Chapter 78: Gold Potential

The wound was shallow, far from affecting combat ability.

But the shock it delivered to Hawk Eyes at this moment was beyond words, especially upon noticing the glaring crimson streak on the blade of Obisei Shōshō.

In the downpour.

Hawk Eyes raised a hand to press against the wound on his shoulder, letting blood seep through his fingers, only to be washed away by rain.

“Careless?”

“But…”

“How long has it been since I last felt this familiar pain?”

“Yes, since that man lost his right hand, no one has ever left a scar on me with blade or sword.”

“This is truly…”

“Exciting!”

…

…

…

“Did he survive?”

When Gao Wen woke, it was the afternoon of the next day.

He turned his head to the side and saw Zoro, wrapped in bandages, sound asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily; only then did he exhale deeply.

The storm last night came fast and vanished even faster.

Aside from leaving a faint scent of seawater in the air, it left no trace behind.

Even the tightly drawn curtains could not block the bright sunlight outside.

Gao Wen reluctantly sat up, pulled back the curtain, and let the warm sunlight wash over him, dispelling the chill.

His mind grew still for a moment, yet the battle with Hawk Eyes refused to fade from his thoughts.

The effortless neutralization of all his attacks, the sheer power to cleave the sea with a single slash—this gave him a concrete understanding of the pinnacle strength in this world.

Each of these beings at the summit was like a walking nuclear weapon; no wonder the World Government dared not act rashly against the Four Emperors.

“I’m still too weak!”

Even without anyone telling him the truth, Gao Wen now understood why he had survived—he likely received the same script as Zoro.

“The helplessness of entrusting one’s life to mercy—I never want to experience it again!”

“Still, awakening Armament Haki was an unexpected bonus.”

“More importantly, with Hawk Eyes’ guidance, I now know how to awaken Conqueror’s Haki next.”

Saying this,

Gao Wen summoned the system interface:

【Host—Gao Wen】

【Age—24】

【Title—Captain of the Gao Wen Pirates】

【Skills:

Swordsmanship—LV-9: 201/7000 (Divine Speed)

Physique—LV-9: 1734/7000 (Balanced)

Death Step—LV-5: 17/5000 (Instant Step)

Observation Haki—LV-3: 401/3200

Armament Haki—LV-1: 0/1000

Navigation—LV-3: 351/800

】

【Badges:

Captain’s Fury—Subordinates’ physical recovery speed increased by 20%

Rising Fame—View potential abilities

】

【Rating—Silver: Clarity of Heart, Tempering Will—You’ve taken your first step on the path to ultimate strength!】

…

Over the past few days, each skill’s experience had increased slightly—not much, but solid.

What truly caught Gao Wen’s eye was the rating in the evaluation column:

“Clarity of Heart?”

He knew its meaning all too well.

According to the system, potential ability was calculated based on the host’s current skills and innate physical talent, revealing their growth ceiling.

Usually, this potential limit was the individual’s absolute limit.

Once reached, unless one broke through via special means, no amount of training could yield progress—only maintenance of current state was possible.

Just like the pirates under Gao Wen who had exhausted their potential.

But Clarity of Heart was a proven method, verified by Keluo, to break past one’s potential ceiling—this was one reason Gao Wen had dared to fight Hawk Eyes to the death.

He couldn’t abandon the Cat Brothers, and he also wanted to test whether Hawk Eyes’ pressure could help him shatter this ceiling.

Now, the result seemed promising.

Gao Wen immediately activated his badge ability and scanned himself:

【Name—Gao Wen】

【Potential—Gold】

【Rating—Silver: Clarity of Heart…】

Seeing the prominent “Gold” in the potential field, Gao Wen’s lips curled upward, and even the frustration from Hawk Eyes’ crushing blow diminished.

Previously, as his strength neared the system’s calculated growth ceiling, he had feared his progress might stall.

Like his pirates with only Iron potential, unable to advance further.

Now, with Clarity of Heart and his potential broken through, his urgent problem was solved.

Even if his potential didn’t advance further, simply building his strength up to Gold level would be enough to fulfill his original plan: seize the title of Warlord of the Sea.

Moreover, with Hawk Eyes’ insight, Gao Wen now had his own path for future Haki training—he could push hard enough to reach the threshold of legend.

When that time came, the sea would stretch wide for fish to leap, the sky soar high for birds to fly!

With sufficient personal strength, countless choices opened before him.

As Gao Wen pondered…

Creak~!

The door opened.

Sanji casually crushed out his cigarette, carrying a tray as he entered slowly, efficiently placing a bowl of tomato beef stew and several slices of bread before Gao Wen.

Gao Wen inhaled the aroma, and his appetite surged.

For someone with physique far beyond normal, nothing accelerated healing faster than eating.

Especially when the cook was Sanji, a master chef.

But—

Before Gao Wen could begin, Sanji’s voice cut him off:

“You have such immense power, and the will to face that monster for your subordinates—then why did you abandon the Queen and flee alone?”

He ultimately couldn’t suppress his question.

The image this man projected clashed too sharply with the one he had long held in his mind.

He possessed unyielding resolve, and strength pushed to its extreme.

Though he ultimately lost to Hawk Eyes, one must consider who he was compared to—Gao Wen’s strength alone was enough to crush everything in the East Blue.

Everyone who witnessed that battle knew this clearly.

Gao Wen paused, then lifted his head to look at Sanji.

The face before him slowly merged with the younger, more naive one in his memory.

“I remember—I’ve seen you before. But that was years ago.”

“That woman ate your food and spent half a month with diarrhea, losing a lot of weight.”

Sanji’s face flushed red; he gritted his teeth:

“I’m the one asking the questions now!”

Gao Wen dipped his bread into the stew, then took a bite, and said calmly:

“If it were you, you’d know better than anyone—beautiful women always lie, especially a queen as stunning as Guinevere!”

“Didn’t she lie to you too?”

(End of Chapter)