Hearing Zephyr say that, Sean felt a wave of relief.
He was well aware of his own limits; reaching 3,000 Doriki right now was likely impossible. Besides, even if something unexpected happened, the old man had already promised to take the fall for him. With that safety net, what was there to worry about?
This time, Sean stepped back ten meters from the Power Measurer. Since he was being given a free pass, he decided to give it everything he had.
In an instant, Sean vanished.
The next moment, he reappeared directly in front of the Power Measurer, a faint, shimmering azure glow enveloping his right fist. While the movement looked similar to his previous attempt, the internal mechanics were entirely different. This time, Sean didn't just mobilize his physical strength; he surged his Spirit Power into the strike.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion of force erupted, kicking up a towering cloud of dust that completely obscured the scene. It took over ten seconds for the debris to multiply enough for Sean's figure to emerge.
However...
The Power Measurer, which had been securely bolted to the ground in front of him, was now nothing more than a heap of scrap metal.
Zephyr's eyes widened, his expression one of sheer shock. He didn't know the exact Doriki value Sean had just exerted, but it was undoubtedly over 3,000. The technicians from the Science Division had explicitly told him that the device's maximum tolerance was 3,000 Doriki.
And now, the thing had been turned into junk.
'Has this kid really grown this much in just one month?'
As he marveled at the result, Zephyr suddenly sensed something. He instantly used Soru to reach the wreckage, grabbed Sean, and flung him aside.
A moment later, several figures arrived on the scene at high speed.
"Zephyr, what was that commotion about?"
It was Sengoku. The noise had been so immense that it was impossible for him to ignore. Had Garp not been sent out on a mission a few days ago, Sengoku would have assumed that old fool was the one causing chaos again.
Alongside Sengoku were Aokiji and Kizaru. As for Akainu, he was currently stationed at the G1 Branch in the New World and was not at headquarters.
"The Science Division sent over a Power Measurer," Zephyr replied smoothly. "I wanted to try it out myself before testing the students, but I lost control of my strength for a moment. And well... this happened."
'Old man Zephyr is a man of his word,' Sean thought, mentally giving Zephyr a thumbs-up. 'He said he'd take the fall, and he did it without blinking.'
Sengoku and the two Admirals didn't suspect a thing. After all, before becoming a Marine instructor, Zephyr had been a Fleet Admiral himself. Known as "Black Arm," his mastery of physical arts and Haki was legendary. Breaking a Power Measurer with a single punch was hardly surprising for him, and "losing control of his strength" was a perfectly plausible explanation.
However...
"You bastard, Zephyr! Do you have any idea how many Berries that thing cost?" Sengoku barked. "Thirty million Berries!"
"It's just thirty million," Zephyr shrugged. "I've served in the Marines for decades and haven't spent much. I can afford thirty million."
To most, thirty million Berries was a fortune. To Zephyr, it was pocket change. Considering that the people of Cocoyasi Village were forced to pay fifty thousand Berries per person every month—totaling six hundred thousand a year for a mere civilian—the salary of a former Admiral was astronomical. If he had only been making a few thousand a month, even Kizaru would have quit the job.
Furthermore, Zephyr lived alone with no family to support. Aside from leading teams on field operations, he spent most of his time at headquarters. He had almost no expenses.
"Fine. I'll send someone to collect the money from you later!" Sengoku sighed. Then, pointing at Sean, he added, "Honestly, if you wanted to test the equipment, why didn't you just let Sean do it?"
Both Zephyr and Sean wore awkward expressions at that suggestion.
'''
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
By now, Sean's Physical attribute had reached 875 points. This was his base physical value, excluding any additional modifiers. Even without using Spirit Power—relying solely on his physique and martial arts—his Doriki had reached 1,800.
He was now roughly equivalent to an average Marine Vice Admiral. And that was without using his Spirit Power.
Consequently, the one-year physical training plan was cut short by Zephyr nine months early.
"Old man Zephyr, I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Are there any master swordsmiths at Marine Headquarters?"
"Of course. Where else do you think the standard-issue Marine sabers come from? Why are you asking?"
"Well... could you let me study under one for a while?"
"What?"
Zephyr was stunned. Study swordsmithing? This kid had such incredible talent; instead of seizing the moment to further increase his combat strength, he wanted to go learn how to hammer metal?
What on earth was he thinking?
What Zephyr didn't know was that Sean had a very specific reason.
For a long time, Sean's Zanpakutō attribute had remained at Lv.0. This was simple: he didn't have a Zanpakutō. However, the system's existence implied a logic—since the attribute existed, there had to be a way to acquire a Zanpakutō in this world.
Sean wondered: if he could apply the "benefit multiplier" to the quality of a sword, would there be a surprise?
He didn't know for sure, but he knew the fundamental rule of the Benefit Multiplier System: it applied to gains. Specifically, gains achieved through one's own hard work. If someone simply gave him a sword, he wouldn't be able to multiply its quality because the quality was a result of the smith's effort, not his own.
Therefore, the only solution was to forge the blade himself.
That was Sean's logic. Of course, it was an experiment. According to the lore of the Shinigami, while an Asauchi is forged, a soul must be infused and tempered into the blade during the process.
But where was Sean supposed to find a soul? The world of One Piece wasn't the world of Bleach.
'Should I try going to Big Mom to buy a few souls?' he wondered.
Even if the method he had just considered failed and the multiplier couldn't transform a blade into an Asauchi, it wouldn't be a problem.
As long as he mastered the art of sword forging, combined with the reward multiplication system, he might just be able to craft a weapon of Supreme Grade. Even if he couldn't reach that height, producing a Great Grade blade would still be more than acceptable.
After all, Sean currently lacked a weapon that truly suited him, and as for the Marine's standard-issue sabers, he couldn't bring himself to care for them.
"Instead of focusing on your training to increase your strength, why on earth do you want to learn sword forging?"
"Old man Zephyr, I have my reasons, and they are directly related to increasing my own strength!"
"That's still a no. At your age, you are in the golden window for rapid growth. You cannot waste it like this. If you want to learn, you can do it later!"
"Three months!"
"What?"
"I only need three months. Whether I succeed or fail, I will return to the Elite Training Camp to continue my training!"
"Sword forging... truly helps you get stronger?"
"Of course! Old man Zephyr, look into my eyes—don't I look sincere?"
Zephyr fell silent for several long minutes. Sean didn't press him, simply standing there quietly.
Finally, after five minutes...
"Fine. I'll arrange it for you, but remember what you said: only three months!"