Chapter 237: Shanks' Fate Item
A heart shrouded in blood-colored flames pulsed rhythmically, radiating a terrifying pressure.
[Dragon Heart]: The heart of a fallen dragon from the Rune Continent, forged into an accessory.
"A dragon's heart?"
Shanks was astonished.
One of the Yonko, Kaido—hailed as the strongest creature—possessed the Azure Dragon Fruit. Even most Armament Haki users couldn't pierce his defenses.
And now this item… was made from a dragon's heart.
Whoever crafted this must be a master smith of the highest caliber, and one possessing incredible power!
Shanks found himself wanting to invite the blacksmith who made this [Dragon Heart] to join his crew.
"But… is my will telling me to become a dragon?"
Shanks scratched his head, confused.
He had seen the powers of Kaido's Zoan-type Fruit and the Revolutionary Leader's dragon transformation.
They weren't exactly suited to his combat style.
"Not every dragon-related item will turn a player into a dragon."
Fang Yi corrected his misconception.
"True, prolonged exposure to the aura of high-level lifeforms like dragons can lead to gradual [Dragonification],
but the blacksmith who forged the [Dragon Heart] had excellent craftsmanship and removed those side effects."
After all, without a firm will, slowly turning into a dragon could easily make one lose consciousness and become a beast.
Unless it was the work of an evil-aligned smith, most just and orderly crafters would remove such negative traits from their gear.
"[Dragon Heart] is a very rare, growth-type item."
Fang Yi raised his hand, and the flame-wrapped heart landed gently on the counter.
"Wearing it will boost your vitality, armor, magic resistance, physical and energy attack power, and reduce skill cooldowns."
"And if you continue to hunt strong monsters, it will absorb their essence and grow stronger."
Hearing that it could grow stronger just by adventuring and hunting monsters,
Shanks' eyes locked onto the Dragon Heart, and he smiled.
"A piece of gear that gets stronger through adventure? Definitely perfect for an adventurer!"
Buy it.
Other players might hesitate, waiting to see the rest of the items before making a decision.
But Red-Haired Shanks was different.
Now that he'd abandoned the burden of fate, he was the freest man on the seas.
Unrestrained.
No hesitation—if he liked it, he'd buy it. If he lacked reward points, he'd go earn more. Hunting Corrupted Monsters was part of the adventure.
[Dragon Heart] started at Level 1.
The more monsters Shanks hunted, the stronger it became, and the more stats it would boost.
However, it capped at Level 19.
To go beyond that, he would need to defeat Corrupted Lords and obtain [Tier 1 Equipment Upgrade Scrolls] to break the limit.
"I feel hot… like there's endless power surging through me!"
Shanks' eyes widened.
While each individual stat boost from the item was minor, the overall enhancement was tremendous.
The bottleneck that had long held him back shattered in an instant.
"Next one!"
Shanks rolled his shoulders and looked at the next item.
A glass vial containing a pale golden liquid that shimmered slightly.
[Mind's Eye Elixir]: Drinking it gives a chance to awaken the sixth sense known as [Mind's Eye], replacing the five senses with the power of wave perception.
Note: No purchase limit.
"Wave perception?"
Shanks carefully read through the description of the Mind's Eye ability.
He discovered that wave perception was like an evolved form of Haki—
combining the sensory sharpness of Observation, the power of Armament, and the pressure of Conqueror's Haki,
only stronger.
"On the continent of Arad, there exists a group of swordsmen who gave up their five senses to perceive waves."
The elixir fell softly onto the counter as Fang Yi explained:
"These swordsmen didn't pursue pure swordsmanship.
They began by sensing air currents, gradually letting go of their physical senses, and awakened the Mind's Eye to master wave imprints."
Hearing that,
Shanks felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Now he understood why this fate item had appeared—it matched him perfectly.
He had sword skills rivaling Mihawk, but he wasn't a pure swordsman.
He had honed his Haki to the limit. Swordsmanship was a tool to channel his Haki.
He wasn't a sword fanatic like Mihawk. To him, the sword was a path to power—just like Devil Fruits or Haki.
Mind's Eye and wave perception were the same—tools to grow stronger.
A perfect ability to enhance his Haki-based swordsmanship.
Buy it!
Fang Yi smiled as he handed the elixir to Shanks.
"Honestly, I really like straightforward players like you."
No hesitation—those were the ones who would go wild refreshing the shelves.
Shanks downed the golden liquid, licking his lips afterward.
But he didn't feel anything like awakening Mind's Eye.
"Two thousand reward points… just for a drink?"
Fang Yi smiled.
"To become a swordsman who masters wave perception isn't that easy. The elixir is just an aid—whether you awaken it still depends on compatibility and class."
"Very well. No one in the One Piece world knows [Asura] better than I do!"
Shanks refused to back down and bought another elixir.
Still failed.
Again… failed.
Again… failed.
…
After spending 20,000 reward points, Shanks felt like his stomach was about to burst from drinking so much.
Still no sign of awakening.
"Mr. Fang Yi, are these expired?"
"We're honest merchants—safe and guaranteed."
Fang Yi chuckled as he watched the reward points roll in.
"Even if you don't awaken it, the elixir still boosts your wave perception.
With enough accumulation, the chance of awakening increases."
Shanks closed his eyes.
It was true—after drinking so many, he had begun to sense faint wave fluctuations.
Wait…
[Asura] awakened Mind's Eye by abandoning all five senses.
Was keeping his eyes open lowering the odds?
He tore a strip of cloth from his sleeve and wrapped it around his eyes.
Then he drank another elixir, calmed himself, and focused intently on the flow of the air around him.
Buzz.
In the total darkness behind closed eyes,
the waves he sensed suddenly surged—
a rift opened in the void, tearing through the darkness.
A single eye emerged, illuminating the darkness—rotating slowly.
Countless images flashed before him, showing a world far beyond what his fleshly eyes and even Observation Haki could perceive.
Mind's Eye.
An eye of the soul that perceives the world through wave energy.
"Whew…"
Shanks opened his eyes.
The collision between the real world and the wave world forced his newly awakened Mind's Eye to shut down.
But the gathered wave energy didn't dissipate.
"So that's it… the real world's vision interferes with [Asura]'s perception of the wave world."
Shanks shot a resentful glance at the Game Merchant.
His expression seemed to say:
Why didn't you tell me something this important earlier?!
Now I've wasted all those reward points for nothing!
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