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

Chapter 291 A big gamble
"At this time..."

Gao Wen was slightly taken aback when he saw the system notification.

Zoro's transformation after awakening is something he anticipated.

After all, Zoro is the kind of person who gets stronger the more he fights.

It would be strange if I didn't gain any insights from meeting Gao Shan this time.

What truly surprised him was Sanji.

"The bloodline factor has been activated. If I remember correctly, in the original timeline, Sanji didn't even get to Wano Country until he used the Germa Raid Suit..."

"Reiju?!"

Gawain saw Reiju's face.

After the Battle of Water Seven, Reiju, along with the brothers Ichiji and Niji, became Gawain's prisoners.

Because of Sanji, Gawain didn't make things difficult for Reiju, and now it seems that this move was the right one.

The effects of the bloodline factor on other members of Germa were unremarkable, but on Sanji, it had a transformative effect.

In the original timeline, Sanji's combat power was significantly outpaced by Zoro after entering the New World, but he managed to catch up by relying on his bloodline factor.

This also significantly increased Sanji's physical strength.

His resilience, which was originally so fragile that he could be kicked and fractured by Vergo, who was at the level of the Six Sons, was suddenly elevated to the point where he could take a bath while being attacked by Queen, one of the Three Calamities, and beat the latter up the whole time.

The improvement is so great that it can even be described as cheating.

of course.

The original three main members of the Straw Hat crew had all gained incredible power-ups in Wano Country, each one more powerful than the last. Compared to the Straw Hat crew's speedrun of Sakura and their awakened Devil Fruit powers, they were truly insignificant.

However, after awakening his bloodline factor, Sanji's growth rate will increase significantly once again.

Zoro, who also gained some insights, felt the same way.

"Perhaps before entering the new world, I will have two more gold-level combatants under my command, namely the Emperor and the Four Calamities."

"In terms of high-end combat power alone, it is already no weaker than Kaido, of course, this is without taking into account Yamato, who may have already entered the legendary stage."

"That's enough!"

Gawain nodded to himself, secretly looking forward to Sanji and Zoro truly growing up.

The previous battle.

In slightly more advanced situations, Gao Wen basically carries the team by himself.

Apart from Kro, who was somewhat helpful, the others on the ship were still far from being able to help.

But after three months of training, Gao Wen and his group's combat strength has undergone a complete transformation.

With Gin reaching Gold rank, Zoro and Sanji's potential has increased, and they won't be far from reaching Gold rank themselves.

Gao Wen's gang's fighting strength visibly increased.

They were more confident in dealing with the battles in the new world, at least they wouldn't be caught in a situation where Gawain was tied up and the others were helpless.

Think of this.

Gao Wen nodded in satisfaction and was about to close the system interface when the system notification sounded in his mind again:
"Physical Experience +1833!!"

……(slightly)
"Zoan-type Devil Fruit experience +1303!"

……

"This is……"

"How did my experience points for Zoan-type Devil Fruits increase so much?!"

Gao Wen was slightly surprised.

After the cat-man brothers' growth rate slowed down, Gawain's experience with Zoan-type Devil Fruits was entirely supported by Lucci, the cat-man brothers, Chopper, and Kuro.

Now that Lucci has returned to CP9, the daily supply of Devil Fruit experience has visibly decreased, and Gawain's gains have been gradually shrinking.

This was also what he expected.

But today's Devil Fruit experience is a full third more than before!

In doubt.

Gawain scanned the panel and quickly saw that the experience points for the "Shao Si" skill had also increased significantly. He instantly understood what was going on:

"Tsk~"

"It seems that my awakening of the Grandmaster Swordsmanship has really spurred that old codger, Kro. But the harder you work, the bigger the gap between us will become."

"However, it's unexpected that this old guy was able to reach the threshold of awakening before me..."

Gawain stared at the Crimson Dragon Fruit section on the panel, lost in thought for a moment:
"The only possibility is that Kuro's compatibility with the Kamaitachi Fruit is too high, thus giving him a high innate level."

"If we follow the system's evaluation criteria, perhaps when Kro ate the Weasel Fruit, he had already reached level eight or nine, or even higher."

