One Peace, The Shadow Monarch

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Ipponmatsu gasped.

"Are you a fool! I can't sell you that blade! If you die because of the curse, it would be like I killed you myself!"

His wife showed up and punched him in the head.

"You're the fool! Just get rid of the thing!"

Hector's grin was as wide as it could be; his Swordsmanship Skill Tree had reached Rank B, a level he had worked towards for the past decade. His achievement was partly due to the Sickly Body Curse, which only affected his stats, although it unfortunately also impacted his Rokushiki and Haki Skill Trees.

He was confident in his superiority over Zoro's Swordsmanship Skills, as Zoro hailed from the East Blues and had yet to master cutting steel, placing him at a Rank D or D+ at best. Hector had learned that skill progression required moving from E- Rank to E Rank to E+ Rank.

With the acquisition of skill points, Hector discovered that investing a point in a skill would automatically elevate it to the next Rank, bypassing the need for training. Taking no risks, he allocated two of his accumulated skill points to advance his Swordsmanship Skill Tree to S- Rank.

As he did, a deluge of knowledge and years of swordsmanship experience flooded his mind, expanding his expertise. Once the transfer of knowledge concluded, he was left clutching his head, suffering from a severe headache and nosebleed. He casually dismissed it to the store owner as a minor inconvenience, despite the blood he had to wipe away.

[Warning: Using Skill Points beyond S Rank is prohibited, as it may result in the user's death.]

"How about this then? My luck against this blade's curse. Let's find out which is stronger!"

He did the same thing Zoro did in the anime and threw it into the air as it spun like a buzz saw. He fearlessly held out his arm and closed his eyes.

"If I lose, then I wasn't meant to go any farther!"

Ipponmatsu's eyesight panicked and screamed in panic, holding his head,

"Are you a fool! You'll lose your arm!"

As the blade hit its peak in the air and started descending down. Time slowed down as the sword kept falling down, spinning, and it soon danced around Hector's arm embedding itself into the floorboards to the hilt. He grinned madly that his plan worked.

"I'll take it."

"No, hold a minute!"

Ipponmatsu said and ran off to the back of his shop going upstairs, before coming back. Nearly tripping he set a katana on a ceremonial stand and started presenting his family sword.

"The make is black lacquer... and the blade's temper pattern is uneven I will guarantee its sharpness! It is The Ryō Wazamono, Yubashiri! Our shop may not be fancy. But this is the finest blade we have! Forget the money and I don't need for it for the Kitetsu either. Please take them as to achieve my goal in making Yubashiri famous!"

He looked up and stared firmly into Hector's eyes.

"It's been a long time since I've met eye-to-eye with a real swordsman! They say the sword chooses the owner. I pray for your good fortune!"

[Quest: Steal Zoro's Fated Swords. Complete]

[Acquiring Sandai Kitetsu Reward: Haki Awakening Skill Path Scroll]

[Reward: Haki Awakening Skill Path Scroll]

[Bonus: Acquiring Yubashiri Reward: Haki Awakening Skill Path Scroll]

Before leaving the shop, he left Ipponmatsu a sack containing ten million Berries, from being overjoyed at earning two Haki Awakening Skill Path Scroll. So he rewarded Ipponmatsu leaving him flabbergasted in getting that much Berrie. Strolling through the town he came by one of the fancy clothing shops showing their unique design outfits, and one of the full sets on display caught his eye.

The outfit combines the elegance of the Western tuxedo with that of the Chinese robe, creating a dynamic of the merger of the East and the West that was neither obtrusive nor that of an elegant hermit. The outfit's main colors are black and brown, giving him a sense of stability and solemnity.

The back of the suit is dominated by bright colors and a reworked Fangsheng pattern, and the waist is designed with an anagram to imply "wealth and nobility", giving the wearer a sense of nobility, yet agility. The coat is painted with patterns of dragon scales and phoenix feathers, symbolizing the power of the Emperor of China. It is also adorned with auspicious Fang Sheng patterns and silver-gray Chinese knotting. 

Checking his clothing, he noticed he only had a grey shirt and green pants, both made of polyester.

"That outfit looks good; maybe I should buy it, hmm."

Suddenly, a dark fog-like energy, akin to his Shadow Soldiers, emanated from his body, enveloping him completely and transforming his clothes into the desired outfit.

