In the captain's quarters.
Gawain opened his system panel as usual to review today's gains. This nightly routine had become a habit before going to bed.
After all, what could be more satisfying than lying back and watching your experience bar soar, your strength increasing without lifting a finger?
But what he saw today left him utterly stunned.
"Physical Experience +233!"
"Swordsmanship Experience +408!"
"Death Walk Experience +40"
"Observation Haki Experience +84!"
"…How much swordsmanship experience did I just get?!"
Gawain rubbed his eyes. After confirming the numbers, he still couldn't hide his surprise.
These days, training swordsmanship within the pirate crew yielded barely any results—maybe a few points per day, sometimes none at all.
Which meant... these 400 points had come almost entirely from Zoro. Nearly half of the physical experience gain was also thanks to him.
If Zoro had joined Gawain's crew earlier—say, from the moment he woke up—then just a month would've been enough for Gawain's swordsmanship to reach this level.
No—he'd have far surpassed it by now.
The experience provided by gold-level Zoro was nearly four times greater than that of silver-level Kuro!
While the gap wasn't quite as vast as between black iron and bronze, it was comparable to the leap from bronze to silver.
"So this is the potential of a gold-level fighter…"
Gawain couldn't help but mutter in awe, feeling an even deeper desire to recruit more gold-level talents from the East Blue.
As for Ace... he wasn't worth considering just yet. Without mastering Armament Haki, Gawain wouldn't fare much better against him than Smoker had.
Logia abilities were nearly untouchable without a counter.
"One day, I'll get a Devil Fruit of my own!"
"Special Paramecia, Logia—I won't be picky. A Mythical Zoan would be even better!"
Having knowledge of the original story, Gawain understood that Mythical Zoans were essentially the ultimate version of Devil Fruits—combining the physical enhancements of Zoans with unique supernatural abilities, much like having both a Zoan and a Paramecia power in one.
However...
Devil Fruits were ultimately a matter of luck.
Most of the powerful Logia abilities had already been claimed. And while there were still many untapped mythological beasts, their rarity made them nearly impossible to come by—let alone choose between.
"This kind of thing depends on fate. But swordsmanship and physical strength—those are things I can control."
"If I push those two to the limit, I can still stand at the summit!"
"After all, even the Pirate King, Roger, and Red-Haired Shanks reached the top without relying on a Devil Fruit."
With that thought, Gawain shook off his distractions and focused on the glowing panel in front of him.
His swordsmanship bar, which had been on the verge of leveling up, now surged forward—thanks to Zoro's contribution—breaking through to LV6.
In an instant, a wave of sword-related knowledge flooded into his mind. His fingers itched with anticipation. He needed to move.
Gawain strode out of the cabin and stepped onto the moonlit deck.
Drawing his blade—Seikō Masamune—he began executing the new techniques embedded in his mind one after another.
For a time, the deck glittered with silver arcs of light as Gawain danced beneath the moon.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
The blade sang as it cleaved through the air, each slash refracting the moonlight and leaving shimmering trails in its wake.
The techniques, once simple, now bloomed with endless variations. Gawain naturally began streamlining them, integrating them with his personal style.
Unlike his formerly sharp and direct swordplay, these moves carried an elegant grace—yet were just as deadly.
From her room, Nami caught a glimpse of Gawain through the porthole and was momentarily stunned.
"Even the captain's training at this hour?"
She muttered to herself, astonished.
"Who said the captain doesn't train? I want to slap that idiot right now."
"So this is what it means when they say the ones who get perfect scores without trying… are just working when no one's watching."
"Of course, their 'effort' might be equivalent to your full day's work… in just ten minutes."
She scoffed.
"Heh…"
With a twitch of her lips, Nami closed the porthole. Out of sight, out of mind.
But even now, one thought lingered:
Kuro, the ever-ambitious vice captain who hoped to surpass Gawain.
Despite seeing how much Kuro respected their captain, Nami had to admit—those stronger than you are always going to stay stronger.
"Mr. Kuro"
"You'd better give up."
Shaking her head, she offered a silent moment of sympathy for Kuro, then lowered her gaze to the sea chart in her hands.
The candlelight danced across her serious expression.
The swordplay on the deck continued until dawn. As the clouds lit up with a fiery glow, casting rays of golden light across the sea, Gawain finally came to a stop.
Soaked with sweat but brimming with energy, he lowered his blade.
At that moment, Seikō Masamune let out a faint hum—as if responding to the changes in its wielder, resonating with excitement.
"You feel it too, don't you?"
"I've grown stronger. Now you can drink from the blood of even mightier foes."
"One day… No—I will challenge the man who stands at the summit!"
Gawain stood at the bow, bathed in the golden light of morning. The wind brushed past him, lifting the strands of hair from his forehead, revealing his striking features and eyes that shone like the rising sun.
He stood there in silence for a few minutes, then turned to return to the cabin—already wondering just how much profit he'd make tonight.
But as fate would have it, bad news awaited him.
Kuro and the others had overtrained. Two of them suffered muscle strains, and Gin had even started urinating blood. They'd be bedridden for the next few days.
Which meant...
No experience points.
Gawain's face froze in a pained expression.
"The hell are you idiots doing?!"
Raven Harbor
Inside the Lord's Mansion
Grayza stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror, momentarily lost in disbelief.
"This... is me?"
Her voice quivered with shock.
Even Jasmine, holding the mirror for her, stood wide-eyed at the sight of Grayza's transformation.
Grayza had never been considered beautiful. But now, the girl in the mirror had delicate features and a stunningly graceful figure.
Her skin was not only pale, but radiant—smooth and supple at just a glance.
Combined with Grayza's naturally noble bearing, Jasmine couldn't help but think: even the empress Boa Hancock, as seen in the newspapers, might be on par at best!
After several long moments, Jasmine nodded firmly.
"Miss... this is really you."
"Is this what the Devil Fruit did?"
Grayza slowly raised a hand to touch her cheek, then turned her gaze to the second Devil Fruit resting on the table.
"Do you think... Captain Gawain would need something like this?"