Early the next morning.
At the edge of the port town, inside the private bathroom of an inn—
Nami stood before a mirror dressed in loose, ordinary men’s clothing.
Her short orange hair, which reached her ears and still carried a slight sheen, had deliberately been tousled into a messy style.
Her pretty face and every patch of exposed skin had been darkened into a light wheat-colored complexion.
Nami rubbed her slightly chubby chin and carefully examined the completely unfamiliar face reflected in the mirror.
Then she started snickering.
“Hehehe…”
“With how agile I am, I should be able to sneak in.”
“I heard that after they finish recruiting, they’re going to hold a big brawl to choose new squad captains.”
“When that happens, all the officers aboard the ship should be outside watching…”
“Which means…”
“Opportunity!”
Her bright orange eyes curved into crescents.
“Sixty percent chance of success.”
…
After an entire night of hunting—
Deep within the forest, towering trees and dense foliage blocked much of the morning sunlight, leaving the surroundings dim and shadowy.
Among a pile of jagged rocks, Rook quietly watched an enormous python thicker than a man’s head.
Even after being decapitated, its body continued thrashing violently.
Rook pressed a hand against his chest and slowly exhaled.
The python’s tail had struck him with nearly a ton of force.
The blow had knocked the breath out of him.
He gathered firewood from the surrounding area and started a fire.
Then he threw a thick section of python meat over the flames to roast.
Not far away, beneath a cliff, spring water flowed from between cracks in the rock.
Rook walked over and washed his face.
After pushing aside the weeds covering the spring, he bent down and drank deeply.
Once his thirst was mostly satisfied, Rook dropped onto a nearby blue-gray stone.
Rook smiled.
The translucent system panel appeared.
Swordsmanship — Proficient: 113 → 187/200
Hand-to-Hand Combat — Beginner: 9 → 15/100
Self-Recovery — Untrained: 2 → 3/10
Wild beasts were far more active at night.
And thanks to Rook’s tireless searching, the results had been excellent.
“Only thirteen more points until Swordsmanship advances again.”
“I should be able to finish that before noon.”
“And before tomorrow afternoon, I should be able to push Hand-to-Hand Combat into Proficient too.”
While waiting for the meat to cook, Rook closed his eyes and recovered his energy.
The smell of increasingly charred meat gradually filled the air.
Two hours later—
After forcing down the unpleasant, half-burned python meat, Rook left the area.
In another section of forest, he encountered a herd of wild boars.
Later, he discovered another group of elk.
A massacre followed.
Then Rook resumed waiting for predators to take the bait.
By noon—
“Awooo!”
Miserable howls echoed through the forest.
A pack of wolves that had come searching for fresh meat was quickly torn apart by Rook.
Bang!
He kicked the alpha wolf away.
Then stepped sideways and swung his sword.
The last wolf still standing was cut down.
Rook surveyed the area.
Four heavily injured wolves remained on the ground, whimpering in agony.
A few seconds later —
He finished off the second-to-last wolf.
A faint current of warmth rose from deep within his body.
Then—
The familiar system notifications appeared in his consciousness.
[Notice: Your Swordsmanship proficiency has reached the maximum value of Proficient — 200/200. Swordsmanship will automatically advance.]
[Notice: Your Swordsmanship has advanced from Proficient to Skilled! Body Attribute +1! Strength Attribute +1!]
[Notice: Swordsmanship — Skilled: 0/500. Next Rank: Expert.]
Power surged continuously through Rook’s body.
The increase in his attributes began strengthening every aspect of his physique.
His muscles.
His bones.
His physical power.
His breathing gradually fell into a strange, precise rhythm.
At the same time—
Swordsmanship began evolving inside his consciousness.
Proficient had engraved the fundamentals of swordsmanship into his mind and body until they became natural instincts he could use freely.
But Skilled went one step further.
Focus.
Concentration.
Gathering all the strength of the body into the sword—
And releasing that power through the blade.
It represented an understanding of how to apply force.
Not merely physical strength—
But also the first crude extension of conviction and will.
Rook blinked.
The aura around him gradually gained a faint sense of sharpness.
Yet somehow—
It felt slightly different.
As though an inanimate object was slowly beginning to acquire a trace of life.
Using a sword was no longer simply about swinging steel.
His understanding had begun reaching outward toward something deeper.
The countless realizations pouring into Rook’s mind were gradually absorbed and understood.
His body adjusted as well.
It acquired traces that should only have appeared after years upon years of dedicated sword training.
Rook raised one hand.
His fingers were long, the joints clearly defined.
When his hand closed around the sword hilt—
It felt as though the weapon fit perfectly into his palm.
Rook slowly raised the sword.
Strength surged from within him.
Whoosh!
The blade suddenly swept through the air.
A sharp gleam ran along the blade’s edge.
At the same time—
A sharp gust of wind followed the slash with a faint whistle.
“Using concentrated force…”
“Is this the embryonic form of a flying sword slash?”
Understanding appeared in Rook’s eyes.
The system panel appeared.
Attributes:
Body: 9.1 → 10.1
Strength: 8.1 → 9.1
Agility: 8.1
Spirit: 10.1
Rook looked toward the final wolf.
It was lying on the ground, whimpering as it desperately tried to crawl away.
Rook walked over.
One casual sword strike—
The wolf’s head flew free.
A faint current of warmth entered his body.
Rook looked at the panel.
Swordsmanship — Skilled: 0 → 1/500
That caught his attention.
“Ordinary beasts can still provide proficiency even at this stage?”
An unexpected bonus.
Rook turned toward a head-sized blue-gray rock about five meters away.
He walked over.
