Pirates: My Proficiency Vision Made Me a Legend

It could be said that the entire journey had been refreshing and exhilarating. The marvelous sensation directly stirred his neural network, and an unparalleled pleasure surged in wave after wave, leaving his eyes slightly unfocused.

Only when the refreshing sensation entered his pineal gland did he recover from that pleasure.

But in the next moment, he suddenly felt his vision brighten. His soul seemed to be nourished by sweet dew, and his spirit was immensely satisfied before undergoing an ultimate sublimation, leaping from one level to another.

How should he put it? At that moment, he felt as though his spirit had entered another space, with everything he touched being transmitted directly to the depths of his soul.

The Sword Intent he had comprehended before—Erosion, Thunderclap, Uncontested, Vertical and Horizontal, and Shuihan—no longer seemed like untouchable manifestations of the world's artistic conception. Instead, they had become tangible objects.

They were like little puppies, frolicking around him.

Next came a tremendous increase in his mental power. He could clearly feel that the Long River of mental power had expanded by nearly double.

Such an exaggerated increase filled him with delight.

Did this not mean that the number of Sword Intent attacks he could launch had increased from five to ten?

This also meant that his current combat power could now contend with an Admiral. If he went all out without caring about the consequences, he was strong enough to leave behind a peak Admiral.

Back then, his three Sword Intents had fought Aokiji, who had gone all out in his Awakened state, to a draw. If he had possessed twice as many, Aokiji probably would have received a one-way ticket to hell and reincarnated on the spot.

What terrifying combat power was that? Across the seas, one could count on one's fingers the number of beings like Aokiji who stood at the peak of the Admirals.

Only now could he truly be considered one of the few people standing at the summit of the pirate world—strong enough to leap out of the chessboard and genuinely take part as a player in this tripartite struggle for the world.

"Ding! Intermediate Meditation (Available to activate!)"

After receiving the notification, Dongze could not help licking his slightly dry lips.

Basic Meditation had already brought him such generous returns. What about Intermediate Meditation?

At this point, he no longer complained that the proficiency of Basic Meditation was impossible to raise. With such generous rewards, even if he could only gain ten points a day, he estimated that he would still gladly accept it.

Guiding the invisible hand of consciousness, Dongze lightly tapped the small plus sign after Intermediate Meditation.

"Ding!"

"Intermediate Meditation: 1,000/100,000"

Dongze swallowed lightly. His pupils involuntarily shrank twice. A skill requiring one hundred thousand points—the third-level skill.

If proficiency levels were used as the standard, and 1,000 points could double his mental power, then what would a third-level skill requiring 100,000 points...

Suddenly, excitement surged from the depths of Dongze's heart. It was impossible to suppress, and he could no longer restrain the surging pleasure of a floodgate bursting open.

His normally placid face broke into an uncontrollable smile.

If this skill reached its maximum level and things truly went as he expected, with his mental power increasing to that extent, he would even have the confidence to make old Whitebeard call him "Dad."

Just imagining the scene of Sword Intent rising and shooting wildly in every direction nearly made him grab Robin and have her immediately call him "Dad."

"Dongze?"

Robin noticed Dongze's gaze and could not help shivering all over.

It was simply too strange. Dongze's expression at that moment was like that of a gambler who had found an unlimited black card on the roadside.

Dongze's strength was already formidable. She could not understand what had happened just now to make him lose his composure so badly.

To the point that he had even made such an expression.

"Call me Dad!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Dongze froze. He felt extremely embarrassed, so he immediately changed his words. "Hrk!!"

"Teach—Haki~~!"

Looking at Dongze's serious expression, a trace of suspicion flashed through Robin's eyes. She seemed to have just heard Dongze tell her to call him... Dad!

What kind of trick was this?

Noticing Robin's gaze, Dongze once again said with a serious expression, "I thought of a new technique, but your Haki cultivation is insufficient right now. I need to teach you how to rapidly improve your Haki!"

A glint flashed through Robin's eyes. "Is it like Enel, getting beaten up? If so, I'd rather not learn!"

