New Badge and Physique Enhancement

"View the crew's potential?"

Gawain froze for a moment, then turned to look at the pirates beside him. A brand-new panel appeared before his eyes:

[Name — Wynn]

[Potential — Black Iron]

[Rating — Black Iron: A minnow who had learned basic Swordsmanship.]

Gawain then shifted his gaze to several other pirates. The system display changed, showing their potential and system ratings in real time.

Without exception, they were all Black Iron.

Gawain was not surprised by this result.

After all, by the system's standards, even Gawain—whose Swordsmanship had awakened the Godspeed trait and whose Physique had risen by a level—was still rated Black Iron.

Even if all the pirates on the ship were tied together, they might not be Gawain's match. The difference between them was worlds apart.

"So that means I can directly check a crew member's potential in the future and pick out the talent I need?!"

Gawain realized the proper use of this Badge.

Still, it was of no use for the time being. He was still at sea, after all.

"I could take a look and see whether the East Blue has any worthwhile harvest besides those three."

"Those with exceptional talent can reach the pinnacle in just a few years."

"That also proves just how vast the gap between people can be."

Gawain shook his head, then checked the potential of every pirate present one by one. In the end, he could only helplessly confirm that everyone aboard this ship was a Black Iron minnow.

Still.

Even minnows became a harvest that could not be ignored when there were enough of them.

Besides, Gawain's Physique was already on the verge of a breakthrough.

He had a feeling that if his Physique improved another step, his combat strength might undergo a transformation. He would finally be able to shed the title of Black Iron minnow.

Gawain left a small portion of the crew to steer the Warship and scout for information nearby. Then, he gathered the rest on the deck and continued guiding their Swordsmanship training.

Naturally, none of them had—or dared to have—any objections.

Gawain had now established absolute authority in their hearts. No one aboard this ship dared to resist him.

After all.

The last person who had resisted had been eaten down to the bone.

"Hey!"

"Ha!"

Before long, furious shouts rang out across the deck, accompanied by the clash of steel.

Beneath the blazing sun, everyone once more began a training regimen harsh enough to be called brutal.

In the blink of an eye, the sun set and the moon rose.

Cool gusts blew in from the sea. The exhausted pirates sprawled across the deck, letting the sea breeze carry away their fatigue.

Standing to one side, Gawain nodded in satisfaction. This was their greatest value to him.

If they could not even serve as basic experience packs, bringing them along would be less of a help and more of a burden.

As the training came to an end.

Gawain gained another 12 Physique Experience and 15 Swordsmanship Experience.

Physique — LV-4: 791/800 --> Physique — LV-5: 1/1600

Swordsmanship — LV-5: 803/1600 --> Swordsmanship — LV-5: 818/1600

His Physique, already close to its limit, broke through directly to LV-5.

Gawain instantly felt the changes in his body.

The muscles beneath his leather armor visibly swelled, while his bones crackled like popping beans.

It was the sound of his bones rapidly growing and pressing against one another.

In just a few breaths.

Gawain's figure shot upward. His once-loose leather armor became skintight, and his pant legs now exposed his ankles.

His entire body had grown noticeably more muscular.

"My Physique has become stronger!"

"My strength has increased by half. I haven't tested my resistance to blows yet, but it is undoubtedly far greater than before!"

"I wonder what would happen if I took Morgans's axe head-on now."

Gawain smiled faintly, then raised a hand and clenched it in the air...

Bang!

The air exploded, drawing the surrounding pirates' attention.

"Eh?"

"Has the captain's build changed? I don't remember him being this tall and broad."

One pirate rubbed his eyes. Gawain felt strangely unfamiliar, as though something about him had changed.

"The pressure coming from the captain is even stronger. It's stronger than when he killed Morgans!"

"Isn't that just your imagination?"

The pirate with a mohawk patted his shoulder and said weakly, "You probably admire the captain too much."

"Is that it?"

"That's exactly it!"

The crew, having barely recovered some strength, began chatting idly.

Gawain said nothing as he headed toward the captain's cabin. The changes before his eyes were merely an appetizer; a far greater improvement awaited him.

Bang!

After shutting and locking the captain's cabin door, Gawain finally checked the information in his mind:

"Detected that the host's Physique has reached LV-5. You may select one of the following branch abilities:"

"Monstrous Strength, Agility, Vigor, Balance."

After a brief consideration, Gawain fixed his gaze on the final option.

These four branch abilities undoubtedly represented four different ways of allocating points: extreme strength, agility, constitution, and a balanced allocation among all three.

But reality was not a game. An overly extreme build could easily fail to display its proper effect in the end because the other attributes could not keep up.

Great strength required an equally strong constitution to support it. Blinding speed without the corresponding strength to break through an opponent's defense was merely scratching an itch, while stacking constitution alone would turn him into nothing more than a punching bag.

Besides.

In the world of pirates, every powerhouse who stood at the top of the pyramid had pushed Physique, strength, and speed to their limits.

The Navy had Garp and Sengoku, while the pirates had Kaido and Whitebeard—figures with balanced attributes and no obvious weaknesses.

Even if a balanced allocation might eventually lead to a situation where it looked like he had everything, yet he actually had nothing.

Gawain was confident that through his... subordinates' efforts, he could pile up enough to become a hexagonal warrior!

"I choose Balance!"

The next moment.

Gawain's body began to burn again. Countless streams of scorching blood, hot as magma, surged from his heart and flowed through every organ in his body.

The burning pain from within made Gawain break out in a cold sweat. He bent over, his face flushing red as he nearly bit his gums bloody.

"Nngh—!"

As the agony tore through his body, Gawain began to undergo an astonishing transformation.

Every pore on his body began secreting foul-smelling sweat, but it was dried by his excessive body heat before it could even run down his skin.

By the time the transformation ended.

Gawain had completely run out of strength. He lay flat on his back on the floor, gasping heavily.

"Ha..."

A few breaths later.

Gawain came back to himself and realized that a thick layer of grime had formed on his skin. At the slightest touch, it cracked apart and revealed fresh skin beneath.

"This..."

"This should count as washing my marrow and cleansing my veins to some extent, right?"

Gawain smiled faintly, then sensed the changes in his body.

"Wait!"

"My body feels so light!"

"It's like I had been living in shackles, only for them to suddenly be removed."

"Every part of my body feels incomparably relaxed!"

He moved slightly, feeling every cell radiate vigorous life. Even the old injuries left behind from the original owner's Swordsmanship training in his youth had been completely healed.

This body seemed to have returned to its most primitive, truest state!

"Wait!"

"Since I can view other people's potential, can I view my own as well?!"