East Blue.
Para Island.
Two days had passed since Gawain returned to the base camp.
Zoro had already regained consciousness, but the wounds left by Hawkeye were severe. It would take some time before he could fully recover and resume his duties as a valuable leek.
However...
Gawain wasn't in a rush.
With Sanji now part of the crew, he had Zoro covering swordsmanship and Sanji reinforcing his physical prowess—two gold-tier leeks at his disposal.
So long as nothing unexpected happened, Gawain's progress would only accelerate from here on.
He might even have a shot at reaching gold-tier combat power himself before entering the Grand Line.
Most of the major forces in the pirate world—Admirals, the Three Disasters, the Warlords of the Sea, and even high-ranking Marine Vice Admirals—operated at that level.
To say they were powerful would be an understatement.
At the thought, Gawain, seated at his desk, couldn't help but smile.
Then he turned his attention to the next phase—crew planning for their Grand Line journey.
"I've already recruited most of the easy targets in the East Blue," he mused. "It's time to start preparing for the next wave—recruiting on the Grand Line."
There were still critical roles to fill: a doctor, shipwright, sailor, sniper...
As the thoughts swirled in his mind, a few familiar faces began to surface.
"Also, once my combat strength reaches gold-tier and I qualify for the title of Shichibukai, I'll need to plan who to dethrone to draw the World Government's attention."
"I'll decide on the target after reaching the Grand Line."
"After all, Ace has only just set sail at this point. The Warlords aren't yet the same group Luffy will encounter in the future."
"Once I claim a seat among the Shichibukai, the next step is to establish territory—and then expand my forces..."
As his thoughts settled, a clearer vision formed in Gawain's mind.
He absently touched the scar on his chest. The surface had scabbed, and the internal flesh was healing well. Thanks to his Balance trait and the Captain's Badge, his recovery far outpaced the ship doctor's expectations—faster even than Zoro's.
His injuries no longer hindered his movements.
With Seikō Masamune in hand, Gawain exited his quarters and vanished into the port. When he reappeared, he was standing atop a wide rock plateau in the mountains behind Para Island.
The open terrain gave him a sweeping view of the sea.
Clang!
He unsheathed Seikō Masamune and activated his newly mastered Armament Haki.
A black aura immediately enveloped the blade. The once silver-white sword now gleamed with a reflective, pitch-black coat—emanating a distinctly oppressive aura.
With swordsmanship, physique, and Observation Haki now trainable by subordinates, Gawain naturally chose to focus on the one skill only he had mastered in the crew—Armament Haki.
As both an offensive and defensive ability, it was arguably the most versatile of the three Haki types.
It could be infused into a fist or sword to enhance attack power, wrapped around the body as armor, and even used to counter Devil Fruit abilities.
In fact—
Once you mastered Armament Haki, you were equipped to contend with most Devil Fruit users—especially those of the Logia type, whose elemental forms made them immune to physical attacks. Armament Haki could bypass that immunity and strike their true bodies.
Gawain glanced down at his blade, now coated in black from the Haki, and muttered:
"If I faced Smoker again now, I'm confident I could end the fight with a single strike. Even Ace, who's still sailing in the East Blue, probably wouldn't stand a chance."
As he spoke, confidence lit his face. He shook off the stray thoughts and began training.
One slash after another—
Each strike, infused with Armament Haki, split the air and echoed across the mountaintop.
Birds scattered. Mosquitoes fell mid-flight. The mountain below was left scarred with dozens of deep, jagged cuts.
Within minutes, fatigue set in.
It became clear—he was still at the first level of Armament Haki. Neither the quality nor quantity of his Haki could be sustained for long.
He sat cross-legged, slowly drawing breath and feeling the Haki—born from faith—gradually regenerate.
He might not have had someone like Rayleigh to guide him, but Hawkeye's words had pointed him in the right direction.
Through repeated cycles of depletion and regeneration...
Gawain could clearly sense both the volume and intensity of his Haki steadily improving.
Time slipped by.
Nightfall came. The sea breeze cooled. The full moon rose high overhead.
Gawain checked the system panel.
And frowned.
"I trained the whole damn day… and only got 8 experience points?!"
"With my talent, if a subordinate trained in Armament Haki, they'd generate 80 experience points daily...?"
His eye twitched.
"So, basically, cheating beats effort. I need to find a way to get those leeks started on Armament Haki too."
"Ordinary pirates don't have the aptitude yet, so it's not worth the risk. Better to focus them on training their physique first."
"But with Sanji joining us, our physical training output should spike—"
Just then, the system chimed again.
"+216 Physical Experience."
"+3 Swordsmanship Experience."
"+43 Death Walk Experience."
"+77 Observation Haki Experience."
"…Only 216 from physique?"
Gawain's brows furrowed.
By his calculations, Sanji and Zoro—both with gold-tier potential—should offer nearly identical experience returns. Adding Kuro and Gin into the mix, the physique yield should have easily exceeded 500.
"What's going on…?"
These were his most promising leeks. He couldn't ignore this.
Without hesitation, Gawain sheathed Seikō Masamune and made his way to the port.
It was late, and few pirates remained active.
As Gawain stepped into the port—
He saw Sanji, balancing a platter of what could only be described as exquisite, time-consuming cuisine, making his way toward Nami's room.
His posture was elegant, refined... If not for the flared nostrils and labored breathing, Gawain might've thought this was a genuine act of service.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sanji knocked softly on the door.
Moments later, a weary Nami answered, pen in hand, eyes half-lidded.
"Sanji…"
"Miss Nami! I've prepared a special midnight snack for you."
…
Gawain turned away, face dark.
He already knew how this scene would play out.
Sure enough—
Seconds later, a loud slap echoed through the night.
Then came the distinct sound of a man doing three and a half flips in the air, followed by the unmistakable crack of his face hitting stone.
This time, the plate didn't survive either.
Without even looking back, Gawain muttered under his breath:
"Mystery solved."
"This idiot's too busy being a simp... and the only woman on the ship is his target."
"Seriously…"
"I asked you to train, not to lick!"