Pirates: Seeing Proficiency Made Me a Legend

From the edge of the battlefield, he could only vaguely sense that both men were still alive. He had no way of telling who had won.

But by his reckoning, Dongze had not lost. He himself was still safe, after all. If something had happened to Dongze, he would have turned into a ball of lightning by now.

The two men reappeared in the middle of the battlefield, their heavy breathing carrying through the air.

Dongze had just unleashed three Slashing attacks imbued with Cold River Sword Intent to stop Aokiji's move. As pain stabbed through his head, he knew he had reached his limit.

Then he saw the proficiency on his panel leap to 500,000 and could not help grinning.

Counting the earlier strike, he had launched five Sword Intent attacks in all.

Aokiji was in much the same state as Dongze. Devil Fruit Awakening was powerful, but it consumed enormous stamina. That blast of absolute-zero freezing air had drained him in an instant, only to cancel out those three Slashing attacks.

Aokiji looked at Dongze in the distance, an unreadable glint in his eyes. He looked almost like a father-in-law sizing up his son-in-law.

"Kid! I never imagined you could push me this far!"

"Heh! As if I'd stop here!"

Dongze sighed inwardly.

This fight had shown him that his most urgent problem was his mental strength.

If he had enough of it now, he could have made Aokiji kneel and sing his surrender.

But dreams were beautiful, and reality was cruel. He had merely gone from a three-times-a-night man to a five-times-a-night man.

The revolution was not yet won. There was still work to do!

"Want to keep going?"

"Are you trying to fight me to the death?"

No. I want you to call me Dad! Dongze thought with a chuckle.

"Honestly, that was the most satisfying fight I've had since setting sail. Now I can ask for that A-Cup Pair openly at last! Haha!"

Sabaody Bound, Aokiji Makes His Move

After the fierce battle, everything fell quiet.

But the fight had left its mark: an island of ice that would not melt for a thousand years now stood in the first half of the Grand Line.

Lying on the ground, Aokiji and Dongze let the fighting spirit fade from their eyes.

In truth, Aokiji had not come to arrest anyone. Things had only gone this far because he could not hold back after Dongze unleashed his Cold River Sword Intent.

"Hey, kid! Can I ask you something unrelated?"

"What?"

"I looked into you before coming here. Ever since you left Shimotsuki Village, you've shown pirates no mercy. Why did you take her in?"

"I don't think you're that shallow, are you?"

"Though she is quite pretty when she cleans up!"

Dongze froze, then his mouth twitched. He had not expected Aokiji to be such a gossip.

Still, as for that...

Dongze had crossed over into this world knowing most of the fates awaiting its people. When he met certain people, he could not help feeling something particular toward them.

Some he despised. Momonosuke, for example. If Dongze met him, he might just castrate him on the spot—or tie him to a tree and have people flick his little brother until it burst.

Then there were certain Celestial Dragons. If he ever ran into them, he would not let them leave his sight alive, even if he had to use underhanded methods.

Others he liked: Kuina, his childhood friend; the proud Moss Head who kept clamoring to challenge him; and the Cat Burglar.

And then there was the woman aboard his ship, Ohara's sole survivor—Nico Robin.

"Honestly, I don't know!"

"You don't know?"

"That's right. But after spending time with her, I've found that keeping her aboard was a good choice. She's a likable girl."

"Even if it means the World Government puts a bounty on your head?"

"Huh? Are you sure about that? I haven't attacked the Marines. Would old man Sengoku really let you make an unpredictable enemy of the Marines for no good reason?"

"Kid! You're pretty shameless yourself!"

"I'm just telling the truth. Don't you want to see how far she can go, too?"

"What a headache!"

"Oh, right. The World Government has established the Shichibukai system. I can recommend you for a position. If you keep a low profile afterward, I doubt the Marines will bother you for the time being."

Dongze paused.

That's an option?

But thinking back to the original story, Robin had not seemed to be targeted by World Government agents while she was under Crocodile.

Until the system was abolished, its protections did carry some weight. Even the Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Luo, had gone to great lengths to strip Doflamingo of his Shichibukai status while moving against him.

That alone showed the title had some practical value, at least on the surface.

"But I don't want either of you spreading the truth about the Void Century. If you do, we may have to fight to the death."

"Brother Kuzan."

"Hmm?"

"Sometimes you see certain things more clearly from outside the Marines."

"Maybe. But I'm not looking to change jobs just yet."

