"Arakuri Heron, worth two hundred system points."
"Seven Bladed Swords, worth one hundred system points."
Looking at the two product listings, Bai Yu couldn't help the twitch in his cheek.
Sure enough, the system was a great landlord, with no intention of letting a peasant like him keep any grain at home.
One refresh, and there went a full three hundred points.
It seemed the system truly hadn't deceived him.
However, looking at the only two system listings remaining, Bai Yu soon remembered where that tongue-twisting product came from.
In a certain ninja world, it was the Eight-Sword Style of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, who had once thoroughly thrashed Uchiha Sasuke.
That swordsmanship had toyed with Sasuke until he questioned his life.
If he hadn't finally used the Mangekyō Sharingan Itachi had left him...
He probably really would have capsized in the gutter.
As for the second listing, the Seven Bladed Swords, those were probably the weapons that went with Arakuri Heron.
Looking at the asking price of one hundred system points, it seemed this system shop wasn't merely considerate-it was blackhearted, too!
"Forget it. I don't feel like I have any use for this!"
After grumbling inwardly for a while, Bai Yu was just about to exit the system.
Bang!
A gunshot suddenly rang out.
Bai Yu looked up toward the lookout platform and soon saw Carina holding a smoking rifle.
Several hundred meters away over the sea, a sea eagle plummeted from the sky.
It seemed to have been killed in one shot.
"Lord Bai Yu, did I disturb you? Before we left, Captain Domon told me to bring a gun for protection, so I wanted to practice..."
Noticing Bai Yu's gaze, Carina hurriedly explained.
Bai Yu smiled, took a swig of strong liquor, and shook his head.
"No, I'm just a little surprised that a phantom thief could cross over into sniping and do so well. It seems pushing yourself in a different way might bring unexpected rewards."
Unexpected rewards?
Bai Yu repeated the words in a murmur, and a bold idea flashed through his mind.
His character template was now twelve percent unlocked. Only when it reached fifteen percent could he unlock further subordinate characters and skills.
However, relying solely on these conventional challenges and daily missions was clearly a little too slow.
It didn't suit Bai Yu's quick-to-fire-up temperament.
Looking at the two listings sitting in the system shop, a bold idea flashed through Bai Yu's mind.
"Lord Bai Yu, there seems to be a warship up ahead!"
Carina suddenly spoke again.
Bai Yu came back to his senses. As his Observation Haki rapidly swept outward, he also took in the rapidly approaching warship.
Looking at the figure growing clearer on the deck, Bai Yu couldn't help a trace of an expression appearing on his face.
It seemed that being handed a pillow just as you grew sleepy was a truth that held anywhere.
He had only just thought of a good method, and someone had delivered himself right to his door.
"Carina, head toward that warship at full speed. I want to have a good chat with this Vice Admiral."
A Vice Admiral?
Carina froze for a moment.
Zoro, who was still practicing his slashes, was also dumbfounded.
An absurd thought involuntarily flashed through both their minds.
Surely Bai Yu wasn't itching for a fight so badly that he would slash at Marines, too?
In the distance!
A warship several dozen meters long was swiftly cutting through the waves.
Standing on its bow deck was none other than Marine Vice Admiral Onigumo, wearing a coat of justice, his long hair black and his face gloomy.
Six days earlier, he had received Sengoku's orders to come to the East Blue and escort a greenhorn brat safely to Marine Headquarters.
Normally, an escort mission like this would never have required a Vice Admiral like Onigumo.
However, thinking of someone who possessed the Three Types of Haki, a young Swordmaster capable of unleashing a Flying Slash...
Sengoku had still strongly insisted that Onigumo make the trip himself.
For a hawk like Onigumo, some resentment was inevitable.
"Vice Admiral Onigumo, there's a single-masted sailboat approaching us at full speed. Of the three people aboard, one seems to be our target for this trip, Vice Admiral Garp's grandson, Bai Yu..."
A Marine soldier hurried forward.
"That brat?"
Onigumo's expression darkened. He took the telescope directly and soon fixed his sights on Bai Yu.
After repeatedly confirming that he looked exactly like the photograph in the intelligence report, he said,
"It's him. I thought finding him would take quite a bit of effort, but now it seems he's delivered himself right to us."
"Head over at full speed and rendezvous with them. I'll force him back to Marine Headquarters, so Fleet Admiral Sengoku doesn't give me any more babysitting assignments!"
"I'd also very much like to see just how capable this so-called genius is."
Onigumo gave a cold sneer.
As the two vessels rapidly closed in, the figures on both sides soon grew clearer.
Faced with this so-called Marine Vice Admiral, Zoro and Carina couldn't help looking a little nervous.
In the East Blue, where even a captain could serve as a branch commander, a Marine Vice Admiral was undoubtedly a rarity.
Especially since they had guessed what Bai Yu was thinking.
The two exchanged a glance, both revealing bitter smiles.
"Are you Vice Admiral Garp's grandson, Bai Yu?"
Standing aboard the warship, Onigumo was the first to speak, his voice low.
"Given how weak you are, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was concerned that you would encounter danger traveling to Marine Headquarters alone, so he sent me, a Vice Admiral, to take you back to headquarters."
"Danger lurks on every side in this vast sea. Taking the initiative to seek my protection was a wise move."
"This assignment has already wasted quite a bit of my time. Hurry aboard and leave with me."
Having delivered those words, Onigumo turned to leave.
As a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral who had traveled all this way to escort a newcomer, it would have been a lie to say he wasn't annoyed.
Moreover, Onigumo was a hawk, just like Akainu.
Meeting a super genius praised by Garp and Sengoku, Onigumo, as a Vice Admiral, still intended to give him an opening show of force and properly temper this newcomer.
The Marine soldiers nearby were surprised by Onigumo's behavior.
However, they all remained silent.
Instead, they wanted to see how Bai Yu would react.
"I'm sorry, Vice Admiral Onigumo, but you seem to have misunderstood."
Bai Yu naturally knew what Onigumo was up to. Casually taking a swig of strong liquor, he said,
"I have no intention of returning to Marine Headquarters with you, Vice Admiral Onigumo."
"I took the initiative to meet you this time only because I heard that your Eight-Sword Style is renowned throughout the Grand Line."
"I think a Vice Admiral should be worth a slash. I want to fight you!"
At that moment, his quiet voice seemed imbued with a demonic sound, echoing across the deck and refusing to fade for a long time.
The Marine soldiers present sucked in cold breaths.
Onigumo's advancing foot abruptly stopped in midair as well. He turned back toward Bai Yu and spoke coldly.
"Brat, did you just say you wanted to know whether a Vice Admiral was worth a slash?"
"You mean you want to challenge me, a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, to a head-on fight?"
"Are you sure this isn't a joke?"
The Marine soldiers present stared straight at Bai Yu.
Faced with this insane challenge that had suddenly sprung out of nowhere...
Everything they thought they knew had been turned upside down.