One Piece: The Arm of Fate

In the blink of an eye, another three days passed.

The Curtainfall still hadn't reached its next destination, but it steadily cruised forward over the sea.

"Achoo!"

Shano suddenly sneezed and rubbed his nose in confusion.

"Weird, why have I been sneezing so much these past couple days? Who keeps talking about me?"

At this moment, he had just stepped out of the training room. His upper body was bare, and he was drenched in sweat.

He looked up—the moonlight streamed through the porthole onto the corridor. The whole ship was quiet, the only sound was the soft lapping of waves against the hull.

It was already late at night.

"Guess that's enough for today. Time to sleep."

Stretching his limbs, he wrapped up a brutal 20-hour training session. His muscles definitely deserved a break.

Hmm?

Shano suddenly paused.

Wait.

Relax?

He stroked his chin, then looked out toward the dark sea.

Come to think of it, he had been so preoccupied with the Poneglyphs a few days ago, he'd put off practicing the Deep Sea Breathing Technique.

He had only just started grasping the basics. To continue improving, he needed long hours submerged in water—meditating, breathing, adapting to the underwater rhythm.

It was incredibly time-consuming. That's why he shelved it for now.

But now—suddenly struck by inspiration—Shano realized:

With his current level of body control, he could likely maintain the technique's automatic operation even while unconscious.

Meaning—he could sleep underwater and keep training simultaneously.

Perfect!

Twenty-four hours of non-stop training—who could out-grind that?

Without hesitation, he grabbed a sturdy rope, tied it around his waist, and walked to the edge of the ship. With a fluid dive, he plunged into the sea.

The moment he entered the water, his body didn't even need conscious control. His pores opened up naturally, and his muscle fibers began rhythmically contracting like gills.

Glub glub—

Bubbles drifted up from the corners of his mouth as Shano slowly sank.

20 meters, 30 meters, 50 meters…

Moonlight filtered through the surface, casting a soft blue glow across his vision. Schools of fish scattered in alarm, their silvery scales flashing like stars.

"More comfortable than I thought."

Adjusting his breathing rhythm, he allowed himself to sink deeper into the black abyss. When the rope finally tightened—

"Haaah…"

He crossed his arms behind his back and floated with one leg propped over the other, just like he was lying on a bed.

Maybe it was because of the intense training, but falling asleep underwater seemed easier than on the ship.

The sea silenced all noise—only his slow heartbeat remained.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

With each beat, his muscles stirred the surrounding water in gentle pulses, maintained by the Deep Sea Breathing Technique.

His mind began to drift, but his body instinctively kept the technique running.

Yep. He had judged correctly.

He could continue honing the technique even in his sleep.

Now…

He could finally rest easy.

Splash...

As the Curtainfall advanced, the surrounding current flowed rapidly.

Any ordinary person would be tossed around by the turbulence.

But for the black-haired youth—it didn't disturb him at all.

He slept soundly.

A massive sea beast emerged from the depths, casting a huge shadow as it spotted the motionless figure ahead. Its eyes lit up with curiosity and it sped toward Shano.

But the closer it got, the more it sensed the faint yet terrifying aura radiating from Shano's body.

The beast froze in hesitation… then wisely turned around and swam the other way.

In this realm where sunlight couldn't reach, time felt frozen.

Glub…

Shano turned in his sleep, shifting into a more comfortable position.

No one knew how long had passed.

Suddenly—

BOOM!

A muffled explosion from above jolted Shano awake. He snapped his eyes open.

Though the hundred meters of water dulled the noise, he instantly pinpointed the direction:

Southwest—someone had fired a cannon at the Curtainfall.

Frowning, Shano kicked off and surged upward, breaking the surface in seconds and landing on the deck.

It was already broad daylight. The sun hung high, and his crewmates were up and about. He'd apparently slept for six or seven hours.

"What's going on?"

Shano looked toward the commotion and asked casually.

To his surprise, the attackers weren't Marines—but a fleet of six black-sailed pirate ships.

"Looking to die, obviously," Nojiko scoffed. "No grudge, no warning, they just opened fire out of nowhere. Probably eyeing that five-billion bounty on your head."

"Is that so."

Shano chuckled.

Back when they first entered the Grand Line, they ran into plenty of pirate crews looking for trouble—but those never even got close to boarding before being wiped out.

Ever since the battle at Thor Island was made public, and his bounty hit its peak in Paradise, this kind of thing had nearly vanished.

