Pala Island.
Kuro, fresh off the ship, stared at Zango and the Cat Brothers, his expression unreadable.
Learning that the gold he'd amassed over a decade was stolen overnight by two teenage girls, he was livid.
"So, dozens of you were outwitted by two fifteen-year-old thieves?" he snapped. "This is how you guard the base?"
His hand swiped across his face. In the past, anyone involved would've been fish food on the spot.
"Meeting geniuses like you is my luck," he said sarcastically.
"Captain, you're making us blush!" one of the guards said, sheepishly rubbing his head.
"You think I'm praising you?" Kuro's lips twitched, his claw blades unsheathing with a chilling glint.
The crew froze, recalling that just a month ago, this was Hundred Plans Kuro—ruthless, treating subordinates as tools.
The two guards dropped to their knees, trembling, their earlier flippancy gone.
"Kuro!" Gawain gripped his shoulder.
"Fine," Kuro muttered, sheathing his blades, though his glare at the guards still burned with killing intent.
Negligence of this magnitude was unforgivable in any pirate crew.
Even Gawain's expression cooled as he eyed the two. "Explain everything, start to finish."
"Y-Yes!" they stammered, voices shaking.
Despite their incoherent words, Gawain pieced together the story, murmuring, "Two girls, fifteen or sixteen. One with orange short hair and a unique tattoo on her arm, the other with purple short hair…"
Two figures formed in his mind, a faint smile curling his lips. "You can run, but you can't hide."
"This money isn't lost. Even if it is, we'll take it back from someone else."
Kuro exhaled, adjusting his glasses, his cold gaze fixed on the guards. "Captain, what about these two?"
The guards froze, feeling Kuro's deathly stare, and begged for mercy.
Gawain considered, then said, "Lock them up."
"If we recover the money, you're spared. If not, you'll feed the fish."
Ignoring their pleas, he had them dragged away.
Sparing their lives was already merciful. If Gawain showed excessive leniency, it would breed sloppiness, inviting worse mistakes.
This time, there was a chance to recover; next time could be fatal.
Even Zango and the Cat Brothers didn't plead for them.
Gawain knew this, and as seasoned pirates, they did too. His handling was already lenient.
"That's enough on this," Gawain said, scanning the crew. Despite half a month, most were still bandaged.
Kuro and Gin, though mobile, were visibly pale.
After a moment's thought, Gawain decided to rest and recover before heading to Cocoyasi Village.
It wasn't just about Kuro's stolen gold.
More crucially, Cocoyasi held a top-tier navigator—Nami—coveted even by Golden Lion in the Grand Line and New World.
If Zoro and Sanji were Golden-tier in combat, Nami's navigation skills neared the world's ceiling.
Recalling his and Kuro's abysmal navigation, Gawain's lips twitched.
The East Blue's weather was already overwhelming. Rushing into the Grand Line's fantastical, treacherous seas would be suicide.
A skilled navigator was essential.
"Since I've got a swordsman and cook on my list, why not a navigator?" Gawain's resolve hardened.
His thoughts shifted.
With Kuro's potential now Silver and Gin's awakened Observation Haki, Gawain planned to boost his own strength for the intensifying battles ahead.
He was eager to see how much Silver-tier crewmates could elevate him.
…
The next day, on a stone cliff at Pala Island's center, Kuro, barely mobile, began training.
Spoon, requiring intense physicality, was on hold, but Observation Haki, focused on perception, wasn't.
Kuro sat cross-legged, eyes closed, sensing his surroundings.
Insect chirps and bird calls rang clear, sea breezes brought cool moisture.
His mind stilled, like a calm pool.
A ripple stirred.
Instinctively, he caught a wasp flying toward him. Its venomous stinger writhed, dripping purple-black poison.
Kuro opened his eyes, crushed the insect, and closed them again, savoring the sensation. "Observation Haki isn't like the five senses—sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. It's more like intuition."
"Illogical, unreasonable—I just know you're there."
"It's less perception, more instinct."
"Gawain said Haki manifests the heart. So, Observation Haki is the instinct to sense danger."
"And this instinct can be honed, actively unleashed!"
Realizing this, Kuro closed his eyes again.
He sat until nightfall, rising slowly.
Feeling his growing mastery of Observation Haki, excitement gleamed in his eyes. "Once I fully grasp it, I'll push Spoon's speed to new heights!"
"Then, even Gawain won't stand a chance!"
He could almost see himself defeating Gawain.
Though he genuinely respected Gawain, who wouldn't want to be the one giving orders?
"When I'm fully healed, I'll take back the captain's seat!"
…
Meanwhile, Gawain, fresh from washing up and about to rest, heard a system prompt in his mind:
"Physique EXP +8!"
"Swordsmanship EXP +7!"
"Observation Haki EXP +33!"
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If you want to read more than 20 chapters early feel free to visit pa tre on . com /Archus