Chapter 74: Becoming a Master Swordsman in one day!

Red-Haired Shanks, one of the future Four Emperors, was on the path to greatness, though it would take him another nine years to officially ascend to that rank in 1516. Shanks, a late bloomer in the pirate world, had only just begun his rise after Roger's death. Starting by recruiting his first crewmate in East Blue and forming the Red-Haired Pirates, he set sail to make a name for himself across the world. However, it wasn't until a pivotal moment in 1510—when Shanks sent his adopted daughter, Uta, to the music capital of Elegia—that his reputation truly started to shift. The destruction of Elegia, caused by the song demon Tot Musica, left Shanks with a heavy heart, having abandoned Uta after the incident. Despite this, his bounty increased, surpassing 1 billion for the first time.

Over the next six years, from 1510 to 1516, Shanks' power grew rapidly despite losing a Arm. His bounty skyrocketed to over 4 billion, ultimately solidifying his position as the fourth pirate emperor in the New World. Sorting through these scattered clues about Shanks in his mind, Edie was unsure of the pirate's current whereabouts or what he might be doing in this era. He decided to inquire further.

"Bunny, any recent news about a pirate named Red-Haired Shanks?" Edie asked casually.

Momousagi, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, covered her face. "Don't call me that! It's so embarrassing!"

Despite her embarrassment, she answered seriously, "Red-Haired Shanks... yeah, he made the news last month. I think he had some kind of duel with Hawkeye. Give me a second, I'll grab the newspaper."

As she hurried out, Edie called after her with a grin, "Don't you think Bunny sounds nice? I think I'll call you Bunny from now on."

"Stop it, you idiot!" she yelled back, flustered.

A few minutes later, Momousagi returned, arms full of newspapers. She shuffled through them before finally locating the relevant article. "Here it is," she said, handing it over to Edie. "Last month, Shanks and Hawkeye arranged a sword duel. It's supposed to happen in a few days."

Edie skimmed the article, his expression shifting subtly. "Hawkeye's already a Shichibukai?"

Momousagi rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, the Shichibukai ranks are full now. You really don't keep up with the outside world, do you?"

Edie nodded absentmindedly, then suddenly looked puzzled. "Wait, the Shichibukai are already full? Who are they?"

Momousagi sighed before listing them off. "Crocodile, Dracule Mihawk, Gecko Moria... a few others. Crocodile was the first, but most of them only joined within the last two years."

Edie hadn't heard of many of these names, but after thinking it over, he understood why. The Buster Call's defeat two years ago had likely spurred the World Government to expedite the formation of the Shichibukai as a reaction to growing pirate threats. This was part of the butterfly effect Edie had inadvertently set off in this world.

"These extra names... they'll be replaced in a few years," Edie muttered, shaking his head. "Who's got the highest bounty?"

"Hawkeye," Momousagi replied. "Before he became a Shichibukai, he was known as the Marine Hunter. His bounty exceeded 1 billion."

Edie raised an eyebrow. Momousagi seemed familiar with Hawkeye, recounting how Gion had once considered inviting him to join the Shichibukai. But every time she sent someone, they were turned away, and Hawkeye eventually earned his infamous title for slaying several Marines, including a Vice Admiral.

"And the next highest?" Edie asked.

"A guy named Abe. His bounty was 395 million before joining the Shichibukai," Momousagi answered, sounding unimpressed.

Edie scoffed internally at the low number. "Where's this duel between Hawkeye and Shanks happening?"

Momousagi's eyes lit up as she caught on to Edie's interest. "Wait... are you planning to clone them?"

Edie smirked. "Smart Bunny today, aren't we?"

Momousagi scowled. "If you call me Bunny one more time, you'll be sleeping alone from now on!" she huffed.

"Alright, alright. Now tell me, where's the duel?"

Momousagi shook her head. "It wasn't mentioned in the news. Besides, you're not a swordsman. Why are you so interested in a sword duel?"

"Who says I'm not a swordsman?" Edie shot back, grinning mischievously.

Momousagi's eyes widened in disbelief. "You? A swordsman? I've never seen you use a sword, and you don't even own one! Your hands don't look like a swordsman's at all—you can't fool me."

"I just wasn't interested before," Edie said casually, flashing a smirk. "But you wouldn't understand, Bunny."

Momousagi's irritation flared. "Alright, Mr. Big Shot. Let's spar, but you're not allowed to use Haki!"