The Curtainfall crew had become notorious across the first half of the Grand Line.

Nine out of ten pirate ships fled the moment they saw that white flag.

But hey—this was the sea.

Anything could happen.

There were always a few… particularly bold pirates.

Like now.

That said, this pirate fleet was no joke.

All six ships were massive, their decks packed with crew. There had to be at least four or five thousand men altogether.

Not too far off from Krieg's old armada.

Taking the spyglass from Nojiko, Shano glanced at the enemy's jolly roger.

Tch. No clue who they were.

Instantly bored, he handed the spyglass back. "I'm going to eat. You and Nami can handle it."

He said that because both sisters had recently eaten Devil Fruits and loved using random pirates as test dummies for their new abilities.

They'd handled most of the recent skirmishes themselves.

"But looks like we're not up this time," Nojiko shrugged. "Turn around, bro—someone's been itching to go. Just waited for you to show up."

Huh?

Shano turned to look—

Guina stood at the stern, her black ponytail billowing in the wind. Her left hand rested on her sheath, right hand poised on her hilt, gaze sharp as a blade.

"This time, let me handle it, Lord Shano."

Noticing his surprised expression, she tilted her head slightly and smiled.

"Let me show you the results of my training."

Oh?

Showing off, huh?

That was rare from Guina.

"Looks like things went well, then," Shano nodded with interest. "Alright. I'll eat later. Let's see what you've got."

Guina inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

In that moment, Shano felt it—the very air began to swirl toward her.

Oh?

His eyes lit up.

Could it be… she's already mastered that move?

Meanwhile—

On the largest ship in the opposing fleet—

A brutal-looking man with purple hair and a captain's hat waved a scimitar and shouted at his men.

"See that? Boys, that's the Curtainfall Pirates! That five-billion head is right there!"

Spit flew as his meaty face trembled with excitement:

"Such a small ship? Guess they're not so tough after all! That guy's bounty ain't even real—just a mutt who got lucky and ran from an Admiral!"

"When I take that head, I'll be the next five-billion berry legend! Today, we—the Luff Pirates—will make our name known across the Grand Line!"

"OOOOOOHHHHHH!!"

"What a powerful, inspiring speech!"

"No wonder he's Captain Luff!!"

The deck erupted in crazed cheers, fists raised high in the air.

Just then—

"Cap—Captain!" shouted the lookout. "Movement from the enemy!"

At the stern of the Curtainfall, a slender black silhouette leapt into the air, soaring toward them on Moonwalk.

It was Guina.

She stared coldly at the pirate fleet, her blade still sheathed at her side.

"What! Just a little girl with a sword?"

Luff sneered and raised his weapon. "Fools! Blow her to pieces! Fire at will!"

"Yes, Captain Luff!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

All six ships opened fire at once. Nearly a hundred cannonballs tore through the sky like a storm, raining down toward Guina.

Her eyes remained calm. Slowly, her right hand clenched tighter—

The next moment—

"Iai Style: Sixfold—Steel-Cleaving Flash!"

With a sharp shout, her blade finally drew from its sheath— gleaming white!

Countless streams of semi-transparent air currents visible to the naked eye wrapped around the sword. As she thrust forward, they gathered into a sharp blade and howled out!

Buzz—!!!

With that one slash, the entire sea suddenly roared with strong winds!

The sword aura swept forward mightily, pushing aside the sea water to both sides, and the violent air currents swept up all incoming cannonballs, crushing them into lead dust.

And that sword aura, without losing momentum, continued to absorb the surrounding air currents. In an instant, it formed six massive tornadoes, each fifty to sixty meters high, whirling across the sea. After twisting together, they split up again and, as if they had a will of their own, precisely charged toward six pirate ships!

Whoosh!

The violent air currents swept across the sea, tearing the sea water into a mist. Even before reaching them, the six pirate ships had already begun to rock violently, and their masts groaned under the pressure.

"W-What the hell is that thing?!"

The purple-haired strong man stared wide-eyed in horror, his scimitar clattering to the deck.

Swordsmanship?

No, this must be a Devil Fruit ability!

What kind of sword technique can do something like this?!

"Turn the rudder! What are you all standing around for?! Turn the damn rudder, you useless fools!" Seeing the tornadoes approaching rapidly, he finally reacted and turned around, screaming his lungs out.

However—

It was already too late.

The moment the tornado touched the ship, its solid structure was torn apart like paper, starting to break apart.