[Armor Creation has been activated]

Armor Creation:

By focusing your power, you can create a layer of black armor on your body or fabricate any clothing with additional armor benefits.

Whistle!

"I appreciate this new power. It's quite valuable."

Hector swiftly decided on his next course of action. He was now at the port and chose to sleep on his ship, after deploying Shadow Soldiers, except for Shirohime. At midnight, he departed from Loguetown after his Shadow Soldiers returned with an assortment of weapons from the fancy weapon shops—swords, rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, daggers, sabers, spears, knives, giant axes, and various other weapons, along with ammunition and sword sheaths.

He also plundered all the other upscale stores, including butcher shops, food stores, drug stores, clothing stores, furniture stores, and jewelry stores, sparing only the poorer ones and Ipponmatsu's shop.

The following day, Ipponmatsu felt despondent. The store was empty, a stark contrast to the previous day, and sales had been declining due to a significant decrease in pirates visiting the city for several years, largely because of Smoker.

Because of this man, many East Blue Pirates were too frightened to seek refuge in the city and restock their supplies, fearing an encounter with the "White Hunter."

"Thief!"

"The shop's been robbed! Someone call the marines!"

"Did you see his face?!"

"No, we don't know who did this!"

Discussions and loud shouts erupted among the townspeople as the Marines were alerted. A squad of Marines, rifles at the ready, arrived and dispersed the crowd to investigate. Leading the group was the man whom many shopkeepers despised.

"It's a disgrace for the city's most renowned shops to be plundered at night, right under the patrolling Marines' noses!"

Smoker exclaimed in anger.

The Marines accompanying him remained silent. They were well aware of their leader's fiery temper. While he wasn't a threat to their lives, they couldn't avoid the inevitable overtime hours.

Meanwhile, at sea, Hector was en route to Orange Town when a new quest alert interrupted his journey.

[Quest: Prevent Nami from Joining the Strawhat Crew]

[Reward: Rokushiki Awakening Skill Path Scroll]

Ensure Nami does not join Luffy's crew by any means necessary—recruit her, eliminate her, incapacitate her—any method is acceptable as long as she does not become a Strawhat. Location: Cocoyasi Village for 288 hours.

With a sigh, he pondered.

"I need to rush to Cocoyasi Village, yet I'm drawn to Orange Town."

Then it struck him.

"Ah! This might just work!"

Hector devised a plan to reach Cocoyasi Village in time to intercept Nami and still pursue his adventure to Orange Town. He decided to use the Black Pearl he had stored away. In an instant, the pitch-black East Indiaman Galleon, known as the Black Pearl, materialized beside his Caravel.

Aboard the Black Pearl, he utilized the devil fruit he had reserved, the Ship Ghost Awakening. The ship stirred to life, and the system briefed him on its capabilities.

The Black Pearl:

-East Indiaman Galleon Class

-Her speed is the fastest in the world by supernatural means

Devil Fruit Power:

+Automatic Autonomy:

-The ship becomes self-aware and capable of doing the work of the crew, always following your orders 

+Ship Upgrade:

-Can upgrade the ship's armor, weapons, and various different rooms. 

+Space expansion interior:

-Increase the size of the interior of the ship making the inside bigger than the outside.

+Repair:

-Fix all damages to the ship.

+Ship Devouring:

-Store devoured ships and their supplies

-Use up devoured ships for Ship Upgrades, Space expansion interior, and Repairs.

As the Black Pearl's devil fruit powers fully integrated, the ship, now sentient, sent him a notification.

[Black Pearl detects a nearby ship]

[Would you like to engage the "Ship Devouring" function?]

Upon his affirmative response, shadowy tendrils emerged from the Black Pearl, ensnaring his Caravel and assimilating it until it vanished completely.

RACE: Human■■■■■■

NAME: Hector Barbossa■■■■■■

Level: 1

Health Points: 5,200

Mana Points: 4,020

Stamina Points: 2,600

Attunement: 201

Vitality: 130

Endurance: 130

Strength: 130

Dexterity: 135

Perception: 130

Skill: 130

Safe Rewards From Daily Quest:

+Stat Points: 35

+Skill Points: 5

Skill Tree:

+Haki:

-Observation Haki: F Rank

-Armament Haki: E Rank

+Rokushiki

-Moon Step: F Rank

-Iron Body: F Rank

-Tempest Kick: F Rank 

-Shave: F Rank

-Finger Pistol: F Rank 

-Kami-e: F Rank