Lancelot feigned surprise.
"Did you two come specifically to welcome me back, Captain, Petty Officer?"
Hearing this, both Smoker's and Tashigi's expressions immediately became somewhat strange, a mixture of annoyance and awkwardness.
"Ahem..." Smoker coughed twice, clearing his throat and trying to ease the sudden awkward atmosphere. He then nodded gruffly.
"You could... say that."
"What do you mean 'you could say that'?" Lancelot immediately adopted an expression of feigned understanding, as if he'd caught them in a moment of unexpected camaraderie.
His relationship with Smoker and Tashigi had indeed improved significantly since the Blackthorn Island incident, but it hadn't magically reached the point where the eternally-gruff Captain and his earnest subordinate would specially come to greet him at the port like old friends.
Lancelot shrugged his massive shoulders.
"Just say it directly. What's really going on?"
Smoker's mouth twitched, the cigars clamped between his teeth wobbling precariously.
"You're asking me what's going on? Three billion Berries, Lancelot! You and your old man really dare to pull this off! Do you have any idea what you've done? Now, wherever you go, trouble follows like sharks smelling blood! I don't want any major disturbances in my town!"
Hearing this, Lancelot's pupils sharply contracted.
He wasn't stupid.
He immediately understood the implication behind Smoker's words.
With some shock, he asked, "So, people have already arrived? And they're strong enough to make even you wary?"
'No!' Lancelot frowned deeply.
The news should have just started spreading.
It shouldn't be this fast, not unless... unless they came directly through the Calm Belt.
That could only mean one thing.
It was the work of those people—the agents and assassins backed by the other Celestial Dragons, the rivals of his father and his own patron.
Only they could get their hands on ships capable of traversing the Calm Belt so easily.
Tashigi, standing beside Smoker, couldn't hold back her concern.
"Captain Lancelot, you really can't enter Loguetown right now! Many, many pirates have suddenly arrived. Among them are quite a few powerful individuals, even some Devil Fruit Users. It's not that Captain Smoker can't handle them, but there are simply too many, and they're all watching each other, waiting for you."
She took a breath, her expression earnest.
"Once a fight breaks out in Loguetown, aside from Captain Smoker, no one else here can match them. That would inevitably cause chaos throughout the town. The Marines would suffer heavy losses, and many innocent people would be caught in the crossfire. This is something Captain Smoker absolutely doesn't want to see."
Smoker nodded, taking a long drag from his cigars.
"To be honest with you, Lancelot, my plan is to let them gather here, then capture them all after they leave Loguetown, out on the open sea. And as long as you leave, they'll definitely follow you. At that time, I'll follow behind them, and we can join forces, attacking from both front and back, to capture them all in one go."
However, Lancelot frowned.
It was a good plan, tactically sound.
But he absolutely had to enter Loguetown.
Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu were still lying in that weapon shop, waiting for him!
Those weren't just swords; they were system rewards, crucial steps in his rapid power progression.
"Can't deny it's a good plan, Captain," Lancelot said, his tone apologetic but firm. "But sorry. I have a reason why I must enter Loguetown. But don't worry," he added, flashing a confident grin.
"I'll go in and out quickly. I definitely won't delay for long."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lancelot didn't wait for a reply.
He activated Soru and disappeared on the spot and moving toward the town center.
"Oh no...!" Tashigi cried out in shock.
"That reckless bastard!" Smoker couldn't help but curse, punching the nearby crate in frustration. He then turned to Tashigi.
"I'll go chase him back! You guard the port and don't let anyone else cause trouble!"
...
Lancelot didn't hesitate.
His Observation Haki easily guided him through the bustling streets, straight to the familiar weapon shop owned by Ipponmatsu.
He rushed inside, ignoring the startled shopkeeper, and quickly located the large wooden barrel containing the cheapest, most common swords in the shop.
This was where Zoro had found the cursed blade.
His hand, moving with practiced speed, touched the hilt of each sword in the barrel, one by one, his fingers brushing over the worn tsuka-ito.
Finally, as his fingers closed around a specific, dark-red hilt... a mechanical prompt sounded in Lancelot's mind.
At this moment, for Lancelot, who was desperately eager to improve his strength before the inevitable storm broke, it was like heavenly music to his ears.
"Ding! Obtained the Skillful Grade named sword, Sandai Kitetsu. Reward: Sword Soul: Demon Slash Asura."
"Ding! Obtained a Named Blade (Skillful Grade). Reward: One Special Self-Select Reward. Claim now?"
"Claim!"
"Ding! Claim successful... Generating Options..."
"Option One: Reward: Zoan - Mythical Zoan - Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami."
