Proficiency Cap; Stuck at 999 / Call Me Dad!

Ivankov was overjoyed. "Hey, hey! Dragon, Dongze has set sail!"

Kuma said, "Yeah! That young man is incredible! It's only been a few days, and he's already caused such a stir!"

Monkey D. Dragon said, "It's hard to imagine. Has his strength really grown this much in so little time?"

"Hey, aren't you two focusing on the wrong thing?"

"He's the spiritual leader of our Revolutionary Army! Shouldn't we ask him to join us?"

"Iva, now isn't the time. Have you forgotten what Dongze told us before?"

"Oh! Right! He's in the spotlight now. It really wouldn't be wise to bring him into our ranks!"

"I don't know why he joined the Shichibukai, but I doubt he'll work hand in glove with the World Government. Kuma, you're a Shichibukai too. Find a chance to meet him."

"Okay, no problem!"

In a bar in the East Blue, a circus troupe was celebrating. A red-nosed man looked at the newspaper in his hands and shuddered.

"So that guy really is that strong?"

"Damn it!"

In Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue, Koshiro took the newspaper his disciple had bought in the village. His casual expression turned to shock, and his pupils contracted.

"A Shichibukai?"

He had stayed at the Dojo teaching students swordsmanship, but that did not mean he was unaware of the title—or what it meant.

Wasn't Hawkeye, the World's Greatest Swordsman, also a Shichibukai?

"Father! What's wrong?"

"Oh, Kuina. It's you!"

"Nothing serious. I just heard news about Dongze, and it surprised me!"

"Dongze?"

Kuina's eyes lit up. She had heard nothing from Dongze for a long time since he set sail, and as the days passed, she had begun to worry about how he was doing.

But her strength was limited, and her father was adamant that she could not leave.

Hearing news of Dongze now, she felt a weight lift from her heart.

"Here! See for yourself."

"A Shichibukai?"

"That's right! The current World's Greatest Swordsman, Hawkeye—Dracule Mihawk—is a Shichibukai too!"

"I see!"

"Wait, doesn't that mean Dongze is strong enough to challenge Hawkeye now?"

"Heh. The world is a big place, Kuina. You can't let yourself grow complacent. Dongze might even be stronger than me now. What a remarkable young man!"

"..."

"Zoro! We're fighting ten more matches today!"

"Damn it! You just want to beat me up!"

"Nami! There's news about our benefactor!"

"A Shichibukai? What's that?"

"I'm not too sure. Uncle Genzo says they're famous figures across the seas!"

"Are they pirates?"

"I don't know! Wasn't our benefactor a Pirate Hunter before? He probably isn't a pirate!"

In Rainbase, Alabasta, Crocodile stared at the newspaper in his hands, then used Erosion Cycle to reduce it to ash.

"That bastard! I'll kill you!"

The Four Emperors' crews in the New World also began gathering information on the newly appointed Shichibukai.

After all, the Shichibukai were tools the World Government used to keep them in check. They could not simply ignore someone who had appeared out of nowhere.

Still, they did not devote much attention to him. He was only a Shichibukai—roughly on par with one of their commanders.

In the first half of the Grand Line, Dongze stared at the newspaper in his hands and ground his teeth.

"Damn it! This was definitely Garp's doing! That unreliable old child! How am I supposed to shout a slogan that embarrassing?"

The Proficiency Cap: Stuck at 999

A thunderstorm suddenly erupted over the calm sea, and a large sailing ship flying a pirate flag broke apart.

Violent currents raced across the ship and struck down the pirates aboard. Looking at the figure floating in the air, one stammered, "A Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit user!"

"We're finished! It's Enel!"

"The top fighter under the new Shichibukai!"

"Damn it! He's already that strong, so why doesn't he become a Shichibukai himself? Why stay on Dongze's ship? We can't even get near Dongze now!"

"He's just some kid, and he became a Shichibukai! It makes my blood boil!"

"Did he become a Shichibukai because of Enel?"

"You talk too much! This god is sick of hearing it. One Hundred Million Volts: Raigo!"

After a deafening crash, Enel sent the ship and its pirates to the bottom of the sea.

"Blind little nobodies. If Dongze really were that weak, would this god have to work for him?"

The speaker was Enel. For the past two days, Dongze had devoted himself entirely to Basic Meditation. Aside from eating and other necessities, he did nothing else; he had even replaced sleep with meditation. So when they encountered pirates along the way, Enel usually dealt with them.

Counting this group, Enel had taken care of three waves of pirates.

At first, fighting Blue Sea People had made Enel nervous. He feared someone capable of beating him might suddenly spring out from among them.

But as the encounters piled up, he discovered that few people could beat him. Few could even touch him.

People like Dongze and Aokiji were exceptions. There were only a handful of them on the seas.

He gradually relaxed, and before long, he had earned himself a name in the surrounding waters.

"Thunder God Enel!"

Enel turned into a streak of lightning and flew back to his ship.

Word always got out, especially about famous people. Dongze was a Shichibukai with little reputation, so everyone assumed he was an easy target.

