The Monk May Run, but the Temple Can't

Para Island.

Kuro had just disembarked when he looked at Jango and the Catman Brothers before him, unsure what expression to make.

When he learned that the gold he had spent more than a decade accumulating had all been stolen overnight, he was furious enough to explode.

"So dozens, nearly a hundred of you, were run circles around by two fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl thieves?"

"I told you to guard the place. Is this how you guarded it?"

As he spoke,

Kuro wiped his face. By his old temperament, anyone involved in this matter would have been thrown into the sea to feed the fish on the spot.

"Meeting geniuses like you really is my good fortune."

"Captain, you're embarrassing us by saying that~"

The two pirates responsible for guarding the place scratched their heads shyly.

"Do you really think I'm praising you?!"

Kuro's mouth twitched as the Claw Blades slid from his sleeves, gleaming with a chilling light.

Only then did everyone remember that, until just over a month ago, the man before them had still been Hundred Plans Kuro, a ruthless killer who treated his subordinates as tools.

The two guards dropped to their knees, trembling like sieves, with none of their earlier flippancy remaining.

"Kuro!"

Gawain pressed a hand onto Kuro's shoulder.

"Understood."

Only then did Kuro lower his Claw Blades, though his gaze at the two pirates still carried undisguised killing intent.

Failing to guard the place properly, and not even realizing the severity of the problem—within any pirate crew, this was an unforgivable crime.

Even Gawain's expression gradually turned cold as he looked at them.

"Tell me everything that happened, from beginning to end."

"Yes!"

Overcome by fear,

both men's voices trembled, and they could barely speak clearly.

Still, Gawain managed to piece together the course of events from their stammering. He muttered,

"Two girls around fifteen or sixteen. One had short orange hair and a strange tattoo on her arm. The other had short purple hair..."

Two figures gradually surfaced in Gawain's mind, and the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.

"The monk may run, but the temple can't."

"The money won't be lost. Even if it is, we can get it back from someone else."

Kuro let out a breath of relief, adjusted his glasses, and looked at the two pirates with icy eyes.

"Captain, what should we do with these two?"

The two froze. Kuro's gaze made them feel as though he were looking at corpses, and they hurriedly dropped to their knees to beg for mercy.

After pondering for a moment, Gawain glanced at them and said flatly,

"Lock them up for now."

"If we recover the money, I'll spare you this once. If we can't, then I can only send you to feed the fish."

With that, Gawain ignored their pleas and had them taken away and locked up.

The fact that he had not executed them on the spot like Kuro would have was already an act of mercy.

If Gawain showed excessive tolerance over matters like this, it would only make the pirates in the crew more lax, leading to more similar mistakes.

This time, there was still a chance to make up for it. Next time, the consequences might be fatal.

Thus, even Jango and the Catman Brothers did not speak up to plead for the two pirates.

Gawain understood this, and having been pirates for years, they naturally understood it as well. In fact, Gawain's handling of the matter was already quite merciful.

"Let's leave this matter here."

Gawain swept his gaze around. Though more than half a month had passed, the pirates present were still wrapped in bandages.

Although Kuro and Akin had regained their mobility, it was still easy to see the pallor on their faces.

After giving it some thought,

Gawain decided to rest and recuperate for a while. Once the pirate crew had mostly recovered its strength, they would set out for Cocoyasi Village.

That place now concerned more than just the gold Kuro had lost.

More importantly, it was home to Nami, a top-tier navigator who could be considered first-rate even on the Grand Line or in the New World, and whom even Golden Lion had not hesitated to snatch away.

If Zoro and Sanji were unquestionably Gold-tier in combat, then Nami, in terms of Navigation Skills, was already close to the ceiling of this world.

Thinking of his and Kuro's abysmal Navigation Skills, Gawain's mouth twitched.

The East Blue's weather was already a little too much for him. If he rashly entered the Grand Line, those absurdly bizarre sea regions that bordered on fantasy alone would probably be enough to wreck him completely.

Therefore, under such circumstances, an outstanding navigator was indispensable.

"Since the swordsman and cook are both among the crew members I have in mind, what's wrong with adding a navigator?"

Gawain's eyes grew resolute.

Then his thoughts turned elsewhere.

Kuro's potential had now risen to Silver-tier, and he had even taken in Akin, who had awakened Observation Haki.

Gawain also planned to use this time to further improve his own combat strength, so he could handle the increasingly intense battles to come.

At the same time, he was looking forward more and more to seeing just how great an improvement a Silver-tier crew member could bring him.

The next day.

Atop a stone wall in the center of Para Island.

Kuro, who had only just barely recovered enough to move around, impatiently began training.

Shave, which required intense physical exertion, naturally had to be set aside for now. However, Observation Haki, which placed greater emphasis on perception, was not restricted by this.

Kuro slowly sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, sensing everything around him.

Clear chirps of insects and birds sounded all around him. The sea breeze carried moisture as it brushed over his body, bringing with it a faint chill.

Yet his heart gradually calmed, like a pool of stagnant water.

At a certain moment, ripples spread across the water's surface.

Kuro instinctively raised a hand and precisely caught a wasp flying toward him from afar.

The wasp's savage mandibles and sharp stinger writhed restlessly in the air. Purple-black fluid even dripped from its abdomen, clearly carrying some kind of toxin.

Kuro opened his eyes, crushed the venomous insect to death, then closed them again. Recalling the feeling from before, he muttered,

"The perception of Observation Haki is not as direct as the human body's five senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Instead, it is more like some kind of instinct."

"It defies reason and ignores logic. I simply know you're there!"

"Rather than a sense, it is more like an intuition."

"Gawain once said that Haki is the manifestation of the heart. Following that logic, Observation Haki should be an instinct for the human body to sense danger."

"And this instinct can be actively released through training!"

At this point,

Kuro seemed to grasp something, and he closed his eyes once more.

He sat there in meditation until nightfall before slowly rising to his feet.

Feeling himself gradually becoming more familiar with the use of Observation Haki, Kuro's eyes held nothing but indescribable excitement.

"Once I completely master Observation Haki, I'll definitely be able to push Shave's speed to an even higher level!"

"When that time comes, even Gawain won't be my match!"

As he spoke, Kuro could almost see himself defeating Gawain.

Although he now sincerely acknowledged Gawain, if possible, who would not want to be the one giving orders?

"Once my body fully recovers, it'll be time for me to become captain again!"

Elsewhere.

Gawain had just finished washing up and was about to go to bed when a system notification suddenly sounded in his mind:

Physique Experience +8!
Swordsmanship Experience +7!
Observation Haki Experience +33!