"Option Two: Reward: Paramecia - Bane Bane no Mi (Bounce-Bounce Fruit)."
"Option Three: Reward: Logia - Tsuchi Tsuchi no Mi (Earth-Earth Fruit)."
"Option Four: Reward: Armament Haki (Busoshoku Haki) - Advanced Application."
"Option Five: Reward: Conqueror's Haki (Haoshoku Haki) - Initial Awakening."
'Holy crap...' Lancelot was utterly stunned.
The options were staggering.
A Mythical Zoan with ice powers, versatile Paramecia, a Logia that controlled the very ground, and both advanced forms of Haki... damn...
First, he reluctantly ruled out the Devil Fruits.
This was only a Skillful Grade sword reward.
There were still the 21 Great Grade and 12 Supreme Grade swords out there.
Perhaps there would be even better Devil Fruit options later.
Besides, these three... they weren't bad, truly not bad at all.
But they still fell slightly short of Lancelot's ultimate expectations.
He already had his Fishman bloodline; he didn't need a Devil Fruit right now.
That left only Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki.
In terms of raw, overwhelming power and potential, Conqueror's Haki was undoubtedly stronger.
However, obtaining it now would only grant the basic, initial awakening.
Basic Conqueror's Haki could only knock out weaklings.
Against strong opponents, its effectiveness was limited until trained further.
But Armament Haki... Advanced Application... that was different.
It could be directly Entangled on his fists or, more importantly, his swords, instantly boosting his combat power exponentially.
Moreover, possessing Armament Haki meant gaining the ability to physically touch and injure Logia users, like Smoker or Crocodile.
It was the key to fighting the strongest opponents. It could even, he knew, elevate him to the true rank of Sword Master.
"Claim Armament Haki."
Host: Lancelot
Military Rank: Captain
Talent: Superhuman Physique
Bloodline Factor: Whale Shark Fishman
Weapons: Frost Demon, Flame Dragon, Sandai Kitetsu
Sword Soul: Demon Slash Asura
Sword Style: One Sword Style, (New) Three Sword Style, (New) Nine Sword Style (Locked)
Rank: Sword Master
Martial Arts: Commodore Level [Rokushiki - Mastered]
Speed: Captain Level
Body: Captain Level
Sword Skill: Vice Admiral Level
Armament Haki: Basic (+Advanced Application)
Observation Haki: Basic
Overall Strength: Rear Admiral Level
...
As expected, Lancelot thought, feeling the invisible armor of Haki settle over him, and the deeper understanding of swordsmanship flood his mind.
This choice was correct.
He had directly advanced to the rank of Sword Master, and his overall sword skill had reached the Rear Admiral level.
Combined with his newly enhanced Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Rokushiki mastery, his overall combat strength had instantly reached the Rear Admiral threshold.
With this level of power, he could face anything the first half of the Grand Line could throw at him without fear.
After all, he wasn't dealing with the real monsters of the New World... yet.
The weapon shop owner, Ipponmatsu, however, was shocked, staring at the cursed blade Lancelot now held.
"C-captain, sir... this sword... it's cursed! You can't—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Lancelot vanished.
He used Soru to flash directly outside the shop door.
"???" Ipponmatsu looked astonished, thinking to himself.
"Could he... could he be trying to skip out on the bill?!"
BOOM!
At that exact moment, a loud crash echoed from the street just outside his shop.
The spot where the Marine had been standing a fraction of a second ago was now occupied by a deep crater.
Standing in the center of the crater was a woman holding a distinctive pink, frilled umbrella.
The Marine himself had vanished without a trace.
Ipponmatsu looked more closely.
Holy crap!
The ground beneath the woman's feet had been crushed into a large crater, pulverizing the stone.
How terrifyingly strong was she?! It was important to note that the ground in Loguetown was paved with hard, durable rock.
For it to be crushed into a crater like this... one could only imagine how terrifying this woman was.
At the same time, he understood why the Marine had suddenly dashed outside.
Pirates must have attacked!
At this thought, Ipponmatsu panicked.
He quickly scrambled to hide in the backyard.
As an ordinary person, he couldn't possibly get involved in a battle between high-level Marines and pirates.
One misstep, and he could lose his life.
...
Meanwhile, Lancelot reappeared on the other side of the street, having used Soru to evade the crushing blow.
His brow was slightly furrowed as he had already recognized the approaching figure.
It was her.
Miss Valentine, Baroque Works Officer Agent.
A user of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. And if she was here... that meant Baroque Works was likely involved in the hunt for his three billion Berries.
Things were getting complicated.
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