One Piece: I Can See Proficiency and Become a Legend

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

Kuma said, "He has! 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 that much in so little time?"

"Hey, you two are focusing on the wrong thing!"

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

"Ivan, it's not time yet. Have you forgotten what Dongze told us?"

"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 throw in his lot 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 stared 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 student had bought in the village. His casual expression turned to shock, and his pupils contracted.

"A Shichibukai?"

He had stayed at this dojo teaching students the sword, 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, it's you, Kuina."

"It's nothing serious. I just got news of Dongze, and it surprised me."

"Dongze?"

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

But her strength was still lacking, and her father firmly refused to let her leave.

Hearing news of Dongze now lifted a weight from her heart.

"Here. See for yourself."

"A Shichibukai?"

"That's right. Hawkeye, Dracule Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman, is a Shichibukai too."

"I see!"

"Wait, does that mean Dongze is strong enough to challenge Hawkeye now?"

"Heh. The world is vast, Kuina. Don't grow complacent. Dongze might even be strong enough to beat me now. What an extraordinary young man."

"..."

"Zoro! Let's fight ten more matches today!"

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

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

"A Shichibukai? What's that?"

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

"Is he a pirate?"

"I don't know! He used to be a Pirate Hunter, didn't he? So probably not!"

In Rainbase, Alabasta, Crocodile stared at the newspaper in his hand, then unleashed Erosion Cycle and turned it to ash.

"That bastard! I'll kill him!"

The crews of the Four Emperors 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 hardly 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 captains.

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

"Damn it! Garp definitely did this! That unreliable old fool! How could I ever shout a slogan that embarrassing?"

The Proficiency Cap: Stuck at 999

A thunderstorm suddenly erupted over the calm sea, tearing a large pirate ship to pieces.

Violent currents raced across the ship and felled the pirates aboard. One looked at the figure floating in the air and stammered, "A Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit user!"

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

"The top fighter under the new Shichibukai!"

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

"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! I'm sick of hearing it. One Hundred Million Volts: Raigo!"

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

"A bunch of blind small fry. If Dongze were really that weak, would I be stuck working for him?"

It was Enel. For the past two days, Dongze had devoted himself entirely to Basic Meditation. Apart from eating and other necessities, it was all he did; he had even replaced sleep with meditation. So whenever they encountered pirates, Enel usually dealt with them.

Including these pirates, that made three groups.

At first, Enel had been nervous about fighting Blue Sea People. He feared that, if he let his guard down, someone among them would prove capable of pounding him into the ground.

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

People like Dongze and Aokiji were exceptions. There were hardly any like them on the seas.

He gradually relaxed and began making a name for himself in the surrounding waters.

"Thunder God—Enel!"

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

Word got around, especially when a famous name was involved. With little known about this new Shichibukai, people assumed he was an easy target.

Pirates hungry for fame swarmed in like sharks scenting blood, eager to swallow the tempting prize that was Dongze.

Dongze had dealt with two groups himself. Enel had taken care of the other three.

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

A voice sounded in Dongze's mind. "Ding! You have reached today's Basic Meditation proficiency cap!"

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

He grumbled inwardly about his Golden Finger. It was becoming more and more like a system. Proficiency had never had a cap before; he had once pushed his ice Sword Intent up by 500,000 in a single day.

Yet when it came to Basic Meditation, he was limited to fifty points a day. What a rip-off.

Today was the last day he had planned to devote to Basic Meditation. Seeing his proficiency stop at 999 made his stomach hurt—from sheer frustration.

If he could have found his Golden Finger in the flesh, Dongze might have beaten it 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 interesting sights and customs. Do you want to visit?"

"You're the one who wants to visit."

Dongze curled his lip.

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

But since he knew where the real thing was, he had no pressing need for the blueprints. Besides, the growth of his Three Types of Haki and Sword Intent had slowed drastically. Fighting weak pirates barely made a difference now.

Even sparring with Enel each day raised his proficiency faster.

Enel: I knew it! Even if you were helping me grow stronger, you didn't have to go that far, you bastard!

"Another time. We'll look around when we have a chance."

Dongze shook his head. Growing stronger came first, and the Sabaody Archipelago offered far more of what he needed than Water 7.

He doubted he would have much peace in the New World. Garp had made that grand declaration on his behalf, and Dongze could already picture the reception awaiting him there. His dream of keeping a low profile while he grew stronger was shattered.

That made the Sabaody Archipelago his first priority.

He could search for materials to forge weapons and add to his arsenal. He was eager to see what the five flying swords in the Peerless Sword Case could do.

And surely the powerful people on the islands would be better for grinding proficiency than anyone in Water 7.

After that came Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters beneath the sea. He would need to get the ship coated.

As a Shichibukai, he could reach the New World by way of the Red Line instead. But he remembered that there was a Poneglyph on Fish-Man Island.

As things stood, Poneglyphs ranked above everything else in his mind. Crossworld Swordsmanship seemed to bring him a new surprise every time.

It was like opening a mystery box. He could get addicted.

What if the next one gave him the power to cut down the sun, moon, and stars with a single blade of grass? The thought was almost too much to picture. With a strike like that, splitting this world in two might be no exaggeration.

Of course, he doubted the odds of that happening were high. If his Golden Finger could truly recreate such power, he might have to wonder what it was really after.

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

"Enel! Come here. I'll help you train your Haki!"

Enel nearly threw away the orange he had not finished eating. His gaze trembled as he looked at Dongze.

Good grief. He was traumatized already.

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

Dongze kept a straight face. "What are you talking about? I just want to help you build a solid foundation!"

Enel no longer believed him. Once or twice, he might have failed to notice what was going on. But after it happened every time, even someone as innocent as Enel could tell something was wrong.

He was not training. He was getting beaten up.

Enel slumped back in his seat and said wearily, "Fighting those pirates took too much out of me. I haven't got an ounce of strength left. Why don't you practice with Miss Robin?"

Dongze's mouth twitched. Those small-time pirates? After one Raigo, you'd be lucky to find a hair left. Wore you out? What a blatant lie.

Practice with Robin? He could only entertain the thought.

He would probably gain less proficiency from that than from fighting a sea beast. Besides, who would cook his meals afterward? He had grown so used to being served that he had not set foot in the kitchen for ages.

Robin: I'm worth less than a sea beast? Make your own dinner!

Call Me Dad!

"Ding! Basic Meditation is complete!"

Hearing that long-awaited voice nearly brought tears to Dongze's eyes. He had acquired the skill back in Alabasta, and only now had he finally maxed it out.

In the last few days, his Golden Finger had imposed a daily cap on him. Had it caught a Trojan virus?

Even if he dreamed he was Zhuangzi and became that butterfly, his proficiency still refused to budge. It was outrageous.

Dongze looked at the line on the panel—"Basic Meditation: MAX"—and 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 between his brows.