"I did it!"
Robin's face shone with unrestrained joy as she stared at the cleaved-open sea before her.
But after channeling so much focus and power, her strength ran out all at once.
Her words had barely left her lips when her vision blurred, and she collapsed toward the deck.
Shiro moved like lightning, catching her before she hit the floor.
Without the slightest hesitation, he activated his Paw-Paw Fruit, gently pushing all her exhaustion out of her body like drifting bubbles.
A short while later, Robin's eyes fluttered open.
Still weak, she stared up at Shiro, and the first thing she asked—almost desperately—was:
"Captain… did I really pull it off just now? That technique… did it work the way you described?"
Shiro looked into her hopeful eyes, and a warm smile spread across his face.
"Yes, little Robin. What you unleashed just now was beautiful—exactly how I pictured it.
No… even better than I imagined."
"Really?!"
Her fatigue vanished in an instant, as if replaced by pure joy.
She sat upright in his arms, practically bouncing with excitement.
But the euphoria didn't last long.
A faint gloom crept across her face.
Her brows knit together. Her eyes dimmed.
Shiro noticed immediately.
"What's wrong? You should be celebrating. You mastered Ten Thousand Blades As One. Why the long face?"
Robin lowered her head. Her little hands twisted at the hem of her clothes.
"…I'm still too weak," she whispered.
"I could only use the technique once. I passed out right after.
If this were a real fight, I wouldn't last even a minute.
How can I help anyone like this…?"
Shiro couldn't help laughing softly. He scooped her back into his arms.
"Silly girl. You're still a child. And as a child, you've already mastered a technique most adults couldn't even dream of.
As you grow, your body will grow stronger.
Your stamina, power, endurance—they'll all rise naturally.
A day will come when you can unleash that technique again and again without faltering."
"…Then that's fine!"
Robin's eyes sparkled like twin stars.
She raised her tiny fists in front of her chest, fire burning in her eyes.
"Captain, someday I'll stand on the battlefield with everyone else!
I'll use Ten Thousand Blades As One to help protect the crew!"
Shiro chuckled warmly and ruffled her hair.
"And you will. One day you'll be a warrior who can hold her own…
shining brighter than anyone."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the distant sea—toward a future where an older Robin stood amid a storm of countless swords, shaping the tide of battle with her brilliance.
Late New World — End of the Sea Circle Calendar 1500
The Virtue Pirates sailed steady through the New World, chasing adventure, opportunity, and whatever chaos awaited them.
It was during one such calm stretch of sea that they encountered a man who forced everyone aboard to tense in an instant.
One clear morning, with soft waves brushing against the hull, Hachi was on deck practicing his signature style—Six-Sword Style… no, Eight-Sword Style… and then his full Nine-Sword Style.
Spotting a seagull overhead, he unleashed:
"Nine-Sword Style: Asura — Pierce of Terror!"
Countless overlapping slashes soared skyward—
—but then Hachi froze.
His eyes had snagged on something drifting in the distance.
"Oi! Everyone, come look at this! There's a raft out there!
Someone's using a tiny wooden raft to sail the New World! That guy's insane!"
The moment his shout rang out, Shiro, Robin, and the rest of the crew rushed onto the deck.
They all turned toward the drifting object.
As The Virtue approached, the figure atop the flimsy raft gradually came into focus…
and soon every member of the crew stared in disbelief.
Even among seasoned pirates, traveling alone through the New World was near-suicidal.
Violent currents, massive Sea Kings, veteran pirate crews—danger lurked everywhere.
Other than Dracule Mihawk rowing with his black sword, no one else had ever been absurd enough to cross the New World in such a way.
But now—even that absurdity had found a rival.
The man on the raft sat calmly, utterly unfazed by the monstrous sea around him.
He wore a deep crimson shirt and blood-red trousers, draped in a flowing red cape.
His face was narrow and sharp; his nose straight; and above it sat two fiery red eyebrows that seemed almost to burn.
He held a crude oar in one hand, but no hint of fear touched him.
Instead, an eerie, indescribable aura radiated from him.
Shiro's pupils shrank.
A long-buried name burst back into his mind:
Patrick Redfield.
The Red Earl.
A legendary pirate from the era of Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki.
A man spoken of in whispers—feared even by the strongest pirates of his age.
"Someone who never even showed up in the original story," Shiro muttered under his breath.
Even among the giants of the old era, Patrick Redfield stood apart—
because he had no crew. No allies.
And yet his power rivaled the greatest pirates in the world.
His most famous feat:
He once fought the entire Whitebeard Pirates… completely alone.
And Whitebeard could not defeat him.
Redfield was born with monstrous Observation Haki.
Unlike Katakuri's future-sight, Redfield's ability let him see into a person's heart—
their true thoughts.
Over time it grew stronger…
until he could read memories.
This terrifying talent granted him absolute control over battle, able to act on an opponent's intentions before they even moved.
But the constant exposure to the darkness within men's hearts left him unable to trust anyone.
So he chose solitude—sailing the Grand Line alone.
He had once befriended a young Brook from the Rumbar Pirates, drawn to their warmth and Brook's music.
That fleeting connection inspired him to go to sea as a pirate—
but even then, he refused companionship.
He remained a lone wanderer.
As The Virtue drew closer, Crocodile clicked his golden hook against his chin and muttered:
"That's Patrick Redfield—the Red Earl.
A monster. We'd better watch ourselves."
Jinbe's eyes brightened with battling spirit.
"So that's him… I've always wanted to test myself against the legends!"
On the raft, Redfield's eyes flicked toward their ship.
His voice was barely a whisper, yet it carried eerie clarity:
"…The Virtue Pirates?
Never heard of them."
With a single sweep of his Observation Haki, he read the surface thoughts of everyone aboard—
learning their names and affiliations instantly.
"Bonds between pirates… What a joke.
They always end in betrayal."
He muttered to himself.
Then his expression shifted—cold light flashing in his eyes.
In the next instant, his body blurred.
Patrick Redfield shot toward The Virtue like a red streak of death—
straight at Shiro and his crew.
T/N: If you would like to read up to 20 chapters ahead for all my works, check out my P@treon: patreon.com/GhidorahWriter
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