One Piece: I Am The Greatest Swordsman

"Boss, there are two groups of people. One group seems to be looking for Mr. Koushirou to spar with swords. That young man—he's preliminarily assessed to have the strength of a great swordsman."

"The other two came with them, but they don't seem to be from the same crew. They negotiated with Old Jerry and plan to purchase that merchant ship. They might be pirates."

The young man, who moments ago had looked timid, now reported his findings to Dragon with confidence.

"A young great swordsman, huh?" Dragon muttered thoughtfully.

"No matter. As long as we haven't been discovered, that's all that matters. It's time to set sail. There are still countless people in this world suffering, waiting for us to rescue them."

With that, Dragon led the group and disappeared behind the mountain.

Weiss had no idea any of this had occurred. And even if he did, he wouldn't have done anything. They were people from two entirely different worlds—with no reason to cross paths.

Just as Weiss was drifting off, he suddenly heard Ace shouting from the shore. Rubbing his eyes, he saw a ship sailing along the coastline. Ace was on board, waving.

But Ace wasn't alone. There was an entire group aboard.

They docked at the port, secured the ship, and disembarked, gathering at the shoreline like they were waiting for something. Ace dashed into the cabin and started hauling out large bundles of treasure.

Carrying a massive sack of treasure over his shoulder, Ace leapt onto the shore. The group spread the treasures across the ground and began calculating something.

...

...

The group began to argue, seemingly disputing the value of the treasure. One of them picked up a crown-like hat and tried to explain something to Ace, then waved a scepter, gesturing as if to emphasize a point.

It looked like they were trying to tell Ace that these items weren't worth as much as he thought.

In the end, unable to convince him, they took the majority of the treasure and left Ace with just a small portion. Ace carried what was left back—but not to the Chris, rather to the ship he had just bought.

Three people were waiting there: Deuce, and two unfamiliar faces, probably new recruits.

Soon after, Ace, Deuce, and his new crewmates came aboard the Chris.

Deuce was carrying a pile of supplies—likely provisions from the island—and naturally headed below deck.

Ace gestured to the two newcomers. "These are the new crew members I just recruited. They heard I was heading out to sea and insisted on coming along. Barley and Vally—they're brothers."

Wes smiled and greeted the two teens, who looked around seventeen or eighteen. They responded awkwardly. Deuce had already told them that Weiss was a terrifyingly powerful swordsman who could slice the sea with a single swing.

They didn't really know what a "great swordsman" was, but just the idea of cutting the sea was enough to scare them. They couldn't believe their captain knew someone this dangerous.

After stowing the supplies, Deuce started organizing their living quarters. Once they had boarded with nothing, now they were leaving with bags full of belongings.

After saying goodbye to Kadun and Jack, Deuce walked up to Weiss.

"Captain Weiss, I'll be going now."

"Take care. Your captain's still a landlubber, so make sure he doesn't fall overboard and drown. Wouldn't want him to be the first Logia user to die by drowning in the East Blue."

"Don't worry, Captain Weiss! I know he owes you money, and I swear I won't let him die."

With that, Deuce left with the two brothers, though it was clear he'd embarrassed Ace a bit.

Ace wanted to cover Deuce's mouth—he was ruining his image with the new guys. He was so mortified he could dig a three-room apartment with his toes. Not that he knew what that meant—it was something he picked up from Wes.

"You sure you don't want to travel together for a while?" Weiss asked. "With your current physical condition, I could teach you Haki. No harm in learning it before heading off—you'll have to cross Reverse Mountain anyway."

"No, Weiss. It's time for me to go," Ace replied, hopping onto the railing.

"Not bad. Your ship's almost on par with the Chris," Weiss said, leaning on the railing beside him. The scorching sun hung overhead, and the sea breeze carried a salty scent as it rustled his clothes.

"Right? It used to be a merchant ship. Was going for 20 million Berries, but I got it for 12. Not a bad deal."

"Then shouldn't you use the leftover money to pay me back?"

"Thanks for everything these past days."

"You still have plenty left. Just give me what you owe."

"Traveling with you has been the most carefree time of my life."

"No worries, I've kept track of everything. You can settle your tab."

"But I've got my own journey to follow. It's time I left."

"That's fine. Just pay the lodging fee and we're good."

"Well then, goodbye, Weiss."

With those words, Ace turned into flames and flew to his new ship. Once aboard, he broke into a cold sweat—thankfully, he'd dodged the debt… for now. He couldn't afford it even if he sold himself.

"Ace," Weiss called out. "Remember what I said. For Logia users, physical strength and Haki are crucial. Your flames must focus on heat, not just range."

"Catch!"

Ace blinked as a book came flying from the Chris. Inside, it contained training methods for Haki and some development ideas for the Flame-Flame Fruit.

As for why Weiss gave it to him? Maybe it was just sentiment.

"And one more thing, Ace…" Weiss pointed at the three large characters on his flag.

"Take care of yourself. Don't make me come save you again. If I do, I'll collect every last Berry you owe."

Ace didn't know the full amount he owed, and Weiss never said. If asked, he'd round it up—to a billion.

Looking at those three big characters, Ace's eyes grew a little misty. He didn't have many friends, but now Weiss counted as one of them.

He knew Weiss was worried about him—but mostly just wanted his money back.

Without turning around, Ace raised a hand high in the air and shouted,

"Alright, boys! The Spade Pirates are formed—set sail!"

As Weiss watched Ace leave and saw his signal, he knew the kid had taken his words to heart.

Weiss shook his head and thought silently:

Don't make the same mistake you did in the original timeline. Fully awaken your Flame-Flame Fruit. And if you ever lose your Devil Fruit powers, may your body still be strong enough to survive.

On the sea, farewells are always simple.

Because one day, they'll meet again.

"All right, Kadun, Jack. Let's set sail too. Next stop—Loguetown! Move out!"

---

Currently at chapter 240 on Ko-Fi

https:// ko-fi.com/sami27