That sword—there was no mistaking it—it was Shusui!Ryuma stepped forward, and without warning, delivered a powerful kick that sent the unsuspecting Hogback flying across the tomb.
"Huh? Was Ryuma always this strong?"He stared in surprise at his own feet.
Given that he now possessed the physical capabilities of the legendary swordsman Ryuma from ancient times, such power wasn't entirely unexpected.
Shusui, the famed black blade—no wonder it seemed unimpressive in Zoro's hands. It wasn't the blade's fault. Zoro's raw strength hadn't yet reached the level needed to fully unlock the blade's potential.
"Grave robber."
Absalom pointed at Ryuma with a sneer. "Hmph... A grave robber trying to steal a sword? Judging by your looks, you must be from Wano, too."
Ryuma said nothing. Calmly, he stepped beside the groaning Hogback. One clean swing.The sword sliced through Hogback's torso in a flash—clean, swift, fatal. Blood coated the blade, then mysteriously faded as if devoured by the sword itself.
Even Ryuma was stunned.
He was still just at the level of an ordinary swordsman—yet he had slain Hogback in one stroke!
"Who... who the hell are you?" Absalom's voice trembled. Normally composed, he now found himself instinctively backing away.
"I am Ryuma, swordsman of Wano. Whoever dares defile my homeland, no matter how far, shall be punished," Ryuma declared, his voice steady and powerful.
Absalom looked terrified. "That's impossible... Ryuma died centuries ago—maybe even a millennium! How could you be him? You're just a kid!"
"Who said I died? I merely slept within my coffin. And it was you intruders who woke me." Ryuma's voice was calm, measured.
He recognized Absalom even though they'd never met. The man had eaten the Clear-Clear Fruit, a Devil Fruit with huge potential. With proper development, it could make someone a top-tier assassin.Unfortunately, Absalom was nothing more than a lecher—he used its power mostly for peeping, squandering its true value.
Even so, Absalom's combat abilities weren't weak. Ryuma knew, in his current state, he wouldn't win in a head-on fight.
"Hmph... Stop pretending! If you really were Ryuma, why haven't you driven Kaido out of Wano yet?" Absalom mocked.
"You talk too much," Ryuma growled. "I just woke up. Give me a few minutes, and I'll slice Kaido into eight pieces."His eyes narrowed. "Now listen. I'll give you one chance. Crawl back to your ship—or don't blame me for what comes next."
Absalom broke out in a cold sweat.
Ryuma's name still carried ancient weight, like Mihawk's today—a legend shrouded in mystery. No one truly knew his limits.
"I-I'm going. I'm going!" Absalom stammered. He took one last glance at Hogback's mangled corpse. This tomb raid had turned into a total disaster.
Ding! System reminder: Kill the target to obtain their Devil Fruit ability.
The voice echoed in Ryuma's mind.
"What? I can absorb Devil Fruits?" he blinked.
Correct. Upon defeating an enemy, you can claim the Devil Fruit they consumed. Fruits are ranked D to A, with S and above being extraordinary. Two of the same rank can be fused.
Ryuma's lips slowly curled into a grin.
"What's the Clear-Clear Fruit's rank?"
Ding! Clear-Clear Fruit: Paramecia-type, Rank B. Fusion possible.
"Perfect."
Eyes gleaming, Ryuma looked up at the battered Absalom stumbling away.
"Sorry about this."
"Hundred Dragon Divine Slash!"
Ryuma roared. Shusui's black blade shimmered, unleashing a fierce wave of sword energy.The air howled like a dragon's cry—the slash surged forward and cleaved Absalom cleanly in two.
"Wh-what..."
Absalom's pupils shrank in horror. He tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Blood gushed across the Ryuma tomb, flooding the stone floor.
As the battle ended, a spectral dragon's roar echoed through the tomb. Absalom's body convulsed, then exploded into fragments under the force of dragon breath.
The Ryuma of the past may have followed bushido, the code of the samurai.But the Ryuma of now—he followed no such code.
Besides, even if he didn't uphold bushido, who could stop him?
Ding! Congratulations, Host has acquired: Rank B Devil Fruit – Clear-Clear Fruit!
"So if I get another B-rank fruit, I can fuse them?" Ryuma asked.
Ding! Affirmative. Or, you may consume it directly.
Ryuma nodded slowly. "How many fruit abilities can I have?"
Ding! The Host may absorb five Devil Fruits. If you reach the limit, new fruits can replace old ones, but replaced fruits cannot be used again.
"I see..." Ryuma muttered.
That made sense.
He figured there was no rush—he was a swordsman, after all. His strength didn't depend on Devil Fruits. The Clear-Clear Fruit had limited use to him for now, so it was better saved as a resource.
He glanced down at Shusui, gently gripping the black blade in his hand.
"Old friend... Looks like it's just you and me now."
In Ryuma's memories, he had many comrades—had.Now, only this sword remained by his side.
If he was to rise again, he had to defeat Kaido. He had to destroy Orochi.He had to become the pillar that held up all of Wano.
In the world of pirates, power was everything. Whether it was a Yonko or a Warlord, their strength evolved with time.
But this was decades before the One Piece era began—Kaido hadn't yet reached his prime.
Ryuma stepped out of his tomb, his stride long and purposeful.
The sunlight blinded him after so long in darkness. He instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes.
Moments passed before he slowly opened them.
"Hm?"
But when Ryuma opened his eyes, what greeted him outside the tomb was an overwhelming sight—a sea of samurai.
Some wielded katanas, others held unlit lanterns. Each lantern bore the two bold characters: "On Duty."
"How dare you! Grave robber—return the black blade Shusui at once!"
Ryuma didn't respond to the shouting warrior. Instead, he looked upward.
The ghostly triangle-masted ship still lingered offshore, floating like a specter on the sea. Clearly, Gecko Moria hadn't left—he was still waiting for his two officers to return.
Typical of Gecko Moria.
He was the type who relied heavily on external forces—shadows, subordinates, an army of zombies... Always using others to do his dirty work.
And for him, Absalom and Hogback were irreplaceable.
Shing!
A katana was suddenly pressed against Ryuma's neck.
The samurai who stepped forward furrowed his brow and growled, "Grave robber! Are you deaf? We told you to drop the black blade Shusui, now!"