One Piece: Seeing Proficiency Made Me a Legend

No one thought much of Dongze's maturity. The seas were full of war, and children grew up fast—especially a genius like him.

"I see."

The boy before him possessed Conqueror's Haki, which meant he was unlikely to join the Marines. Someone with the makings of a king would hardly be content to serve beneath others.

"What a shame. I thought I'd found myself a valuable right-hand man."

Dragon sounded regretful. Dongze's Conqueror's Haki was already this powerful just after Awakening, and it was an indispensable power for anyone who hoped to reach the pinnacle of the world.

Possessing Conqueror's Haki did not guarantee that someone would become the strongest, but the strongest were certain to possess it.

Dongze had extraordinary potential. Yet, as he himself had said, he lacked the strength to bear all that came with it. It was too early to expose him to the World Government.

"Young man, the Revolutionary Army's doors will always be open to you!"

Ivanov and Tyrant Kuma were taken aback by Dragon's words. However gifted Dongze was, did he really warrant such an offer from the leader of an entire faction?

Dragon said no more. A child with such spirit at this age would, he was certain, one day stand at the very pinnacle of the world.

Koshiro, who knew the true extent of Dongze's talent, had a strange look in his eyes. It vanished almost at once. Perhaps the leader of the Revolutionary Army had recognized just how frightening his disciple's talent was.

He knew how little time the boy had spent gaining his current strength. Calling him a monster among monsters would not be an exaggeration.

Give Dongze another two years, and he might set sail with the strength of a Great Swordsman. The mere thought made Koshiro's skin prickle.

The three still felt some affinity for this gifted newcomer. After all, Dongze was never going to join the World Government. Whichever other side he chose, it would be a tremendous gain for them.

Dongze had reached the same conclusion. He had not intended to make contact with the Revolutionary Army so soon, but an accident had put him right under their noses. Fate had a strange sense of humor.

Dongze's gaze passed over the three members of the Revolutionary Army, and something flickered in his eyes.

"Sirs, I have a deal to propose. Would you be interested?"

The three raised their eyebrows. They had not expected Dongze to try to make a deal with them.

Dragon was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, after all, and possessed a breadth of vision few others could match. "Haha! Let's hear it, young man!"

"I once read three sayings in a book. I think the Revolutionary Army might find them useful."

"And what do you want in return?"

"Ore for Sword-Forging. I want to forge a sword of my own, one no worse than my master's Wado Ichimonji!"

That was his plan: have the Revolutionary Army gather Sword-Forging materials for him. He had considered hunting pirates and using their bounties to pay for the work, but that would take much longer.

"Well..."

When Dragon looked his way, Ivanov immediately understood. Dragon normally would not concern himself with such a minor matter.

"Dragon, I remember we have plenty of that stuff in the warehouse!"

Kuma added, "We do, and we don't have a Sword-Forging master to use it."

Having seen Dongze's remarkable talent, he was reminding Dragon that they could use materials they had no use for to befriend a powerful future ally. The Revolutionary Army often did just that.

"I'll give you one saying first. If you aren't satisfied, forget I brought it up."

"You're confident, young man. But let's be clear: those pirate stories you've read won't be worth much to us!"

Dragon's words gave Dongze pause. He was no longer quite so sure of himself. This world really was different from the one he knew, even if its institutions and culture seemed to lag by nearly a century.

But he had already made his offer. Even if the sayings were of no practical use, he believed the principles behind them would give these men something to think about.

"First: the ruler is a boat, and the people are water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also overturn it!"

The three had not expected much. Yet those few words struck like a bomb dropped into water, raising a towering wave that left them stunned.

They were revolutionaries. This was the very heart of what they fought for, and the saying resonated with them at once.

"Excellent!"

"Brilliant!"

"Concise, clear, and profound!"

At their approval, Dongze slowly let out a breath. The wisdom of his ancestors had not let him down.

"Hey, young man! What about the other two?"

It was Tyrant Kuma who spoke, much to Dongze's surprise. He had not expected the towering man to be impatient about this.

"Don't worry, young man. We can spare an hour for you!"

"Second: build high walls, store abundant grain, and delay claiming the throne!"

The saying offered a sweeping strategy. The others did not grasp it, but Dragon's eyes flashed.

His heart racing, Dragon asked, "And the third?"

"When the enemy advances, we retreat. When the enemy retreats, we advance. When the enemy camps, we harass them. When the enemy tires, we strike!"

The third saying hit Dragon like a bolt from the heavens. A thrill shot from the soles of his feet to his head, then left his whole body tingling with an almost ecstatic rush.

After a long moment, he clapped his hands and burst out laughing. His laughter went on and on.

"Every word is a gem! Those three sayings alone have made this trip worthwhile. Young man, your insight is extraordinary. You could be a guiding light for the Revolutionary Army!"

When Dragon looked at Dongze again, his gaze had changed. Those three sayings were like a lamp illuminating the Revolutionary Army's path forward.

Dongze cupped his hands. Revolution was a hard road, and he spoke from the heart. "The night may be cold, but those who press on will see the dawn."

Dragon was in excellent spirits and laughed.

"Thank you, young man!"

