"Captain System?"
Realizing what had just happened, Gawain's eyes lit up. Before him, a faint blue translucent panel slowly unfolded.
No one else seemed to notice. Clearly, this panel was something only Gawain could see.
[Captain System]
[Host – Gawain]
[Age – 24]
[Identity – Captain of the Gawain Pirates]
[Bounty – 8 million Berries]
[Title – Knight]
[Skills:
Swordsmanship LV-4: 431/800
Physique LV-3: 357/400
Navigation LV-1: 39/50]
[Badges:
Captain's Fury – Crew stamina recovery speed +20%]
[Rank – Black Iron: Small fry, no need to elaborate.]
Seeing the words "small fry" glaring at the bottom of the panel, Gawain's lips twitched. He quickly pushed the irritation aside and focused on the system.
It didn't take him long to understand its functions.
Every time a crew member trained and made progress, Gawain would gain ten times the benefits.
The character ranking reflected one's current power. From bottom to top there were six tiers: Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Legendary, Mythical.
The higher the rank, the greater the strength. For example, peak Whitebeard and Roger were at the Legendary tier. The Yonko and Marine Admirals started at Gold, with some reaching Legendary. The Warlords of the Sea were generally between Silver and Gold.
As for Mythical, that only existed as a theory.
Black Iron, where Gawain was now, was undoubtedly the bottom of the barrel. A proper small fry. Compared to other pirates on the island, he was just a slightly bigger fry.
The badge that had just appeared was also displayed on the panel, boosting crew stamina recovery by 20 percent.
"So that means as long as my crew trains, I immediately gain ten times their progress?"
"And with the badge, I can even push these leeks… I mean, crew members to train faster, so I can reap the rewards even sooner?"
"What kind of cyber-capitalist nonsense is this?!"
Gawain glanced at the surrounding pirates.
Counting quickly, including the shipwrights still working on the damaged vessel, there were over ninety men.
He turned to one pirate and asked, "If we hide here with everything we've got, how long can we last?"
"Optimistically, maybe a month."
"A month…"
Gawain did the math.
Thirty days. A hundred men. Ten times efficiency.
In other words, if he had this many pirates training for a month, he would gain the equivalent of more than eighty years of cultivation.
And if he survived this crisis and managed to recruit talented people under his banner, as long as they trained, he would grow at ten times their speed.
This growth could even stack!
According to his memories, the current year was Sea Circle Calendar 1517, the year Ace first set out to sea.
"Ace's potential should be far beyond ordinary people. He awakens Conqueror's Haki later, and he has Roger's bloodline."
"And in the future, the Straw Hats' two main fighters, Zoro and Sanji, one is still working as a pirate hunter and the other is a trainee cook at the Baratie."
"If these three make it through their growth safely, according to the system's scale, each will at least reach Gold or even Legendary."
"If I could recruit them, how fast would my growth become?"
He shook his head.
"Forget it. Better focus on something practical first. Let's start with a small goal… defeat Morgan!"
Looking at the pirates watching him with awe, Gawain made up his mind.
…
The next morning.
Though the upheaval last night had been immense, Gawain's decisiveness gave the crew unprecedented confidence.
Their morale was no longer in shambles. Instead of panic, there was order and determination.
Standing before them, Gawain looked with satisfaction at his leeks.
After a moment of silence, he spoke with deliberate weight.
"Cough, cough."
"Brothers, after the shipwrights worked through the night, I regret to inform you that we can no longer set sail. Which means we only have two paths left."
"First, hope that another ship passes by before the Navy finds us. But let's be honest, the odds of that happening are slim to none."
"Second, when the Navy arrives, seize their warship. But the men Morgan commands are elite in East Blue. Don't forget, we just suffered a crushing defeat at their hands."
The words instantly caused panic. The hope that had just begun to rise was doused like a bucket of cold water.
To them, Morgan was nearly unbeatable.
After all, even their strong captain had been injured by him and still wore bandages.
"I… I don't want to die, Captain, save me!"
Some even broke down crying.
The truth was, most pirates of this era were just ordinary people who could no longer survive at home.
With weapons in hand against other common folk, they were fearless. But fighting monsters like Morgan was no different from dreaming.
Seeing their reaction, Gawain's lips curled in a faint smile.
Perfect.
It might sound like CPU overload, but in his past life he had seen countless short-video sales pitches. The trick was always the same: first create anxiety, then sell the solution.
Simple, but it always worked. With enough people, there were always fools who fell for it.
And these pirates, most of whom had barely studied and had never been exposed to an age of information, were no different from fools.
"But!"
Gawain raised his voice.
"Can we really just sit here and wait for death?"
"Think back to the oath you swore when you first set out to sea. Even if we don't find One Piece, where's the money? Where's the treasure?!"
"We haven't gained anything. How can we bow our heads to the Navy?!"
"With a month left, do you want to gamble everything to become heroes, or kneel down and be slaughtered?"
The crowd roared louder, riled up by his words. Faces turned red with excitement.
"Fight them!"
"Damn it, fortune favors the bold!"
"Captain, tell us what to do!"
The uproar grew more intense.
Gawain, thinking how easy they were to fool, pressed on.
"Brothers, if you are willing to bet everything, raise your hands!"
Whoosh!
Nearly a hundred men, every last one, raised their hands with absolute seriousness. In their eyes burned a fire.
"Very good. You have spirit."
Gawain smiled faintly and said,
"For the next month, put aside all distractions and train with me. I will teach you everything I know."
"Remember this."
"You are not training for me. You are training for yourselves. In this era, without strength, you cannot survive."
"Money can be stolen with a sword, but your strength belongs to you alone."
"Yeah!"
A thunderous cry erupted. The pirates were stirred to the core.
"That's right, only strength matters."
"I was once foolish enough to believe the Navy would uphold justice for me, help me reclaim what I'd lost."
"But when I saw the noble who had robbed me laughing and drinking with the Navy, I understood. This world is long past saving."
"Only strength is everything!"
A mohawked pirate's eyes burned with fervor.
"Exactly!"
"Without strength, there is no survival!"
"And the only one who can give us hope now is Captain Gawain!"
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