Realizing His True Heart

Lord's Manor.

Gawain took Kansei Masamune from Gaza's hands.

Though it was his first time gripping the hilt, the sensation transmitted from the blade still excited him so much that his arms trembled uncontrollably.

It was a marvelous feeling of being connected by blood, mysterious beyond measure and difficult to describe with words.

Clang!

As Gawain tightened his grip, the silver-white blade slowly slid from its sheath.

The blade alone was over 1.2 meters long. Including the hilt, its total length reached roughly 1.5 meters.

In form, it resembled a nodachi more than anything else. Ordinary people would find it difficult to wield, but with Gawain's height of over two meters, it fit him perfectly.

Kansei Masamune was clearly different from the famous blades of Wano Country that Gawain remembered.

There were no elaborate patterns on its blade. Only the guard bore an emblem shaped like a chrysanthemum. Yet the simpler its appearance, the more one could sense the sharp aura radiating from its edge.

"Fine blade!"

Gawain praised it sincerely. Beside him, Molly slightly lifted her chin, looking immensely proud.

"Of course it is. The lord spent more than half a year and an uncountable amount of Berry to obtain this famous blade from the master of Isshin Dojo."

"Even on the Grand Line, it would be an absolute masterpiece!"

"Hmph!"

Gawain smiled faintly.

Whether it was fate or the spirit of a famed blade, he truly felt a certain connection with Kansei Masamune in his hand at that moment.

"You crave it too, don't you?"

"The blood of our enemies!"

Gawain's tone was firm as he raised his hand and swung the blade. Without exerting much force, he released a silver-bright Flying Slash that sank into a small building in the distance.

Then, beneath the terrified gazes of the two women, the upper half of the building slowly slid down, revealing a cut as smooth as a mirror.

Boom!

Dust billowed as the blade hummed.

Suppressing his excitement, Gawain looked at the two women and said, "Find somewhere to hide first. Leave the fighting to me."

With that, Gawain flashed away and vanished from the Lord's Manor.

Seeing this, Gaza inexplicably gained a little more confidence. She had now staked all her hope on Gawain. They could only win, not lose.

After sending Molly into the cellar, Gaza gritted her teeth and locked it from the outside. Ignoring Molly's anxious calls, she strode out of the lord's manor with determined eyes.

This was her territory, and those within it were her people.

Having enjoyed power and wealth, she naturally had to protect the people who had once respected her in their time of crisis.

"Captain of the guards, come with me. We're leaving the manor to organize rescue efforts!"

"Yes!"

After leaving the Lord's Manor, Gawain accelerated all the way toward the harbor, where the fighting was fiercest.

It was visible to the naked eye.

Out on the distant sea, an entire row of Pirate Ships armed to the teeth was gradually closing in. With Gawain's eyesight, he could even make out Krieg's bizarre flag.

A Skull Flag with hourglasses on either side.

Gawain vaguely remembered what the flag meant: no matter where you went, I would find you!

With a great enemy before him,

Gawain, gripping Kansei Masamune, felt no fear whatsoever. Instead, a strange anxiety faintly rose in his heart.

He was anxious that there would be too few opponents, that they would fall before he had even warmed up.

He was anxious that the enemies would be too weak, that before Kansei Masamune had even tasted blood, it would have to wait for its next meal, whenever that might come.

"You'd better last a little longer!"

A savage smile curled across Gawain's lips, but in the next instant, his steps abruptly halted, crushing the floor beneath his feet.

Because a familiar system notification sounded in Gawain's mind:

"Crew member Kuro has realized his True Heart!"

"Potential increased: Bronze --> Silver!"

"Observation Haki awakened! Current level—LV-0!"

"What?!"

"A potential breakthrough? He even awakened Observation Haki?"

Gawain's face filled with shock.

"What exactly did Kuro go through?"

This sudden change was no longer a pleasant surprise, but a shock.

He still remembered merely mentioning it to Kuro back then. In truth, he had held no hope that Kuro would awaken Observation Haki.

But how many days had it been?

And he had already awakened Observation Haki?

Awakening Observation Haki before entering the Grand Line was truly an unexpected delight.

Even if its level was still low, Gawain had the system. Every bit of progress Kuro made would grant him ten times as much. In a few months, it would reach a level sufficient for actual combat!

"The stronger my subordinates are, the stronger I become. If my subordinates awaken abilities, I awaken them too!"

"The system's abilities are even more outrageous than I imagined!"

Besides, awakening Observation Haki was only secondary. More importantly, realizing one's true nature could raise one's potential?

It could even allow someone to leap from Bronze to Silver?

One had to know that under the system's classifications, Silver encompassed ranks from Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral, as well as a small portion of the Shichibukai.

Such strength would be known by name even in the New World.

It could be said that once Kuro fully realized his potential, he would count as a core combatant in any faction.

Originally, Gawain had guessed that potential could only be raised through Devil Fruits or human modification. But now, it seemed a change in mentality had to be added to the list.

Only now did Gawain realize it.

As another path in the pirate world that existed alongside Devil Fruits, Haki was, at its core, an extremely idealistic power.

The stronger one's conviction, the stronger one's Haki. Conversely, if one's conviction collapsed, one's Haki would decline to a terrifying degree in a short time.

Crocodile was the most typical example.

In his youth, he had surged forward triumphantly and fought his way into the New World. His strength had rivaled Bullet's, yet after suffering a crushing defeat at Whitebeard's hands, his power plummeted. The core issue had been the decline of his Haki.

Still Crocodile.

Twenty years later, after walking out of Impel Down and reclaiming his conviction to become Pirate King, he could even exchange a few moves with a top powerhouse like Hawk Eyes.

"Still, with such a leap in strength, someone like him probably won't be able to sit still anymore."

A smile appeared at the corner of Gawain's mouth.

His gaze was disdainful.

My growth rate is ten times yours. Even if you train until you cough blood, you'll still have to call me captain!

Shaking away the distracting thoughts in his heart, Gawain tightened his grip around Kansei Masamune and accelerated. In a few dozen seconds, he crossed nearly a thousand meters and arrived at the harbor.

But the sight within made him pause slightly.

The setting sun cast only the last trace of its glow, making the sky even redder. Yet it was not as red as the blood covering the harbor.

Kuro stood in the harbor, drenched in blood.

One arm was twisted like a rope, and one leg was completely deformed. He was clearly nearing the end of his strength, at the very edge of his limit.

Yet his spirit, his presence, had risen to unprecedented heights at that moment, so much so that Gawain frowned slightly at a single glance.

Before Kuro,

Akin had long since collapsed in a pool of blood, his flesh split open and his body covered in wounds.

If not for the occasional rise and fall of his chest, Gawain would have almost thought he was dead.

"Gawain, you're too slow."

Kuro raised his trembling hand and instinctively tried to push up his glasses with his palm. It took several attempts before he succeeded.

The Claw Blades at his fingertips had completely shattered from the countless collisions earlier.

His fingers were bruised purple as well.

Despite his grave injuries, Kuro's tone was exceptionally calm.

"A comfortable life?"

"I don't want it anymore."

"Once I've recovered, let me be the captain instead."

"I'll take the Shichibukai position. I'll fulfill our agreement."

Gawain revealed an expression of having expected as much.

"Sure, but you'll have to get past me first."

"I will!"