned to his office.

Time passed, and it was already deep into the night.

Outside the port, the internal ranking battle of Gao Wen's pirate crew continued.

There, bursts of enthusiastic cheers erupted from time to time; everyone was clearly immersed in it.

Gao Wen glanced over roughly.

Seeing that the fighters in the ring were not the main officers and having no desire to watch amateurs spar, he simply returned his attention to the Captain System panel, anticipating the arrival of midnight.

Soon.

As the clock hands slid past twelve, the system's notification sound arrived at the same moment.

"Physicality Experience +1809!!"

"Swordsmanship Experience +897!"

... (Omitted)

"Conqueror's Haki Experience +5!"

【Swordsmanship-LV-14: 74231/75000 -> Swordsmanship-LV-15: 128/150000】

"Detected that the host's Swordsmanship has reached LV-15; unlocking a brand new branch ability:"

"Grandmaster!"

"?! "

Gao Wen was slightly stunned, for the weight of these two words needed no further explanation.

"A Grandmaster of the Sword Dao?!"

In the next instant, Gao Wen felt the change within himself.

Yet this change differed from his experiences when awakening various other traits before.

Other traits almost all revolved around upgrading his basic stats, equivalent to an iteration of his hardware, while Grandmaster updated Gao Wen's software!

A vast torrent of swordsmanship-related memories flooded directly into Gao Wen's mind.

The Iaido style, emphasizing defeating the enemy with a single strike and instant killing upon drawing the blade...

The Niten Ichi-ryu, wielding two swords—one long, one short, one orthodox, one unorthodox, mutually complementing each other...

The Marine style, with concise movements pursuing efficiency...

And even the Three-Sword Style of a certain green-haired man, freely manipulating three blades, which felt strangely familiar to Gao Wen...

All manner of styles.

Every Sword Dao that had ever appeared in this world was included.

And they were digested and absorbed by Gao Wen at a startling speed, so much so that his hands grew hotter and his heart burned more fiercely by the moment.

At one moment.

Gao Wen opened his eyes; he leaped and vanished from the office. When he reappeared, he was already in a desert near the Mustard Port.

Clang!

The Guanshi Zhengzong was drawn from its sheath.

The moment he grasped it, Gao Wen felt the difference.

Not only was the long sword in his hand as light as nothing, but more importantly, his sense of touch seemed to extend to the blade's edge, even faintly sensing the feeling of the air being cleaved by the blade.

"The so-called unity of man and sword?"

"But the unity of man and sword in martial arts novels isn't activated this way!"

Gao Wen muttered a complaint, and his body began to swing the sword instinctively.

He verified each technique from his mind one by one; they constantly transformed in his hands, evolving into his own moves through innovation.

His movements were slow, like an old man dancing with a sword.

Yet there was a different kind of rhythm, brimming with beauty.

But when your gaze tried to chase that blade, you discovered your focus could never catch up with Gao Wen's speed.

This was a transformation in technique and in the understanding of the Sword Dao.

The Captain System used an extremely crude method, shoving a massive amount of Sword Dao essence into Gao Wen's mind, then guiding him to realize his own...

Dao!

Yellow sand flew across the sky.

The sand and dust blowing within several meters of Gao Wen were blocked outside by the long blade.

He could achieve such a thing with Haki, but now he accomplished this near-divine feat relying solely on the most basic swordsmanship.

Gao Wen became increasingly absorbed; what he failed to notice was that the silver-white blade of the Guanshi Zhengzong was gradually being dyed black.

In the harbor.

Many blades emitted a faint hum at this moment; even ordinary people could sense the extraordinary excitement of these swords and knives.

Voom—!

A patrolling guard pressed down hard on the sword at his waist; he scanned the surroundings, saw nothing, and inwardly exclaimed that he had seen a ghost.

Immediately, he looked around and hurried away.

Harbor Hospital.

Zoro, who had just finished bandaging his wounds, suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at the three constantly trembling long blades at his waist:

"Is this... a Devil Fruit user?!"

"No!"

