Chapter 88

As another wave of experience poured into his body, Gao Wen's swordsmanship finally reached LV-10.

Countless insights into the Way of the Sword flooded Gao Wen's mind; like a sponge, he absorbed everything from the System.

He used this new perspective to comprehend his own abilities.

The swordsmanship, already simplified under the Harmonization Trait, was pushed even further to a new peak.

A few minutes later.

Gao Wen slowly opened his eyes, one hand pressing against the Guanshi Zhengzong at his waist. Feeling the blade's hum, a faint smile played on his lips:

"Reaching LV-10 has elevated my insights into the Way of the Sword once more. My speed in drawing the blade and my fundamental understanding of the essence of swordsmanship have both improved significantly."

"Overall, it shouldn't differ much from before, perhaps around thirty percent, but that's not the main point..."

Gao Wen shifted his attention to the System panel before him.

Just as raising Physique to LV-10 had added two new branch abilities, raising Swordsmanship to LV-10 similarly added two brand-new branch abilities:

Iaido and Extreme Blade.

Gao Wen glanced at the former and immediately grasped its meaning.

Roughly speaking, Iaido refers to the draw-cut.

After awakening the Flash Step trait, Gao Wen's combat style had already evolved toward relying on speed to rush the enemy and eliminate them instantly; this ability was an extremely perfect fit for his fighting style.

When defense can be broken, the first strike should naturally be as fast as possible.

Gao Wen understood this clearly, but he also knew the drawback of merely stacking speed: facing top-tier experts, one might fail to break their defense.

Currently, almost no one in the East Blue could withstand Gao Wen's Flash Step rush and strike head-on, but such people were as common as cattle on the Grand Line.

Admittedly, raising Armament Haki and Physique to stack base stats would also allow him to cut through, but that would require far more time.

"Besides, just like the previous Air Slash, Iaido can be improved through cultivation."

"Even if I made a poor choice this time, later on... I'll have Zoro spend some time on Iaido, and I will gain corresponding improvements."

Gao Wen turned his gaze to the second trait: Extreme Blade.

To be honest, he couldn't quite discern its specific function, only remembering seeing a similar ability in a certain game.

"Extreme Blade... Break the Extreme Blade? In the game, it was an ability that amplified attack and critical hits; mine should be similar, right?!"

Thinking this, Gao Wen hesitated no longer:

"I choose Extreme Blade!"

Very quickly.

A brand-new branch ability appeared behind the Swordsmanship entry:

Swordsmanship-LV-10: 653/12000 (Divine Speed, Extreme Blade)

Unexpectedly,

Gao Wen's body felt no change whatsoever. Clearly, the new ability had not modified his physique. He frowned slightly:

"What's going on?"

In his confusion,

Gao Wen instinctively looked at the Guanshi Zhengzong in his hand. His gaze touched the sharp edge and froze on the spot.

He saw a faint luminescence clinging to the blade of the Guanshi Zhengzong. Even in the darkness, the blade's edge was clearly visible, and it carried an added chill that struck straight at the soul.

Gao Wen inexplicably had a hunch.

The edge wrapped in luminescence seemed capable of cutting through anything.

"This... directly amplifies the power of the slash?!"

Gao Wen fetched a common blade and lightly slashed it with the Guanshi Zhengzong enhanced by Extreme Blade.

Swish!

The luminescent edge sliced through like it was passing through butter, meeting no resistance whatsoever, and the ordinary sword broke cleanly in the middle.

"It really does amplify the power of the slash?!"

Gao Wen was stunned, then burst into wild joy. He pushed open the window and flashed away.

A few minutes later.

On the back mountain of Parra Island, air slashes shot forth, sweeping over the distant sea and racing to the horizon.

The roaring sound echoed through the clouds. Several mountain peaks were severed, with dense slash marks crisscrossing over a hundred meters.

East Blue.

Near the waters of Raven Port, waves gradually rose. Amidst the howling gale, a pirate ship broke through the waves.

"Labute, how much longer?!"

A tall, thin pirate with a cat-like appearance sat on the deck, frowning as he looked out at the distant sea.

Labute, short and chubby like a fat cat, looked down at the sea chart, then took a compass from his pocket. After checking it carefully, he spoke:

"We are less than ten nautical miles from Raven Port. We should be able to reach Raven Port before this storm hits."

"If all goes well, we will see the Devil Fruit the Captain wants tonight."

As he spoke, Labute glanced at the wounds on the tall, thin pirate's body, and a Solemn expression appeared in his eyes:

"That Smoke Man actually managed to injure you, Rachet, to this extent?!"

"Even in the weakest East Blue, do Logia users exist?"

Rachet's face darkened, and his tone revealed deep resentment:

"The Logia ability is secondary; the key is that his weapon was infused with Sea Prism Stone. Otherwise, how could I have lost?"

Labute nodded and said:

"As long as it doesn't affect this operation, that's fine. Additionally, according to the intelligence provided by Lord Hanafuza, Raven Port has close ties with another pirate crew."

"Who?"

Labute explained:

"The Gao Wen Pirates. Their captain is the knight Gao Wen, with a bounty of eighty-five million; he is the highest-bountied pirate in the East Blue."

"They are a force that suddenly rose in the past few months; judging by the trend, they seem intending to enter the Grand Line."

The corner of Lachet's mouth curled up as he said disdainfully:

"Hailing from the weakest East Blue, having never experienced the fierce slaughter within the Grand Line, even with such a high bounty, they are merely impressive in appearance only."

"Working together, we have taken the heads of pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million before."

"Moreover, now that we have obtained new power, we are far stronger than we once were!"

As he spoke, Lachet arched his waist and back slightly; within a few breaths, he transformed into a large cat standing on its hind legs, its body covered in jet-black spots.

This form, resembling both a leopard and a cat, exuded the ferocity of a carnivorous beast.

Gazing at the sharp claws on his fingertips, his eyes revealed an obsession with power:

"This is the truth of this sea! Power is everything!"

Labute glanced at him, a faint smile curling the corner of his mouth:

"That is true, however, we must still prioritize Lord Hanafuza's mission—!"

Bang!

Labute's voice was cut off by a sudden gunshot.

Lachet, standing before him, threw his head back; white smoke billowed from between his lips and teeth, while his ferocious fangs tightly clamped a jet-black bullet.

Pfft!

Lachet spat out the bullet from his mouth, his gaze scanning left and right, yet all that met his eyes was a vast, boundless sea.

For a moment, Lachet could not help but feel bewildered; he shouted angrily:

"Who is it?!"

The pirates on the ship instantly went on high alert, scrambling everywhere to find cover.

The lookout stood atop the mast, scanning in all directions, but ultimately saw nothing; he could only say apprehensively:

"Lord Lachet, within the nearby waters, no suspicious vessels were detected; even the nearest island lies more than ten kilometers away."

"What kind of joke are you making? Could he possibly be hiding in the sea to fire a shot?!"

(End of Chapter)