The pitiful eight points in swordsmanship experience—Gawain could understand that.
After all, aside from himself, there were barely any decent swordsmen in his pirate crew.
The potential of the ordinary pirates had already been nearly exhausted; the experience they could provide now was barely worth mentioning.
Gawain narrowed his eyes slightly.
"After recruiting Nami, the next one should be Zoro," he muttered.
"But Zoro's willpower is on a whole other level. You can't bring someone like him aboard with brute force alone."
He leaned back.
"Still, one step at a time. One meal at a time. Handle what's in front of me first—improve my strength. That's the real priority."
With that, the lights in his room flicked off.
One Month Later
The Gawain Pirates had entered a period of quiet recovery.
The previous string of battles had left many crew members gravely wounded. Even with Raven Harbor's medical support, some still succumbed—dying from infections or lingering complications.
The losses were painful, but not unexpected.
The life of a pirate wasn't the glamorous tale spun in children's books. Death, fighting, and endless sailing—that was their reality.
Still, the ones who survived were on the mend. With time, they'd be back on their feet.
In a way, it was a blessing in disguise.
Gawain, after witnessing so many deaths, had begun to grow numb to it all.
That night, his room was brightly lit, the sea breeze fluttering in through the window and ruffling his hair.
During this month, under the influence of both Kuro and Gin, nearly the entire pirate crew had taken up strict training.
One was driven by ambition and resentment, and the other by pride after a humiliating defeat.
They trained relentlessly, each for their own reasons. And Gawain, like a fisherman, reaped the daily stream of experience points.
At this moment, he sat at his desk, slowly polishing the Seikō Masamune in his hands.
While he still hadn't unlocked Armament Haki, he had grown increasingly attuned to his blade. It no longer felt like a tool—it felt like a part of him.
Suddenly, the familiar chime of the system echoed in his mind:
"Physique experience +133!"
"Swordsmanship experience +6!"
"Death Walk experience +32!"
"Observation Haki experience +54!"
Compared to half a month ago, all categories—except swordsmanship—had seen a substantial boost.
As the flood of experience surged through him, the long-stagnant stats finally pushed past their thresholds.
Physique - LV-6: 2987/3000 → LV-7: 120/5000
Observation Haki - LV-1: 998/1000 → LV-2: 52/2000
Along with the system notifications, a familiar warmth surged from his heart, carried by his blood to every corner of his body.
It nourished his cells, pushing his already formidable physique to an even greater peak.
His skin turned red, steaming with heat, and dark impurities oozed from his pores.
But rather than pain, Gawain felt lighter. Faster. More in tune with his own movements.
A few breaths later, the heat faded. The steam dissipated, carried away by the breeze.
"Huff…" Gawain exhaled a long breath, stripped off his leather armor, and looked down at his bare torso.
His physique hadn't changed much. If anything, he looked leaner, more like his form from before he first woke up in this world.
But inwardly, he could feel the difference.
Strength. Endurance. Agility.
The "Balance" trait had evenly distributed every gain, fine-tuning his body toward optimal efficiency.
"Seventh-level physique..." he murmured, unable to hold back his excitement.
"My three stats—strength, endurance, agility—they've increased by almost 40% from level six. That's nearly double what I had at level five!"
A thought flashed through his mind.
"If I fought Smoker again now…"
His fists clenched. Confidence gleamed in his eyes.
"He wouldn't even have the chance to throw that seastone jitte into the ocean."
Then, shifting his attention:
"And Observation Haki's hit level two as well…"
"Let's try it."
He activated it.
A strange sensation—unrelated to sight, sound, or any of the five senses—washed over his mind.
The breeze, the waves, the distant insects, the faint snoring of crew below deck...
Everything became clear.
As his Observation Haki improved, its perception capabilities became more abnormal—almost supernatural.
Gawain couldn't help but wonder: when he eventually reached LV-5, would he awaken future sight or other advanced abilities?
Without hesitation, he drew Seikō Masamune.
A silver-white blade of energy shot forth—cutting through the air and slicing a shark that had leapt from the center of the harbor clean in half.
Swish!
Blood sprayed into the sea, dyeing the waters red.
On the deck below, the night watch pirate rubbed his eyes. If not for the floating corpse, he would've assumed it was a dream.
He reached for the alarm horn—but paused.
The blade had come from the captain's attic.
"I'm an idiot," he muttered. "Who else could pull something like that off except Captain Gawain?"
"But… he's gotten this strong already?"
He glanced up at the attic window, just in time to see it silently close.
As if what had just happened was nothing.
"He's… a monster."
Back in the room, Gawain slid Seikō Masamune back into its sheath.
He thought about the sharp clarity of his perception just moments earlier and couldn't help but smile.
"To sense the killing intent of a creature hundreds of meters away… No wonder Kuro got so cocky after awakening his Observation Haki."
"As I guessed—this ability compensates for the Death Walk weaknesses. In Kuro's case, it pushes his speed beyond its natural limits."
"But now, I can do the same."
"No—better."
He opened his system panel.
The familiar light blue screen appeared.
[Host – Gawain]
Age: 24
Identity: Captain of the Gawain Pirates
Skills:
Swordsmanship – LV-5: 1439/1600 (Speed)
Physique – LV-7: 120/5000 (Balance)
Death Walk – LV-3: 75/800
Observation Haki – LV-2: 52/2000
Navigation – LV-1: 13/100
Badges:
Captain's Fury: Subordinates' physical recovery speed +20%
Rising Fame: View potential abilities
Rating – Bronze:
In the Four Seas and even Grand Line, you're a force to be reckoned with. But in the New World—tread carefully.
Over the past month, not only had Gawain's physique and Observation Haki evolved, but the Death Walk technique he'd learned from Kuro had also climbed two levels, reaching LV-3.
His growth was accelerating.
And it had only just begun.