Chapter 006: "Claymore"? [New Book — Please Bookmark and Send Flowers!]
"No! I need to draw a prize to ease the grief in my shattered heart!"
James opened the system interface, extended his trembling hand, and clicked the [Draw] option.
Ding! "A fan-points draw costs 10,000 points. Proceed?"
What?! Ten thousand fan points for one draw? He had spent a whole year saving and only managed to gather just over 70,000. One click and he'd lose 10,000? Whatever—nothing ventured, nothing gained. Gritting his teeth, James closed his eyes and clicked the draw button.
A treasure chest appeared on the draw screen, and the system prompted James to click the chest to reveal his reward.
James clicked the chest. The moment it opened, a golden light burst forth, dazzling like the sun—but the prize he drew disappeared in an instant!
What the heck?! Where did it go? Don't tell me the system just swallowed it?
Suddenly, he remembered there was an [Inventory] option in the system. He quickly closed the draw screen and opened his inventory—and to his overwhelming delight, he found a new item:
The Anywhere Door!
This was far superior to Bruno's Door-Door Fruit from CP9! That fruit still had range limitations—you needed to ride a train from Water Seven to Enies Lobby for it to work at long distances. But Doraemon's Anywhere Door? It could take you anywhere in the world instantly. Even crazier—it allowed custom prefixes for locations!
For instance, if James had the Anywhere Door, he could say, "Take me to Level Six of Impel Down!" And the moment he opened the door—bam!—he'd appear in the deepest part of the undersea prison! Or he could say, "Anywhere Door, take me to Boa Hancock!" No matter where the Empress was, the door would open, and he'd appear right in front of her!
Just thinking about it was thrilling!
However, when James clicked on the Anywhere Door in the inventory, reality hit him like a cold slap to the face:
[Redeem Anywhere Door: 300,000 fan points required. Proceed? Yes/No]
Three hundred thousand points?!
System, are you kidding me?! I just spent 10,000 to draw this item—why do I have to spend even more fan points to redeem it? You're selling the same item twice?
The system remained silent, as if mocking his naïve dream of getting the Anywhere Door with just 10,000 points.
Three hundred thousand points... At this rate, how many years would it take to save that much? No! This can't go on!
James returned to the publishing office and called for Duranda.
By now, Duranda was already the general manager of the press. James usually stayed at home drawing while Duranda handled all company affairs. This wasn't because James was arrogant—he simply believed that with the power of his "Master Mangaka System," anyone who dared betray him would be properly punished.
"Boss, what can I do for you?" Duranda asked respectfully. He was utterly in awe of the thirteen-year-old before him. Over the past year, he had followed this young boss and helped create the greatest publishing miracle in Water Seven's history. Newspaper sales were higher every month. If the boss had called him in person, it must be something important—after all, James usually never left his house.
"That's right," James said. "We can begin publishing the collected volumes of Doraemon. But after that, I have a new series that will go straight to standalone volumes. I need you to line up distribution. This time, we're going through bookstores. Newspaper stands can help, but the main sales must go through bookstores."
James gave the instructions clearly. It wasn't difficult. His name alone was a gold-plated guarantee in Water Seven. Releasing a new work would automatically attract a legion of loyal fans. But James knew this new series might disappoint the kids—this time, the target audience was adults. Or more precisely, adults with a taste for violence.
He handed all the Doraemon manuscripts to Duranda—enough material to keep the press running for four or five years. Drawing it had almost ruined Feihuo's hand. And in the end, he got an Anywhere Door he couldn't even afford to use. Hopefully this new manga would help him grow his fan base enough to earn what he needed.
Originally, James had considered adapting one of the three classic shōnen masterpieces. But he worried that if his own reputation wasn't high enough, these gems might be overlooked—and he didn't want to dishonor the beloved works of his past life. So he chose a series that, even if it didn't sell, wouldn't cause him too much regret.
Plus, given that the Age of Pirates had already been in full swing for a year, the market trend and mainstream preferences were clear: manga needed blood, violence—and preferably, some pretty girls too.
Then, a certain manga came to James's mind.
It was set on a demon-infested island, where the locals, desperate to slay the man-eating beasts, had to rely on special half-human, half-demon warriors. These warriors, with angelic faces, golden hair, and silver eyes, wielded massive swords of unmatched sharpness and slaughtered demons with ease. The story would unfold from the perspective of a boy named… Trash—no, wait, it was Raki.
Claymore!
Yes. James thought long and hard and decided that this manga would be perfect to test the waters. It had everything the Pirate Era demanded:
Brutal and bloody combat, dazzling sword skills, eerie and unpredictable demonic energy techniques, all kinds of adorable goddess-like female warriors… The thrilling slaughter mixed with poignant bonds—this was an epic of elegant carnage!
If this kind of over-the-top setup couldn't win over the readers in this pirate-obsessed world, then James would have nothing more to say.
Back home, James picked up his pen, summoned the system, searched for Claymore, and began his daily grind once again. His obsession with the Anywhere Door had turned into madness—and this was just the beginning of his future as a relentless update maniac.
Once someone escapes grueling physical labor, it's almost impossible to return to that life of toil. But right now, James was full of energy. These seemingly endless manuscripts became both a heavy burden and an endless source of motivation.
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A month later, while Doraemon had been sitting on bookstore shelves for just over two weeks, Luke—now promoted to head of sales—gave the order. Five sales managers under him each took copies of the newly printed Claymore Volume 1 and began distributing them across every bookstore in town.
At that moment, history took a mysterious turn. In Water Seven, a sharp-eyed young man with the gaze of an eagle stepped into a bookstore, a black sword strapped to his back.
It was fate.
As the man—Dracule Mihawk—picked up a copy of Claymore, James, fast asleep at home, twitched his eyebrows mysteriously. Who knows what he was dreaming about?
10 Energy Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Five-Star Ratings = 1 Extra Chapter