Monster Hunter of the One Piece World

Loguetown, also known as the "Town of Beginnings and Endings," is the birthplace and place of death of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—a famous landmark of the East Blue.

Luckily, Sherwin cheat ability wasn't some kind of check-in system; otherwise, he would definitely have made a big profit here.

"Wow! There are really so many people!"

Sherwin stood at the bow, gazing out. The population density of Loguetown was almost comparable to the most central area of the Land of Flowers.

"Stop gawking! Weren't you supposed to be buying a sword, meow?!"

Sanji Meow, eager to meet the Beautiful big sister Felyne as soon as possible, was perched on Sherwin shoulder, repeatedly urging him.

"There are only two good swords here. It pretty unlikely I'll get the third fragment."

Sherwin rolled his eyes and splashed cold water on the excited little yellow cat.

In a fit of frustration, Sanji Meow bit down on Sherwin ear.

"Ow, ow, ow…"

For some reason, both Felynes loved to mess with Sherwin ears. Probably because they spent so much time perched on his shoulder?

Sherwin rubbed his ear and then pulled out the sword, which had been gathering dust in his bag. He strapped it onto his back, while his most comfortable Longmoon sword was tucked into his bag.

Yubashiri was the treasured centerpiece of Loguetown weapon shop—getting it through a regular purchase wasn't guaranteed. Fortunately, thanks to Zoro in the manga, Sherwin already knew the right method to get it. All he had to do was follow the same steps…

As for that dramatic act of throwing a sword and gambling with your arm, Sherwin saw it more as a showy move to fool the untrained.

Because once your swordsmanship reaches a certain level, controlling the blade well enough not to cut yourself is actually quite easy.

Even with a completely unfamiliar sword, just holding and getting a feel for it is usually enough. Not to mention, Zoro was a natural-born swordsman with an exceptional feel for blades.

Just like usual, Sherwin carried the two Felynes and jumped off the Explorer No. 1. He ignored the surprised looks from passersby directed at the Felynes and swaggered straight into Loguetown, glancing around for the weapon shop.

The weapon shop in Loguetown was easy to find. Or rather, in the world of pirates, weapon shops tended to be set up in prominent locations.

Before long, Sherwin spotted a storefront with two crossed scimitars and a shield hanging above the entrance. Above it, the bold sign read "ARMS-SHOP."

"Welcome! Please feel free to look around!" The shopkeeper, Ichihonmatsu, rubbed his hands together and greeted Sherwin with a fawning smile.

"Whether you're looking for swords, flintlocks, or armor, we have it all. Our shop has been around for over two hundred years!"

Sherwin glanced around. The walls were lined with all kinds of swords, firearms, shields, and helmets—mostly melee weapons. On the shelf directly facing the entrance, various types of flintlocks were on display… Yep, all rather outdated.

This was a clear example of the gap between the East Blue and the West Blue. The West Blue at least had revolvers and Chicago typewriters—relatively advanced firearms.

Flintlocks were still around, but they didn't dominate the market and were even starting to fall out of use.

Meanwhile, over in the East Blue, flintlocks were still the mainstay. The most "advanced" weaponry seen around here might've been Don Krieg armor, which was packed with hidden weapons.

As for the North Blue and South Blue, there was even less need to elaborate. Doflamingo made his fortune through the arms trade and had access to a high-tech team like Germa.

The South Blue had someone like Kid, who could use his powers to create an electromagnetic cannon. So, chances are, he had either seen or known about the existence of similar weapons.

And once you reached the Grand Line, things became even more outrageous. Spacecrafts, cyborgs, laser cannons—high-tech inventions like these popped up one after another.

Yet, the Marines, who arguably had the strongest technological capabilities, often used outdated weapons like flintlock guns and cannons... The tech tree in this world was just bizarre.

Putting these jumbled thoughts aside for the moment, Sherwin turned his attention to the wooden barrels in the corner of the shop, which held a large number of swords… The Sandai Kitetsu should be hidden in there, right?

Just as Sherwin was about to mimic Zoro line and ask the shop owner where the cheapest sword was, Klee Meow on his shoulder suddenly gave a "heave-ho" and jumped to the ground.

