Location: Whiskey Peak, Grand Line Year: 1521
The island looked like a colossal cactus made of rock. The spines were tombstones, though the locals would never tell you that.
Hiroki's skiff drifted into the mist-shrouded harbor. The log pose on his wrist had finally settled, pointing directly at the center of the largest peak.
He expected silence. He expected an ambush.
What he got was a parade.
"WELCOME! WELCOME TO WHISKEY PEAK!"
"A HERO FROM THE SEA!"
"WE LOVE PIRATES! WE LOVE ADVENTURERS!"
Hiroki stood on the deck, his hand resting casually on Umitsubame. Hundreds of people lined the docks. They held cups of ale, massive legs of meat, and musical instruments. There were women in dancing outfits, men in party hats, and children throwing confetti.
[Tactical Insight Active]
Scan Radius: 50 meters.Target Count: ~100 hostile signatures.Deception Level: Maximum.Observation: Hidden weapons detected under loose clothing (knives, flintlocks, clubs).
Hiroki's lip quirked upward. Baroque Works. The organization of numbered agents. At this level, they were just "Billions" and "Millions"—fodder hoping for a promotion.
A large man with sausage-like curls in his hair and a saxophone strapped to his back waddled forward. He wore a mayor's sash.
"I am Igaram, the Mayor of this humble town!" the man boomed, his voice sounding oddly musical. "Ma-ma-ma! You must be exhausted from crossing the Reverse Mountain! Come! Drink! Eat! It is all free!"
Beside him stood a muscular woman with pink hair (Miss Monday) and a pair of younger, eccentric-looking teenagers—one with a crown (Mr. 9) and a girl with blue hair tied back (Miss Wednesday/Vivi).
Hiroki stepped onto the dock. He didn't smile back.
"Free?" Hiroki asked, his voice cutting through the cheers.
"Of course!" Igaram beamed, sweating slightly. "We pride ourselves on hospitality!"
Hiroki walked past Igaram, heading straight for the town square. "I'll take the food. You can keep the poison."
The music stopped.
Igaram's smile froze. "Poison? Ma-ma-ma! What a terrible joke! We only serve the finest ale!"
Hiroki stopped in the middle of the street. He turned to face the crowd that had closed in behind him.
"I'm a bounty hunter," Hiroki announced clearly. "And this is Whiskey Peak. The nest of bounty hunters."
He tapped the hilt of his sword.
"Let's skip the party. I know you want my head. And frankly..." Hiroki's eyes narrowed, his Observation Haki flaring. "...I need the practice."
[Combat Mode Initiated][Enemy Count: 100+][Objective: Neutralize Hostiles. Do Not Kill Key Agents (Unknown Reason).]
Wait, Hiroki thought. Unknown reason?
Ah. The system didn't know the plot. But Hiroki did. If he killed Igaram or Vivi, Alabasta was doomed. He had to walk a fine line.
"Get him!" Miss Monday roared, her cover blown. "He knows too much!"
The "townspeople" drew their weapons. The confetti turned into gunpowder smoke instantly.
Fifty muskets fired at once.
[Observation Haki: 1.6%][Threat Trajectory: Calculated]
Hiroki didn't run. He moved forward.
Acceleration Boost: Burst.
He vanished from the center of the kill zone. The bullets slammed into the cobblestones where he had just been standing.
Hiroki reappeared in the middle of the front line of attackers.
Ittoryu: Walking Rain.
He didn't draw the blade fully. He used the scabbard in his left hand and the hilt in his right, striking with blunt force.
THUD. CRACK. THUD.
Three agents went down, jaws broken or solar plexuses collapsed.
"Don't bunch up!" Mr. 9 screamed, swinging a metal bat. "He's fast!"
Miss Monday charged. She was a powerhouse, easily stronger than the average man. She wound up a punch that looked like it could shatter a boulder.
"Muscle Turtle!" she shouted.
Hiroki watched the fist coming.
Strength Comparison:Miss Monday: ~25Hiroki: 21.5
She was stronger. Blocking would hurt.
So he didn't block.