With Sword-Forging Maxed Out, It Was Time to Forge a Sword

"Mm..."

Some time had passed since Dongze withdrew his Conqueror's Haki. The Revolutionary Army members were fighters, and some had begun to regain consciousness.

Dragon said to Ivanov, Tyrant Kuma, and Koshiro, "We've gained a great deal from this visit, but it's time for us to go."

Koshiro sighed softly. "Take care."

"My lovely boy and girl, remember to keep our business a secret! Otherwise, you'll bring trouble on yourselves!"

Before turning away, Ivanov gave Dongze and Kuina a flirtatious wink.

They both jumped.

Dongze scratched his head, looking puzzled. "Who are you? Have we met?"

His exaggerated tone stopped Ivanov short. Then Dragon's hearty laughter rang out.

"Little Ivan, time to go!"

With the Revolutionary Army's departure, the commotion came to nothing. Ordinary people in the East Blue had no way of knowing what Conqueror's Haki was.

Aboard the Revolutionary Army's ship, Dragon looked out over the calm, windless sea, but his thoughts would not settle.

"This era is about to run wild!"

Time passed, and Dongze returned to his usual routine—or almost. His monotonous days now included smithing.

Dragon and the others kept their word. Less than a week later, a merchant ship delivered the Sword-Forging ore.

"That's surprisingly generous."

Using the Sword-Forging manual Kozaburo had left behind, Dongze successfully unlocked the Sword-Forging skill.

The moment he unlocked it, its proficiency was unexpectedly high.

Sword Forging: 1,500/10,000

That proficiency surprised him. He had thought Sword-Forging would be a first-tier skill.

By now, he had a fairly good understanding of his Golden Finger.

First-tier skills were the simplest. Their proficiency maxed out at 1,000, and practice alone could raise them to that limit.

Skills such as swordsmanship came next, with a proficiency limit of 10,000. Practice alone could not improve them; they required real combat.

After a certain point, their progress also slowed.

To improve quickly, he needed to fight an evenly matched opponent—or one stronger than himself.

He had yet to unlock any higher-tier skills, so he did not know how to raise their proficiency quickly.

He had expected Sword-Forging to be first-tier and easy to max out. Only after unlocking it did he discover that it was a second-tier skill.

To raise its proficiency as fast as possible, he had thrown himself into smithing, forging sword after sword.

Sigh.

The less said about it, the better.

Koshiro had opened a weapon shop beside the dojo, selling the blades Dongze made.

They were of excellent quality, too.

Dongze put down the long sword in his hand. It was the finest blade he had forged yet. If its materials had not held it back, it might even have reached the quality of a Skillful Grade Sword.

He looked at the proficiency on his panel: Sword Forging, 10,000/10,000.

Dongze breathed a sigh of relief. After nearly half a month of work, he had finally maxed out Sword-Forging.

Now he could begin making his own weapon.

"Hey, Dongze! Where's today's sword? Is it even better than yesterday's?"

Kuina came in dressed lightly. Summer had arrived, and the Sword-Forge Workshop was hot. Dongze himself wore only shorts, his upper body bare.

"Over there."

Dongze pointed to the long sword leaning against the wall.

He had not added any rare ore to the swords he had forged so far. They were made from plain iron, hammered to remove impurities, then shaped and finished.

That made them quick to forge. With his physique approaching that of a monster, a simple long sword no longer took him much time.

But a weapon of more than Fifty Skillful Grade Swords quality would take several times longer.

He had learned that when his Sword-Forging reached its maximum level.

He had a fair idea now that forging his own weapon would take more than a day or two.

Dongze glanced at Kuina, who was still examining the sword, and left her to it. He leaped into a nearby tree and sat in its crown, looking out at the vast sea. What kind of sword should he forge? One weapon after another flashed through his mind.

There were, for instance, the ten great swords of China.

Xuanyuan, the sword of the sage king;

Zhanlu, the sword of benevolence;

Chixiao, the sword of emperors;

Tai'a, the sword of might;

Seven-Star Longyuan, the sword of integrity and honor;

Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, the swords of steadfast love;

Yuchang, the sword of peerless courage;

Chunjun, the sword of incomparable nobility;

Chengying, the sword of elegant refinement;

And then there were the legendary swords of the various schools of thought from the Qin and Han eras.

The Daoists' Qiuli and Xueji, the Mohists' Momei, Yuanhong and Shark Tooth of the two masters of Vertical and Horizontal, and several ominous swords—Zhanpo, Miehun, Zhengang, Black and White Xu Jian, and others.

Every one of them was a remarkable weapon.

Unfortunately, he knew none of their forging methods. He remembered only brief descriptions. Truly recreating any of them was a fantasy.

Before long, Kuina climbed up and sat a short distance from him. Together, they enjoyed the peaceful moment.

"Kuina, I'm about to start forging my own weapon. It could take a month or even longer. Could you ask Master for leave on my behalf?"

Lately, Zoro and Kuina had come to challenge him less and less. The gap between them had grown too wide. Their bouts no longer helped both sides improve; they had become one-sided beatings.

Stubborn as they both were, neither of them enjoyed that.