Chapter 85: Guiding Nami

As night deepened, the lights of Parra Island blazed brightly.

A group of pirates, bare-chested, gathered around a bonfire, practicing basic sword techniques according to the blade arts Gao Wen had taught them.

Even though many were exhausted from a full day of training, not one showed any intention of quitting.

After all, a hundred people were eligible for profit-sharing, while the entire pirate crew combined numbered barely over two hundred.

That meant if you pushed hard, you had more than a one-in-three chance of earning a share—how could anyone not be tempted?

In an instant, everyone was pushing themselves to the limit.

Under this atmosphere, even those who had previously slacked off found themselves joining the crowd, frantically intensifying their efforts.

“Environment truly shapes one’s will.”

Gao Wen sat at his desk, watching the lanterns over the harbor and the sweat-drenched crowds, nodding silently:

“Good. Keep pushing. Good.”

Then a familiar system notification rang directly in Gao Wen’s mind:

“Physique experience +711!”

“Sword art experience +443!”

“Shao Si experience +61!”

“Observation Haki experience +103!”

…

“How much did Physique increase?”

Gao Wen scratched his ear, pulled up the system panel, scanned the gains, and broke into a wide grin.

“When Sanji started pushing, Physique experience tripled?!”

“Not just that—Shao Si and Observation Haki experience also surged dramatically.”

Even with his severe injuries, Zoro's swordsmanship experience remained unchanged? If he recovers, won't it rise even higher?

“Some may come from ordinary pirates, but those contributions are minimal—this surge mainly comes from the four top pushers.”

Gao Wen did a quick calculation, and his smile widened further.

At this rate, within half a month, both Physique and Sword Art would reach LV-10, unlocking entirely new branch abilities.

Gao Wen had experienced the benefits of branch abilities multiple times—each one brought a qualitative leap.

Physique and Sword Art were the core of his combat power; the impact of their branch terms would be even greater.

“Moving forward, I’ll focus my own energy primarily on Armament Haki.”

“As for helping Keluo and the others awaken Armament Haki, I’ll wait until they’ve raised their Physique first.”

“No rush for now.”

With that thought:

Gao Wen had a clear sense of his future development path, suppressed his anticipation for new terms, washed up slightly, then extinguished the room’s lights.

…

The next day.

Gao Wen changed into loose clothing and prepared to head to the back mountain to train Armament Haki—only to find Nami standing nervously at the door, clutching two bamboo swords.

Seeing Gao Wen emerge, Nami’s eyes lit up, and she bowed deeply:

“Mr. Gao Wen, please teach me how to grow stronger.”

Gao Wen paused, reminding her:

“Nami, everyone has their strengths. Combat is your weakness—navigation is where you truly shine.”

In truth, even flipping through the original story, Nami was never a combat-oriented type.

Even in her fight against Kalifa, she relied mostly on Usopp’s weather stick and tactical superiority to overwhelm her opponent.

Gao Wen had already assessed Nami’s combat potential—unfortunately, she was only Iron-rank in this area.

With such talent, no matter how hard she trained, she’d never exceed the level Gao Wen had been at when he first crossed over.

To genuinely grow stronger, it would be far more efficient to eat a Devil Fruit.

Undeterred by Gao Wen’s advice, Nami stood firm:

“I don’t want to be a burden to you. At least, I need the ability to survive against increasingly powerful enemies.”

Gao Wen opened his mouth to argue further, but when he met her resolute gaze, he nodded:

“Understood.”

“I can teach you my sword art—but this path will be grueling. If a suitable Devil Fruit appears in the future, I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

“Yes!”

Nami replied eagerly, then followed Griffin to the back mountain of Parra Island.

On a rock face at the back of Parra Island:

The surrounding stones were covered in deep, long slashes—some nearly cleaving the entire mountain in two.

Nami gasped:

“Did you make these, Captain?”

“That’s not the point.”

Gao Wen skipped past it, took one bamboo sword from Nami’s hands, and began explaining sword fundamentals:

“Sword art has countless styles, countless schools, each master’s technique utterly unique—but all ultimately pursue the same goal.”

“To strike your opponent before they strike you!”

“My own style seeks this extreme efficiency…”

…

After his explanation:

Seeing Nami’s confused expression, Gao Wen gave up.

He taught her the basic grip, then moved straight to sparring—body memory often runs deeper than the mind.

“Now, swing your sword at me!”

Nami gripped her bamboo sword tightly, clenched her teeth, stepped forward, and brought the blade down in a vertical slash toward Gao Wen!

Pah!

Gao Wen deflected her sword with a flick, then tapped her head with his own:

“Your intent is too obvious!”

“Observe your opponent’s micro-movements—predict their next action!”

…

Pah!

“I said observe, not stand there like a statue!”

…

Pah!

“You anticipated correctly, but your timing was off—and your body’s too stiff!”

…

…

…

By the time the sun set:

Nami lay flat on the stone slab, gasping for breath.

She was drenched in sweat, her soaked clothes clinging to her figure, utterly disheveled.

Even with Gao Wen’s badge reducing crew fatigue and accelerating recovery, her body had reached its limit.

“Thank you!”

“Mr. Gao Wen!”

In one day, she hadn’t even touched the threshold of sword art—but the feeling of slowly growing stronger filled her with deep certainty.

At least now, she wouldn’t become a burden to her comrades.

“Hmm~”

Gao Wen waved his hand:

“Same time tomorrow!”

Then he turned away, found another spot, and began training Armament Haki.

At the same moment:

In the training room, Keluo and Akin stood facing each other—one wielding a claw knife, the other an iron cane—engaged in sparring.

Shhh!

Keluo stepped forward and vanished in an instant, his five-clawed knife extended as he lunged toward Akin.

Ting!

Claw met cane in a shower of sparks, followed by a rapid barrage of strikes.

With Shao Si activated, Keluo seemed everywhere—his relentless assault pressed Akin harder than ever before, causing Akin’s grip on the iron cane to tremble violently.

The stalemate lasted only seconds—Keluo seized his opening and kicked Akin hard, sending him crashing into the wall.

Boom!

Even though Keluo held back, the impact from Shao Si’s speed was still too intense—Akin’s physique couldn’t fully absorb it yet.

After several attempts, Jin, unable to get up, gave up struggling and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, murmuring:

“Has the gap become even wider?”

“It’s so frustrating!”

(End of Chapter)