He stepped inside her guard, flowing like water. He placed his palm against her chest, right over her center of gravity.
Martial Arts: Repulsion.
He didn't push. He pulsed his entire body weight through his arm.
It wasn't enough to send her flying, but it disrupted her footing on the slick cobblestones. She stumbled backward, her punch going wide and smashing into a barrel of wine.
Hiroki spun, drawing Umitsubame for real this time.
"Back off," he commanded.
He slashed the air.
Flying Slash (Rudimentary).
A wave of compressed air tore through the street. It didn't hit anyone directly—he aimed high—but it sliced the Mayor's "Welcome" banner in half and took the top off a nearby building.
The crowd froze.
"A swordsman who can throw slashes?" Igaram muttered, his saxophone dropping to his side. "This isn't a rookie. This is an officer-class threat."
Miss Wednesday (Vivi) was staring at him, her hands hovering over her peacock slashers. She looked terrified, not just for herself, but for the mission.
Hiroki sheathed his sword. Click.
"I'm tired," Hiroki said, the threat hanging heavy in the air. "I'm going to sleep in the inn. If anyone opens my door, I stop using the back of my sword."
He looked directly at Igaram.
"And Mayor... if you want to keep your town standing, I suggest you call off the hunt. I'm not worth the repair costs."
He walked toward the inn, turning his back on a hundred armed killers.
It was a gamble. It was arrogance. But in the One Piece world, arrogance was a shield. If you acted like a monster, people assumed you were one.
Behind him, the crowd looked to Igaram.
Igaram wiped sweat from his brow. He looked at the sliced building.
"Let him sleep," Igaram whispered. "We... we wait for Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. This is above our pay grade."
Location: Whiskey Peak Inn, Room 204 Year: 1521
Hiroki barred the door. He checked the window for traps.
[Status Window Update]
Tactical Insight: 16.0 → 16.8 / 100Reputation: "The Calm Demon" (Local Whisper)
He sat on the bed, exhaling a long breath. His heart was racing. Facing a hundred people was mentally exhausting, even if they were weak.
He pulled out his notebook—a physical one he kept to track the timeline.
Whiskey Peak: Cleared (Sort of).Next: Little Garden?
No. He had a year. He couldn't just speedrun the islands. He needed to get stronger.
He needed to hunt the real agents.
There was a knock on the window.
Hiroki drew his sword instantly. "I said I'd cut anyone who entered."
"I'm not entering," a female voice hissed. "I'm on the balcony. Can we talk?"
Hiroki moved to the window. He peered through the slats.
It was Miss Wednesday. Vivi.
She looked frantic. "You... you aren't with them, are you? The ones hunting the princess?"
Hiroki blinked. Ah. She's paranoid. She thinks I might be a generic bounty hunter sent by Crocodile.
He opened the window.
"I'm a freelancer," Hiroki said. "I hunt bounties. I don't hunt royalty."
Vivi froze. Her eyes went wide. "How did you—"
"You carry yourself like a noble," Hiroki lied smoothly. "And your 'Mayor' bows to you when he thinks no one is looking."
Vivi slumped against the railing. "Who are you?"
"Hiroki. Just a guy passing through."
"Hiroki," she tested the name. "Can you... can you act as a bodyguard? Just for tonight? I have a feeling something bad is coming."
Hiroki looked at the interface.
[Quest Offer: Protect the Princess][Reward: Influence within Alabasta Kingdom][Risk: Conflict with Baroque Works Officer Agents]
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. They were likely en route to purge the traitors.
Hiroki smirked. "I'm expensive."
"I have... 500,000 berries saved up," Vivi pleaded.
"Keep your money," Hiroki said. "If a guy with an afro and explosions shows up... wake me up. I want to test my sword against him."
Vivi looked confused, but relieved. "An afro?"
"Trust me," Hiroki said, closing the window. "You'll know him when you see him."
He lay back on the bed.
He had inserted himself into the plot. Just enough to gain experience, not enough to break the wheel.
Tomorrow, the Bomb Man would arrive. And Hiroki would find out if he could cut an explosion.
[Chapter 10 End]