Arrival

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"Eh?"

Shanuo was momentarily stunned before scratching his head in confusion. "Uncle Raku, how did you know?"

For the past week, he had indeed been defeating quite a few crew members, but all the battles had taken place secretly at the stern. He hadn't told anyone, so how did Uncle Raku know so much?

"Well, at first, no one knew about it," Uncle Raku shrugged. "But after so many days, you've beaten so many people, it's inevitable that rumors started spreading."

"Huh? I thought those guys I beat would keep quiet to save face and not tell anyone."

"With their loose lips? You really thought they could keep something like that a secret?" Uncle Raku glanced at Shanuo, shook his head, and sighed. "At first, I thought they were just exaggerating, but now I see—you're truly a swordsmanship genius, someone who can't be measured by normal standards."

This compliment was nothing short of over the top, and even someone as sharp as Shanuo couldn't help but blush slightly. He chuckled awkwardly but didn't respond.

"Alright, anyway, losing to a kid like you is a bit embarrassing. I'll stop hanging around here; the cockpit's busy." Uncle Raku smiled, waved, and turned to head back toward the ship's cabin.

As the head sailor of the Tado Pirate Crew, Uncle Raku wasn't as strong as Biggie or Kailar, but in terms of responsibilities, he was the busiest person on the ship. The fact that he'd made time to spar with Shanuo was already a rare privilege, so he didn't have much time to chat.

After watching Uncle Raku leave, Shanuo leaned against the railing and sat down, lowering his head slightly. His gaze fixed on the wooden sword at his waist.

"No wonder it's called true Iaido… its power is astonishing."

He gently drew the Lake Toya sword from its sheath. A chilling glint of light flashed before his eyes. Staring at the blade and recalling the moment he unleashed it earlier, Shanuo couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.

Over the past few days, as Uncle Raku mentioned, Shanuo had not stopped honing his skills. He'd gone on to defeat a total of sixteen crew members, amassing impressive results.

He had been doing this partly because battles greatly improved his proficiency in the Wind Sword Technique and partly because, after acquiring Iaido and spending five full days mastering its basics, he was itching to try it out in real combat.

After all, as someone with a severe perfectionist streak, Shanuo hated messy, drawn-out fights. The efficient, kill-with-a-draw style of Iaido perfectly suited his tastes.

And after several battles, the results were clear: even a basic mastery of Iaido was a significant boost to his swordsmanship.

"Proficiency…"

Having nearly polished his Iaido skills, Shanuo's attention shifted back to proficiency. It was only then that he realized that, after his fight with Uncle Raku, his Wind Sword Technique's proficiency had only increased by less than 20 points—far slower than before.

With this thought, his stats panel appeared, unfolding before his eyes.

Name: Shanuo

Hero Level: 1

Strength: 12

Agility: 16

Wind Sword Technique (Basic): Proficiency 920/1000

"Nine hundred and twenty… just a little more to level up."

Staring at the nearly full progress bar, Shanuo sighed, his face showing a trace of frustration.

Previously, when he gained 100 proficiency points from defeating Biggie, he had hoped to keep sparring and level up his Wind Sword Technique to Intermediate before reaching Baratie.

If he could do that, he would not only unlock the Bronze Treasure Chest but also activate the passive skill "Dying to Live." His overall strength would undoubtedly reach a new level.

However, after several battles, Shanuo had become increasingly disappointed. Not only did the crew members yield far less proficiency than Biggie, but as the number of duels increased, the proficiency points earned kept diminishing. After sixteen matches, he had gained just over 300 points, stuck at 920.

If that was all, Shanuo would have brushed it off and started over. But to his dismay, he discovered during an experiment a few days earlier that fighting weaker pirates yielded no proficiency beyond the first match. Any rematch resulted in a big fat zero.

Helpless, Shanuo had no choice but to abandon that plan and focus on the remaining stronger individuals.

By now, he had fought every combat-capable crew member on the ship, leaving only a few exceptions: the cook Lika and the young, non-combatant Sanji. That left just Tado and Zeff.

However…

Tado and Zeff were both pirates with bounties exceeding 10 million. They were on a completely different level than the rest of the crew. Even if Shanuo unleashed all his Iaido and Steel Slash moves, he'd still be doomed to lose instantly.

It was frustrating…

After brooding for a while, Shanuo finally sighed, stood up, and planted his feet firmly. Gripping the Lake Toya sword tightly, he muttered to himself.

Since there was no one on this ship who could help him increase his proficiency, the only option was to continue practicing the fundamentals of swordsmanship until he disembarked. Then, he'd look for opportunities to break through to Intermediate in his Wind Sword Technique.

"Two thousand virtual slashes, one hundred Iaido draws, and thirty full sets of sword techniques… that'll do for today."

With the day's practice plan in mind, Shanuo's wrist flicked slightly. The Lake Toya sword slashed through the air with a heavy whoosh.

Day and night, Shanuo's relentless sword training continued. Meanwhile, the pirates he'd previously defeated began to change their attitudes. No longer mocking him, they often came over to watch his practice, hoping to pick up some skills themselves.

Shanuo ignored them, focusing on his training.

After all, true swordsmanship required clearing one's mind and focusing on the essentials. External distractions, no matter how noisy, should be ignored.

Days passed swiftly. The sky changed from dawn to dusk, clouds rolled, and the tides ebbed and flowed. Another four or five days went by in a flash.

Finally, one day, as Shanuo lay at the stern, exhausted from overtraining, the creaking of the deck beneath him woke him up. Turning his head, he saw Biggie lowering the ship's massive iron anchor over the side. With a loud splash, it plunged into the sea, sending up waves.

Unbeknownst to him, the Tado pirate ship had already docked at a massive port.