Pirates eager to make a name for themselves swarmed like sharks scenting blood, desperate to swallow Dongze whole.

Dongze had dealt with two groups himself. Enel had handled the other three.

Enel had just sat down, peeled an orange, and tossed two segments into his mouth when Dongze slowly opened his eyes.

A voice rang in Dongze's mind. "Ding! Today's Basic Meditation proficiency has reached its limit!"

Dongze looked at the panel—Basic Meditation: 999/1000—and sighed helplessly.

He grumbled inwardly about his old benefactor, who was acting more and more like a system. Proficiency had never had a cap before. He had once pushed his Frost Sword Intent up by 500,000 in a single day.

But when it came to Basic Meditation, he was suddenly stuck with a daily limit of fifty points. What a rip-off.

This was supposed to be the last day of his planned Basic Meditation grind. Seeing his proficiency stop at 999 gave him a stomachache—from sheer frustration.

If he could have found his old benefactor's true form, Dongze might have beaten him senseless already.

"Hey, Robin! How far are we from the Sabaody Archipelago?"

"We still have a way to go—about half a month. But we're very close to Water 7. I hear it has all sorts of unusual sights and customs. Want to take a look?"

"You're the one who wants to take a look."

Dongze pursed his lips.

At this point, the Sea Train in Water 7 had only just begun running. The only thing there that interested him much was the Pluton Battleship's blueprints.

But since he knew where the real thing was, he was not particularly eager for the blueprints. Besides, the growth of his Three Types of Haki and Sword Intent had slowed dramatically. Weak pirates would make little difference.

He could gain proficiency faster by sparring with Enel each day.

Enel: I knew it! Even helping me get stronger wouldn't call for that much. You bastard!

"We'll go another time, when we're free."

Dongze shook his head. His priority was getting stronger, and the Sabaody Archipelago offered more of what he needed than Water 7.

He doubted he would have much peace in the New World. Garp had made a bold declaration on his behalf, and Dongze could already imagine what awaited him there. His dream of quietly building his strength was thoroughly shattered.

That made the Sabaody Archipelago his first choice.

He could look for materials to forge weapons and strengthen his arsenal. He was eager to see what the Five Flying Swords in the Peerless Sword Case could do.

The island also had plenty of powerful people to spar with. Surely they would be better for grinding proficiency than anyone in Water 7.

Then there was Fish-Man Island. Reaching it meant descending ten thousand meters into the deep sea, so he would need to have the ship coated anyway.

There was more than one route into the New World. As a Shichibukai, he could also travel through the Red Line. But he remembered that Fish-Man Island had a Poneglyph.

Judging by what they had done for him so far, Poneglyphs ranked first in his mind. Crossworld Swordsmanship seemed to bring him a different surprise every time.

It was like opening a mystery box. Easy to get hooked.

If he ever obtained a technique that let a single blade of grass cut down the sun, moon, and stars... The thought was almost too much. A sword strike like that could probably split this world in two.

Of course, he doubted the odds were high. If his old benefactor could really recreate that level of power, Dongze would have to wonder whether he had some ulterior motive.

If you're that strong, why wander around these little worlds? Why not go beat up An Lan or Wang Teng instead? Wouldn't that be more fun?

"Enel! Come here. I'll give you some Haki training!"

Enel nearly flung away the orange he had not finished eating. He looked at Dongze with a tremor in his eyes.

Well, that had left a mark.

"Boss, I think my Haki is improving fast enough. Any faster, and something might go wrong!"

Dongze said without changing his expression, "What are you talking about? I just want to help you build a solid foundation!"

But Enel no longer believed him. Once or twice, he might not have noticed anything amiss. When it happened every time, even someone as straightforward as Enel could tell what was going on.

It was not training. It was a beating.

Enel slumped back in his chair and said wearily, "Fighting that Pirate Crew took too much out of me. I haven't got any strength left. Why don't you train with Miss Robin?"

Dongze's mouth twitched. Those small-time pirates? One Raigo, and you'd be lucky to find a hair left. Tired? What a blatant lie.

Train with Robin? He could only think about it.

He would probably gain less proficiency than he would from fighting a Sea Beast. Besides, who would cook for him afterward? He had grown so used to having meals served that he had not entered the kitchen in ages.

Robin: I'm worse than a Sea Beast? Make your own dinner!

Call Me Dad!

"Ding! Basic Meditation has reached maximum proficiency!"

Hearing that long-awaited voice, Dongze almost teared up. He had obtained the skill in Alabasta, and only now had he finally maxed it out.

In the final few days, his Golden Finger had imposed a daily cap on him. Had it been infected by a Trojan horse?

Even when he dreamed of Zhuangzi and became the Butterfly, his proficiency still refused to rise. It was ridiculous.

Looking at the line on the panel—"Basic Meditation: MAX"—Dongze felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

Suddenly, a refreshing sensation surged from deep within him, raced up through his body, and entered the pineal gland at the center of his brow.