One Piece: Starting by Refusing Red-Haired Shanks's Invitation

"Who's the kid you mentioned?"

"Not telling you! Hahaha." With that, Red-Haired Shanks hung up.

On the other end, Garp slammed the Den Den Mushi to the floor and stomped it to pieces. "Shanks! One day, I'll drag you into Impel Down myself!"

A nearby marine tried to stop him, but it was too late. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Vice Admiral Garp, that was our only Den Den Mushi for contacting Red-Haired Shanks..."

Garp: "..."

After hanging up on Garp, Red-Haired Shanks returned to the tavern and sat beside Lin Mo.

Lin Mo drank in silence.

Red-Haired Shanks asked, "Kid, want to know who just called me?"

Lin Mo shot him a speechless glance.

He knew...

He hadn't heard the rest of the conversation, but the caller's first words had been enough to tell him it was Garp.

"It was a Marine Vice Admiral, Iron Fist Garp." Red-Haired Shanks took a drink and went on. "That old man actually got hold of a Den Den Mushi that could reach me. But that's beside the point. Kid, think this through. With your talent, you're bound to attract attention from all sides someday. If you don't join any faction, you could end up with enemies on every front."

"Doesn't matter." Lin Mo shrugged, utterly unconcerned, then raised his glass. "Red-Haired Shanks, one more drink before I go."

Red-Haired Shanks said no more. He tapped his bottle against Lin Mo's glass, drained the half-bottle that remained, and wiped his mouth. "Leaving now?"

Lin Mo nodded.

Red-Haired Shanks rose at once. "Come on. I'll see you off."

Deep down, Red-Haired Shanks was a little disappointed that he hadn't recruited Lin Mo.

But whatever happened, he had a way of meeting it with easy optimism. None of that disappointment showed on his face.

When they reached the dock, Red-Haired Shanks suddenly asked, "Where's your boat?"

Lin Mo pointed to a small sailboat that had been moored by the shore for several days. "There."

He had bought it days earlier so he could leave as soon as he finished the check-in mission.

"That little boat's nothing special. Are you sure it can handle the open sea?"

"Yeah." Lin Mo jumped aboard and untied the mooring rope. "I'm off. Next time we meet, it'll probably be on the Grand Line."

"Good. We'll have a proper drink then. And kid, if sailing alone ever wears you down, you're welcome to come find me."

"Yeah. Until next time."

The little boat carrying Lin Mo slowly sailed away.

His next stop was Shimotsuki Village, where Zoro lived. The system had built-in navigation, so Lin Mo had no reason to worry about getting lost at sea.

The boat had traveled less than fifty meters from the dock when the water below suddenly churned into violent waves.

Then a gigantic crocodile-like Sea King burst from the waves. It spread its jaws wide, baring rows of fangs, and lunged at Lin Mo's boat.

Cries rang out from the villagers on the Foosha Village dock.

"The Lord of the Coast? It's the Lord of the Coast! Kid, run!"

"Ahhh! What do we do? He's going to be eaten! Somebody save him..."

Compared with the worried villagers, Red-Haired Shanks and his crew looked remarkably relaxed.

Red-Haired Shanks knew Lin Mo was strong, but he had never seen the boy fight. This was a chance to see what he could do. Still, it paid to have a backup plan. "Hey, Beckman, Yasopp."

"Relax. The kid's not destined to die here."

"Yeah, yeah. Boss, you really can't help sticking your nose into things."

Both men drew their guns and aimed at the Lord of the Coast's head, ready to fire if Lin Mo was in danger.

Lin Mo looked up at the so-called Lord of the Coast, the creature that ruled these waters, with open disdain. "You're out of your depth."

This was a good chance to test the Great Dragon Fire Technique.

A faint smile touched his lips. Lin Mo gathered and compressed the chakra in his body, drew it into his throat, then breathed it out. It took the shape of a fire dragon and, under his control, roared toward the Lord of the Coast at point-blank range.

In an instant, the fire dragon punched straight through the Lord of the Coast's thick hide and vanished into the air.

A fierce wave of heat spread in every direction.

The Lord of the Coast's eyes rolled white. It did not even manage a cry of pain before its enormous body crashed onto the sea, throwing up a spray of water.

Only a few seconds had passed between the Lord of the Coast's appearance and its defeat at Lin Mo's hands.

Everyone watching from the dock stared, eyes bulging and jaws nearly hitting the ground.

Red-Haired Shanks was especially stunned. The kid had another trick up his sleeve! A fire dragon? Did he have a Logia Devil Fruit too?

The Lure of Koshiro in Shimotsuki Village

Devil Fruits were known as the sea's secret treasures, incarnations of the Sea Devil. Their taste was beyond description, but they granted powerful abilities to those who ate them. The drawback was a curse from the sea that left them unable to swim.

That made seawater and Seastone, which embodied the sea in solid form, useful for subduing and capturing Devil Fruit users.

Beyond a Devil Fruit's inherent power lay a higher level of ability known as Awakening.

