The small boat had barely drifted away from the dock when the surface of the sea suddenly bulged upward. In the next instant, a massive sea beast with glowing red eyes tore through the waves, its vicious gaze locking directly onto Xia Yu.
"N-No…!"
On the dock, Makino, who had just been about to leave, instantly turned pale when she saw the sea beast erupt from the water.
"It's the Lord of the Coast!"
"Mr. Xia Yu, run!" the villagers shouted in panic.
"Danger! Mr. Xia Yu is in danger!" Village Chief Woop Slap was even more exaggerated, clutching his head with both hands and panicking like an ant on a hot pan, completely losing his composure.
Even Xia Yu hadn't expected to encounter the Lord of the Coast.
He still remembered that in the original story, it was this very Lord of the Coast that bit off Shanks' arm, which later caused endless debates about Shanks' strength. Some argued that Shanks, a man with overwhelming Conqueror's Haki and one of the Four Emperors, should never have lost an arm to something like the Lord of the Coast.
Others defended Shanks, saying that the situation at the time was extremely urgent—if he hadn't sacrificed his arm, Luffy might have been killed by the Lord of the Coast.
Of course, regardless of the true reason Shanks lost his arm, it didn't matter to Xia Yu.
What mattered was simple—he was here now.
And the creature in front of him… was that very same Lord of the Coast.
"Get lost."
Xia Yu slightly raised his head and glanced at the red-eyed Lord of the Coast. He took a single step forward.
In that instant—Conqueror's Haki erupted.
Buzz!
A suffocating pressure rippled through the air like an invisible storm. Just as the Lord of the Coast was about to open its massive jaws and bite down on Xia Yu, its pupils abruptly shrank.
It let out a shrill, despairing cry—as if it had just witnessed something far more terrifying than death itself.
In the next second, In the next second, it plunged back into the sea and fled without hesitation—vanishing completely.
"...?"
"W-What just happened…?"
"Wow! Is Mr. Xia Yu really that strong? He made the Lord of the Coast run away without even fighting!"
"So… so powerful!"
Although the villagers on the dock had no idea what had just happened, when they saw the Lord of the Coast suddenly flee, they immediately began cheering and praising Xia Yu.
Xia Yu gave a faint nod, clearly satisfied with the sheer intimidation his Conqueror's Haki could exert.
Although his Conqueror's Haki was currently only Level 5, what exactly that level meant was something he would have to continue exploring.
…
…
"Finally… I'm here!"
Lying on the small boat and bored out of his mind, Xia Yu quickly flipped over and stood up when he saw a village appear ahead of him, instantly becoming energetic.
The moment the boat docked at Shimotsuki Village, the system notification immediately sounded in his mind.
[System Notification]
Congratulations to the host for successfully arriving at a new travel destination. Reward obtained: Swordsmanship LV5.
[System Notification]
Would the host like to extract and integrate it immediately?
"Extract. Integrate!"
Xia Yu didn't hesitate for even a second.
The so-called "integration" was essentially equivalent to years of training compressed into an instant. However, since this was a system reward, Xia Yu skipped the entire cultivation process. As long as he chose to integrate with the swordsmanship, he would immediately comprehend it—as if it had been an innate ability from birth.
As the swordsmanship successfully merged with Xia Yu, a flood of memories regarding sword techniques and combat skills instantly appeared in his mind.
[System Notification]
Swordsmanship LV5 successfully integrated. Mission activated.
[System Notification]
Mission: After entering Shimotsuki Village, learn about the local customs and culture, and catch one hundred fish within one month.
[System Notification]
Mission timer has started.
Hearing that the system mission involved fishing, Xia Yu couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
First learning about local customs again—this really is a Traveler System.
But fishing?
What kind of mission is that supposed to be?
Is this system expecting me to travel the world… and live like a fisherman while I'm at it?
Xia Yu didn't rush to disembark. Instead, he opened the system character panel in his mind.
Traveler System
Host: Xia Yu
Age: Nineteen
Abilities:
Observation Haki LV5
Armament Haki LV5
Conqueror's Haki LV5
Swordsmanship LV5
Combat Experience LV5 (Maximum LV9)
Travel Points: 100
From the very first time he opened this system panel, Xia Yu had already learned that upgrading each type of Haki to Level 6 required ten thousand Travel Points. Upgrading them to Level 7 required twenty thousand Travel Points each, and the cost increased accordingly.
So with only one hundred Travel Points right now, there was absolutely no point thinking about upgrading his Haki.
However…
Upgrading swordsmanship to Level 6 only required one hundred Travel Points!
And upgrading combat experience also only required one hundred Travel Points.
Was there even anything to think about?
Obviously—upgrade swordsmanship!
[System Notification]
Swordsmanship successfully upgraded to LV6. 100 Travel Points deducted. Integrating LV6 Swordsmanship…
[System Notification]
LV6 Swordsmanship integration complete. Congratulations to the host for comprehending Sword Intent!
As the system notifications echoed continuously in his mind, a brand-new and domineering set of memories surged into Xia Yu's consciousness before merging with his previous memories.
"Sword Intent…"
Feeling the new memories appear in his mind, a faint smile slowly formed on Xia Yu's lips.
He hadn't expected that upgrading his swordsmanship to Level 6 would allow him to comprehend Sword Intent. This was truly an unexpected delight!
Sword Intent represents the artistic conception of the sword—the very realm a true swordsman steps into.
Intent is the unity of form, spirit, emotion, and reason. It harmonizes the real and the unreal, the tangible and the intangible. It exists both beyond the sword and within it, representing an extremely high level of mastery.
Sword Intent means a swordsman's understanding of the sword has reached an unprecedented realm.
Only after mastering Sword Intent can one continuously elevate swordsmanship in battle—leading to the birth of Sword Momentum, Sword Energy, and Sword Radiance.
Sword Momentum itself is also divided into innate and acquired forms.
Innate Sword Momentum is the unique aura naturally carried by a sword when it is forged, capable of captivating those who feel it.
Acquired Sword Momentum refers to additions made to the blade, such as polishing or inlays. However, these are mostly superficial. The true Sword Momentum capable of intimidating enemies must come from countless battles and a blade that has drunk endless blood!
Because every swordsman has a different understanding of the way of the sword, each form of Sword Momentum produces a unique sound of cutting through the air and a visible trajectory when the blade is swung.
This trajectory created by the slash is known as Sword Energy.
And when a swordsman's strength reaches a sufficiently high level, once the sword in their hand is fully unleashed, the speed of the Sword Momentum and the dominance of the Sword Energy will produce dazzling flashes of light.
That light—
Is known as Sword Radiance.
A swordsman capable of possessing Sword Intent, Sword Momentum, Sword Energy, and Sword Radiance all at once is extremely rare in this world.
In the original story, the world's greatest swordsman—Dracule Mihawk—stands among those rare few.