Iron Grip (Please Read On!)

[Name: Beiyuan Heng]

[Occupation: CP9 agent, Marine Headquarters rear admiral, swordsman]

[Traits: Calm (White), Somewhat Famous (White)...]

[Draws: 1]

Several months had quietly passed since Beiyuan Heng arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.

The turmoil in these waters seemed to have come and gone quickly. The sea appeared to have gradually returned to its usual bustle and calm.

Pirates still lurked and wreaked havoc throughout every region, while the Marines continued their patrols. Everything seemed to have returned to the rhythm from before his arrival.

But for Beiyuan Heng, the changes had never stopped. Instead, they had continued to accumulate unnoticed.

Compared to when he had first arrived at Sabaody several months ago, the panel information that only he could see in his mind had quietly undergone a few new changes.

Most notably, two brand-new white traits had appeared on the panel.

The first new white trait was [Calm (White)].

[Calm (White)]: When facing danger, battle, and all manner of unexpected situations, you can more easily remain calm and seize fleeting opportunities.

Seeing this trait, Beiyuan Heng immediately recalled the time he had been surrounded by over a hundred pirate crews.

Back then, he had faced the overwhelming assault of countless pirates alone, yet he had not panicked in the slightest.

This trait had most likely come from those pirates who had once surrounded him.

Ordinary civilians had never seen what he looked like when he was truly in danger, so naturally, they could not have contributed to this trait.

Besides [Calm (White)], the panel had also gained an unprecedented comprehensive white trait: [Somewhat Famous (White)].

[Somewhat Famous (White)]: You have begun to step onto the world stage. Your name is spreading through a small number of regions. When active in regions where your name is known, your strength increases slightly. People's awareness of you will improve.

Beiyuan Heng studied the trait carefully and soon connected it to the [Celebrity (Blue)] trait that had long existed on his panel.

In a sense, the two traits overlapped. Their core function was to increase how well others knew him.

However, [Celebrity (Blue)] leaned more toward broad fame and influence, while [Somewhat Famous (White)] focused more on recognition within a limited region. It also came with the practical effect of slightly increasing his strength in areas where he was known.

It was a supplement and extension of the [Celebrity (Blue)] trait, further improving the efficiency with which he gained recognition.

Yet the thing that surprised Beiyuan Heng most in this panel update was not the new traits, but the change in his occupation column.

A new occupation—"swordsman"—had appeared in his list, alongside CP9 agent and Marine Headquarters rear admiral.

That truly exceeded his expectations.

After all, his swordsmanship had long reached the specialized level. Whether in the force and speed of his swings or his understanding and use of sword techniques, he already possessed every quality of a swordsman, and even surpassed ordinary swordsmen by far.

Logically, this occupation should have appeared on his panel long ago. It should not have taken until now to unlock.

Beiyuan Heng pondered for a moment before understanding the key.

The agent occupation had been directly granted by CP9 headquarters, while his rear admiral rank had been formally appointed by Marine Headquarters. Neither required anyone else's recognition; they were identities bestowed upon him directly.

But an occupation like swordsman, broad in definition and dependent on recognition of one's strength, required acknowledgment and approval from others before the panel could officially record it as one of his occupations.

This "swordsman" occupation had not unlocked immediately after he defeated Ryan Hunter.

The true opportunity came after the victory banquet. While he practiced swordsmanship every day in an open area of Grove 5, he encountered a samurai who had escaped from Wano Country.

The samurai was thin, but his swordsmanship was superb. After silently watching Beiyuan Heng train for a long time, he stepped forward to spar with him. Following their exchange, the samurai from Wano Country could not stop praising Beiyuan Heng's swordsmanship.

He declared that Beiyuan Heng "already possessed the potential of a top-tier swordsman." It was this recognition from a professional swordsman that officially added the "swordsman" occupation to his panel.

It seems that acquiring more occupations is the right choice.

Beiyuan Heng thought to himself.

Originally, he had regarded occupations merely as a way to gain drawing chances and had not paid much attention to them.

But after unlocking the "swordsman" occupation, he had clearly felt the difference.

His understanding of swordsmanship had deepened, and the feel of wielding a sword had become increasingly fluid, allowing him to grasp the essence of sword techniques more quickly.

At first, he had assumed it was simply because he had practiced swordsmanship for so long that he had suddenly gained insight. He had not connected the change to the swordsman occupation.

It was only after three or four days, when he deliberately stopped practicing and carefully sensed the changes within himself, that he confirmed it. This profound understanding of swordsmanship was the exclusive boost brought by the swordsman occupation.

Having figured that out, Beiyuan Heng could not help thinking of his other two occupations.

Agent and Marine Headquarters rear admiral.

Those two occupations had likely given him corresponding boosts as well. It was just that when he had unlocked them, he had not deliberately paid attention and had not noticed those subtle changes.

Thinking back now, during his CP9 training, he had learned the Six Powers far faster than the other agents of his cohort. Part of that had come from the boost provided by the "CP9 agent" occupation, which enhanced his physical ability, reaction speed, and skill learning.

However, he still had not clearly sensed the specific boost from the "Marine Headquarters rear admiral" occupation. He had neither noticed an increase in strength during battle nor felt any special convenience when handling Marine affairs.

Still, its boost was likely similar to that of the agent occupation, tending toward subtle, gradual improvement.

In the long run, acquiring more occupations was undoubtedly an essential path to increasing his strength. Not only could they provide drawing chances, but they also granted exclusive boosts and improved his overall ability system.

Beiyuan Heng kept that plan in mind and turned his attention back to the drawing chance on the panel.

It was the reward he had received after unlocking the swordsman occupation.

Perhaps because of his previous experiences drawing traits, he had developed a certain sense of ritual. After thinking it over, Beiyuan Heng deliberately got up, went to the bathroom, and carefully washed his hands.

After washing his hands, he still did not feel secure enough, so he simply splashed his face with cold water as well.

Only after doing all that did he return to his spot, focus his mind, and silently call for a draw.

The next second, a gentle green light flashed across the panel.

A brand-new green trait appeared in the panel's trait column: [Iron Grip (Green)].

[Iron Grip (Green)]: Your grip strength surpasses that of ordinary people. Your hand strength increases, and your hands become tougher.

Though simple, the increase in strength brought by this trait was considerable.

He instinctively clenched his fist and could clearly feel the abundant strength surging through his hand.

His physical fitness had already far surpassed that of ordinary people. Combined with the bonus from the Great Strength trait he had unlocked earlier, his hand strength had already been formidable.

Now, with the support of [Iron Grip (Green)], both his hand strength and the durability of his hands had risen another level. He could clearly feel that his current grip was enough to deform, or even crush, ordinary-grade steel.

If he had possessed this trait back then, he was confident he could have crushed the spiked club in Ryan Hunter's hand with a single grip.