"Excuse me, is this the Isshin Dojo?"
The pink-haired Net-Addicted Girl stood before the only dojo in the quiet village, speaking to a boy clutching a wooden sword.
The little apprentice blinked at her—he'd never seen such a dazzling, stylish big sister before.
He nodded hard. "Y-Yes! This is the Isshin Dojo!"
She smiled, patting his head. "Could you give me a tour?"
"Of course!"
The boy eagerly led her in. Neither of them noticed that the moment she crossed the threshold, deep within the dojo, something stirred.
Inside a candlelit meditation room, Koshiro—the bespectacled master—sat across from a cloaked man in dark green.
Hearing the commotion, Koshiro turned, smiling faintly. "It seems Isshin Dojo welcomes another guest."
The cloaked man turned too, face calm yet marked by three crimson tattoos on his left cheek—harsh, geometric. His voice was low but tinged with surprise.
"I can feel it from her… the scent of freedom."
Koshiro froze mid-motion, pushing his round glasses higher. "Freedom?"
The stranger's expression didn't change. "Something rare in this sea."
Meanwhile, on the Swan, the Buggy–Alvida Alliance at last reached Bubble Isle.
The sky was pale with dawn. They were weary from the voyage, but excitement still burned bright—the legend of a Devil Fruit made them forget their fatigue.
Alvida hefted her spiked mace, her large frame thudding onto the sand. "Let's find that Fruit. Once I have it, I'll serve you loyally, Buggy."
Buggy waved dismissively from the rail, smirking. "Relax. It's just a Paramecia. I'm already a Devil Fruit user; I won't steal your prize."
For all his clownish posturing, Buggy did keep his word. Roger had drilled that into him long ago—trust was part of being a pirate.
And besides, a mere Paramecia wasn't worth staining his name for.
Alvida nodded, but glanced at his crew warily. Buggy might be trustworthy—his men, not so much. Better she find it first.
They spread out into the forest. Sword-Shadow Flow, however, trailed behind, yawning, chatting idly with his stream.
"Family, the in-game sun's just up. I bet it's afternoon IRL already, right?"
"Those who fell asleep last night probably don't know my power spike, huh?"
He grinned, drawing his Curved Blade—Little Snake, flicking it in a playful flourish. Leaves fluttered, and the sapling before him turned into a perfectly rounded ball.
"Hah! Since I got the Circus Dancer passive, my body's so much more flexible—every stat feels boosted. Won't be long before I'm one of the strong ones on this sea!"
The chat filled with snark:
[please, you're still with Buggy's clown crew]
[compare yourself to Kaka and cry—she started under a Yonko]
[accept the gaps, my guy. accept the range of life]
Sword-Shadow Flow chuckled, letting their teasing roll off.
Players had started calling Age of Grand Voyage a second world. NPCs acted like real people—each with their own lives and ambitions. The immersion blew other games away, especially compared to Fisherman's Era, which, while hyper-realistic, was shallow in soul.
You could buy realism, sure. You could pay for graphics and physics. But storytelling? That took talent.
And Gu Feng—though the devs dubbed him Old Thief Gu—had that in spades.
This was only the tip of his iceberg.
Sword-Shadow Flow wandered and bantered… until he realized he was suddenly alone.
The trees had thickened. No footsteps but his own. Before him towered a giant tree—over a hundred meters tall.
And hanging beneath its crown was a pink, patterned fruit—its surface like carved waves, size of a small durian.
He froze. "Brothers… this—"
Chat froze too.
[holy sh*t]
[no way]
[he wasn't even looking and found a Devil Fruit?!]
[streamer's luck.exe activated]
Heart pounding, Sword-Shadow Flow climbed the tree like a squirrel. Minutes later, he stood on the ground again, clutching the pink Fruit.
"Guys… this luck is insane. I was just walking and bam—Devil Fruit. Unreal!"
He swallowed hard, staring at it.
"Anyway, no one's around… should I, uh… take a bite?"
The grin he gave the camera was all mischief.
And the chat, chaotic as ever, split in half—half yelling for him to keep it, half urging him to deliver it.
[eat it!]
[don't! give it to Alvida!]
[why? so she can get hotter while you stay cannon fodder?]
[bro, be selfish for once—power first, loyalty later]
He looked at the fruit again, its soft glow reflected in his eyes.
"If I hand it over, Alvida gets stronger. But if I eat it… I level up. Maybe like Kaka—instant nine levels."
He grinned wider.
"Even if it's just Paramecia or Zoan, it'll still make me stronger."
The camera zoomed in slightly as he lifted the fruit.
He was still smiling.
But his hands were trembling.
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