Half-asleep, Xie Dao vaguely felt someone groping him. A pair of rough hands, separated only by a thin white cloth, were wandering all over his body—from neck to feet—meticulously "checking" every part.
Admittedly… it felt kind of nice.
As he slowly regained consciousness, he opened his eyes to see a middle-aged man grinning creepily down at him, polishing him with a clean white cloth.
"Ugh! This damn Sean! I suddenly have the urge to kill him! "
"As a weapon, you are bound to your wielder and cannot harm them."
"I...!"
Ugh! So frustrating! Not only can I not attack him—I still can't move on my own. My ability to protect myself is pathetic. And I can't expose my sentience either...
Fine! Come on then! My body is yours—do whatever you want with it, just get it over with. Wuwuwu...
Meanwhile, Sean—unaware of the endless stream of curses coming from within the sword—was thoroughly and lovingly cleaning every inch of its blade. The cold gleam of the Supreme Grade Blade in his hands made him feel like he was living in a dream. After all, wielding one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades is the dream of every swordsman.
So far, the only known Supreme Blade is Yoru, wielded by Hawkeye Mihawk, one of the Warlords. No other such sword has ever been heard of. That made this sword—Blood Pursuer—all the more extraordinary and precious.
Sean couldn't stop admiring the weapon. If he had time, he could probably gaze at it forever. But right now, he needed to train harder. Blood Pursuer alone wouldn't be enough—his enemy was a Devil Fruit user. If he wanted revenge, he had to become stronger.
He gently returned the blade to its sheath, brought it to the training room, hung it on the wall, and began his usual training routine. It wasn't too different from Zoro's: intense, relentless. But Sean also incorporated meditation and philosophical reflection into his training—especially on the Buddhist concept of cause and effect.
Xie Dao was stunned by this. As a transmigrator, he knew how powerful the Law of Causality could be. This philosophy—and Sean's obsession with it—was one of the main reasons he chose to bind to him. And with the Skill Storage ability, it was like having Sean farm XP for him.
"Hehe... not bad at all. Work hard, my little XP generator.
Watching Sean train so diligently, Xie Dao smiled like a proud father.
Good thing Sean doesn't know I'm living inside his sword. If he found out, he might just hurl me into the ocean... maybe even stomp on me a few times first.
But ignorance is bliss—Sean simply felt a faint sense of being "taken advantage of," though he couldn't quite explain why.
Three days passed quickly. Xie Dao became familiar with the crew's habits:
Sean was a training maniac—dedicated and meticulous.
Vexi liked books and gardening.
Takli and Dory were more relaxed: Takli "fished" by diving into the sea and wrestling giant fish barehanded, while Dory sniped birds, fish, and even turtles from the ship's lookout.
Rom was in charge of processing the crew's catches—always experimenting with new recipes.
As for Xie Dao himself, he pretended to be dead during the day, then snuck into the sea at night (avoiding Dory's watch). He'd mess around with the fish and return before the 30-minute floating limit expired. He'd learned from failed tests that once that time was up, he'd drop like a rock until the cooldown ended.
Today, Vexi's voice rang out:
"Land ho! I see an island! We've reached Mellow Town!"
The crew stopped what they were doing and gathered on deck.
"Finally... we're close. Grand Line, I'm coming soon," Sean muttered, gazing at the island and the faint silhouette of a town. He started issuing orders:
"Takli and Rom, you're in charge of resupply.
Dory, gather intel.
Vexi, you hate crowds, so stay and watch the ship.
I'll handle some personal business in town."
"Got it."
"No problem."
"Okay."
"Mm." (Nope, I'm not padding word count, okay?
"Good. Vexi, give everyone 500,000 Berries for essentials. Add a million each for Takli and Rom—they'll need more supplies. And give Dory extra too—intel costs money.
Oh, and if there's anything you want, Vexi, ask them to get it for you."
Vexi handled all the crew's finances—she was far more organized than the rest of them.
She rolled her eyes. "Sean, you'd spend us into bankruptcy if I didn't manage the funds. Do you even realize how much you guys have burned through lately? New spatulas, bullets, gun care kits, mountains of medicine... If we hadn't wiped out a few pirate crews, we'd be begging in the streets!"
Sean and the others looked sheepish and quickly averted their eyes, pretending none of it involved them. Lexi sighed.
"Alright, fine. Not here to scold you. I'll get the money.
Dory, help me buy some books—I'll give you a list. Also, we're almost out of black tea. Grab some."
She returned with a bag of money and distributed it.
"Got it. I'm off," said Dory, taking his share and leaving without another word.
He was always a loner—if Sean hadn't saved him once, he probably wouldn't have joined the crew. But over time, he'd grown used to their camaraderie.
"Let's go," Sean said. The others disembarked, leaving Vexi alone.