Devil Fruit Awakening could not be achieved through training alone. It required the right opportunity and a stroke of fortune.

Very few people ever managed it.

The fact that Lin Mo possessed the Three Types of Haki at such a young age had already impressed Red-Haired Shanks. Now the kid appeared to have a Devil Fruit ability too—and a powerful Logia ability at that!

And judging by how he used it, he was not only proficient but formidable!

The kid was a treasure.

If only he were willing to come aboard.

Red-Haired Shanks turned, flicked his sleeve, and called out, "Come on, boys. Back to drinking!"

By the time the stunned villagers came to their senses, Lin Mo's boat was already far away.

"W-what just happened? Did that kid beat the Lord of the Coast?"

"My god, did I see that right? How old is he?"

"He took down the Lord of the Coast in one move! Who is that kid? Does anyone know?"

"No idea. I think he came to the village a few days ago. I thought he was just an ordinary child. Talk about hiding his strength."

"I remember now! I think I saw him at the tavern. I made fun of him for drinking like a grown-up... I hope he didn't take it to heart."

Meanwhile, Lin Mo sat in his boat.

He found the power of the Great Dragon Fire Technique satisfactory, considering it was still at beginner level.

Even from several hundred meters away, he could hear the villagers on the dock. Naturally, he paid them no mind.

Lin Mo opened the system's built-in navigation.

Then he continued toward his next destination: Shimotsuki Village.

Near dusk, the island that held Shimotsuki Village finally came into view.

Lin Mo moored his boat by the shore.

The moment he stepped off, the system's notification sounded in his mind.

Beep! Congratulations, host, on reaching the check-in location, Shimotsuki Village. Check-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 10%. Reward: Cursed Blade Stardust. Swordsmanship Lv1 unlocked.

Cursed Blade Stardust?

The name had a certain ring to it.

Lin Mo remembered the names of quite a few Famous Swords, but Cursed Blade Stardust meant nothing to him.

Forget it. Let's see what the blade's like first.

With that thought, Lin Mo willed it to appear.

An ordinary-looking wooden sword appeared in his hand.

Yes, a wooden sword.

He looked at the words "Toyako" carved into its hilt.

Lin Mo fell silent.

He knew nothing about Cursed Blade Stardust, but he knew Toyako. Wasn't that the sword carried by Gintoki Sakata, the main character of Gintama?

Beep! System notice: Cursed Blade Stardust, also known as Toyako, is a sword made from an Adam Tree that grew for ten thousand years. It can cut or shatter stone and meteorites in a single stroke, and bullets are no exception. It can even reach the point of cleaving stars, slicing moons, and destroying all things.

Cleaving stars, slicing moons, destroying all things...

That sounded pretty good.

Lin Mo made a few practice swings with Toyako. It felt surprisingly natural in his hand.

He tucked Toyako into his belt.

Then Lin Mo headed into the village.

When he thought of Shimotsuki Village, Zoro and the Isshin Dojo were the first things that came to mind.

Given Zoro's age, he should already be studying under Koshiro, the master of the Isshin Dojo.

Besides, his first rewards on landing had been Swordsmanship and Toyako. This check-in mission was clearly tied to the sword.

In that case, I'll visit the Isshin Dojo first and see what's going on.

With directions from some friendly villagers, Lin Mo soon reached the Isshin Dojo.

Though night was falling, the dojo was still brightly lit, and the sounds of children practicing sword strikes came from inside.

Beep! Isshin Dojo reached. Check-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 20%. Swordsmanship level +1.

Warmth coursed through his body, and knowledge of various Lv2 sword techniques surfaced naturally in his mind.

Unlike the barely noticeable improvement at Lv1, Lv2 made Lin Mo distinctly aware that he had grown stronger.

The corners of his mouth lifted.

Lin Mo strode openly into the dojo.

Inside, a short-haired girl with blue hair led dozens of young children through their practice strikes.

Lin Mo immediately noticed a green-haired boy among them and a bespectacled middle-aged man sitting at the side of the dojo. The man's eyes were narrowed, and he wore a perpetual smile.

The green-haired boy was Zoro. The middle-aged man was Koshiro, father of the blue-haired girl Kuina and master of the Isshin Dojo.

Koshiro was an exceptional swordsman. As far as Lin Mo knew, the reclusive master had never truly fought at full strength. With only Lv2 Swordsmanship, Lin Mo stood no chance against him.

The slight noise at the entrance caught Koshiro's attention. He also noticed the wooden sword at Lin Mo's waist.

Light flashed across Koshiro's glasses.

That wooden sword...

There was something unusual about it.

Koshiro stood.

He walked toward Lin Mo.

The children practicing their strikes stopped and turned toward the entrance.

"You're from out of town, aren't you? Are you a swordsman too?" Koshiro asked with a smile.

Lin Mo gave a slight nod but did not answer the question outright.

He had only come to meet Koshiro and Zoro. Now that he had, it was time to leave.

Lin Mo turned to go.

Koshiro watched Lin Mo's retreating back in puzzlement.