Location: Shells Town Harbor, East Blue Year: 1520 (Same Day)
The weight of three million berries was heavier than Hiroki expected, physically and metaphorically. The Marine Captain—a man with a metal jaw who wasn't Morgan yet, but clearly cut from the same bureaucratic cloth—had sneered as he tossed the bag across the desk. They didn't like paying freelancers, but they liked Kargo roaming free even less.
Hiroki didn't linger. He marched straight back to "Saito's Steel."
Saito looked up, ready to shoo the broke kid away again, but paused when the heavy sack landed on the counter with a metallic clink.
"I'm taking the blue one," Hiroki said.
Ten minutes later, Hiroki stood in the alley behind the shop, the Wazamono blade in his hand. The balance was exquisite. It felt like an extension of his arm rather than a tool.
He performed a simple vertical cut. The air hissed.
[Equipment Upgrade Detected: Wazamono Grade Katana][Swordsmanship Synergy Increased][Acceleration Boost Efficiency: +15%]
It was named Umitsubame—Sea Swallow. A fitting name for a blade destined to travel the oceans.
"Now," Hiroki muttered, securing the blade at his hip. "Supplies."
He had 2.4 million berries left. He needed dried meat, rice, fresh water, and navigating charts. He moved through the crowded market of Shells Town, his mind calculating expenses.
[Observation Haki: 0.3%]
The crowd was a wash of noise and color. Merchants shouting, Marines marching, drunks stumbling. But amidst the chaos, Hiroki felt a specific ripple. A disturbance in the flow of the street.
Someone was moving against the current. Fast. Light.
He stopped near a fruit stall, feigning interest in an apple.
Step. Step. Slide.
A girl, no older than him, with short orange hair and a bandana, bumped into a large, burly pirate near the tavern entrance.
"Watch it, old man!" she chirped, bowing apologetically.
"Watch yourself, brat!" the pirate grunted, shoving past her.
The girl spun away, a mischievous grin on her face. In her hand, hidden behind her back, was a heavy leather wallet.
Thief.
Hiroki watched. She was good. Her movements were fluid, minimizing contact, misdirecting attention. She turned, her eyes scanning the crowd for an exit, and locked onto him.
For a second, their eyes met. Brown met hazel.
She winked and started to jog toward the alleyway he was standing near.
"Hey! My berry pouch! It's gone!" The pirate's roar echoed through the square.
The girl's grin vanished. She bolted.
"Stop that girl!"
She sprinted straight toward Hiroki. "Move, move! Marine business!" she lied, waving a hand frantically.
She tried to slip past him, her agility impressive.
[Reflex Check: Pass][Observation Haki Active]
Hiroki didn't move out of the way. As she tried to duck under his arm, he simply shifted his weight and caught her wrist. Not hard enough to bruise, but firm enough to stop her momentum.
"Let go!" she hissed, her eyes widening.
"You're drawing attention," Hiroki said calmly.
"I'm going to scream," she threatened. "I'll tell them you're my partner!"
"There she is!"
Three pirates—crewmates of the victim—rounded the corner, drawing cutlasses. They weren't looking at the girl; they were looking at the duo.
"Partner it is," one of the pirates snarled. "Gut 'em both!"
The girl—Nami—looked at Hiroki, then at the pirates. She stomped on Hiroki's foot.
He didn't flinch. Endurance 12.5.
"Ouch," she muttered, hopping on one foot. "What are your feet made of?"
"Ironwood training," Hiroki replied. He let go of her wrist and stepped forward. "Stay back."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Nami said, retreating behind a stack of crates.
The lead pirate lunged. "Die!"
Hiroki's hand moved to Umitsubame.
This was the test. A real blade against real enemies.
Breath. Focus.
He didn't use raw power. He used the blade's edge.
[Swordsmanship: 19.5]
Iaijutsu: Swallow's Dive.
He drew and cut in a single motion. It was an upward diagonal slash, faster than anything he had achieved with the dull nameless sword.
Shing.
The pirate's cutlass snapped in half. The tip of Hiroki's blade stopped an inch from the man's nose.
The pirate froze, eyes crossed, looking at the gleaming steel.
"My sword..." the pirate whispered.
"Run," Hiroki said.
The pirates looked at the broken weapon, then at the cold, dead eyes of the swordsman. They ran.
Hiroki flicked the blade—clean, no blood this time—and sheathed it. The click was satisfyingly sharp.
Slowly, Nami poked her head out from behind the crates. She looked at the retreating pirates, then at Hiroki. Her expression shifted from fear to calculation.
"You're strong," she said, stepping out. She adjusted her shirt, the stolen wallet disappearing into her pocket. "Thanks for the help. I'm Nami."
"Hiroki."
"Well, Hiroki-kun," she smiled, a practiced, charming smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You saved me. How about I buy you a drink? My treat."
Hiroki looked at her.
[Tactical Insight: High]
Analysis: Target is manipulative. High intelligence. Motivation: Greed/Survival.
"With the money you just stole?" Hiroki asked.
Nami's smile stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about. I found this."
Hiroki adjusted his sword belt. "I don't care what you do. Just don't use me as a shield next time."
He turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Nami called out. She jogged to catch up. "You're a swordsman, right? A bounty hunter?"
"Something like that."
"Are you... heading to the Grand Line?"
Hiroki stopped. "Eventually."
Nami's eyes lit up with a glimmer of genuine interest, mixed with something darker—desperation, perhaps. "You'll need a navigator. The seas are dangerous. You won't last a week without someone who can read the clouds."
Hiroki looked at the sky. Clear blue.
"I can read a map," he said.
"Maps don't tell you when a cyclone is coming," she countered. "Look, I'm just saying. If you ever get a ship... look me up. I'm expensive, though."
"I'm sure you are," Hiroki said.
He walked away toward the docks. He didn't need a navigator yet. He needed to master this sword. But as he walked, the interface chimed.
[Encounter Recorded: The Cat Burglar][Observation Haki Experience Gained]
[Status Window Update]
Swordsmanship: 19.5 → 20.1 / 100 (Milestone: Apprentice Master)Observation Haki: 0.3% → 0.4%
Hiroki glanced back. The alley was empty. Nami was gone, vanished like a ghost.
"Nami," he murmured.
The gears of the world were turning faster now. He had the sword. He had the money. It was time to leave Shells Town before the Marine Captain decided he wanted his berries back.
He boarded his small skiff, untied the rope, and set his sights on the open sea. Next stop: Organ Island. He needed to test himself against something other than drunk pirates.
[Chapter 3 End]