"This is the only plausible explanation."

Think of this.

Gao Wen gradually came to a conclusion.

All preparations are now complete.

Everyone has made progress in their cultivation, and it is time for them to set sail.

Once the new ship has completed its inspection, it will be time for Gao Wen to set sail again.

……

……

……

Two days later.

The Lionheart Knight rested quietly in the harbor.

The pirate flag with its round shield base fluttered in the wind, standing tall in the sea breeze like a giant guarding the place, gazing out at the vast ocean.

Frankie acted much faster than Gawain had anticipated, completing all preparations in just two days.

He was standing on the deck, proudly introducing the new ship's features to everyone:
"Through the central control system, one person can control more than forty cannons on the ship!"

"The ship's interior is spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of people at sea, and it is even equipped with a seawater purification system to ensure that there is no shortage of fresh water even when it is at sea."

"As per your instructions, we have specially reserved enough space for cultivation in the cabins and on the deck!"

As soon as these words came out.

The group of cultivation fanatics present couldn't sit still any longer. Too lazy to listen to Franky's nonsense, they all bypassed Franky and went into the cabin.

soon.

A training area, about half the size of a football field, appeared before everyone's eyes, leaving even the most knowledgeable people speechless.

"That Franky guy actually reserved an entire floor of cabins as our training space?!"

"I take back my previous assessment. This guy is definitely not a freak. From today onwards, he's my brother, a brother I'd risk my life for!"

Bepo nodded emphatically, looking at the area in front of him with satisfaction.

Chopper, meanwhile, had already started using the various strength training equipment displayed in the training room. Seeing the weights listed as several tons, he was immediately captivated.

"This place is simply paradise! I must begin my training immediately!"

He immediately stepped onto the deadlift machine, and after pulling himself up to the maximum, he excitedly began practicing!
Feeling his muscles throbbing, Chopper was so excited his eyes were practically blazing!
"Franky!"

"You...you...how do you know us so well!"

“Ooooooooooooooooooooo——!”

The group of Scroll Kings immediately became excited and, disregarding everything else, couldn't help but begin cultivating on the spot.

For a time, the entire training room was filled with pirates, shirtless and sweating profusely.

The surroundings suddenly became noisy.

"These idiots..."

Nami raised her hand to her forehead, somewhat unable to bear to look:
"Suddenly, I don't want to become stronger anymore."

"At least……"

“We can’t be like these muscle-bound idiots.” Kalifa, standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

"That's right!"

"If you keep training like this, you'll only become more muscular and your skin will become rougher."

"No man likes a big, muscular woman."

"If it really turns out like that, I..."

Kalifa couldn't help but picture Gawain in her mind.

Despite what had happened before, she was convinced that Gawain must have feelings for her, and that those feelings were no less than his love for the princess.

But how to make her dream come true and get Gao Wen to do it willingly is a problem she faces.

This is especially true now that there are more and more female crew members on the Gao Wen ship.

The first love type Gaza, the straightforward and mature Robin, and Reiju who was captured by Gawain—each and every one of these people is a formidable rival!
But Kalifa will not forget that Gawain wants a strong person who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

In this way, Gawain will not have to go through the pain he once suffered.

Can……

How can one gain immense power while maintaining their physical appearance?
Kalifa fell into deep thought for a moment, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the Devil Fruit encyclopedia in Nami's hand, and her eyes lit up:
"Nami, can I take a look at that encyclopedia?!"

Nami was taken aback. She glanced at the burly men practicing around her, then looked at Kalifa, and immediately understood what she was thinking.

She handed the illustrated guide to Kalifa, who immediately began to look through it, further confirming that she had not guessed wrong.

Adhering to the principle of taking advantage of every opportunity, Nami stood on tiptoe, whispered in Kalifa's ear:

"Kalifa, actually this encyclopedia isn't complete enough. I have a more detailed, updated encyclopedia that I have..."

Kalifa glanced at her and gave a cold smile:
"Make an offer!"

"It's not about the money; it's a gift from Gaza. You know, Gaza is one of my dearest friends and family..."

"I don't know you yet?"

