One Piece: I Became a Legend by Seeing Proficiency Levels

"Maybe it was time to choose!"

Outside the cabin, Enel behaved himself this time, though he still put everything he had into every attack, as if he could blast the Blue Sea man before him to ash.

"Twenty million volts—discharge!"

"Thirty million volts—Lightning Bird!"

"Forty million volts—discharge!"

Dongze's face was grave. Lightning was nature's most powerful phenomenon; its destructive force needed no explanation.

With Haki to shield him, he could take a few hits at ten or twenty million volts. Beyond that, though, he began to feel the pressure.

Haki could strengthen his defenses, but it could not do so without limit. If it could, people in the New World would have no need to compete at anything else. They could simply raise their Haki until they were invincible.

Unfortunately, Armament Haki was not invincible. Once an attack exceeded what it could withstand, he would still be hurt.

His Armament Haki proficiency had now passed 550,000, and his Observation Haki had reached 540,000.

He had even unlocked Ryuo and the Voice of All Things.

But by his estimate, his current limit was around one hundred million volts.

If he still could not unlock Thunderclap Sword Intent after all this, it would be a cruel joke.

When Enel reached sixty million volts, Dongze fixed his eyes on the panel. His once-calm heart suddenly tightened.

"Seventy million volts—discharge!"

Multicolored light now flickered across Dongze's body.

He brought forth his Ryuo, spreading a faint layer of it over his skin.

Dongze touched his body, gauged the strength of his Haki, and sighed inwardly.

Strengthening one part before another really did make a difference. The Haki on his hands might be able to withstand a hundred-and-fifty-million-volt attack.

A thought flashed through his mind. If he had merged Iron Head Skill first, that might have worked too. Would it have given him a better chance of awakening Thunderclap Sword Intent?

"Ah! Of course! That old man's tricks run deep!"

Thunderclap Awakens, Kuzan Arrives ### A single thunderclap, ten thousand streaks of lightning.

An explosion rang through the sky. Lightning poured down, turning everything brilliant white. The glare made it impossible to see anything above.

A long while later, heavy footsteps sounded as Dongze descended onto the deck. He dropped onto his backside, gasping for air. At the sight of Thunderclap Sword Intent finally lighting up on his panel, he breathed a sigh of relief.

His hair stuck out like a bird's nest, and his whole body was charred black. Unlocking this Sword Intent had brought him to death's door.

He had not expected the static-like lightning still clinging to his skin to erupt at the last moment.

That final strike had unleashed nearly two hundred million volts. If Thunderclap Sword Intent had not activated at the last instant, he would have died.

He shuddered at the memory of lightning boring into his body through his seven orifices and racing wildly through him. A bone-deep, burning numbness had stabbed at his nerves, nearly breaking his mind.

Fortunately, Erosion Sword Intent had risen on its own to protect him, keeping the lightning out of his brain. Otherwise, he would be dead by now.

"No wonder there was no prompt during our earlier fight, before Enel brought out his big attacks! That threshold was no joke!"

The thought left him shaken. His journey through this other world had nearly ended right there.

After catching his breath, Dongze glanced at Enel. He was in no better shape, still reduced to a mass of lightning.

The instant Dongze had fallen into danger, the Erosion Sword Intent planted in Enel's head had erupted.

Enel had no Sword Intent to protect him. In an instant, the attack had forced him into his elemental form, then spread through him and began eating away at his soul.

Only then had he fully understood how terrifying it was. It attacked not just the body, but the soul as well.

It was practically the manifestation of a law: when the sandstorm passed, it buried everything. Erosion Sword Intent made that principle even more apparent. If the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit had not resisted it, Enel might have been reduced to ash in an instant.

The kind of ash that left no bones behind.

"Boss, have mercy!!"

Hearing the cry, Dongze raised a hand with some effort and stopped the rampaging Erosion Sword Intent.

His earlier reaction had come from the stray lightning trapped by his Armament Haki. He had hoped to use it to improve his resistance to lightning, never expecting things to turn out this way. Enel was not to blame.

Only after a long while did Enel reform into human shape. He stared at Dongze in terror.

After what he had seen, he had thought his lightning had sent Dongze to his grave. Yet Dongze had somehow endured nearly two hundred million volts.

Enel no longer thought of Dongze as human. To him, Dongze seemed more like what he himself understood a god to be.

Enel knew the power of his own attacks. He was certain no one could withstand two hundred million volts of raging lightning.

Then again, Enel probably could not have imagined that a Devil Fruit User with the Gum-Gum Fruit existed in this world.

That was a true counter, one who could emerge without a scratch. The thunderbolt Dongze had barely survived would probably affect that person less than a fart. At least a fart had a smell.

And then there was that Sword Intent. Enel had thought that if Dongze died, he would be free. He had never expected what actually happened.

Remembering it, he gave a bitter smile. It was a vicious move: if one of them fell, the other would fall too. He was now bound to Dongze's ship for good.

"Dongze!!"

Robin had heard the commotion outside. After a moment's hesitation, she finally came out, only for her heart to sink at what she saw.

She hurried over and caught Dongze before he collapsed, urgency showing in her eyes.

"I'm fine! I was just running an experiment!"

Dongze's words left Robin with a tangle of emotions she could not sort out.

Remembering what he had told her the night before, she lowered her head. Her eyes reddened at once.

She did not know when he had found a place in her heart, but after everything that had happened these past few days, her feelings had grown clearer. She knew she cared about him.

"Maybe I should leave the ship after all."

"Not a chance!"

Dongze had only just been badly hurt, and his whole body was weak. What he meant as a fierce retort came out faint and breathless instead. Robin's nose stung, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

"..."