Whenever she thought of Enel's bruised and swollen face every day, Robin felt a chill run through her. If she became like that every day as well, she feared that she would be trapped in that trauma for the rest of her life.

Seeing Dongze's eyes return to normal, Robin took two steps back. She knew that once Dongze made up his mind, she absolutely could not escape his demonic clutches.

Thus, as if possessed, she blurted out, "Dad!" (In a coquettish voice!)

Hearing this, Enel, who was in the distance, suddenly heard the words. Without understanding what was happening, he felt his entire body go numb, and goosebumps shot up along his thighs. Seeing this, he slapped himself hard, directly turning himself into elemental form before the numbness could climb from his heels to the back of his head.

Mm, impressive. She was ruthless.

Hearing that coquettish voice, Dongze also felt a stir in his heart. It was perfectly normal for a vigorous young man to react this way, especially with Robin wearing such cool summer clothes. He had nearly gone numb himself.

"Get a grip~~"

"Miss Robin, is something wrong with your head? How could you make such a disgusting sound? It makes this god feel uncomfortable all over. Look, even my goosebumps are standing up!"

Robin's little face flushed. She raised her right hand and covered her mouth. She had not expected herself to say something like that either. That one sentence had left even her dumbfounded.

Now that she thought about it, she wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

"Little Ai! Let's train some more! I think your Haki is improving too slowly. What are you going to do if we encounter those overbearing big shots after reaching the New World?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a slash carrying Erosion Sword Intent sent him flying several li away. Dongze then flashed after him.

"Are you out of your damn mind? Why did you slash me with this thing?!"

"Holy crap~~"

"Stop it~~!"

However, perhaps it was only an illusion, but when Robin looked at Dongze, she noticed that he seemed somewhat disheveled.

She did not know what she had thought of, but Robin's little face suddenly flushed as well, turning crimson as blood. Then she fled back into the cabin.

Vice Admiral Jason, Sudden Accident

Standing on the deck, Robin looked at the bubbles rising all around them, curiosity flashing through her eyes.

"Is this the Sabaody Archipelago?"

"That's right! I heard that the world's largest tree, the Yarukiman Mangrove, grows here. The land beneath our feet is on its roots!"

"There are seventy-nine islands in total!"

"That many?"

"Islands 1 through 29 conceal the darkness of the world. There are slave shops, slave auctions, and the Lawless Zone. This will probably be our second stop!"

Robin asked in confusion, "Second stop?"

Logically speaking, should they not first say where the first stop was before discussing their plans afterward?

Dongze lowered his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. "Islands 60 through 69 are where the Marines are stationed. Garp called me earlier and said that I still need to show my face there, which counts as acknowledging my appointment. That will be our first stop!"

"The Shichibukai? Am I going too?"

"Up to you! From now on, you and Enel will both be considered my subordinates. As long as this title is not stripped from me, the Government will not casually attack us. Of course, rights and obligations go hand in hand. There are things we must do as well, and we cannot act too arrogantly. We cannot openly oppose the World Government in public!"

"What about the Poneglyphs?"

"Only in public. We will do whatever needs to be done behind the scenes. However, even if you learn the truth, you cannot reveal it publicly!"

"It can work that way? Isn't that just deceiving yourselves?"

"Both sides are simply getting what they need."

"Don't assume that the Void Century is so important. It is merely an attitude held by the World Government. As far as I know, there are two people on this island who know about the Void Century."

"Who?"

"The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger's former crewmate and vice-captain, Pluton—Silvers Rayleigh, and that information broker, Shakky."

"Shakky currently runs a bar! Logically speaking, a bar should be on islands 70 through 79, but hers is on island 13!"

Robin froze. Dongze had just told her that islands 1 through 29 were all the Lawless Zone, concealing the darkness of the world.

Yet that person's bar had actually opened in such a place.

"It's called Shakky's Rip-off Bar! A single glass of whiskey costs ten million Beli!"

Hearing Dongze, the corner of Robin's mouth twitched. All right, a bar like that could only open in such a place!

If it opened in a normal district, it would probably be reported by the customers.

