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The weather was calm.
On the deck, Ron sat cross-legged in the captain's seat, sipping juice through a straw.
Nearby, a formerly fierce and intimidating pirate, now submissive, stood by nervously, not daring to breathe too loudly.
"Where's my meat? Is it not ready yet?" Ron asked.
The pirate trembled all over and immediately responded, "I'll go hurry them!"
Not long after, two pirates came over, carrying a large platter filled with various steaks and meat legs, still steaming.
Ron's eyes lit up, and he immediately began eating voraciously.
The pirates standing nearby watched, gulping down their saliva.
After Ron had eaten his fill, he glanced at his current stats.
Mastery of Sun Breathing: 7%]
"After a few battles, my vitality has increased a bit..." Ron thought to himself.
He felt that this increase in vitality was related to his practice of Sun Breathing. During real combat, the Sun Breathing technique seemed to maximize the circulation of his vitality, strengthening his body in the process.
Vitality is the foundation of physical strength. The further you go, the harder it is to improve. Many people hit a bottleneck and can never break through again.
This bottleneck is what determines a person's limit.
Only by breaking through this limit can one continue to improve and become a true powerhouse!
There are very few people in the world who can break their limits on their own.
In the Navy's training camps, unique extreme training methods help gifted cadets break through their limits, producing a generation of strong fighters.
The Sun Breathing technique he had mastered far surpassed the Navy's training methods!
"Hey, Ron... Big Bro, uh, which direction are we heading next?" one pirate asked in a trembling voice.
It was a bearded, fierce-looking pirate, but his voice shook as he addressed the adorable eight-year-old boy as "Big Bro."
If anyone else saw this, they'd surely think they were dreaming.
Ron snapped back to reality and glanced at the system map.
"The nearby islands include Mozan Island, Bargas Island, and Neya Island..."
Ron noticed an island with a town name that caught his interest.
"Shimotsuki Village... could it be the same Shimotsuki Village where Zoro is from?"
"The island is 127 kilometers southeast."
Ron looked at the pirate and said in a childish voice, "Head southeast."
Ron disembarked onto the Island with a sack of food on his back.
Behind him was a sunken pirate ship.
A black-haired boy carrying a backpack arrived at Shimotsuki Village.
"So this is Shimotsuki Village."
[Ding! Current location: Shimotsuki Village. Sign-in available. Would you like to sign in?]
"Sign in," Ron answered without hesitation.
[Sign-in successful. Reward: Vitality +10.
Reward: One of the 21 Great Grade Swords—Raikiri.]
Ron instantly felt a warm current surge through his body, flooding his muscles with a sensation so intense it felt like they were being torn apart.
This pain soon faded, replaced by a feeling of comfort and lightness, as though his whole body brimmed with strength.
The improvement in his vitality affected everything—strength, speed, stamina, recovery ability—all of it increased with the rise of his base physicality.
But what thrilled Ron even more than the boost in vitality was his other reward.
"A Great Grade Sword?!"
Ron looked at the long sword in his hand, which was almost as tall as he was, and his face lit up with excitement.
The 21 Great Grade Swords—there were only 21 in existence. Some had been lost to history, and fewer than ten still existed in the world of pirates.
While they weren't as legendary as the Supreme Grade Swords, they were still rare treasures, worth more than life itself to some swordsmen.
Ron examined the long sword in his hand.
It looked like a traditional Japanese katana, quite heavy, with a white scabbard adorned with golden thunder patterns—a magnificent weapon.
Ron grasped the cool hilt and gently drew the sword.
The sound of the sword being drawn was like a thunderclap, the blade covered with lightning patterns, its gleaming edge surrounded by a faint electric glow that made it look incredibly sharp.
Ron swung the sword. The speed was so fast it was like a bolt of lightning, gone in an instant. The air even smelled scorched, as if lightning had sliced through.
"Great sword," Ron said, satisfied, sheathing it again. He wanted to hang it at his waist, but after trying, he realized he wasn't tall enough to do so, so he had to carry it on his back.
As for why he didn't store it in the system space, there was only one reason—
Because carrying it just looked cooler.
Convenience didn't matter.
What mattered was style.
Just as Ron finished strapping the sword to his back and was about to head to the sword dojo, a voice called out from behind him.
"Hey, you! Can I take a look at that sword?"
A small boy with a messy head of green hair stood on the path, staring intently at the sword on Ron's back with a burning desire in his eyes.
When Ron saw the familiar green hair, a name instantly popped into his head.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Lemme see your sword for a bit," the green-haired boy repeated.
"What's your name?" Ron asked.
"Me? I'm Roronoa Zoro. Remember that name, because one day it's gonna shake the whole world!"
The green-haired boy crossed his arms, looking proud and full of himself.
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Note: The sword Raikiri mentioned in this chapter is inspired by concepts from an alternative universe of One Piece. In this universe, Raikiri is known for its formidable lightning-cutting abilities.