A little later, Robin wiped away her tears, helped Dongze to his feet, and took him back to the cabin.

Then she set about preparing medicine. It was a skill she had taught herself recently, and with her brilliant mind, she was more than capable of making simple remedies to treat injuries and restore strength.

Enel watched Robin leave him where he lay without so much as a glance.

A strange desolation rose in his heart as he lay on the deck.

He had only just arrived and was already being treated differently. Anyone would have felt slighted, let alone the god of Sky Island, who had never been good with people.

"Hey, miss! There's another injured person over here!"

"I'm busy! Dongze was hurt because of you, wasn't he?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You think I could hurt him? I was following orders. Besides, the Sword Intent he left inside me nearly destroyed me. I still can't even stand!"

"Oh, sorry. I don't know much about Logias, so I'm afraid I can't help."

"No, no, you can help. Just make me something to eat!!"

"Doesn't a lightning man eat lightning? I can't cook that!"

Robin did not know exactly what had happened between Enel and Dongze. All she knew was that Dongze was badly hurt, and she had no desire to bother with the culprit in front of her.

So she delivered the jab with a straight face, letting her wicked sense of humor show in full.

Enel was dumbfounded. Was lightning really supposed to be his food? He shook his head. If he could eat that stuff, he would not be human.

"Miss, what happened to the boss really wasn't my—"

"Quiet! I don't want to talk to you!"

By the time they appeared again, it was the third day. After three days of rest, Dongze and Enel had both more or less recovered.

With Enel aboard, the voyage became much livelier.

No one had expected him to be such a chatterbox. After Robin had made a fool of him a few days earlier, he had taken to pestering her. They traded barbs whenever they met, and Robin never held back.

Every sentence she spoke made him stamp his feet in anger.

As for Dongze, he was getting used to his newly unlocked Thunderclap Sword Intent. For the past few days, Enel had run whenever he saw him!

Perhaps because of that Sword Intent, Enel had not dropped anything else. Dongze could only lament how stingy the old man was.

And though his body had not fully healed, the proficiency-grinding maniac was already back at it. Enel had suffered enough to wish he had died back then.

That afternoon, Enel suddenly froze and looked into the distance. Through his Observation Haki, he saw a young man riding a bicycle across the sea, pedaling leisurely toward them.

"Who's that guy?"

Thunderclap Awakens, Kuzan Arrives ### A single thunderclap, ten thousand streaks of lightning.

An explosion rang through the sky. Lightning poured down, turning everything brilliant white. The glare made it impossible to see anything above.

A long while later, heavy footsteps sounded as Dongze descended onto the deck. He dropped onto his backside, gasping for air. At the sight of Thunderclap Sword Intent finally lighting up on his panel, he breathed a sigh of relief.

His hair stuck out like a bird's nest, and his whole body was charred black. Unlocking this Sword Intent had brought him to death's door.

He had not expected the static-like lightning still clinging to his skin to erupt at the last moment.

That final strike had unleashed nearly two hundred million volts. If Thunderclap Sword Intent had not activated at the last instant, he would have died.

He shuddered at the memory of lightning boring into his body through his seven orifices and racing wildly through him. A bone-deep, burning numbness had stabbed at his nerves, nearly breaking his mind.

Fortunately, Erosion Sword Intent had risen on its own to protect him, keeping the lightning out of his brain. Otherwise, he would be dead by now.

"No wonder there was no prompt during our earlier fight, before Enel brought out his big attacks! That threshold was no joke!"

The thought left him shaken. His journey through this other world had nearly ended right there.

After catching his breath, Dongze glanced at Enel. He was in no better shape, still reduced to a mass of lightning.

The instant Dongze had fallen into danger, the Erosion Sword Intent planted in Enel's head had erupted.

Enel had no Sword Intent to protect him. In an instant, the attack had forced him into his elemental form, then spread through him and began eating away at his soul.

Only then had he fully understood how terrifying it was. It attacked not just the body, but the soul as well.

It was practically the manifestation of a law: when the sandstorm passed, it buried everything. Erosion Sword Intent made that principle even more apparent. If the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit had not resisted it, Enel might have been reduced to ash in an instant.

The kind of ash that left no bones behind.

"Boss, have mercy!!"

Hearing the cry, Dongze raised a hand with some effort and stopped the rampaging Erosion Sword Intent.

His earlier reaction had come from the stray lightning trapped by his Armament Haki. He had hoped to use it to improve his resistance to lightning, never expecting things to turn out this way. Enel was not to blame.

Only after a long while did Enel reform into human shape. He stared at Dongze in terror.

After what he had seen, he had thought his lightning had sent Dongze to his grave. Yet Dongze had somehow endured nearly two hundred million volts.

Enel no longer thought of Dongze as human. To him, Dongze seemed more like what he himself understood a god to be.

Enel knew the power of his own attacks. He was certain no one could withstand two hundred million volts of raging lightning.

Then again, Enel probably could not have imagined that a Devil Fruit User with the Gum-Gum Fruit existed in this world.

That was a true counter, one who could emerge without a scratch. The thunderbolt Dongze had barely survived would probably affect that person less than a fart. At least a fart had a smell.

And then there was that Sword Intent. Enel had thought that if Dongze died, he would be free. He had never expected what actually happened.

Remembering it, he gave a bitter smile. It was a vicious move: if one of them fell, the other would fall too. He was now bound to Dongze's ship for good.

"Dongze!!"

Robin had heard the commotion outside. After a moment's hesitation, she finally came out, only for her heart to sink at what she saw.

She hurried over and caught Dongze before he collapsed, urgency showing in her eyes.