"Of course, there's also Rayleigh. However, he's currently disguised as a coating artisan. You can find him at the docks and shipyards on islands 50 through 59!"

"As for the rest, islands 30 through 39 are Soap Bubble Park, islands 40 through 49 are the sightseeing district and specialty shops, and islands 70 through 79 are the hotel district. You can take a look around with Enel later!"

"What kind of people are you?"

"This is the Marine branch in Sabaody. Unauthorized personnel, stop!"

"Wait! Haili, this guy looks like that newly appointed Shichibukai."

"Swordsman Dongze!"

The soldier who had first shouted to stop them went weak in the knees when he saw Dongze's true appearance. In their minds, the Shichibukai were all vicious characters. Even the least destructive among them, the Empress, was not someone to provoke. Those who remained on the seas all possessed fearsome reputations.

"Is Jason here?"

Dongze did not bother arguing with the gatekeeping soldiers and went straight to the point. This was the person Garp had told him about earlier.

"He is!"

"Vice Admiral Jason is holding prisoners at the branch. Once the ship heading to Impel Down arrives this afternoon, those pirates will be sent to Impel Down!"

Hearing that the man happened to be at the branch, Dongze stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "Call him out to see me!"

The Marines' faces filled with difficulty. The Vice Admiral could be said to be the strongest combatant in their branch, representing the dignity of the Marines. Being summoned at someone else's beck and call did not sit well with them.

"This..."

"Forget it. Notify him and let him decide for himself!"

"Yes!"

"Sir Dongze, Vice Admiral Jason requests that you come inside!"

Hearing the Marine's reply, Dongze's gaze darkened. Within the range covered by his Observation Haki, he had already seen through everything.

That Vice Admiral Jason had stationed troops all around his office. Almost half the branch's forces had gathered there.

It seemed he wanted to give Dongze a show of force. Dongze was somewhat curious, though. Was this man an idiot? Did he really think those cannon fodder would be useful? Could ants really bring down an elephant?

"You two wait here for a moment. I'll be back soon!"

Since the man refused to appreciate his kindness, Dongze might as well let this Vice Admiral know why flowers were so red. Perhaps the things he had done on the Grand Line had been too secretive, and because of his young age, even this Vice Admiral had mistaken him for a pushover.

He wanted to step on Dongze to climb higher. Unfortunately, Dongze did not play that game.

Dongze then walked slowly into the branch. Under the guidance of a Marine, he arrived at a plaza.

Marines surrounded them on all sides, fully armed and solemn-faced.

Vice Admiral Jason also walked out of his office and stood on the balcony, looking down from above.

"Greetings, newly appointed Shichibukai! I'm Vice Admiral Jason, the officer in charge of the Marine branch in the Sabaody Archipelago!"

When Jason saw Dongze's immature face, a trace of contempt flashed through his eyes. At that age, he was unknown on the seas and was merely a Pirate Hunter from the East Blue who had luckily been recommended by Admiral Aokiji and become a Shichibukai.

When he received Garp's call, he had already wondered whether this fellow called Dongze had entered through the back door. Otherwise, how could he possibly have become one of the Shichibukai?

Driven by his vanity, he planned to teach this newcomer a proper lesson today and let him know the meaning of heaven and earth. He was merely a Shichibukai, and in front of Vice Admiral Jason, he was nothing.

This would give him excellent bragging rights in the future. He had not taken some barely grown brat seriously at all.

"I'm Dongze!"

"Oh? Young man! What do you think of our branch's elite troops? I heard there are only two people on your ship!"

Hearing this, Dongze frowned. It seemed that today's matter could not be resolved peacefully.

Dongze changed his tone. If others respected him, he would respect them in return. Since the other party was acting this way, he would not be polite either. "A pack of chickens and dogs!"

"Presumptuous! How dare a mere Pirate Hunter mock the elite Marines of our branch!"

"Don't think that just because Vice Admiral Garp is backing you, I won't do anything to you!"

"I'm merely telling the truth!"

"Kid, I'll have you know that when we were fighting on the seas, you probably hadn't even been born yet! Take back what you said and kneel to apologize! Otherwise, I'll have you carried out of here today!"