One Piece: I Am The Greatest Swordsman

"Whoa, seriously? Are these two the so-called children of fate or something? I was just thinking we needed a female crew member, and one literally drops into our lap. But wait—look at that familiar face. Not only are we not getting a rescue fee, we'll probably have to worry about our treasures getting stolen."

The girl they pulled from the sea looked around fourteen or fifteen. Her long, purple hair clung wetly to her shoulders, and she was still coughing up seawater—who knew how much she had swallowed?

That face… even though he didn't know her name, Wes recognized her instantly. She was the thief who used to run around with Nami.

But why was she still in the East Blue? Shouldn't she be sailing the Grand Line by now?

This strange girl… she was infamous: a petty thief in the East Blue, a major one in the Grand Line, and the one who eventually stole from the Golden Emperor's entertainment empire.

Weiss leapt onto the overturned dinghy where they had found her. It rocked precariously under his weight. By all logic, a thief never walks away empty-handed—there was no way she wasn't hiding some treasure on her.

Thinking this, Weiss crouched down and plunged his entire arm into the water. The warm sea swirled around him as he groped along the edge of the boat—and sure enough, he found a rope, pulled taut by something heavy below.

With a grunt, he heaved. A small wooden chest surfaced, covered in sticky grime from who knows how long it had been submerged. Weiss hauled it aboard and shook his hand in disgust.

He stomped the little boat for good measure, then jumped back onto the main ship. The girl looked like she was still unconscious, and the two quiet guys standing nearby were just watching her, not even trying to help.

"Chest compressions. Get the water out of her lungs and stomach, then mouth-to-mouth. Don't you guys know basic first aid? If we don't do something, she'll really die."

...

...

"Uh… none of us know how to do that," Kadun said flatly, squatting on the deck. If they knew, would they be waiting for Weiss to say it?

"What? You've been at sea for ten years and never learned emergency aid?"

"Nope. We had a doctor onboard. I've seen it done before, but I've never tried it myself. I'm scared I'll just end up killing her by mistake."

"Don't look at me either," Jack said quickly as Weiss turned to him. "I've never even been out to sea before. Even when I was a pirate, they made me stay and guard the island."

"Well, fine then. Guess I'll… just hang her upside down."

"I'll use the natural flow of energy to get the water out of her system. Whether she lives or not depends on fate."

"…So you don't know how to do it either?!" the two men roared in unison.

"No, I just find it annoying."

Karina felt like luck had turned its back on her. A storm, a shipwreck, and now being rescued by these lunatics. She narrowed her eyes just slightly, scanning her surroundings. Yep—definitely on a ship. Rescued. But she decided to pretend to stay unconscious.

Still, she could hear them.

Not only were they not helping her, they were planning to hang her upside down like some wet rag. Even pirates don't treat castaways like this…

Feeling someone trying to move her, Karina faked a groggy cough, even forcing out a bit of seawater, then slowly opened her eyes.

"Where am I…?" she murmured, only to see a short-haired guy crouching at her ankles with both hands gripping a rope, as if he really intended to string her up.

"Oh, you're awake? Guess I don't need this anymore," Weiss said casually, tossing the rope aside and taking a seat with the treasure chest.

Karina's eyes darted from Weiss's hand to the chest to the rope. It all felt way too familiar. Then a sharp pain stabbed her heart.

That was her treasure. The one she had risked life and limb to acquire. And now this jerk had it.

She slumped weakly against the railing in her best pitiful pose and looked at the trio with wide eyes. "A-Are you pirates? Please don't kill me. My family's rich. I can get you money. Lots of it."

But no one responded the way she expected. Kadun simply walked toward the helm, muttering something about adjusting the course. Jack resumed cleaning his gun like a cold-hearted drama villain.

Seeing that no one else seemed to be in charge, she naturally turned toward Weiss. He already seemed to know what she was going to ask and just pointed at the sail.

"Rescue ship."

What kind of weirdos are these? Karina screamed in her heart. Then Weiss casually tossed her a piece of paper. She opened it, confused—only for her face to turn green with shock.

"You call this a rescue?! This is daylight robbery!"

The paper read:

> "Rescue services for stranded at sea. Lodging: 1 million Berries per day. Meals: 200,000 Berries per person per meal. Charged whether eaten or not."

Note: Final interpretation rights belong to Weiss.

"If it's too expensive, you're welcome to leave. No one's stopping you," Weiss replied without even looking up from his newspaper.

"Fine! I'll go! You think I'm scared of you?" Karina snapped—but she didn't dare mention the chest. First, she needed to ensure her safety.

There was still a small dinghy. She could navigate these waters. No way she'd die out here… right?

But when she got to the edge of the ship, her face paled again. The dinghy was gone.

Whether it sank to the seabed or floated off to chase poetic horizons, she had no idea.

Her expression twisted through every color of emotion before finally settling. She stomped back toward Weiss and held up the paper.

"These charges… are they real?"

"Absolutely! I'm an honest businessman. Fair to all."

"…Fine. Just drop me off at the next island. Three days' journey from here, right?" Karina muttered. If she was paying anyway, she'd at least make sure it was somewhere civilized.

"No problem. Payment first. No tabs."

"You took my treasure chest! That's my payment!" she shouted, pointing accusingly.

"Yours? Then call it. If it answers, I'll believe you."

"You—!"

"I fished it out of the sea. How do you prove it's yours? According to ocean law, anything adrift is fair game. Finders keepers. So don't be too upset."

"What's your name? Since you're a lady, how about I give you a discount?"

"Karina. And how much of a discount are we talking?" she added quickly, eyes lighting up with hope, her hands clasped like she was already counting the savings.

"I'll give you 1% off. That's fair, right?" Weiss said seriously.

"It was mine to begin with!" Karina cried, exasperated.

Weiss ignored her and returned to reading.

But just then, a chilling voice echoed from the side of the ship, cold and dangerous:

"That treasure… I believe it belongs to me."

---

Currently at chapter 280 on Ko-Fi

https:// ko-fi.com/sami27