Without Haki, she believed there was no way Edie could beat her in a sword fight. After all, how could this smug man possibly surpass her in swordsmanship?

"Don't worry," Edie said, turning his back to her and gazing out the window at the blue sky. He wasn't a swordsman—not yet—but that didn't matter. He was already beginning to adopt the aura of a master swordsman.

Momousagi blinked, momentarily confused about where Edie was mentally. Despite knowing each other inside out, Edie was suddenly talking nonsense about swordsmanship. She had always been the one with the expertise in this field, so his claims caught her off guard. However, unknown to her, Edie wasn't just bluffing—he was using his system to quickly master swordsmanship.

[Simulation Project]: "Research on Swordsmanship in the One Piece World"

[Necessary conditions for this simulation]: None

[Simulation begins!]

Edie had recently accumulated another simulation, bringing his total to two. He decided to consume one and rapidly improve his swordsmanship.

[First Year]:

To impress Momousagi, Edie began studying swordsmanship. He asked for her guidance, and with his sharp learning abilities, his skills grew by leaps and bounds.

[Fourth Year]:

Edie switched teachers, asking Shenhou (Oden's clone) and Zishu (Roger's clone) for advice. His swordsmanship continued to improve rapidly.

[Ninth Year]:

Edie reached the realm of a master swordsman, but something felt off. The swordsmanship of this world, he realized, was too basic for his standards. He even sparred with Momousagi and the match ended in a draw.

[Tenth Year]:

As a swordsman, Edie decided it was time to create his own weapon. He began researching the art of forging, aiming to surpass the quality of even the supreme-grade swords, including Roger's legendary Sword Ace.

[Twelfth Year]:

Within two years, Edie successfully forged a perfect blade. Its sharpness and craftsmanship were unparalleled, and it was given the name "Yoshi" by the craftsmen of Wanokuni. Edie sparred with Momousagi once again, this time defeating her. However, later that night, Momousagi exacted her revenge in a different way, but thanks to his strong endurance, Edie won again.

[Thirteenth Year]:

The main storyline of One Piece began in 1520. Edie noticed Luffy's bounty in the news—a mere 30 million Beli—but he paid little attention, focusing instead on refining his swordsmanship.

[Twenty-third Year]:

Ten years later, Edie reached the level of a great swordsman. Reflecting on his journey, he realized that swordsmanship in this world was too simple, often relying on brute strength rather than technique. He concluded that using his fists with Haki might yield similar results to using a sword. Ultimately, Edie lost interest in the craft.

[End of Simulation]

Only seconds had passed in the real world. Edie hadn't anticipated that his journey into swordsmanship would end with him becoming disillusioned, but that's what happened.

[Simulation Cost]: 10.3 billion Beli.

[Simulation Reward]: Swordsmanship knowledge and experience.

Without hesitation, Edie chose to pay the 10.3 billion Beli. In an instant, the funds disappeared from the vaults of the Beehive Research Institute, turning to dust. Meanwhile, the knowledge and experience of 23 years of swordsmanship practice flooded into Edie's mind. He digested it within minutes, thanks to his immense intellect.

Edie had officially become a great swordsman in just one day.

[Additional Reward]: Yoshi.

[Do you want to receive it?]

Edie accepted. A flash of white light filled the room as his custom-forged sword materialized before him. With a fluid motion, Edie caught the blade—a beautiful samurai sword with an aquamarine blue scabbard. Behind him, Momousagi, in shock, whispered, "You really have a sword?"

(Img Here)

She wasn't surprised that Edie could summon the sword out of thin air—she knew about his space-based abilities—but the fact that he now wielded a sword baffled her.

"Come on," Edie said, smiling as he grabbed her hand, leading her to the rooftop of the Hive Research Institute for their duel. The two stood opposite each other, the wind rustling through their clothes.

Edie, with the poise of a seasoned master swordsman, flashed a confident smile. "I'll let you make the first move. Just a fair warning, I'm a great swordsman now."

"I said it before—you're just not interested, and you lack the talent to be a real swordsman." Momousagi Repeated.

He gave her a sly grin. "Come on, Bunny."

Momousagi's frustration boiled over. She put her hands on her hips, her chest rising in defiance as she glared at him. "Alright, fine! I'll show you just how wrong you are today, you arrogant man!"

Determined to prove her skill, she charged forward, ready to make Edie regret his words.