Free Web NovelChapter 12: Chapter 12
Chapter 12
"Welcome!"
The door chime rang as Makino greeted the new guests with her usual warm smile.
This time, however, the group was quite unusual: a young man accompanied by three beautiful girls, each with very different vibes.
"What can I get for you?" Makino asked gently.
"One beer and three juices, please."
Rorschach and his crew took seats at the counter.
"So, what’s the real reason we’re here?" Nami asked curiously. "Don’t tell me you just wanted a drink. Or... did you set your sights on the bar owner?"
Rorschach glanced at Makino but didn’t answer.
He wasn’t here for drinks, nor was he trying to recruit her. Makino had far too much backstory and connection to the village. Forcing her onto his ship would be asking for trouble — especially with Garp and Shanks in the picture. Plus, the system hadn’t given any recruitment prompt, so he dropped the idea.
Suddenly, the bar door was slammed open.
"Meat! I want meat, Makino!"
"Luffy!" Makino looked up with a gentle smile, then reminded him, "Luffy, we have guests right now. Try to be a little quieter."
"Sorry about that, everyone. Luffy’s always like this. Please don’t mind him," Makino said apologetically while preparing his food.
"It’s fine," Rorschach waved casually.
"Hehe~" Luffy flashed his signature carefree grin and plopped down on the stool right next to Rorschach.
"Here’s your beer and juices," Makino served them, then went back to cooking for Luffy.
While waiting impatiently, Luffy noticed the twin swords at Rorschach’s waist. His eyes lit up instantly.
"Are you guys pirates?!"
Rorschach turned and smiled at Luffy’s excited face.
"Not yet. Right now I’m just an adventurer. I travel the world, visiting different islands and enjoying the scenery."
"Wooow~ That sounds awesome!" Luffy flailed his arms excitedly.
So this is the protagonist of this world, Rorschach thought, carefully observing him. His personality really is exactly like in the anime. No wonder the Nika Fruit chose him.
Creak.
The bar door opened again. This time an old man walked in.
He was short, wearing a worn-out top hat and orange-tinted glasses, with messy hair. A pipe hung from his mouth and he carried a wooden hammer in his hand.
"Luffy! I told you not to be so impatient. At your current level, the sea will swallow you whole if you set sail now."
"Mr. Naguri! It’s rare to see you here," Makino said in surprise.
Naguri?
Rorschach’s eyes sharpened as he looked at the old man.
This guy was no ordinary elder. He was from the Roger Era — someone who had even fought against Gol D. Roger himself. Even though he lost, his strength was still unfathomable.
Rorschach suddenly became interested. He downed his beer in one gulp and stood up.
A wave of Conqueror’s Haki shot straight toward Naguri.
"Oh ho~ The young people these days are really something else," Naguri said, visibly surprised.
Rorschach was already able to use Conqueror’s Haki skillfully without accidentally affecting others. His control was impressive.
Of course, Naguri didn’t know it was a system-granted ability.
Rorschach asked directly, "You’re pretty strong, old man. Want to spar?"
"I’m getting old. I’m no match for you youngsters anymore," Naguri laughed, rubbing his lower back.
"Come on, someone with your strength must’ve been a big shot back in the day."
"I wouldn’t call myself a big shot. I’m just an old man who’s been left behind by the times."
"Since you want to play, follow me."
Naguri turned and walked out of the bar.
The young man was quite interesting. Mastering Conqueror’s Haki at such a young age — he probably had Armament and Observation Haki too. This wasn’t the place to fight in the middle of town. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"Woooh~ A fight! A fight! I wanna watch too!" Luffy shouted excitedly. He grabbed the meat and beer Makino had just brought out, chugged the beer in one go, and ran out with the meat still in his hands.
"Luffy!" Makino called out worriedly from behind.
"Don’t worry, he’s not a bad guy," Nami reassured her. (Though he’s definitely not a good one either...) she added silently.
The three girls quickly followed Rorschach out.
Naguri led them to a quiet forest clearing. Nami and the others stood at a safe distance to watch.
Naguri tossed aside his cloak, gripped his wooden hammer tightly, and shouted to Luffy: free𝑤ebnovel.com
"Luffy! Watch carefully. This is what a real fight between pirates on the sea looks like!"
"Yes, Master!" Luffy yelled back enthusiastically.
Rorschach drew both swords, his aura shifting into full battle mode.
"You go first, kid," Naguri said with a smile.
"Then I won’t hold back."
Rorschach swung both blades at once.
"Slash Wave!"
Two powerful golden slashes flew forward.
Naguri simply swung his wooden hammer forward. The sword waves shattered instantly and scattered.
"Phew~ That technique belongs to the Golden Lion, doesn’t it? And those two swords... Karamatsu and Sakura Ju."
"Are you Shiki’s successor?" Naguri asked, blowing out a smoke ring.
"Yeah. Old man Shiki taught me swordsmanship for two years. I suppose I am his successor," Rorschach admitted.
"Truly a promising young man. Where is that old lion these days?"
"He passed away. I buried him on a small island in the East Blue."
"I see... So another one of the old gang has quietly left this world," Naguri sighed. "Haha... we’ve all been left behind by the times."
"Come on, youngster. Show me your full power."
Naguri beckoned with his hammer.
Rorschach activated his Armament Haki, coating both blades in jet-black hardening.
Thanks to the Steel Balloon talent and the recent enhancement packs, his stats had undergone a massive transformation:
[Host: Rorschach]
[Strength: A-]
[Agility: B]
[Spirit: C]
[Skills: Swordsmanship – C, Armament Haki – C, Observation Haki – C, Conqueror’s Haki – D, Marine Six Styles – Shave – C]
[Devil Fruit: Float-Float Fruit – C]
[Talent: Steel Balloon]
[Equipment: Karamatsu, Sakura Ju]
[Overall Evaluation: Navy Vice Admiral-level combat power!]
With Strength at A- and Agility at B, Rorschach had already reached the level of a standard Vice Admiral. If he went all out, he was confident he could fight evenly with even an elite Vice Admiral.
If he could master Conqueror’s Haki Coating, very few elite Vice Admirals would be able to stand against him.
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