One Piece: The Strongest Trait System

[23] : Cheat Code Activated! Ever-Strengthening Haki!

Right now, Rowen's most pressing desire was to dive into the sea and experience the power of the Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) Trait.

"Hah!" Boodle suddenly stood up straight and performed a deep, 90-degree bow towards Luffy, Rowen, and the others.

"Words cannot express my gratitude! Thank you! Thank you for saving this town!" Tears streamed down the old mayor's face.

"Shishishi! Don't worry about it! Take it easy!" Luffy replied with his signature grin.

Rowen smiled at the scene, then glanced at Nami.

Their eyes met, and Nami offered a small smile in return.

She understood. Rowen was showing her, not telling her, that they wouldn't offer useless words of comfort—they acted.

When she felt the time was right, if she just asked, Rowen and his crew truly would risk their lives to help her.

Comrades... huh...

Nami pressed her lips together thoughtfully.

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"Setting sail!" At the harbor, Nami had tied their small boat alongside one of the Buggy Pirates' smaller vessels, preparing them to sail side-by-side.

Luffy stood energetically at the bow, shouting his departure.

SPLASH! Luffy's declaration was answered by the splash of Rowen diving into the water.

"Rowen! What are you doing?! The seawater makes me weak!" Luffy yelped, scrambling to avoid the splashing water, looking concernedly at Rowen in the sea.

"Just felt like a swim!" Rowen laughed heartily, reveling in the ocean water.

Incredible! Exhilarating!

Rowen felt every cell in his body singing with joy.

As expected of the Trait 'Born of the Sea'. Being in the ocean felt like being home.

Nami watched Rowen laughing freely in the water, her eyes filled with a complex emotion.

Rowen in the sea... felt completely different.

Free, confident, powerful...

Many adjectives could describe him now.

But to summarize it simply: Rowen, in the ocean, seemed to practically glow.

———
[Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) activated. Kingly Disposition increased. Conqueror's Haki intensity increased.]

[Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) activated. Kingly Disposition increased.]
———

However, Rowen quickly noticed something. After the initial increase in Haki intensity, subsequent activations only increased his 'Disposition'.

Rowen continued swimming, analyzing the changes within himself.

Could it be...

Rowen leaped out of the sea and back onto the boat.

"Hooo... Haaa..." He took deep breaths, feeling the sea's energy within the wind.

———
[Accumulated Kingly Disposition digested. Conqueror's Haki intensity increased.]
[Accumulated Kingly Disposition digested. Conqueror's Haki intensity increased.]
———

A series of notifications appeared.

I see.

A smile spread across Rowen's face.

The 'Disposition' gained through this cheat-level Trait wasn't earned through the crucible of battle, forged from the blood and failures of enemies.

The Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) Trait essentially transformed 'Disposition' and Conqueror's Haki—elements normally impossible to train directly—into something that could be strengthened through a form of 'exercise'.

And like any exercise, it required a 'digestion' period afterward.

Using physical training as an analogy made it easy to understand.

To make your body stronger, after exercising, you needed to eat, digest, absorb, and then finally experience the strengthening.

Similarly, to strengthen Haki using Born of the Sea (Apex Gold), the same process was required.

Swimming in the sea with Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) enhanced 'Disposition'—that was like 'eating'.

To actually get stronger after 'eating', the accumulated 'Disposition' needed to be 'digested' and 'absorbed' before it could be used to enhance Haki.

No wonder Buggy was so absurdly confident, practically arrogant, before eating the Chop-Chop Fruit!

Even top-tier powerhouses like Roger, despite possessing immense 'Disposition', only exuded Haki, not the same kind of reckless arrogance Buggy displayed.

The reason was that Buggy hadn't awakened his Conqueror's Haki. He couldn't 'digest' the 'Disposition' gained from Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) to actually strengthen his Haki.

Therefore, he couldn't fully control the immense 'Disposition' generated by the Trait, leading him to act like an arrogant, reckless fool.

Born of the Sea (Apex Gold)... only after awakening Conqueror's Haki could its full power truly be utilized!

However, even with the added 'digestion' step, it didn't impact the overall speed at which Rowen could become stronger.

After all, Rowen was human, not a fish; he couldn't spend 24/7 in the ocean anyway.

The digestion period perfectly aligned with his natural need for rest.

Feeling his Haki continuously growing stronger, Rowen smiled slightly.

This feeling... was very good.

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