Chapter 356: One Sword

Gao Wen's lips curved upward slightly.

For Ah Jin, having reached this stage of potential, the gates to legend had swung fully open.

The pinnacle of Armament Haki strengthening the physical body, the pinnacle of Observation Haki sharpening combat instinct.

At this moment, Ah Jin was nearly another Black Arm Zephyr, even possessing powerful Devil Fruit abilities that Zephyr lacked.

All that was needed now was time.

With the boost of the three badges, within half a year at most, or three to five months at least, another combatant of Admiral caliber would be added to Gao Wen's ranks.

Even looking across the history of the past few decades, no pirate flag had simultaneously boasted more than three legendary combatants.

Except for Rocks and Roger from over thirty years ago, Gao Wen was the only one.

It was also at this moment.

In the arena, Ah Jin, heavily wounded, fell onto his back, murmuring softly:

"Lost again?!"

Despite these words, there was not a trace of dejection on Ah Jin's face; instead, a wild, exhilarating laugh burst from his throat, echoing up to the clouds.

"Hahahahahaha—!"

The surroundings instantly fell silent, with only Ah Jin's laughter reverberating through the arena.

"Is it over?!"

Cavendish witnessed Ah Jin admit defeat firsthand and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; even with Gao Wen present, it was hard to say an accident wouldn't happen.

Under the circumstances, this result was already the best possible outcome.

"Even someone as strong as Captain Ah Jin is no match for Mr. Kuro."

"As expected..."

"Anyone with 'Captain' in their title is a monster."

However.

As Cavendish's voice faded, Beville's expression shifted continuously, from relief to shock and suspicion, until finally looking as if he had seen a ghost:

"He dodged!"

"In that instant, Ah Jin dodged Kuro's attack!"

"Hey, hey, hey~"

Cavendish spoke in disbelief:

"How is that possible?"

He lowered his gaze to look at Kuro slowly landing in the arena, the awe in his eyes barely suppressible.

White Horse's speed was already unbelievably fast.

Even among powerhouses of the same level, few could keep up.

During the second Martial Arts Tournament, there were indeed strong fighters capable of engaging Cavendish, but once White Horse appeared, they lost all ability to resist, becoming like fish on a chopping block.

The root cause was his ghostly speed.

Yet Kuro's speed far exceeded White Horse's; coupled with the boost from the Kamaitachi Devil Fruit, he left White Horse so far behind that not even taillights were visible.

"Even Captain Ah Jin couldn't possibly perceive it using Observation Haki!"

"I didn't say he relied on Observation Haki."

Beville shook his head, then nodded.

"That's not right either!"

"It's not the Observation Haki we normally understand!"

"It's like... it's like..."

"It's like abandoning the body's senses, entrusting everything to instinct and intuition, letting the body make the most rational decision!"

"In that instant, Ah Jin displayed something he had never shown before!"

Beville whipped his head around to look at Gao Wen, his lips slightly parted, but he did not ask the question aloud.

Did you foresee all of this long ago?!

Did you predict that Ah Jin would awaken a new ability during battle?!

Captain, no, Fleet Captain, what kind of monster are you exactly?!

A god descended to earth?

No one answered Beville's questions.

Only Cavendish sat aside, gazing thoughtfully at the arena, murmuring to himself:

"Wagering everything to exchange for a glimmer of hope for further advancement in a desperate situation?!"

Subconsciously, he gripped the long sword Durandal at his waist, and in his mind floated the ferocious face of White Horse.

After a year of cultivation, what he could achieve had reached the limit of his own understanding; both his swordsmanship and Haki had entered a bottleneck.

Cavendish had touched his own limit.

Although he could still wager his sweat on that sliver of a chance to break through the limit, ultimately, it was too slow.

Moreover, unlike Ah Jin and the others who were once lost, he knew exactly where his path forward lay!

Completely conquer White Horse!

Unify body and mind!

Originally, Cavendish still harbored some hesitation, but seeing Ah Jin lying below in a pool of blood, a trace of madness gleamed in his eyes.

A madness identical to White Horse's!

Seeing this, Zoro, Sanji, and the others seemed to gain some realization as well.

Inside the Colosseum.

Ah Jin's laughter gradually subsided, replaced by a fiercely burning fire in his eyes, an almost unsuppressible fighting spirit!

It seemed about to burst forth from within his chest!

And an indescribable ecstasy!

"I have already found a way to deal with your speed."

Xiang Keluo slowly landed, hands in his pockets, standing before Ah Jin, a trace of surprise in his eyes:

"Another advanced form of Observation Haki?!"

Long ago, Xiang Keluo had learned from Gao Wen that cultivating the three types of Haki to a profound level could potentially awaken special abilities.

Conqueror's Haki could be wrapped around attacks or retained within inanimate objects, triggering instantly upon meeting specific conditions.

Armament Haki could manifest as an invisible armor enveloping the entire body, or, like Ah Jin, be tempered into flesh and blood, pushing one's defensive power to the extreme.

As for Observation Haki, besides predicting the future, there was another direction for advancement...

"Combat instinct, an ability that specifically enhances one's intuition."

"Ah."

Ah Jin nodded, an unparalleled confidence on his face.

Lacking the immediately obvious talents of Zoro or Sanji, the only option was to focus everything on a single point.

This was the method Gao Wen had told him.

And what Gao Wen had not told him, but he had chosen for himself, was this path of gambling his life on the razor's edge between life and death.

Fortunately.

This time, he had won again.

"Next time..."

"I'll smash you!"

"Heh."

Xiang Keluo chuckled lightly:

"My footsteps will not stop for you; next time, defeat still awaits you."

"Don't you want to see?!"

Ah Jin licked his lips:

"Just how many steps ahead is that man compared to us?!"

"Boring."

Xiang Keluo reached up to push the glasses on the bridge of his nose, a faint flicker of firelight hidden within his gaze.

He was striving to restrain his desires, yet upon sensing Gao Wen's presence, his heart began to stir restlessly.

It was as if countless voices sounded simultaneously in his ears, only to be suppressed by a single figure.

Gao Wen...

Too strong!

So strong that it generated not even a shred of thought to challenge him!

Xiang Keluo had even forgotten when he last desired to cross blades with Gao Wen.

He only knew that in his perception, accompanying his own growth, the gap between them had not narrowed but instead grown ever wider.

Until now, that gap had become so vast that it stirred not even a sliver of desire.