Then took a deep breath.
Power gathered throughout his body.
In one motion—
He drew his sword and slashed.
All that power condensed and transmitted into the blade.
Shing!
A clear metallic note rang through the air.
Rook sheathed his sword.
Then raised it again and ran a fingertip lightly along the edge.
There were barely any new signs of wear.
And what damage did exist hadn’t come from that strike.
Rook turned and walked away.
A gentle breeze passed through the clearing.
Crack.
The stone split cleanly into two halves.
The cut was smooth and even.
“I can already cut through rock…”
“Then that technique will be called…”
“Rock-Cutting Sword.”
Rook continued deeper into the forest in search of more beasts.
This time, however, his sword remained sheathed.
Instead, he flexed his fingers.
His current goal for Swordsmanship had already been achieved.
And with Skilled requiring five hundred proficiency points, there was no way he could cross the next threshold in only a day or two.
A short while later—
Rook discovered a bristly wild boar nearly two meters long hidden among the grass.
He charged.
After dodging its initial rush, Rook gathered strength and drove a fist into the back of its neck.
The boar squealed.
He turned and kicked it onto its side.
For the next three full minutes—
Rook subjected it to an all-out barrage of punches and kicks.
Eventually, a faint current of warmth rose from inside him.
Rook stopped.
He spared the boar, which now lay on the ground groaning pitifully.
There was no need to kill it.
He had already gained what he wanted.
Reaching his current Swordsmanship goal also eased some of the pressure in Rook’s heart.
With strength capable of cutting through rock, he believed there were already very few publicly known opponents in the East Blue he needed to fear.
Aside from Arlong’s crew entrenched around Cocoyasi Village—
And Smoker stationed at Loguetown—
There weren’t many obvious threats at his current level.
Captain Norton, for example.
Rook was confident that his present self was no weaker than him.
Of course—
That assumed he wasn’t surrounded and riddled with bullets by a group of gunmen.
Time passed.
Early the next morning—
Deep within the silent forest, Rook sat astride a three-meter-long tiger.
Several enormous lumps had swollen across its head.
Rook held the back of its neck while the beast lay completely still beneath him.
It was a tigress.
After enduring Rook’s repeated—
Consecutive Serious Punches—
It had ultimately chosen submission.
At that moment, following another round of high-intensity combat, a warm current surged through Rook’s body.
The familiar notifications appeared.
[Notice: Your Hand-to-Hand Combat proficiency has reached the maximum value of Beginner — 100/100. Hand-to-Hand Combat will automatically advance.]
[Notice: Your Hand-to-Hand Combat has advanced from Beginner to Proficient! Body Attribute +1!]
[Notice: Hand-to-Hand Combat — Proficient: 0/200. Next Rank: Skilled.]
Rook’s body trembled slightly.
His physical strength increased yet again.
His bone density rose.
The resilience of his flesh improved.
Body: 10.1 → 11.1
As his physique transformed, exquisite combat memories surfaced within Rook’s mind.
They focused on how to exert force through the body—
How to maximize destructive power with every movement.
His senses grew increasingly sharp.
His understanding of combat conducted through the human body gradually became instinctive.
Rook opened his eyes.
Countless insights into fighting lingered within his mind.
Swordsmanship and Hand-to-Hand Combat weren’t completely separate disciplines.
Each contained principles that could be borrowed and incorporated into the other.
“With my current understanding of swordsmanship, deliberately applying those principles while training Hand-to-Hand Combat should save me quite a bit of effort.”
The corner of Rook’s mouth lifted.
Then he looked down at the tigress beneath him.
Smack!
He slapped the back of its head.
“Go!”
“Take me out of the mountains, and then you’re free.”
The tigress let out a low growl.
There was something distinctly aggrieved in the sound.
But faced with Rook’s overwhelming authority, it could only obey.
Then—
It shot forward like the wind.
Its back remained remarkably stable as it raced toward the outer edge of the forest.
Rook tightened his legs around the tiger’s waist and leaned slightly forward.
He enjoyed the sensation of flying through the forest like the wind.
Half an hour later—
The surrounding trees began growing shorter.
In the distance, a bustling port town could be seen along the coastline.
The tigress stopped.
Its tongue lolled from its mouth as it panted heavily like an exhausted dog.
Rook swung himself off its back.
He reached out and vigorously rubbed its head.
His hand passed over the smooth, glossy striped fur.
Rook smiled.
“You behaved yourself.”
“So get lost.”
The tigress raised its head and whimpered.
It slowly backed away while keeping its body low.
After putting about five meters between them—
It suddenly turned.
And bolted.
Its thick, powerful tail swung from side to side behind it, constantly adjusting its balance.
Rook watched it disappear back into the mountains.
Then he turned and headed toward the port town.
…
Inside the town—
Rook entered a clothing shop and bought another suitable outfit.
The clothes he’d worn into the mountains had long since been soaked through with blood and smelled unbearable.
“It’s ten in the morning.”
“I’ve got enough time to find somewhere and get a proper rest.”
After eating, Rook checked into an inn.
He took a hot shower.
Then lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
…
At the same time—
At the harbor.
A large crowd of pirates of all shapes and sizes had gathered in the open space in front of Norton’s ship.
They were holding a feast.
If Rook had been present, he would immediately have noticed that the crew’s numbers had increased by at least half compared with before.
Norton stood beside the ship’s railing.
Looking down at the newly recruited men, Norton smiled in satisfaction.
“With my reputation, there’s nowhere in the East Blue I can’t go.”
“Gangs?”
“The Morgan Family?”
“Heh.”
“Nothing but a bunch of cowards hiding on land.”