She scampered over to the counter, her little paws gripping the edge as she poked her head up and asked Ibamoto, "Uncle, uncle, does your shop sell powerful bombs, meow?"

"A c-c-cat just talked!!!"

"..."

Well… Sherwin had gotten used to scenes like this by now.

Still, after his initial shock, the greedy Ibamoto quickly calmed himself down and began introducing Klee Meow to the various firearms in his shop.

A century-old shop was truly a century-old shop. Even in the East Blue, where the level of technology was the most primitive,

Ichihonmatsu was still able to bring out several types of gunpowder weapons that caught Klee Meow interest… Could it be that all of Krieg weapons were sourced from this place?

Sherwin mouth twitched at the thought, but under Klee Meow expectant gaze, he still ended up buying all the explosives.

But with that, his "broke guy" persona completely collapsed.

So Sherwin decisively shifted strategies and activated Observation Haki, letting it spread toward the pile of swords in the wooden barrels...

Hmm? Why couldn't he sense the presence of the Kitetsu?

Setting aside the unique aura the Sandai Kitetsu should give off as a cursed blade, Sherwin, who was well-versed in swords,

should've at least been able to distinguish it from the ordinary blades through his Observation Haki. Not to mention, the weapons in the barrels were all low-grade junk.

Could it be… that at this point in time, the Sandai Kitetsu hadn't yet fallen into Ichihonmatsu hands?

That wasn't entirely impossible. After all, Zoro didn't obtain the Sandai Kitetsu until several years later.

And seeing how Ichihonmatsu just tossed it in with inferior weapons back then showed that, unlike Yubashiri, it wasn't something he had treasured for long.

Sherwin was suddenly at a loss. Without the Sandai Kitetsu as a starting point, how was he supposed to get Yubashiri from the shop owner?

Just as Sherwin was racking his brain, the shopkeeper Ibamoto unexpectedly spoke up first. "Y-young man… c-can I take… a look at… that sword…?"

"..."

Watching the man pretend to stay calm—albeit with absolutely zero success—Sherwin simply took off Centaur and casually tossed it over.

"C-careful!" Ichihonmatsu could no longer keep up his act at that point. "That a fine blade—ah!"

"Centaur, right? A rare two-handed broadsword among the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords—I know what it is." Sherwin curled his lips, immediately shutting down any hopes Ichihonmatsu had of scoring a hidden treasure.

"Damn it…"

Ichihonmatsu couldn't help but let out a regretful sigh, but he didn't return the sword to Sherwin right away.

Instead, he drew it from its sheath and examined it like it was a priceless treasure, admiring it with clear reluctance to let go.

Seeing him like that, Sherwin suddenly had a new idea.

"Boss, you interested in Centaur?"

"How could I not be?! It one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords!" Ibamoto exclaimed. After shouting that, he reluctantly returned Centaur to its sheath and let out a regretful sigh. "But I can't afford it…"

Well, it wasn't that he truly couldn't afford it, but as a merchant, buying it at its full value wouldn't leave him any room for profit. So he could only force himself to decline.

However, Sherwin next words took Ichihonmatsu by complete surprise.

"Centaur is a great sword, but it doesn't suit me. If you have a good tachi, I can trade it for one. Even if the quality is slightly lower, a Ryo-Wazamono is fine."

"...Wait right there!"

Ichihonmatsu clutched Centaur tightly in both hands. After wrestling with himself internally for a good while, he finally turned and headed into the back room.

Moments later, he returned holding a tachi that was black from the hilt to the sheath.

"Fine-grade sword 'Yubashiri', with a black-lacquered tachi mount, chaotic hamon with small chōji pattern—this is the finest blade in my shop."

Ha! Finally, a real Yubashiri!

Remembering all the merchandise and cosplay props he'd bought in the past, Sherwin stepped forward with a wave of nostalgia and picked up Yubashiri, slowly drawing it and giving it a couple of test swings.

Whether it was sentimentality or not, Sherwin felt that Yubashiri had a better feel in the hand.

Sliding Yubashiri back into its sheath, Sherwin nodded toward the clearly reluctant Ichihonmatsu...

"Deal!"