Chapter 87: I Am Still Too Soft-Hearted

Thus.

Gao Wen could no longer sit still; he pushed open the window and leaped into the harbor in a single bound.

Originally, he had intended to test here just how far he could go after the Equilibrium Trait awakened.

But he suddenly recalled the惨状 left behind in the harbor when he previously tested his abilities upon awakening the Instant Step.

Gao Wen's old face flushed red; he reached out to rub his nose and vanished from the harbor in a flash.

A few minutes later.

Gao Wen appeared atop the stone platform behind Para Island where he practiced daily.

Clang!

Guanshi Zhengzong was drawn from its sheath.

Gao Wen began to practice his swordsmanship, starting to familiarize himself with his body after the Harmonization Trait awakened.

Move by move.

Accompanied by the silver light of Guanshi Zhengzong, flickering in the air.

One by one, the sword techniques that had once helped him slay numerous opponents passed through his hands.

Originally, in Gao Wen's view, these moves were already mature enough, nearly perfect.

But now, with the Harmonization Trait awakened and his body perfectly controlled, the flaws hidden within Gao Wen's sword strikes began to slowly surface.

Slight incoordination in the way force was applied, hidden injuries left by the subtle muscle engagement required to launch a strike...

As the hidden problems within the swordsmanship were discovered one by one, Gao Wen optimized them.

His movements became increasingly coordinated, with not a trace of resistance or obstruction.

Fluid! Refreshing!

Indeed, the more he practiced, the more excited this body became, with not a shred of fatigue.

Night passed.

In terms of technique alone, Gao Wen could almost be said to have been reborn.

If it were a simple exchange of sword moves, should he encounter his former self again, he was confident he could win within ten moves.

"This feeling of gradually watching one's swordsmanship be perfected is truly intoxicating."

"Continue!"

Having said that, Gao Wen continued to refine his sword moves, completely unaware that a slender figure had been standing quietly there in the distance for quite some time.

A great sun gradually rose from the sea surface; golden rays of dawn fell upon Gao Wen, and combined with his already robust physique, he seemed to possess a touch of divinity.

Nami, holding a bamboo sword, was slightly stunned; looking at Gao Wen's sweat-soaked body, she said:

"Captain, did you practice here all day yesterday?"

Gao Wen, who was swinging his sword, stopped his motion, turned his head, saw that the newcomer was Nami, skipped Nami's question entirely, and said coolly:

"You've come at the perfect time; today's swordsmanship training begins!"

"Yes!"

That night, news that Captain Gao Wen had secretly practiced all night without telling anyone spread throughout Para Island; in an instant, the four great grind-houses cried out that they had been deceived.

"That bastard Captain is truly too cunning."

"He told us to watch our health, keep regular hours, or we'd easily leave hidden injuries, yet he himself runs on a 24-hour cycle?"

Sanji gritted his teeth and secretly decided to add a few more hours to his own schedule tonight.

There was no choice but to grind; these beasts around here were each more outrageous than the last; if things continued like this, how could they ever enter the Hall of Fame?

Tsk!

Recruit beautiful chefs!

"Ohhh—!"

Thinking of the days surrounded by a group of beautiful chefs, Sanji's body, which had already been on the verge of collapse, erupted with unprecedented strength once more.

His legs whipped through the air wildly, moving so fast they left afterimages.

Xiang Keluo, standing nearby, could not help but twitch at the corner of his mouth:

"Heh, I should have known; after all, this is someone capable of destroying the harbor floor just to stop us from practicing."

"Despicable! Too despicable!"

Zoro gritted his teeth, raised his hand to add several more weight plates to himself, veins bulging on his arms, yet he would not compromise even a bit.

After all, this was about leaving one's name behind forever; who would be willing to remain beneath others?

Time passed in a flash, and it was already deep night.

The vast majority of people on Para Island had already returned to their rooms to rest; only the training room remained brightly lit.

Gao Wen looked at the system notification showing a small surge in experience point gains and could not stop smiling.

"Next is waiting for the Swordsman to reach LV-10 to unlock new traits."

Gao Wen looked at the system panel, a flicker of expectation passing through his eyes.

As rumors spread that Gao Wen was secretly practicing behind everyone's back on Para Island, the culture of internal grinding within the Gao Wen Pirates rose to a new height.

Every day, unlucky souls who practiced to excess collapsed; not only were they scorned by everyone, but they could only say goodbye to their share of the profits.

In an instant.

Gao Wen looked at the group of pirates lying in the infirmary and began to doubt whether he had gone too far.

Until he heard those bastards whispering behind his back about him being a grind-hog, the last shred of sympathy in his heart instantly vanished.

"Where's the grind? I've been cultivating from nine to five like this for months; don't open your eyes and spout nonsense—being a captain is hard too!"

Gao Wen was momentarily bewildered; after ordering Xiang Keluo to return from Para Island with a batch of medical supplies, just in case the grinding resulted in fatalities, he turned and left, muttering under his breath:

"Don't blame me; you chose this yourself."

"Mm."

"That's right; indeed, I am still too soft-hearted."

Having dispelled the last trace of hesitation in his heart, Gao Wen devoted all his energy entirely to the cultivation of Armament Haki.

As his mastery over Armament Haki grew more proficient, the efficiency of his cultivation also saw a noticeable improvement.

The experience points he could obtain in a day rose from the initial eight or nine points to fifteen or sixteen.

Although this was not on the same order of magnitude as the experience provided by those few grinding kings, for him personally, it nearly halved the time required.

Moreover, regarding Armament Haki at present, there was no other method besides Gao Wen cultivating it himself.

Even Xiang Keluo, currently the strongest among them, possessed combat power at merely the Bronze rank, and that was specialized in speed.

However, what awakening Armament required was, on the contrary, a powerful foundational physique.

According to Gao Wen's estimation, these high-quality leeks would need at least another half-year of time, along with numerous arduous battles, before they could awaken Armament Haki.

Fortunately, Gao Wen could afford to wait this long; after entering the Grand Line, there would be no shortage of evenly matched battles.

Several days later.

Late night.

Gao Wen had long since completed today's cultivation; having changed his clothes, he sat at his desk, awaiting the settlement of today's experience.

The familiar system panel unfolded before his eyes:

【Host - Gao Wen】

【Age - 24】

【Identity - Captain of the Gao Wen Pirates】

【Skills:

Swordsmanship - LV-9: 6940/7000 (Godspeed)

Physique - LV-10: 2827/12000 (Balanced, Harmonized)

Flash Step - LV-5: 811/5000 (Instant Step)

Observation Haki - LV-3: 1756/3200

Armament Haki - LV-1: 155/1000

Navigation - LV-4: 800/2000

】

【Badges:

Captain's Wrath - Subordinates' stamina recovery speed +20%

Rising Fame - View potential abilities

】

【Rating - Silver: Realizing one's true heart, tempering one's will; on the path to supreme strength, you have already taken the first step!】

The experience required for Swordsmanship was already approaching its limit.

He only needed to harvest tonight's wave, and Gao Wen could advance one step further to reach LV-10, simultaneously unlocking a brand-new attribute.

Very soon.

The familiar system notification sound rang out in Gao Wen's mind:

"Physique experience +713!"

"Swordsmanship experience +534!"

"Flash Step experience +66"

"Observation Haki experience +99!"

"Armament Haki experience +16!"

(End of Chapter)