How can I become the Pirate King if you don’t work hard?.

Chapter 287 Recuperation and Recovery! Collective Upgrade!
Instead, they were recruited by Mary Geoise and gained the status of Celestial Dragons because of their outstanding talent or special abilities.

Unlike the nineteen royal families of Mary Geoise today, they have no power of their own to rely on. They are tools completely subservient to Im, a sword hanging over the heads of the other Celestial Dragons.

This identity not only granted them privileges beyond those of ordinary Celestial Dragons, but also made them numerous enemies within Mary Geoise, making them all the more loyal to Im, simply because he had become their only support.

But Shamrock is different; he is one of the nineteen royal families, and even the heir to Figarand, the family behind the current Five Elders.

At the same time, he was also the vice-commander of the Knights of God, and his combat power was so strong that he could defeat Big Mom.

With his dual identity, ordinary Celestial Dragons would bow or even kneel before him in respect.

However, he did not criticize his subordinates who came from humble backgrounds, and slowly said:

"The Op-Op Fruit is in exile. Even if it is found, it will need to wait for the next user to awaken it. It would take at least several years or even decades to perform the immortality surgery."

“Case, you should know that the captain doesn’t have much time left, and besides, what the captain wants is not just ordinary immortality.”

"Anyway..."

"Once this mission is completed, everything you want will come to fruition."

"I understand."

The tall, imposing member of the Divine Knights, namely Case, nodded subconsciously.

A barely perceptible glint of excitement flashed in his eyes, but his expression turned serious.

“Britannias can be the last target, but the real trouble right now is Knight Gawain.”

"Even that Golden Lion was defeated by him. The Red Dragon Fruit that was originally supposed to be given to that guy Manticol has now been eaten by Knight Gawain."

"With both factors combined, it's unlikely that our strength alone will be enough to snatch someone from him."

Shamrock nodded, his expression unchanged, clearly having anticipated this situation. He calmly said:

"Casey had already had a divination done."

"Soon, the legend of Britannias will be revived, and the knight Gawain and his crew will surely appear there."

"We just need to get there in advance and wait for them to come to us."

"Besides..."

Shamrock raised his hand and wiped the blood from his face, his expression momentarily amused:

"Isn't that idiot in the Destiny Cult always trying to enter Mary Geoise and become a Celestial Dragon?!"

"Then why don't we give him that chance?"

Case was taken aback:
"But we don't have that authority!"

"Who knows?!"

"Ha~"

A mocking laugh echoed across the sea, startling even the seagulls skimming the surface, which then took flight only to be swallowed whole by a sea monster leaping out of the water.

……

……

……

half a month later.

Alabasta, a port city with rapeseed flowers.

The city, which was completely destroyed in the battle between Gawain and Shiki, has been restored to some of its original appearance.

Countless workers moved about the docks, working together to rebuild or repair the buildings in the port, as if the shadow left by that battle had completely passed.

But the two crisscrossing rivers in the harbor still remind people of the battle that took place here.

"It is said that these two canals were left behind because of a battle that took place here. The man could turn the earth upside down and reverse the flow of the sea simply by raising his hand..."

A thin but very energetic old man sat in the corner, smacking his lips as he worked.

He vividly recounted the outrageous rumors to those around him, unsurprisingly eliciting a burst of laughter.

"Keep it up! How could any human being possibly do such a thing? You must have just heard it from some legend somewhere!"

"That's right, that's right, don't bully us outsiders who don't know anything about this place."

"Hahahaha~"

……

"Who said there isn't!"

When the old man saw that no one believed him, he became anxious on the spot:

"I saw it with my own eyes!"

“A few months ago in Arubana, there were sandstorms almost every day. Normal sandstorms can’t be that regular!”

"Rumor has it that it's because two important figures were cultivating and clashing there!"

His face flushed red, and he stood up to argue with the crowd, gesturing wildly and his words gradually becoming more heated.

This only drew even stronger ridicule from the crowd.

But at one moment, all the sounds around them completely stopped.

The old man was wondering what was going on.

Look up.