She was used to it. In the South Blue, non-humans were rare. Every time she went to town, people stared at her like a circus act. One time, a noble even tried to abduct her—if she hadn't been strong, she'd be a slave now. So she avoided crowds when she could.
With nothing else to do, she returned to her room. "Better to just read."
Sean entered the town, walking with purpose. His hand never left Blood Pursuer's hilt—he was paranoid about losing it or having it stolen.
"Ugh. Does he have to keep holding me like this? It's so uncomfortable! " Xie Dao grumbled.
Sean wove through the streets and eventually arrived at a building that shocked Xie Dao—if he had a face, his jaw would have dropped.
It was the Marine base, the symbol of law and order in this town.
Sean walked to a side door and knocked in a specific pattern. A Marine peeked out.
"Alone?"
"Yes."
"What are you here for?"
"Buying intel."
"You know the rules?"
"I do."
"Alright, come in."
The door opened. Sean entered.
Xie Dao was stunned. A Marine... calmly talking to a pirate? Like they're old friends? My worldview is shattered.
Inside was a small room. Apart from the doorman, a Marine officer lounged in a chair reading a newspaper. Judging by his badge, he was a lieutenant.
Xie Dao's sharp eyes caught the date on the paper: Marine Calendar Year 1519.
He remembered that Luffy set sail in 1520, so he still had a year until the story began. That was a relief—he had time to develop. Time to lay low and grow strong!
The lieutenant looked up and feigned surprise:
"Well, well. One of the South Blue's notorious pirates—Captain Sean of the Scythe Demon Pirates. A 33 million bounty. What an honor."
His tone was mocking, but he didn't move—just stayed in his chair.
"Cut the crap," Sean snapped. "I'm here for intel. No nonsense. Let's get this over with."
The lieutenant shrugged. "Alright, what do you want?"
"The current location of the DistortedPirates."
A flicker of light crossed the officer's eyes. He said nothing, just rifled through a drawer.
"Here. Got it."
He handed Sean an envelope. Sean checked it and nodded.
"It's legit. Payment was made in advance. I'll be going."
"Safe travels, Mr. Sean. Let's work together again sometime."
As Sean left, the officer returned to his paper, and the room went quiet again.
Xie Dao had seen enough to understand. Just like there were evil pirates, there were corrupt Marines. Sean had paid for intel—and got it.
This was the real One Piece world—not the cheerful, idealized anime version. It was dark, messy, and dangerous.
Outside the Marine base, Sean finally let go of Blood Pursuer, holding the envelope tightly. Memories surfaced—his eyes burned with rage, face twisted in fury. He looked nothing like his usual self.
Suddenly, a wave of cool energy washed through him, calming his heart.
Xie Dao had stepped in—he sensed the surge of violent cause-and-effect energy in Sean, and forcefully used his spirit to suppress it.
"If Sean breaks now, where am I going to find another hardworking host?"
Sean snapped out of it. "Whew... I lost control again. Every time I think of that man, I lose my calm. I still have much to learn."
He exhaled deeply and composed himself before heading back.
But as he entered an alley, he suddenly stopped.
"Since you're already here, why not come out? No need to sneak around."
"Hahaha! As expected from 'Phantom Blade' Sean—you noticed us."
A 3-meter-tall bald brute with iron gauntlets emerged, grinning menacingly. Behind him came several armed thugs.
In front of Sean stood a sinister man in a black robe with dark green eyes—eerie and unsettling. He was the one who spoke.
"Well, well. Demon Ghost Carloand Iron Fist Sido—teaming up to kill me? I'm flattered."
Carlo: a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user with the Oni-Oni Fruit—can transform into a massive demon. Captain of the Demon Pirate Crew. Bounty: 23 million.
Sido: a brute with monstrous strength and iron fists. Captain of the Fist Pirate Crew. Bounty: 19 million.
"All talk, Sean. Today, you die. Our fame starts with your corpse!"
Sido charged with a roar, aiming a deadly punch.
Carlo transformed into a horned black demon and lunged at him with terrifying speed, claws outstretched.
Sean didn't move. Calmly, he said:
"A few days ago, you might've been trouble. But now… you're just insects."
He drew Blood Pursuer.
"Blade Dance."
Golden arcs of sword light, tinged with red, exploded like fireworks in the alley. Beautiful—and deadly.
Carlo and his men froze.
"Impossible…" Carlo's eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.
Sean now stood at the alley's end, slowly sheathing his sword.
Click.
Suddenly, wounds tore across his enemies' bodies. Blood gushed. They collapsed, life draining from their eyes.
"Side quest complete."
"Reward granted."
"Newbie missions complete. No more auto-issued quests. Future quests must be triggered manually."
Xie Dao, watching from within, was thrilled.
"They came to help me finish a quest. What great guys! "
If the dead pirates could hear him, they'd probably rise from the grave just to kill him again.
"No more automatic missions? So the tutorial's over. Whatever! I'm just a sword—I don't need to fight. Let's check my status panel instead.