One Piece: Gawain The Knight Of The Sun

"View crew's latent potential?"

Gawain blinked, turning to a nearby pirate. A new panel appeared before him:

Name: Wynn

Potential: Black Iron

Rating: Black Iron - A weakling who's learned basic swordsmanship.

He shifted his gaze to other pirates, the system updating to show their potential and ratings.

All were Black Iron, without exception.

Gawain wasn't surprised.

By the system's standards, even he—having awakened the Godspeed swordsmanship trait and leveled up his physique—was still Black Iron.

His crew, even combined, couldn't match him. The gap was massive.

"So, I can screen for talent by checking their potential?"

He realized the badge's true purpose.

It wasn't immediately useful, as they were still at sea.

"Maybe I can scout the East Blue for anyone worthwhile, beyond those three."

"Top talents reach the peak in just a few years."

"It shows how vast the gap between people can be."

Gawain shook his head, checking the rest of the crew's potential, only to confirm they were all Black Iron weaklings.

Still, even weaklings, in numbers, were a valuable resource.

His physique was on the verge of a breakthrough.

He had a feeling that one more step would transform his strength, finally shedding the Black Iron weakling label.

Gawain assigned a small group to handle the warship's navigation and scout nearby areas, then gathered the rest on the deck to continue swordsmanship training.

No one objected—nor dared to.

Gawain's authority was absolute. No one on the ship would defy him.

The last one who did was long gone, his body picked clean.

"Hey!"

"Hah!"

…

On the deck, shouts rang out, accompanied by the clash of metal.

Under the blazing sun, the crew resumed their grueling training.

…

Time passed, the sun set, and the moon rose.

A cool sea breeze swept over the deck, where exhausted pirates lay sprawled, letting the wind ease their fatigue.

Gawain stood aside, nodding in satisfaction. This was their greatest value to him.

If they couldn't even serve as experience fodder, they'd be more burden than aid.

As training ended, Gawain gained 12 physique points and 15 swordsmanship points.

Physique - LV 4: 791/800 → Physique - LV 5: 1/1600 Swordsmanship - LV 5: 803/1600 → Swordsmanship - LV 5: 818/1600

His near-maxed physique broke through to LV 5.

Instantly, he felt the change.

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

It was the sound of rapid bone growth and compression.

In moments, his height shot up, his loose armor now skin-tight, his pant legs exposing his ankles.

He'd bulked up noticeably.

"My physique is stronger!"

"Strength up by 50%, durability untested but far beyond before!"

"I wonder what it'd be like to tank Morgan's axe now."

Gawain smiled faintly, clenching his fist…

Pop!

The air snapped, drawing the crew's attention.

"Huh?"

"Is the captain… taller? He wasn't this big before."

A pirate rubbed his eyes, sensing something different about Gawain.

"The captain's presence is stronger—more than when he killed Morgan!"

"An illusion?"

The mohawk pirate patted his shoulder, exhausted. "You're just too in awe of him."

"Am I?"

"Exactly!"

…

As the crew regained stamina, they began chatting idly.

Gawain silently headed to the captain's cabin, knowing the real transformation was yet to come.

Bang!

He shut and locked the door, then checked the system prompt:

"Host's physique has reached LV 5. Choose one of the following branch abilities:"

Monstrous Strength Agility Robustness Balance

After brief thought, Gawain focused on the last option.

The four abilities represented different stat builds: max strength, agility, durability, or a balanced spread.

But reality wasn't a game. Extreme builds could falter if other stats lagged, rendering them ineffective.

Great strength needed durability to support it. Blinding speed without strength to break defenses was just scratching. Pure durability made you a punching bag.

In the One Piece world, top-tier powerhouses—Garp, Sengoku, Kaido, Whitebeard—excelled in strength, speed, and durability without glaring weaknesses.

A balanced build might risk being a jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

But Gawain was confident. With his crew's efforts, he could grind his way to a hexagonal warrior!

"I choose Balance!"

Instantly, his body heated again, molten blood surging from his heart, coursing through every organ.

Searing pain made him break out in a cold sweat, his face flushed, teeth clenched until his gums bled.

"Ugh—!"

Amid the agony, his body transformed dramatically.

Every pore oozed foul sweat, drying instantly from his scorching body heat.

When the transformation ended, Gawain collapsed, panting heavily.

"Hah~"

Moments later, he recovered, noticing a thick layer of grime on his skin, cracking to reveal fresh skin beneath.

"This…"

"Some kind of marrow-cleansing rebirth?"

Gawain smiled, feeling the changes.

"Wait!"

"My body feels so light!"

"Like I was shackled before, and now they're gone."

"Every part feels effortless!"

He moved slightly, every cell brimming with vitality. Even old swordsmanship injuries from his predecessor's youth were healed.

His body felt primal, pure!

"Wait!"

"If I can view others' potential, can I see my own?"

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