Chapter 4: Shocking Improvement

"Another surprise?"

"Is this the choice the System said would determine my future?"

Hearing the prompt in his mind, Gao Wen quickly came to his senses, his face showing surprise.

With three advanced abilities laid out before him, the best choice was obviously to take all of them, but the actual situation clearly did not allow it.

For a moment, he hesitated.

After all, it concerned the improvement of his future combat power, and was very likely his first transformation at this current stage; he could not be anything but cautious.

Just by looking at the literal meaning of the three abilities, one could understand their functions.

"Iron-Cutting increases the power of sword strikes; Zoro demonstrated this when facing Mr. 1-Daz Bonez in Alabasta. Even against a steel body, a first-class swordsman can cut it down at will."

"Flying Blade points toward airborne slashes; this is the mainstream long-range method for swordsmen in the later stages of the One Piece worldview. Used well, it can even slice through mountains or islands like Hawk-Eye."

Immediately, Gao Wen turned his attention to the final option, which was Godspeed:

"Finally, Godspeed undoubtedly improves the speed of one's attacks. In battle, even a mere fraction of a second faster can often decide victory or defeat, or even life and death."

After pondering for a moment, Gao Wen finally focused his gaze on Godspeed:

"The opponents I face now do not possess Armament Haki, and those Devil Fruits that can significantly enhance physical strength are not in the East Blue."

"Although Iron-Cutting is useful in high-intensity battles, it does not help me nearly as much right now."

"Flying Blade is the same; this is inherently a late-stage skill. No matter how strong airborne slashes are, they are limited to the blade's edge. When long-range is needed, one might as well exchange cannon fire or learn from the Ashina Sword Saint."

"Why use martial arts when you have a gun? How can one be called a grand master?"

"Looking at it this way, Godspeed is what helps me the most right now!"

Thinking this, Gao Wen hesitated no more and directly chose Godspeed; the System panel before his eyes immediately vanished.

Yet in the next instant, his body began to heat up; the high temperature turned his skin crimson, and even hot steam rose from him.

His fingers became more slender and powerful, his muscles throughout his body began to regrow, and his entire physique underwent a transformation, growing toward something more perfect, more precise, and more powerful.

A few breaths later.

Gao Wen's body temperature slowly returned to normal. Accompanied by a puff of white smoke exhaled, he slowly opened his eyes, but everything before him made his breath catch:

"This is..."

Everything around him had slowed down in his eyes.

The leaves drifting in the distance, the waves surging by the seaside, and even the tree branches swaying constantly in the wind were all strangely slow, as if watching a video in slow motion.

He could even clearly see a flying mosquito drift past his eyes; from its vibrating wings to its flight trajectory, everything was visible in the finest detail.

"It is not that this world has slowed down, but that my perception has become more acute!"

Gao Wen instinctively swung his sword...

Swish!

The blade traced a silver light; drawing the sword, striking, and sheathing it were three actions completed almost instantly.

By the time Gao Wen reacted, the flying mosquito in mid-air had long been split in half from the middle; its body spiraled to the ground, and its transparent wings, broken in the middle, were scattered by the wind.

Gao Wen looked at the sword in his hand, his pupils involuntarily contracting:

"Did I do this?"

"Too fast!"

"So fast that I didn't even react before everything was over; such an attack speed..."

Gao Wen picked up the sword he had fought against his predecessor and compared it with Morgan, a slight smile curling his lips:

"Now, one sword strike can sever his head!"

This was because the improvement brought by Godspeed was almost comprehensive in every aspect.

From neural reflex speed to perception ability, and then to the instinct of drawing the sword, everything and all served the purpose of achieving faster sword speed.

From drawing the sword to killing the flying mosquito and then sheathing it, the entire process took less than 0.2 seconds; this speed even exceeded the theoretical limit of humans in Gao Wen's previous life.

But he could feel that this was not yet the limit of this body; once familiar with his body, he could do even better!

Even faster!

Under the boost of Godspeed, Gao Wen's sword-swinging speed became extremely exaggerated.

As long as defense is broken, being a fraction faster is the difference between life and death.

Gao Wen tossed a stone into the air and danced the blade in his hand.

By the time the stone hit the ground, it had directly shattered into dozens of pieces; the cross-section of every small piece was incredibly smooth.

"Before the stone hit the ground, I struck thirteen times; this speed can already keep up with a light rifle, which is basically enough to handle battles in the East Blue!"

Gao Wen was exhilarated.

The unease he felt after transmigrating was finally alleviated somewhat at this moment due to his own growth.

Moreover, he was even more eager for the improvements the System could bring him in the future.

"If gaining a trait every time a skill levels up by five, then as long as my swordsmanship grows to level ten, I can obtain the next trait."

"Wait!"

"My physique is about to reach level five; as long as these people on the ship continue to grow at this speed, the physique requirements for leveling up can be met in at most half a month."

"What will the branch ability for physique be?"

Many guesses popped into Gao Wen's mind, but these were merely his speculations.

Fortunately, as long as he snatches the ship from Morgan's hands and finds a place to let these leeks cultivate for ten days or half a month, the experience for physique will be completely sufficient.

Gao Wen suppressed the stray thoughts in his heart and began to more seriously familiarize himself with his skyrocketing attack speed.

Following the sword techniques in his mind, he practiced move by move, even using Morgan in his mind as a hypothetical enemy.

Time passed, and it quickly entered the second half of the night; Gao Wen, having basically familiarized himself with his body, broke out in a sweat.

He simply took off his shirt, revealing the clearly defined blocks of muscle on his upper body; combined with the head-to-body ratio brought by a height exceeding two meters, the whole person was like a Greek sculpture, full of aesthetic beauty.

This body's appearance is that of Gao Wen of the Round Table Knights, one of the prototypes for the White Prince; naturally, his looks are extremely formidable, no wonder the Wang Fei of the Goah Kingdom couldn't hold back.

Gao Wen, imitating a famous hair-gel user from a certain two-dimensional work, swept the stray bangs on his forehead back onto his head, revealing exquisite, three-dimensional features; the whole person gained a touch of aggression compared to his original gentle and refined gentlemanly image.

Shortly after tidying himself up a bit, he walked toward a cave.

The pirate ship was severely damaged, already to the point where it could not be repaired.

Gao Wen simply ordered his subordinates to dismantle the ship's cannons, along with supplies and ammunition, and transfer them to this hidden cave; after making the cannonballs moisture-proof, he considered it a temporary base.

Not long after.

The cave was right before his eyes.

By now, most of the pirates were already resting; snores shook the cave, and even the night watchmen sat back-to-back before the fire, closing their eyes for a light sleep.

After a general glance, Gao Wen's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Except for those left behind near the pirate ship, everyone under his command was here.

Only Jamila was missing.

By all rights, an injured person should have stayed here to have the ship's doctor treat their wounds.

"Guarding the ship?"

"That shouldn't be right; with sufficient manpower, how could they possibly send an injured person to guard the ship?"

At the same time.

The river mouth.

A pirate ship with a broken mast lay moored here in silence.

Whether it was the dense black scorch marks on the hull or the nearly completely split keel, both indicated that this ship had lost the ability to continue sailing.

Jamila jumped down from the deck with light steps, looked around, and after confirming no one was present, slowly removed the seagull pendant from his chest.

He opened it, revealing a miniature Den Den Mushi hidden inside.

"This is Private Jamila, reporting the location of Knight Gao Wen now; distance from the Sixteenth Branch..."

(End of this chapter)