The deck was crowded with lackeys who had no idea how to resist. Just as they turned to flee, they were swept into the sky by the violent winds, screaming miserably!

"No—Noooo!!!"

The purple-haired strong man also sensed the wind coming from behind. He futilely clung to the mainmast, turning his head to see his flagship being devoured by the tornado, and screamed in despair:

"I can't die here—I'm supposed to be the Pirate Ki—"

Before he could finish his words,

a blade of wind had already slashed across his neck.

His captain's hat flew into the air along with his head. In his dimming, unfocused pupils, the last thing he saw was the sight of the other five ships also being torn apart by the tornadoes.

Six ships.

Less than a minute.

All completely destroyed.

When the storm gradually died down, the now calm sea was left with only floating wooden planks and a few scattered survivors crying for help.

Guina slowly sheathed her sword and stepped onto the deck with Moonwalk.

Her black ponytail danced in the wind, her clothes fluttered gently. Even though she had just returned from within the storm, not a single drop of seawater touched her.

At the stern of the ship, it was completely silent.

That single sword strike had stunned everyone on board.

Even Robin subconsciously set down her coffee and looked at the young swordmaster in astonishment.

"You were amazing!! Guina-sis!"

Nami jumped up excitedly, dove into Guina's arms, and hugged her waist.

"I suddenly want to learn swordsmanship! Will you teach me? From now on, you're my real sister! That other one—I don't know her anymore!"

"Hey!!" Nojiko shouted, baring her fangs. "You little brat! Has it been too long since I last smacked you? Getting too cocky again, huh?!"

"Waaah, so scary! Guina-sis, protect me!"

Guina smiled gently.

She patted Nami's head. This girl, aside from navigation and bounties, didn't have lasting interest in anything else.

Learning swordsmanship? Guina didn't take that seriously at all.

Compared to that, what mattered more was—

"So?"

She tilted her head slightly, looking toward Shano, her eyes showing a hint of anticipation.

That look, that expression—Shano felt it looked really familiar.

It seemed like how A-Yin looked back when she was still a little cub, every time he just stocked the fridge with strawberry milk.

Clap clap clap!

"Brilliant!"

Shano didn't hold back his applause. As he clapped hard, he laughed and said:

"Brilliant! You've only been training with the secret scroll for not even a week, and you can already unleash wind-slicing sword techniques of this level! That kind of talent… as expected of the number one genius from the Isshin Dojo!"

He was speaking from the heart.

Compared to the other crew members, he had at least some idea of what the "Steel Flash" could do—creating tornadoes with sword strikes, basically.

But he hadn't expected this—

It wasn't just a tornado—Guina directly slashed six in one go, and each one had terrifying, overwhelming power.

Even he had been a bit dumbfounded just now.

Even Yasuo himself might not be able to pull that off!

Girl, are you a human or a final boss machine?!

"Thank you, Lord Shano."

Guina suppressed the excitement in her heart and said with a slight blush,

"You flatter me. I still have room to grow. My next step is to figure out how to combine this move with Haki to make the destructive power even stronger…"

"Great idea."

Shano gave a thumbs up, then after thinking for a moment, suddenly said:

"But more than that, there's one important thing you really need to work on."

"Eh? What is it?"

"Not the right vibe!"

Shano said seriously,

"When you release that sword strike, stop shouting all that random stuff. If you want to unleash its full power, you gotta shout 'Hassakēēē!' instead!"

Hassake?

What did that mean?

The young swordmaster tilted her head in confusion. Usually cold and expressionless, she now looked unexpectedly cute with that puzzled expression.

"…Okay."

She still nodded firmly.

Even though it didn't seem to make much difference—

But if it was Lord Shano's advice, then it must be correct.

…

The destruction of the pirate fleet seemed like something no one really cared about.

The Falling Curtain ship continued sailing forward.

Shano, rubbing his growling stomach, headed to the dining hall. The rest of the crew, who also hadn't eaten breakfast yet, followed after him.

Zeff had already prepared everything. As he took off his apron, he laughed loudly:

"Today's breakfast includes eighteen dishes: grilled meat steaks, Naruto ramen, red snapper sushi, matcha mousse cake… Line up and pick your food! Hey! Smoker! I told you, you must use tongs! No grabbing with your hands!"

Whoosh!

With a sharp wind, Zeff's kick flew out hard.

Thud!

Three lumps swelled up on Smoker's head. Cursing the old man under his breath, he obediently picked up the tongs.

