This was the power of Kael’s Swordsmanship Achievement System.
Years ago, it had been the system that allowed him to unleash an enormous flying slash and drive back the invaders who had destroyed the Shikkearu Kingdom.
They had retreated only because Kael had made the cost of continuing too high.
But they had left something behind.
A grudge.
One Kael had never forgotten.
By completing achievements—along with hidden achievements—he could obtain all kinds of rewards.
Sword techniques from this world.
Famous blades.
Even powerful items and abilities from completely different worlds.
Kael’s own sword, Requiem, had come from the system after he completed the achievement: [Perform 40,000 Sword Swings] It had taken him nearly two years.
Whenever he had time, he trained more.
Whenever he was busy, he trained less.
Either way, those tens of thousands of repetitions had steadily sharpened his body and swordsmanship.
And now, after completing another achievement, he had finally received something truly valuable.
Swordmaster.
On the system panel, it was classified as a Yellow Epic-grade Trait.
An ability of that level represented genuine top-tier potential.
With enough time, it could help someone climb all the way to the summit of the sea.
And there were still countless achievements waiting for Kael to unlock.
Thinking about it, staying hidden away on Kuraigana Island forever would be a terrible waste.
He had come all the way to the world of One Piece.
What kind of man would spend his entire life tucked away in one corner of the sea?
Sooner or later, he had to go out and see the world for himself.
The thought stirred something in Kael.
He lifted the wine flask at his waist, turned toward a red-haired maid nearby, and grinned.
“Rolin!
Another round!” “Huh?!” The red-haired maid immediately flushed.
*Young Master called for me again…* For reasons known only to herself, Rolin had decided that always being the one Kael called on to pour his drinks meant she was his “second favorite.” Naturally, the other maids spent far too much time wondering who came first.
…
The banquet continued through the night.
Early the next morning, a pirate ship appeared off the coast of Kuraigana Island.
Over the years, Kael had built a castle guard numbering fewer than a hundred men.
But the unit had not existed for very long, and neither their strength nor their equipment could be considered exceptional yet.
The captain of the guard immediately returned to Black Rose Castle to report the arrival.
Matters involving unknown pirate crews were usually handled by the lord himself.
Even so, no one panicked.
Pirates had landed on Kuraigana Island many times over the past few years.
If they behaved themselves, Kael might even invite them to drink, eat, and leave as friends.
If they came looking for trouble…
Most of them left the island missing half their crew.
At first, Kael had handled such people personally.
Later, Mihawk started doing it.
As far as the castle guards were concerned, the two brothers were practically unbeatable.
Neither had ever lost.
“Hey!
Look at that!” A loud, cheerful voice rang out from the pirate ship.
“That’s one enormous castle!” A man with a thick mustache curving upward at both ends jumped down onto the shore.
He wore a reddish-brown coat and a captain’s hat.
A sword hung from his left hip, while a pistol rested on his right.
His eyes were wide, bright, and full of life.
“Hahaha!
Looks like we’re eating well today!” Then he turned and spotted a huge figure preparing to follow him off the ship.
“Hey!
Bullet!
Stay on board!” The large man paused.
“We’re here to visit the owner and ask for fresh water and supplies, not start a fight!” The captain jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.
“Rayleigh and I will go.” “Why me?” A strawberry-blond man leaned over the side of the ship with an annoyed expression.
At this point in his life, Silvers Rayleigh still wore his hair short, giving him a rugged, mature appearance.
“I’m busy dealing with these two idiots!” One of his hands was planted firmly on the head of a red-haired boy, forcing him downward.
“Ow!
Rayleigh!
That hurts!” On his other side, a red-nosed boy with a clown-like face immediately popped his head back up, clearly just as unwilling to back down.
The two boys looked ready to resume fighting the moment Rayleigh loosened his grip.
The captain laughed.
“Let them fight!
If they want to beat each other half to death, that’s their problem!” He threw an arm outward dramatically.
“But the Gold-and-Silver duo has to stick together!” “Come on, Rayleigh!” The man later known as the Dark King sighed.
His expression said everything.
What am I supposed to do with this idiot?
Then he jumped down from the ship.
This was no ordinary pirate crew.
Far from it.
The ship carried some of the most formidable figures on the entire sea.
And they had only recently escaped another battle.
Their opponent had been none other than the Marine hero, Monkey D.
Garp.
Taking barrage after barrage of cannonballs from Garp across open water was not anyone’s idea of a pleasant voyage.
So the crew had diverted off their original route in search of somewhere to restock.
That was how they had stumbled upon the gloomy shores of Kuraigana Island.
At first, they had assumed it was nothing more than the abandoned remains of some old battlefield.
Now, however…
It looked more like an unexpected refuge.
Rayleigh walked beside Roger as they headed inland.
“No idea what the lord of this place is like.” His gaze swept over the ruins.
Collapsed buildings still stood throughout the island.
More striking were the enormous sword scars carved into the earth.
Some stretched for nearly a hundred meters, cutting through the terrain like man-made ravines.
Rayleigh’s eyes sharpened.
“This place has seen serious fighting.” He crouched slightly and studied one of the old cuts in the ground.
“Whoever made this was no ordinary swordsman.” A grin slowly appeared on his face.
“You don’t see slashes like these very often, even on the Grand Line.” Then he rubbed his chin.
“Come to think of it, we’re still short a proper swordsman.” He looked toward Roger.
“Planning to recruit him?” Roger grinned from ear to ear.
“If he’s interesting, of course I’ll ask!” Ahead of them stood a formation of castle guards.
Their weapons and armor were inconsistent, clearly gathered from different sources.
But every man stood straight.
Alert.
Disciplined.
There was no trace of the disorder Roger normally expected from an isolated island ruled by force.
His grin faded just slightly as he studied them.
The master of this castle was probably no ordinary noble.
Creating even a small pocket of order in a place that had already fallen into chaos was not something just anyone could do.
It required strength.
Authority.
And perhaps…
The qualities of a king.
Add to library.
Send some Power Stones.