The Pirate Who Could See Proficiency Became a Legend

In Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue, Shimotsuki Koshiro held a Little Wooden Sword and shook his head helplessly. Beside him sat a container of special white paint.

"Damn it! That nearly scared me to death!"

They Arrived at the Mokomo Dukedom—and Found an Unexpected Visitor

"I heard someone challenged Hawkeye again yesterday!"

In a bustling tavern, a busybody took a couple of swigs of cheap booze and started talking about what had happened the day before.

For the past two days, a single Wooden Sword had set much of the sea abuzz.

They had heard plenty about how powerful Sword Emperor Dongze was, but they had never quite known what to believe.

Then they saw the enormous island of ice left behind at Dressrosa, Green Bit erased by an overwhelming force, and the fifth of Whole Cake Island patched over with heaps of ruined swords and blades.

Only then did they understand what it meant for Dongze to be the Fifth Emperor. And they wanted the path of Swordsmanship he had passed down more than ever.

As far as they knew, though, only four Little Wooden Swords existed at sea: Rayleigh had one, Hawkeye had one, Gion had one, and Smoothie had one.

Once people learned their value, challenges to those four came thick and fast. Rayleigh, Hawkeye, and Smoothie faced lawless pirates who resorted to underhanded tricks as well as open challenges. Even they were growing fed up.

Gion's challengers, meanwhile, were Marines and even agents from Cipher Pol. Because of Garp, they dared not use dirty tricks and had to challenge her openly. But Gion's strength had soared lately, and they all went away disappointed.

Countless eyes had been fixed on the four of them.

Smoothie faced fewer challengers while she remained in Totto Land. Ever since