Kuro sheathed his claw blades, turned around, and tossed a towel onto Gin's face before wiping the sweat off his own body. His voice was calm, but sharp:
"Gawain mentioned something to me once."
"How far a person can go… is usually determined the moment they're born."
"He called it potential."
"Sickness, trauma, even a life too comfortable can chip away at that limit."
"Maybe you've already hit yours."
Gin pulled the towel off his face, silent. He knew Kuro's words, however blunt, weren't spoken out of cruelty. Kuro might be the most calculating pirate when facing enemies, but he never sugar-coated things with his comrades.
But it was exactly that honesty that left Gin feeling frustrated and unwilling to accept it.
"There's really… no way to push beyond it?" he asked hoarsely. "I don't want to be left behind in the East Blue just because I can't keep up with the captain."
"That might not be the case."
Kuro adjusted his glasses, his tone a little less rigid.
"He also said—when you awaken your true will, when you unlock Haki through battle… when you transform your body, or find one of those mythical Devil Fruits—you can break past your limits."
"Like when we fought to the death in Raven Harbor?"
"Exactly."
Kuro nodded. "Didn't you awaken your Observation Haki in that fight?"
Gin was quiet, then slowly clenched his fists, sensing the faint pulse of awareness within himself.
"This level of Haki… isn't enough to make me the captain's right-hand man."
"Body modification is too expensive. So that just leaves… a Devil Fruit?"
Kuro frowned.
"Be careful with that thought. Once you eat a Devil Fruit, you'll lose the ability to swim. You'll be powerless in seawater—and 90% of this world is water. The Grand Line's weather is hellish. Fall overboard once, and it's game over."
Gin grinned, careless and defiant.
"But… if it helps the captain, I'd take that risk."
"Madman," Kuro muttered, shaking his head as he walked away.
To him, the cost of a Devil Fruit was far too high for anyone who wanted to survive on the sea.
"If I just keep pushing forward on my own, I'll surpass even that monster Gawain eventually," Kuro muttered. "Besides, who the hell would willingly eat something with that many drawbacks?"
While Gawain's pirate crew was consumed by an intense wave of training, pushing their limits with feverish dedication, his experience points were increasing at an explosive pace—far faster than he anticipated.
After only seven days, his physique stat finally hit LV-10.
Late at night.
Gawain sat at his desk, feeling his body begin to heat up. Wisps of white smoke curled from the top of his head.
It was a strange, almost surreal phenomenon—the byproduct of cells rapidly dividing, regenerating, and metabolizing at an extraordinary rate.
In this state, his body was evolving in real time. Every second made him stronger.
After a few minutes, the sensation subsided.
He quietly analyzed the changes within:
"Basic strength increased by 30%… my resilience against physical trauma has reached another tier… and even my reflex speed and coordination have shot up significantly."
"Thanks to the Balance trait, my speed, strength, and endurance are growing in sync. Every stat is now performing at its maximum theoretical potential."
"And now, I can finally control the speed of my Flash Step more precisely…"
His eyes gleamed.
"But the best part… is still to come."
He turned his gaze to the system panel that had appeared before him:
"Detected: Physique has reached LV-10. Please choose one of the following advanced traits:"
Bloodbath
Harmony
Gawain narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.
Bloodbath was clearly a combat-oriented ability.
From its name alone, he could infer it was a high-risk, high-reward trait—likely boosting damage output the more injured he was. The closer to death, the more powerful he would become.
Was it strong?
Absolutely.
But it came with a glaring weakness.
While his damage would spike at low health, he would also become incredibly vulnerable. One clean hit could end everything.
Gawain had tasted that razor-thin margin for survival during his battle with Hawkeye—relying on adrenaline, instinct, and raw grit to pull through.
Thrilling? Yes.
But leaving your fate to a gamble?
No thanks.
If there was one thing Gawain valued, it was control.
Risking everything was a last resort, not a strategy.
His gaze shifted to Harmony.
Even from just the name, he sensed it was a continuation of the Balance trait.
"Balance turned me into a perfect all-rounder with no flaws. But what happens when you take that balance… and refine it even further?"
"No matter what it is, it won't be worse than Bloodbath."
With that conviction in his heart, Gawain's eyes sharpened.
"I choose: Harmony."
In an instant, a strange, almost divine sensation spread through his body.
Every muscle, every organ, every fiber of his being became clear as day—completely visible and completely controllable.
He raised his hand slowly, feeling every twitch, every subtle shift from fingertip to bicep, from chest to shoulder to skin.
By willing it, he could tense individual muscle groups. He could feel his internal organs adjusting rhythmically—he could even control them manually.
"This... this is total bodily control. I can consciously move every muscle, regulate every heartbeat, fine-tune my skin's reaction."
"I can accelerate my own healing. I can command my immune system to attack disease more aggressively. I can even digest food faster—or stop my heart altogether if I wanted."
Realization dawned.
"Harmony allows me to completely control my body."
"Balance perfects my body's stats."
"Together, they're more than just additive… they amplify each other."
Though Harmony didn't boost his stats directly, it acted like an amplifier—letting him wield his existing strength in ways that surpassed even the theoretical cap.
And that wasn't all.
With Harmony, Gawain had essentially become immune to disease and most toxins.
At that moment, his hands trembled—not from fatigue, but from exhilaration.
"Is this… Life Return?"
He paused, then shook his head, his smile growing wider.
"No."
"This is beyond Life Return."
"Everything that technique can do—I can do better."
"And more."