No choice—in the kitchen and dining hall, Zeff was the boss, even Shano had to listen to him.

…

Shano carried a tray stacked like a mountain and found a seat by the window.

He popped a piece of mousse cake into his mouth to start things off, then stabbed a crispy golden steak with a fork and took a bite. The tender meat burst with juicy flavor, making him squint his eyes in satisfaction.

"Uncle Zeff's cooking really just keeps getting better and better."

He mumbled praise with a full mouth, then scooped up some seafood chowder. The creamy broth was filled with clams and shrimp, and the fragrant heat tickled his nose.

When it entered his mouth, the warm flow instantly spread from his stomach to his whole body.

So comforting!

Shano sped up his eating.

After a night of intense training and waking up, nothing beats a big, hearty breakfast to soothe the body and mind.

Only by filling your belly can you start a brand-new day full of energy!

Come to think of it…

Zeff really was incredible.

Eighteen different exquisite, delicious dishes, all prepared single-handedly in just over an hour.

Good thing he had recruited the old man early on and brought him on board.

Otherwise, where would he ever find such an amazing chef?

The rest of the crew were also stuffing themselves in silence. With Zeff in charge of the kitchen, mealtime was always the most relaxing and enjoyable time for everyone.

"Heh…" Zeff folded his arms and grinned as he watched the scene.

As a chef, he didn't need anything else—just seeing his crewmates gobble down food without a word was the greatest praise and recognition for his skills.

But at that moment—

"Bulu Bulu! Bulu Bulu!!"

The public Den Den Mushi in the dining room suddenly started ringing loudly, far more urgently and shrilly than usual.

Huh?

What's going on?

Shano stood up in confusion, preparing to grab the receiver. The rest of the crew also instinctively looked up.

"Wait a second, Captain."

Smoker suddenly spoke. "If I'm right, this call is from the Navy."

"The Navy?"

Everyone was shocked. Nami frowned in disbelief:

"Seriously? You sure, Cigar Guy? How would the Navy even know our number?"

"They don't need to."

Smoker instinctively reached for his cigar, but under Zeff's harsh glare, he quietly put it back.

"There are two special signal reactions aside from normal Den Den Mushi communication," he explained, while holding his chopsticks in his mouth.

"One is when it starts crying—that means someone nearby is sending an emergency distress signal. Anyone can do that. Pretty common."

"The other is like this—it only happens when a large force like Marine HQ uses a wide-range signal enhancement. They contact every Den Den Mushi in the area. Usually, they can't pinpoint a target, so they use this when trying to search zone by zone."

"Eh?"

Nami's eyes widened. "So that means… the Navy roughly knows we're in this sea area?"

"That's normal."

Smoker said seriously, "We did appear in Alabasta a few days ago, after all. They can guess our route."

Still, that didn't mean Navy ships could easily intercept them.

Ships don't sit still like targets—they move and shift constantly, making it hard to trap them.

That's always been the Navy's biggest issue—how to catch pirates at sea without getting shaken off.

"Anyway, let's just answer it first."

Shano shrugged, unconcerned, and picked up the receiver.

The Navy suddenly wanting to talk to him—how odd. He was actually curious to see what they were up to.

"Hello?"

A stern voice came from the other end:

"I am a communications officer from Marine Headquarters, under orders to search this sea area for the whereabouts of the Falling Curtain Pirates. Anyone who's connected, please cooperate. If you're not related, you may hang up. But if you have any information—"

"I'm Shano."

Shano said calmly, "Who's your superior? What do they want with me?"

"You're Sha—wait, what?!"

The voice on the other side yelped in shock,

"Vice Admiral Garp! Come quick, the guy on the line claims he's really that Shano!!"

"Oh? Really?"

An old man's muttering came through,

"Probably another fake, right? We've been fooled several times just in this one hour. Damn pranksters. Hmph. If it wasn't for—"

"Garp, old man?"

Shano raised an eyebrow and cut him off.

"Whoa?!!! That voice—so familiar! It really does sound like the real deal! Ahahaha! Quick, give me the Den Den Mushi!!"

Snap!

In the next moment, the Den Den Mushi's face twisted into the rugged features of a man wearing a dog-head cap.

"Yo! Long time no see—it's me, Garp!"

The Den Den Mushi even had a half-eaten donut in its mouth as it crunched and laughed:

"Finally found you, Shano! You little brat, trying to get in touch with you has been one hell of a chore!"