The first thing he saw was a familiar skull and crossbones flag with a round shield as its base, and the figure standing on the deck made him tremble with excitement on the spot.

"it's him!"

"One of the people fighting was that man, and the other was rumored to be an admiral in the navy!"

Silence fell over the surroundings for a moment.

Only awe-inspiring gazes were fixed on Gao Wen and his group in the distance.

They didn't know whether the old man was bragging or something else.

But what they do know is this.

If the one who makes the move is that man in the distance, then the aftershocks of the fight could easily alter the celestial phenomena for him.

"It's Knight Gawain! One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, authorized by the World Government!"

"He is also... the hero who defeated Crocodile and saved Alabasta!"

……

boom!
The cargo ship came to a stop.

Gawain led his men down the gangway and, together with Robin who had come to meet them, headed toward the lord's mansion in the center.

Lucci had left alone half a month earlier, after the banquet ended.

He wanted to return to the World Government and become the eyes and ears of Gawain's group. Kuro and Arkin had anticipated this, so they didn't ask any further questions.

Zoro and Law, on the other hand, were somewhat unwilling.

After all, the number three coin is still in Lucci's hands, and that's what they're after.

Now that Lucci has left, the two have not stopped at all; on the contrary, they have become even more competitive.

This resulted in a significant increase in their strength within just half a month.

Gao Wen was naturally delighted with this.

Now that his combat power has reached the level of a general emperor, he feels less pressure, but his swordsmanship and fighting spirit have not deteriorated at all; on the contrary, they have become even purer.

A few minutes later.

Office desk room in the lord's mansion.

Robin, Gawain, and Crowe gathered here, looking at the report on the table with somewhat strange expressions.

"You're saying that someone has been secretly targeting the martial arts tournament's partners these past few months?"

“That’s right.” Robin nodded, his undisguised gaze fixed on Gawain, making Gawain’s scalp tingle.

"However, they have already been repelled by Stussy and Du-Field. They did it very cleanly and left no clues, so their identities are naturally unknown."

Gawain nodded:
"It should be the force that Gaza mentioned before, the one that wants to take over the betting odds on the outside of the martial arts tournament."

"It seems they don't dare to attack us directly, so they've opted to target Du-Field and Stussy, who are our partners, instead?!"

"Ah."

"These two forces are not to be trifled with; they should give him a run for his money."

Robin and Crowe breathed a sigh of relief.

Afterwards, Gawain asked about the progress of the New World Martial Arts Tournament and received answers from Robin that far exceeded his expectations.

Under Robin's leadership.

The rapeseed flower port, which was originally expected to take several years to regain its former glory, has already shown signs of its former appearance in just a few months, with many merchant ships now docked there.

Robin may not be considered a great fighter, and her potential is only Silver, but she is almost an all-rounder in all areas except combat.

If we're talking about who else in the Gawain Pirates, besides Gawain himself and Kuro, could carry the crew, it would have to be Robin.

Everyone else, whether it's Lucci, Gin, Zoro, or Sanji, has their own flaws and is not suitable to be a decision-maker.

Luo, who has only recently joined the group, is still too inexperienced and needs time to grow.

Fortunately.

Another purpose of Gawain's return to Alabasta was to further enhance the strength of his subordinates before officially entering the New World.

I don't expect them to reach the level of the Beast Pirates' Three Disasters, Flying Six, and countless other fighters, but at least they should grow to a point where they won't hold Gawain back.

Britannias is going to have a tough battle.

Gawain had this intuition.

But that is the best place in the world where the Red Dragon can unleash its power.

Gao Wen has no reason and no possibility of giving up directly.

soon.

The three-person meeting ended.

Gawain then instructed Robin to allocate a shipyard area in the port for the Franky family, entrusting the task of building pirate ships to Robin while he himself became a hands-off manager.

……

……

……

Time flies and three months have passed.

Apart from the two crisscrossing canals, there is no trace of the great battle that once took place in the rapeseed flower port.

Countless merchant ships came and went, using this place as a transportation hub for goods entering Alabasta, and the port once again became prosperous.

This effect was achieved not only because of Robin's outstanding talent as lord, but also because of the pirate ship docked in the harbor that was about to be launched, and the intimidating presence of the pirate flag flying on the ship.

