Chapter 42: Comprehensive Enhancement

As for the pitifully low 8 points of sword skill experience, Gao Wen could understand.

After all, in the current pirate crew, almost no one besides himself was a skilled swordsman.

And those ordinary pirates had already exhausted their potential; the experience they could provide was barely better than nothing.

Gao Wen squinted slightly:

“After recruiting Nami, the next step should be Zoro.”

“But compared to others, Zoro’s will is undoubtedly far stronger; getting someone like him to join cannot be achieved through brute force alone.”

“Still, you eat a meal one bite at a time, and walk a path one step at a time.”

“First, focus on what’s right in front of you—rapidly strengthen your own power, that’s the real truth.”

With that, the light in Gao Wen’s room was extinguished.

…

One month later.

The Gao Wen Pirate Crew entered a prolonged period of rest.

The consecutive battles before had left many severely weakened; even with logistical support from Crow Harbor, several wounded failed to recover, dying from infection or other complications.

Though saddened, the crew had grown accustomed to such things.

Pirate life was far from the idealized version shown in the original tale—death, battle, and endless voyaging were the norm.

Yet.

By this stage, those who had survived were mostly out of danger; with a little more rest, they would fully recover.

It was a small blessing amid misfortune.

Having witnessed more and more deaths, Gao Wen had gradually grown accustomed to this life.

Night fell.

The light in Gao Wen’s room burned brightly; sea breeze blew in through the window, stirring his hair.

During this time, under the influence of Keluo and Ajin—the two workaholics—nearly everyone in the crew began near-strict training.

One fixated on the position beneath Gao Wen’s seat, the other still bitter over his defeat at Keluo’s hands.

Both pushed themselves to the limit, grinding relentlessly.

After their injuries healed, their strength saw significant improvement; Gao Wen, meanwhile, reaped the benefits, harvesting vast amounts of experience daily.

At this moment.

Gao Wen sat at his desk, carefully polishing the Kanze Masamune in his hands.

Over the past month, though he still hadn’t reached the threshold of Armament Haki, he had grown increasingly familiar with the Kanze Masamune.

Now, looking at the blade, Gao Wen felt a strange sense of bloodline connection.

Suddenly.

A familiar system prompt echoed in Gao Wen’s mind:

“Physique experience +133!”

“Sword skill experience +6!”

“Shao Si experience +32”

“Observation Haki experience +54!”

Compared to half a month ago, all but sword skill had seen significant gains.

As a flood of experience surged into his body, Gao Wen’s long-stagnant Physique and Observation Haki finally reached their moment of transformation.

Physique-LV-6: 2987/3000 → Physique-LV-7: 120/5000

Observation Haki-LV-1: 998/1000 → Observation Haki-LV-2: 52/2000

…

Accompanying these two upgrades were changes in his body.

A familiar warmth surged from his heart, carried by blood to every limb and extremity, nourishing every cell and pushing his already formidable physical capabilities to new heights.

His skin visibly reddened, emitting waves of scorching steam as impurities were expelled through his pores.

Despite this terrifying transformation, Gao Wen felt no discomfort—only a growing lightness and coordination in his body.

Moments later.

The changes in his Physique subsided; the scorching steam in the room was gradually dispersed by the sea breeze.

“Huh~!”

Gao Wen exhaled a puff of hot air, removed his leather armor, and revealed his lean, muscular upper body.

His physique showed little change.

In fact, he was even leaner than before, roughly returning to the build he had after his awakening.

Yet he could feel his body’s fundamental abilities had surged upward dramatically.

Strength, constitution, agility.

All three were balanced under the constraint of the Balanced entry, ensuring every upgrade brought his body to its optimal state, allowing him to perfectly unleash every ounce of his power.

Feeling these changes, Gao Wen could not suppress his elation:

“At Level 7 Physique, Strength, Constitution, and Agility have each increased nearly 40% compared to Level 6, and nearly doubled compared to Level 5!”

“If I faced Smoker again now…”

Gao Wen clenched his fist, his eyes gleaming with confidence:

“He won’t get the chance to throw his Sea-Prism Stone staff into the sea.”

“And Observation Haki has successfully broken through to Level 2.”

“Let’s test it.”

Saying this,

Gao Wen activated Observation Haki, and an odd sensation, distinct from the five senses, appeared in his mind.

The wind flowing through the air, the waves rising and falling on the sea, the chirping of insects in the corner, the snoring of pirates downstairs…

At this moment, everything flooded into Gao Wen’s mind.

The enhancement Observation Haki provided to perception grew increasingly monstrous with each level.

Gao Wen now even looked forward to reaching Level 5—would he awaken short-term precognition or other derived abilities?

The next instant.

Gao Wen drew the Kanze Masamune, releasing a silver-white blade slash that crossed hundreds of meters, slicing a shark clean in half as it leapt from the harbor’s center.

Ssshh!

Blood sprayed, staining the sea red.

The night watch pirate rubbed his eyes; had the shark carcass not still floated on the water, he might have thought he’d imagined it.

He had been about to sound the alarm, but when he saw the spot where the blade had originated, he lowered his horn.

“I’m an idiot—who else but the captain could do something like this?”

“But has the captain grown stronger again in such a short time?”

He turned to look at the distant tower, only to find its window already closed, as if what had just happened were an insignificant trifle.

“This guy is… a monster!”

…

Inside the room.

Gao Wen slowly sheathed the Kanze Masamune, recalling his sharp perception just now, and sighed in admiration:

“Even a faint offensive intent hundreds of meters away can be sensed beforehand—no wonder Keluo became so arrogant after awakening Observation Haki.”

“Observation Haki does indeed match my prediction—it can compensate for Shao Si’s flaws; Keluo can even use it to push Shao Si’s speed even higher.”

“But I can do the same thing—even better.”

A faint smile curled on Gao Wen’s lips as he opened his system panel; the familiar pale blue interface appeared before him:

【Host—Gao Wen】

【Age—24】

【Title—Captain of the Gao Wen Pirate Crew】

【Skills:】

Sword Skill-LV-5: 1439/1600 (Divine Speed)

Physique-LV-7: 120/5000 (Balanced)

Shao Si-LV-3: 75/800

Observation Haki-LV-2: 52/2000

Navigation-LV-1: 13/100

】

【Badges:】

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

Rising Fame—View potential abilities

】

【Rating—Bronze: Across the seas and even Paradise, you’re a notable figure—but in the New World, keep your head down.】

Over the past month, not only had his Physique and Observation Haki skyrocketed, but even Shao Si, learned from Keluo, had risen two levels, reaching Level 3.

(End of Chapter)