"It is the wills dwelling within these swords and blades, excited by some existence that has just been born!"

"What exactly is it?!"

Zoro felt a strange intuition arise in his heart.

What was exciting these swords and blades at this very moment might be the destination he had been pursuing all along.

The absolute peak of the Sword Dao!

"An existence like that Hawk Eye!"

Bang!

Doors and windows burst open.

Ignoring his injuries, Zoro leaped from the top floor and rushed swiftly toward the location where that aura emanated.

"Did you feel it too?!"

"Roronoa!"

Luo gripped the Ghost Blade at his waist tightly; he still bore the wounds from the daytime ranking battle, yet his eyes held only extraordinary excitement.

Although he did not regard the Sword Dao as his lifelong pursuit like Zoro, he was also a swordsman and had once felt the oppressive pressure brought by top-tier sword masters.

In Luo's heart, Jin Shizi had once been the peak of the Sword Dao, but tonight his understanding was completely shattered.

Even Jin Shizi had never caused him and Ghost Cry to feel such an emotion bordering on worship!

"Ah."

Zoro nodded, gazing intently into the distance; at the end of his line of sight lay only endless yellow sand.

He knew that some monster, no, some existence extremely sacred to the Sword Dao, was being nurtured there, even reaching the critical point of birth.

And these swords and blades were going to witness the ceremony!

"Let's go!"

The two spoke no more and rushed swiftly toward the distant desert.

Soon.

They saw Gao Wen, alone in the desert, wielding his blade.

The resonance of the three blades at Zoro's waist reached its peak at this moment, almost flying out uncontrollably!

Luo's pupils suddenly contracted:

"Is that... the Captain?! To achieve such a thing merely by swinging a blade?!"

In a daze.

A title representing the peak of swordsmanship appeared in Luo's mind; he swallowed hard:

"Can that Hawk Eye do it?!"

"I want to know too."

Zoro opened his mouth.

He clearly remembered that more than a year ago, when Gao Wen fought Hawk Eye at the Baratie Sea Restaurant, his swordsmanship was far from reaching such a realm.

If it were before this, it would have been difficult for him to judge whether Hawk Eye or Gao Wen possessed greater overall combat power.

But speaking purely of swordsmanship, a huge gap still existed between Gao Wen and Hawk Eye, a gap brought by the accumulation of fighting countless sword masters.

To bridge it, one must only fight strong opponents and accumulate experience with the blade in hand.

Everything should have been like this; Zoro also acknowledged he must walk this path and eventually surpass Hawk Eye, but the current scene had completely shattered Zoro's understanding.

It turned out a person could achieve such a degree relying solely on himself.

Whoosh!

The wind howled like blades; Xiang Keluo landed steadily beside Zoro and the other.

The air currents around him, originally stable, became restless at this moment, causing countless cutting marks to constantly appear on the sand beneath his feet.

Although Xiang Keluo was not a sword master, apart from Jinbe, the few battles in which he gave his all were almost all against opponents of sword master level.

Wang Zhi of Water Seven was even among the finest of them.

But the gap between Gao Wen at this moment and Wang Zhi of Water Seven seemed to span two different dimensions!

"Has this guy broken through again?!"

Xiang Keluo recalled his own smugness from earlier that day and suddenly felt his mouth go dry.

Damn it, did this brat reach the peak of sword Dao in a fit of rage?

Wait a moment...

Compared to that, my own ability awakening is barely a single stroke of the character 'eight'. Given this guy's style, if he awakens before me, the trouble will be enormous!

Thinking of this,

Xiang Keluo felt a sense of urgency rise within him.

Extra training!

Extra training tonight!

Ignoring Zoro and Robin, he turned and vanished like a howling gale.

In the desert.

Gao Wen swung his blade continuously for several days and nights before finally stopping.

He felt not the slightest trace of fatigue; his spirit and will seemed nourished, undergoing a transformation that made them even stronger.

The Guanshi Zhengzong in his hand had also been reborn; the blade, once silver-bright, had now turned pitch black—what was known as...

A Black Blade!

(End of this chapter)