Having already been cheated out of tens of millions of Berries, Nami's character had already been declared bankrupt by Kalifa.

This seemingly delicate and cute girl was once a ruthless person who dared to steal 100 million Berries from Gawain. How could she possibly be lenient with me?!

If you fall for my tricks again, you're a pig!

"Name your price!"

"Kalifa, even you think of me like that..."

Nami covered her increasingly firm breasts with one hand, looking as if she was about to cry, while with her other hand she had already extended two fingers, then a third, then a fourth...

"Almost done!"

Kalifa's eyelids twitched, and she quickly raised her hand to press down on Nami's fingers.

This bastard is really daring to extort money!
Nami showed absolutely no embarrassment:
"Then I'll give you a friendly price: four million Berries!"

Kalifa sneered and turned to leave.

Are you kidding me?
The funding I asked Sipandam for last time still hasn't been approved, and you're selling me a lousy illustrated guide for four million?

Even bank robbers aren't as ruthless as you!

Nami immediately panicked upon seeing this:

"Don't go!"

"Two million, no, one million! Just one million! Take it or leave it!"

"If I fall for your tricks again, I'm a pig!"

……

A few minutes later.

Kalifa sat on the deck, holding a thick, frightening Devil Fruit encyclopedia in her hands. As she flipped through it, she cursed a certain orange-haired female thief.

"I must have been fooled by your nonsense to spend hundreds of thousands of Berries on this piece of junk!"

"Forget it, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. As long as we can get the captain on board, a few hundred thousand Berries is nothing!"

"Besides, at most I'll have to submit another funding request form to Spandam. If he doesn't give it to me, he'll expose all his dirty secrets."

"Humph!"

Carly grumbled as she flipped through the Devil Fruit encyclopedia.

……

……

……

Under the World Government.

CP Organization Headquarters.

Lucci changed into a black suit and draped a coat over his shoulders, standing in Spandam's conference room.

He had already returned to the CP organization two weeks ago.

Normally, agents like Lucci, who return from undercover missions, would inevitably undergo rigorous screening by headquarters.

There have been cases where the review process has taken anywhere from a few months to one or two years, or even more than a decade.

To his surprise, Lucci's review was completed in just a few days. The reason for this was Spandam, who was sitting leisurely at his desk in a pure white suit.

Spandam has now been promoted to CP0 and has become a powerful figure within it.

According to Spandam himself, he gained the favor of a powerful figure in Mary Geoise, who promoted him directly.

But the price is that you have to deal with certain shady things for that person.

Lucci understood.

The light here does not refer to the eyes of the world, but rather to the gaze of certain people who are also from Mary Geoise.

It could even be the gaze of those at the pinnacle of power.

"Yay! Hahahahahaha!"

Spandam put his legs up on the desk and laughed loudly, displaying the smugness of a petty person who had achieved something great.
"Sashiburidana~"

"Lucci!"

"After all this time, you seem far more dangerous to me than before."

Even I, Van Gufried, felt uneasy!

Lu Qi did not respond, but simply stood calmly to the side, waiting for him to continue.

"You're still so boring."

Seeing this, Spandam sighed helplessly, then his expression darkened.

"but."

"Since the mission of infiltrating the Gawain Pirates has been taken over by Kalifa, you can stay at headquarters without worry. I have a new mission for you."

"How much do you know about Ghost Man Akin?!"

Lu Qi's heart tightened, but his face remained expressionless:

“The third-ranking figure under Knight Gawain is cold-blooded and ruthless in his actions; his strength surpasses mine.”

"If we want to take action against that guy, we would probably need the top members of CP0 to be confident, and that's without even considering the rest of the Gawain Pirates."

"Is this so..."

Spandam sighed:

"It's definitely not that easy to do."

Since it concerned Gawain and his gang, Lucci couldn't help but ask:
"Regardless of the purpose, this is not an appropriate time to take action against Gao Wen and his gang."

Spandam shook his head:

“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to do this kind of mission either, but Lucci, do you know what I paid to get to where I am today?!”

"This is a high-stakes gamble. If I win, I'll soar to the top; if I lose... I won't lose!"

(End of this chapter)