"998…"
Dawn spilled across the horizon in strands of golden light. A gentle breeze rippled over the sea, turning the vast waters into a shimmering tapestry of color.
Near the shore, a small boat rocked quietly with the tide.
Standing atop it was a young man of eighteen or nineteen, firmly planted with a wooden sword in hand. He swung the blade toward the open sea again and again, his voice low as he counted each strike.
The young man's features were sharp and handsome, his physique lean yet powerful. Long black hair hung loosely across his chest and back, swaying slightly in the morning wind. His skin carried the sun-kissed tone common to seaside villagers, but it was smooth rather than rough.
His upper body was bare, sweat streaming down his skin as he trained.
"999…"
The wooden blade descended once more.
The sea beneath it stirred faintly, rippling outward like a breeze brushing the surface or a fish darting just below the water.
"1000."
With the final number spoken, the young man straightened and lowered his sword. A long breath escaped his lips, hot and steady, as the tension drained from his coiled muscles.
"Done."
He clapped his hands lightly, set the wooden sword aside, and turned around. A white shirt hung from the oar beside him. He moved it out of the way.
His body was still soaked with sweat. It was too early to put the shirt back on.
"Feels like it'll happen soon."
Kairos D. Vale murmured to himself as he sat at the bow and began rowing back toward shore.
Yes—Kairos.
He wasn't originally from this world.
He had transmigrated into this world.
Counting on his fingers, it had been almost two and a half years since he arrived in Foosha Village. By now he was familiar with most of the locals, and because of his age, even Monkey D. Luffy had to call him "big brother" when they met.
But Kairos hadn't exactly been lucky.
Two and a half years had passed, and the usual perk that came with a transmigration story—the so-called cheat ability—had never appeared.
Still, it wasn't something he obsessed over.
Kairos had already made up his mind.
Even without a cheat, he would train himself into strength.
After all…
This world was vast.
If he didn't travel it, explore its wonders, and see its landscapes for himself, then what was the point of transmigrating here in the first place?
That was why, over the past two and a half years, he had never once stopped honing his swordsmanship.
While these thoughts ran through his mind, his hands never paused.
The boat soon reached shore.
Kairos pulled on his shirt and leapt lightly onto the sand.
The trip back had taken about ten minutes. With the sea breeze and the rising sun warming his skin, the sweat on his body had already dried.
"Hey, Kairos! Finished training early today, huh?"
The village mayor, Woop Slap, waved as he spotted him returning from the sea, his tone teasing.
Normally Kairos left before sunrise and didn't return until sunset. For two and a half years, that routine had never changed.
But today…
He had come back just after the sun rose.
"Yeah," Kairos said with a faint smile. "Something interesting might happen today."
Based on his memory of the original story, around this time…
Red-Haired Shanks would soon have his infamous run-in with the mountain bandit Higuma.
Kairos had even adjusted his schedule for it, moving his training to around four or five in the morning—just so he could finish early and witness the legendary scene where an Emperor of the Sea was "bullied" by the so-called Bandit King.
It was too iconic to miss.
"Something interesting?" Woop Slap scratched the back of his head in confusion.
By the time he finished repeating the words to himself, Kairos was already walking away.
After saying goodbye to the mayor, he quickened his pace and soon arrived outside Makino's Party Bar.
"Hahahaha! So this is what pirates look like?"
"What pirates? They're nothing but cowards!"
The arrogant laughter spilling through the door made Kairos' eyes flash.
The show he'd been waiting for…
Had begun.
He pushed the door open.
"If you know what's good for you, take your crew and get the hell out of here."
A long-bearded mountain bandit sneered as he grabbed the bottle from Red-Haired Shanks' hand.
The man was Higuma.
His face twisted with cruelty as he raised the bottle.
"Or you'll end up bleeding all over this floor."
Crash!
The bottle shattered over Shanks' head.
Liquor ran down his hair and face as Higuma held the broken neck of the bottle, grinning mockingly.
Kairos stopped in his tracks.
But it wasn't Shanks being hit that froze him.
At that exact moment—
A series of cold, mechanical voices echoed inside his mind.
"Host has met activation conditions."
"Swordsman System initiating."
"3…"
"2…"
"1!"
"The purpose of this system is to guide the host toward becoming the strongest swordsman."
"When the host kills or defeats characters from the original storyline, the host will obtain Swordsman Cards."
"Using a card immediately grants the abilities of that character. Afterward, there is a chance to permanently obtain one of that character's skills."
"To ensure the host's survival rate, a Beginner Gift Pack is now being distributed."
"Host has obtained: Assassin Wu Liuqi Card (Magic Blade Thousand Blades Version — 5 Uses)."
"Host has obtained: Kenpachi Zaraki Card (Sealed Version — 1 Use)."
The system notifications echoed endlessly in Kairos' mind.
He exhaled slowly.
A sharp light flashed in his eyes.
Defeat or kill original characters… huh?
His gaze shifted toward Higuma.
"You know," Higuma sneered, swinging his blade, "trash like you? I've killed fifty-six of them!"
Slash!
The bar counter split apart instantly.
Shanks stumbled and fell backward onto the floor, looking thoroughly disheveled.
And yet…
A calm smile remained on his face.
He simply sat there, quietly watching Higuma, as if the one sprawled on the floor wasn't him at all.
His crew behaved the same way—drinking, eating, laughing, utterly unconcerned.
To the mountain bandits, it looked like pure cowardice.
In the corner of the bar, a young Luffy stared wide-eyed at the scene, shock and anger mixing in his expression.
"Hey."
One of the bandits noticed Kairos standing near the entrance and glared at him.
"Who the hell are you?"
Higuma barely spared Kairos a glance.
Just a young man, not even twenty, holding a wooden sword.
Against a gang of armed mountain bandits?
Not a threat.
Kairos didn't answer.
Instead, he spoke silently in his mind.
"System… use the Assassin Wu Liuqi Card."
"Confirm usage?"
"Yes."
"Assassin Wu Liuqi Card (Magic Blade Thousand Blades Version) activated."
"Remaining uses: 4."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Kairos' hand clenched slightly.
A faint violet glow gathered in his palm.
The glow of the Magic Blade—Thousand Blades.
The Assassin Wu Liuqi Card had been successfully activated.
Crimson spread through Kairos' pupils like blooming blood.
The assassin's cultivation method began circulating silently within his body…
And the air around him turned cold.
The hunt had begun.
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