After a few short voyages across the sea, I finally arrived at Rogue Town.
As soon as the merchant ship docked, I didn't hesitate—I leaped off the deck and landed on solid ground with both feet.
Ahh… steady land that doesn't sway. What a blessing.
Everything on the ship had been fine, honestly, but living on something that constantly rocked back and forth? A guy can only handle so much before his stomach starts staging a rebellion.
"Uncle Kuka, thank you for taking care of me these past few days! Really—thank you!" I bowed sincerely.
"Ohhh, no need for thanks! Kiana-chan is just too cute, hehe…" Kuka chuckled while pretending to be some kind of suspicious old man.
But after a few days traveling together, I already knew he wasn't actually like that. Just another friendly uncle with a loud personality.
"Goodbye then! Take care, everyone!"
I waved as I walked away, and the young men on the ship immediately threw themselves at Kuka, clinging to him in despair with tearful faces.
"Kiana-chan, sayonaraaaa!"
"Take care!" I laughed and waved one last time before turning around to leave—striding off like someone posing for a slow-motion movie scene.
…Judging by the stunned expressions I caught from a few onlookers, I might've overdone it just a little.
As I walked down the street, I could feel people glancing at me. Not enough to cause a commotion, thankfully—but enough to be a little awkward. If I had the seductive charisma of the Pirate Empress, this road would be in total chaos right now.
Finally arriving in Rogue Town… surprisingly, I didn't feel anything special. No chills, no grand sense of history. Even though this was the very place where the previous Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was executed—it was just another town to me. Maybe because I never really cared about pirates that much.
Anyway, time to focus. My main mission right now was exchanging the bounty for the Black Horn Pirates.
So I found a random passerby and asked, "Excuse me, do you know where the naval branch is?"
The man froze—then instantly puffed up like he'd just won the lottery. "O-Of course!! I know! I'll take you there! Right this way!"
"Really? Thank you!"
I followed him through the street, until we passed by a weapon shop filled wall-to-wall with swords and blades.
A weapon shop in Rogue Town…?
I remembered something. Didn't Zoro buy the demon sword Kitetsu III and the high-grade sword Sandai Kitetsu here? What timeline are we in right now? Has he bought them yet?
Should I… maybe go look? Just as a test?
…No, what am I thinking? Steal Zoro's swords? That's just begging to die early. Besides, Sandai Kitetsu is a demon blade. It might accept Zoro, but it doesn't mean it would accept me. The thing might curse me before I even leave the shop.
"Why'd you stop?" my guide asked curiously, noticing I had halted in front of the weapon store.
"It's nothing," I said, shaking my head. "Just something I thought about buying—but I'll pass for now."
I continued walking with him, heading toward Rogue Town's naval branch.
It didn't take long. Soon, we began to see marines patrolling the streets—training in groups, or chatting casually near the buildings.
"In front of you is the naval division," the man said proudly.
"Thank you!" I replied—and threw in a playful wink.
The man instantly recoiled as if struck. His nose began bleeding, and his eyes turned into literal hearts.
"N-no… problem!" he sputtered while collapsing into a blissful heap.
I ignored the poor fellow and headed straight to the gates of the naval base. Marines were coming in and out constantly. Two guards stood nearby, leaning lazily against the wall—half-focused as they absentmindedly picked their noses and wondered what the canteen would serve for dinner tonight.
But the moment they saw me walking toward them, one guard immediately straightened up.
"This is the Navy Division. State your business."
"I'm here to exchange a bounty."
"…"
He stared at me. Then at my face. Then at the sword at my waist. Surely thinking: This delicate girl… wants to claim a bounty?
"Bounty hunter?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied simply.
"Who's the target?"
He grabbed a thick stack of bounty posters from a nearby table and began flipping through them.
"The captain of the Black Horn Pirates—Siegel."
"…"
At first, he didn't react. He just kept flipping, searching through pages… then searching again. After a while, he frowned.
"Why can't I find him? Hey—don't mess with me."
"Your posters are all from the East Blue, right?" I said. "He's from the West Blue."
The West Blue Overlord, Siegel… strange. I'd never heard of him in the original One Piece timeline.
"Ah—wait!" The marine checked a drawer, pulled out a separate stack of posters, and soon found the right one. "Here—…three… H-HE'S WORTH THREE HUNDRED MILLION BERRIES?! You—you want to exchange THIS bounty!?"
"Yes," I replied calmly. "That's him."
He swallowed hard. The amount was far too big for frontline soldiers to handle. Someone higher up would need to verify it.
"Where's the proof? Do you have evidence?"
I pulled out the certificate from Colonel Tina—the one she gave me back then, complete with her stamp. "Colonel Tina told me to come to Rogue Town and find Colonel Smoker with this."
"…"
Colonel Tina… the guards immediately realized this was above their pay grade.
"One moment. I'll report to Colonel Smoker right away!" one of them said before rushing into the base.
And so I waited. Bored. With nothing to do but stare at seagulls flying in circles.
Suddenly, a crisp, pleasant voice rang behind me. "Excuse me—can I please take a look at that sword!"
I turned around. A female marine was standing there—her eyes sparkling as she stared at the pulsed sword hanging from my waist.
White coat. Glasses. Eager expression.
…It had to be her.
This is definitely Tashigi.
Without hesitation, I unstrapped the sword and handed it to her. Tashigi took it like she'd been handed a newborn baby—examining every inch with excited curiosity. Then she pulled out a small notebook and began looking for records to compare it.
"Huh? There's nothing like it? This sword should definitely qualify as a grade-blade—but I don't see it anywhere on the list!"
Tashigi suddenly grabbed my shoulders and asked, eyes shining, "What's the name of this sword!?"
"…Heh." I stared at her silently.
A low-tier, three-star starting weapon… compared to the famous graded blades of One Piece? Not even close. But if I upgraded it all the way? Five-star max level… who knows? Maybe it could rival a Supreme Grade Blade someday.
There are only 12 of those in the entire world, after all.
Would mine… someday become the 13th?