Ode——!
Under a clear sky, Zoro and Sanji once again engaged in a fierce battle.

He unleashed three swords, their blades imbued with Armament Haki, his aura solidified like that of a demon, or even a Shura emerging from a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

One of them had its legs wrapped in flames, moving with incredible speed, like a fiery demon god, each strike possessing the power of a meteorite impact.

when!
when!
when!
The violent collision produced a series of booming sounds, causing a sharp pain in everyone's eardrums.

"These two are incredibly strong! They're practically monsters!"

"Compared to when I was in Water Seven, my strength has increased by at least several times!"

"But who will ultimately get the number 4 coin?!"

Zambry watched Zoro and Sanji clash in the arena and clicked his tongue in amazement. Kiwi and Moz beside him couldn't help but cheer, and countless companions around them cheered.

"Waaaaah!!!"

"come on! Come on!"

They have now fully integrated into the Gawain Pirates, and the stronger their companions are, the more secure they feel.

Kuro and Gawain stood side by side, watching Zoro and Sanji's fierce battle in the arena, and couldn't help but nod in approval:

"According to the previously established grading standards, both of them already possess the combat strength of the upper-level Silver rank."

"Even within the Beasts Pirates, they could compete for a place among the Flying Six, and it's even hard to say whether the current Flying Six would be a match for them."

"To achieve such growth in just three months is truly enviable."

Gao Wen nodded in satisfaction.

During this period, he also promoted the captain's rating system within the team.

To be honest, the rating system gives is extremely crude.

During the East Blue period, Gawain, who was also a Black Iron-ranked individual, would have had little difficulty killing a few ordinary pirates compared to killing chickens.

Both being Gold-level players, if Gawain from the East Blue era were to face his Alabasta self during his Zeff era, he probably wouldn't even last a single move.

Therefore, Gao Wen added four levels—lower, middle, and upper—to each rating level, based on the original system.

This refers to the so-called six ranks and twenty-four levels, which is to help subordinates determine their combat strength level.

but.

Ultimately, this thing is not the same as a level in a game, where being one level higher means being stronger and able to crush opponents one level lower.

There are just too many things that can affect the outcome of a battle.

Aside from one's own basic qualities, mindset, fighting spirit, strategy, and even luck—any slight difference can reverse the outcome of a battle.

Unless the difference in strength between the two sides is so great that one side can dominate with its stats alone, the outcome can only be determined after a fight.

Therefore, the level proposed by Gawain can only serve as a reference for judging basic combat strength, so that everyone can find their own position.

According to this evaluation system, Sanji and Zoro, who are still locked in a fierce battle, are both ranked as Silver.

After three months of training, Kro has reached the middle of the Gold rank, and Akin has also reached the threshold of the Gold rank.

However, at this point, their improvement rate slowed down again.

To go further, one must either surpass one's own limits through sufficient combat or achieve a leap in one's own abilities.

For example, awakening Conqueror's Haki, or awakening an ability.

According to Gawain's estimation, the former was unlikely, but Crow had already reached the threshold of ability awakening, which was beyond Gawain's expectations.

This is the advantage of a high compatibility between the user and their ability. Not only can they use it immediately, but the development process is also incredibly fast, and even the speed of awakening is unmatched by others.

Good guy!
If the first legendary-level character on my ship besides myself turns out to be Kuro instead of Sanji or Zoro as originally expected, then that would be a huge mess.

More importantly...

If this guy beats him to it, he'll probably brag about it for the rest of his life!

Think of this.

Gawain glanced at Chloe beside him, and his lips twitched violently.

Damn it!
This kid's feet were off the ground while he was watching the fight. Even at this level, he didn't forget to cultivate. He's determined to surpass me in this area!

"What's wrong?!"

Kro turned to look at Gawain, his gaze somewhat puzzled, but inwardly he was already secretly pleased.

really!

This guy has noticed that my ability is about to awaken. As long as I get one step ahead of him in this, I won't be completely useless!
While thinking.

A slight smile even crept onto Kro's lips.

(End of this chapter)