Dongze shook his head, remembering what Aokiji would later say to Smoker. Perhaps the time had not come.

"Mr. Garp told me your dream was to reach the pinnacle of Swordsmanship. Is that right?"

"Have you ever wondered what your Devil Fruit would look like if you developed it to its absolute limit?"

Aokiji paused. "Isn't Awakening the highest level?"

"I don't know either, but I doubt Awakening is the end. If you could wave your hand and freeze the entire sea one day, I imagine there wouldn't be any pirates left!"

"Freeze the entire sea? You really dare to dream, kid. Maybe I could do it if I lived a few thousand years!"

Half a day later, Aokiji and Dongze emerged from the island's center, one carrying a ship and the other a bicycle.

The moment Dongze appeared, Robin and Enel hurried down. Robin stepped forward and asked anxiously, "Dongze, are you all right?"

Dongze waved a hand. "I'm fine."

Aokiji glanced at Robin, his gaze full of emotion. The girl he had watched over for so many years might soon be entrusted to someone else.

"Nico Robin, take care of yourself!"

With that, Aokiji mounted his beloved bicycle and rode away once more.

"Dongze..."

Watching Aokiji disappear into the distance, Dongze sighed softly. "It's fine. Think of it as a father seeing his daughter off."

Robin looked baffled. Something about his words struck her as strange. "What are you talking about?"

"Our next destination is the Sabaody Archipelago!"

"Sabaody?"

"Yeah. We talked about a few things, and that's where we can reach our goals fastest."

And where I can reach mine, he added silently.

Dongze gazed into the distance. To prove he was fit to become a Shichibukai, the lawless pirates in that lawless place would make the perfect gift.

Besides, Sabaody was a crossroads of the world. He still needed suitable vessels for his three awakened Sword Intents.

The battles awaiting him in the New World might be even fiercer than today's. He needed more cards up his sleeve.

He then checked his panel to review what he had gained from the fight.

Iron Head Skill: Max (Can be fused!)

Iron Crotch Skill: Max (Can be fused!)

Abdominal Breathing: Max

Basic Meditation: 700/1,000

Intermediate Meditation: (Can be activated when Basic Meditation reaches Max)

Water-Walking: Max

Sleeping: 1,000/100,000

Basic Swordsmanship: Max

Sword Forging: Max

Hundred-Pace Flying Sword: Max (Sword Intent activated: 100/1,000,000)

Crossing the Eight Directions: Max (Sword Intent activated: 100/1,000,000)

Sword-Draw Technique: Max

Heavenly Flying Immortal: Max (Sword Intent not activated)

Hidden Light, Sitting in Forgetfulness: Max; Non-Contention Sword Intent (activated): 350,000/1,000,000

One Sword Across the Ages: Max (Sword Intent not activated)

Taiji Swordsmanship: Max (Sword Intent not activated)

Spear Technique: 1,200/1,000,000

Six Powers—Shave: Max

Six Powers—Geppo: Max

Armament Haki (activated): 600,000/1,000,000 (Ryuo)

Observation Haki (activated): 600,000/1,000,000 (Voice of All Things)

Conqueror's Haki (activated): 25,000/1,000,000

Sword Intent (unlocked): 6/100

Erosion Sword Intent (activated): 420,000/1,000,000

Thunderclap Sword Intent (activated): 200,000/1,000,000

Shuihan Sword Intent (activated): 500,000/1,000,000

World Will (unlocked): 2/10

Swordsmanship (Minor World locked): 1/10; Peerless Sword Case (unlocked); Divine Weapon Storage: 2/13 (Long River, Thunderclap)

Swordsmanship (The Legend of Qin world locked)

His Haki had not improved much—about 56,000 points. Dongze understood why. Each Slashing attack had added only around 1,000 points before, so he was satisfied with what he had gained.

Shuihan Sword Intent had grown the fastest, overtaking the others to reach the highest level.

Aokiji had also dropped the skill Dongze needed most right now: Intermediate Meditation (can be activated!).

And someone he had to meet after coming to the world of pirates lived in seclusion there.

Pluton—Silvers Rayleigh.

I wonder how much I'll gain from meeting him.

"What? He fought you to a draw?"

"Yes, Mr. Garp! By the end, that kid could actually use the same power as me. He could freeze me in an instant!"

"If I hadn't already seen that seawater didn't bother him, I would have thought he was a Devil Fruit user!"