A few days later, Shen Yuan lounged on a recliner, casually flipping through the latest newspaper.
"Seems like the world has been quite lively recently..."
『Year 1510, Sea Circle Calendar — Fierce clash between Kaido and Moria! Moria defeated, crew annihilated!』
『Moonlight Moria disappears — current whereabouts unknown!』
Reading the headlines, Shen Yuan's eyes dimmed as he thought of someone else.
"Sabo... I wonder what happened to that kid."
He sighed, setting the paper aside and casting a gaze toward the gradually appearing island on the horizon. His lips curled into a small smile.
Once docked, Shen Yuan hopped off his ship and stepped onto the land of Orange Town.
[System Notification: Arrived at Orange Town. Skill Points +5]
He returned to reading the newspaper, mind drifting toward another name — Kuina.
"If I recall correctly, it's 1510 now. That means Kuina's accident is supposed to happen soon… Should I step in?"
Death by falling down the stairs... such a cowardly fate.
"If I were to die like that, even as a ghost, I wouldn't forgive Oda!"
After some internal debate, Shen Yuan decided to finish scouting the nearby islands before heading to Isshin Dojo to sharpen his blade.
The effects of mechanically maxing out swordsmanship were profound. His swordplay now stood at the sixth mastery level, the recognized threshold of a true swordsman.
His personal dream?
To forge "Tuntian" into a Black Blade, rivaling even the Supreme Grade Blades (Saijo O Wazamono).
That — was the pinnacle every swordsman yearned to reach.
Naturally, all current Skill Points were invested into his [Swordsmanship] tree, pushing it to new heights.
Still, Orange Town wasn't too interesting right now. Captain Bucky hadn't arrived yet. Shen Yuan found himself wandering aimlessly.
---
Marineford – Naval Headquarters
"What?! Colonel Nezumi is dead?" Fleet Admiral Sengoku's expression twisted with fury. "Killed by that brat Shen Yuan?!"
"Fine. Assign another colonel to the region!"
Slamming down a document, Sengoku's face darkened further.
"Damn Roger… damn this whole 'Great Pirate Era'...!"
In contrast, Garp munched on senbei with a carefree attitude, chuckling at headlines as if nothing had happened.
"Garp!" Sengoku snapped. "Still refusing the position of Fleet Admiral?!"
Garp simply waved his hand, offering no further reply.
Sengoku sighed and returned to his stack of papers.
"Report, sir!" a Marine said, barging in. "We've found someone who claims to have seen the man who killed Colonel Nezumi."
"Let him in!"
A nervous Marine entered, standing stiff before the two legends.
"Well? Speak up!" Sengoku's voice was stern, his presence overbearing.
The poor Marine stammered under pressure until Sengoku, realizing the tension, softened slightly.
"Relax. Report."
The man took a deep breath and recounted the events at Shells Town in full, like water gushing from a broken dam.
The more Sengoku heard, the darker his expression became. Eventually, he slammed his hand down and glared at Garp.
"Your grandson?!"
Garp blinked, confused. "Huh?"
"Here, look at this for yourself."
Sengoku handed him a stack of intelligence files.
Garp skimmed it.
"…Tch. You know what Colonel Nezumi was like."
Totally indifferent.
Sengoku's voice turned cold. "Garp. This is the last time."
But for Garp's sake, he did not issue a bounty on Shen Yuan — this time.
---
The next day, Shen Yuan reached his next destination. As his feet touched the ground:
[System Notification: Arrived at Syrup Village. Bonus Skill Points +5]
His [Swordsmanship] tree reached level 11 — qualifying him as a true swordsman under the system's hierarchy.
Wandering through the quiet village, Shen Yuan looked around.
"…Where's Usopp?"
Just as he muttered, a boy with a long nose ran up.
"Hey! I'm—"
"You're that liar with 8000 men, right? The pirate Jesus Burgess' son?"
"Eh? I—"
Shen Yuan stepped forward, pressure surging outward.
[Imposing Presence: Active]
Usopp's knees buckled. Sweat drenched his body.
A fist flashed toward his face, too fast to dodge.
Eyes clenched tight, Usopp prepared to die…
…But nothing happened.
Peeking, he saw Shen Yuan had stopped inches away.
"You little liar, you're not even worth killing."
[Defeated Plot Character: Usopp. Level Up! New Level: 27]
Usopp stood frozen, mind blank.
"You're lucky today."
With that, Shen Yuan walked past, heading directly toward Kaya's mansion.
Usopp collapsed to the ground, gasping.
"W-Who was that guy?"
Not a pirate… not a Marine… but clearly stronger than both.
---
At the gates of Kaya's estate, the goat-bearded butler Merry greeted him.
"Who are you, young man?"
"I'm here for Klahadore. Call him out. I have questions."
Merry hesitated, then turned back into the villa.
Soon after, Kuro — disguised as Klahadore — appeared, adjusting his round-framed glasses and black suit.
"You are?"
"Mr. Kuro," Shen Yuan said calmly.
Kuro's eyes narrowed, heart skipping.
Impossible. Did someone uncover his identity?
Without a word, Shen Yuan threw a punch. Glass shattered — Kuro's lenses exploded into shards.
"Kuro. I know what you did."
"...!"
"You're not leaving here alive."
Kuro clapped.
From behind the hill, the Nyaban Brothers and Jango appeared, surrounding Shen Yuan.
Kuro sneered. "Dead men tell no tales."
Just as he raised his claws—
Shen Yuan's blade flashed.
[Draw Sword – Iai Slash]
The first cat brother didn't even scream. A bloody hole gaped through his chest.
The others barely reacted before Shen Yuan vanished again.
"One-Two JANGO DANCE!"
"Shut up."
A kick slammed into Jango's ribs, sending him flying. Blood sprayed.
Another blow crushed the remaining cat brother's skull.
Kuro watched in horror as Shen Yuan advanced, dragging Tuntian along the ground.
Kuro's claws extended. "Spoon—!"
Too slow.
"Ittoryu... Iai."
Shen Yuan vanished and reappeared behind him.
Kuro fell to his knees.
He looked up just in time to see the final swing.
SLASH!
Kuro's head hit the ground. Blood soaked the soil.
Sheathing his sword, Shen Yuan turned.
[System Notification: Host has slain named enemies. Awakening Skill Tree unlocked!]
[Skill Tree Branch Unlocked: Swordsmanship – Black Blade Path]
[Passive Trait Gained: Will of Steel (Early Stage)]
Shen Yuan smirked.
The path to becoming a Black Blade Wielder had just begun.
He walked away, graceful as ever, leaving behind a stunned village, a silent battlefield — and the whisper of a blade that would soon shake the world.