One Piece: Starting with Creating the Strongest Character Design

Chapter 107 The Old Man Teases the Mischievous Child (Please Subscribe)

The following day, at the royal palace.

The beautiful maidservant reported to the king as she had done yesterday: "Your Majesty, this afternoon is the day that young general Kitahara Tsune will compete in the arena."

"However, this is only his first appearance, and according to the rules of the arena, his opponent won't be very strong."

Are you still going to watch the game?

The maid bowed her head and asked respectfully.

Upon hearing this, the king also began to ponder.

As the maid said, with that naval rear admiral's strength, he will undoubtedly win today's match.

There's really nothing worth watching; it's bound to be a one-sided crushing defeat.

However, just as he was about to nod in agreement, two clear and melodious voices came from outside.

The king looked up and saw a girl with pink hair and a girl with purple hair walking hand in hand from outside the palace.

"Dad, why don't we go check out the arena?"

The pink-haired girl—no, she should be called a married woman, Rebecca's mother, Scarlett—speaked.

"Let's go take a look."

Another purple-haired girl, Ovilette (Violet), then added, "We want to see the Marine who saved Dressrosa."

The king chuckled upon hearing this and asked, "Scarlett, why aren't you taking care of your daughter?"

"With Cyrus helping to take care of me, I have a day off today."

Scarlett smiled and happily spun around.

Her white skirt swayed as she turned, showcasing her vitality.

Although she is already a mother, she still has the mind of a young girl.

"Fine, fine, I just can't do anything with you guys."

The king smiled at his two daughters, "Anyway, there's not much official business this afternoon, and nothing else scheduled, so let's go take a look together."

The king agreed.

Seeing that her father agreed, Ovilette happily took her sister's hand and said with a smile, "I heard that there are samurai from Wano Country in the arena this time."

"I've never seen a samurai from Wano Country before. I don't know if they're like in the books, where everyone is very tall and wields a sword bigger than my father's."

As she spoke, she pointed to the long sword that the king carried beside him.

"And samurai from Wano Country?"

Upon hearing his daughter's words, the king's interest was piqued, and he looked at the maid beside him.

He had never heard the other party mention anything about the samurai of Wano Country.

Seeing the king looking at her, the maid immediately reacted and said, "Recently, a samurai from Wano Country did come to the arena to spar with him."

"I didn't think it was a big deal, so I took it upon myself to act without reporting it to the king."

"It's alright, it's really not a big deal."

The king waved his hand, picked up the greatsword beside him, and slung it over his shoulder. "Let's go see that person."

That afternoon, the arena was packed with people, just like any other day.

The afternoon sun was not harsh at all, and with a gentle breeze blowing, it felt very cool.

Even in the crowded arena, it didn't feel stuffy at all.

However, as royalty, they naturally have certain privileges and do not have to sit crowded together with commoners.

They have the best view from the top-floor private rooms.

News of the Wano Country samurai had already spread throughout the area around the arena.

Many curious swordsmen and civilians flocked to the arena, making it even more crowded than usual.

"It's so lively, there are so many people."

Olivieri leaned against the window, looking down at the packed arena below, and sighed.

"I wonder if the samurai from Wano Country will make an appearance today."

"I hope that samurai can stay a few more days."

Scarlett sat down next to Ovilette and said, "We should have invited Cyrus to come along; he's more interested in the samurai of Wano Country."

The king nodded, agreeing with Scarlett's statement.

Cyrus once won 3000 consecutive victories in the arena and took away his daughter, the princess of the kingdom, Scarlett.

As a swordsman, he certainly wouldn't miss such an opportunity to spar with the samurai of Wano Country.

"How about this, you call Cyrus over tomorrow as well."

The king spoke up, "And while you're at it, call my precious granddaughter over too, so I can have a look at her."

A smile appeared on the king's face whenever Rebecca was mentioned.

"Okay, Dad. Rebecca has been asking to see you lately."

Scarlett said with a smile.

"And Ovilette, you should find one too—"

The king was already thinking of urging his eldest daughter to get married, since his eldest daughter already had a granddaughter, while his second daughter didn't even have a boyfriend yet.

"It's started! The match has begun!"

Olivier sensed something was wrong and quickly tried to think of a way to avoid her father's nagging.

Fortunately, at that moment, the host below announced the start of today's competition.

Ovilette chimed in, interrupting her father's lecture.

Seeing this, the king shook his head helplessly and looked towards the arena.

"The man next to me is Rear Admiral Kitahara Tsuneo from the Navy Headquarters."

Below, the host pointed to the large screen with his right hand, introducing Kitahara Tsuneo as he slowly emerged from the tunnel.

Kitahara Tsune was wearing a white suit and carrying a long sword commonly seen in Dressrosa at his waist, making him particularly conspicuous.

He waved to the surroundings of the arena with a gentle smile on his face.

Wow, so handsome!

"There are actually such handsome men in this world!"

His handsome face and attractive demeanor instantly won the hearts of most of the women watching in the arena.

The men around them, seeing this, were immediately filled with jealousy: "What's the use of being good-looking? This is an arena."

"I think this guy is all show and no substance; he'll lose in no time."

However, the host was not affected by these comments and continued, "To my left is Skate, the famous swordsman of Dressrosa."

As introduced by the host, a swordsman carrying a giant sword, shirtless, and with a body full of muscles slowly walked out from the tunnel on the left.

That was the swordsman who introduced Kitahara Tsuneo to the arena.

Upon discovering that his opponent was the very person who had introduced him to the place, Kitahara Tsune raised an eyebrow, jumped onto the ring, and said, "It seems we two are quite destined for each other; my first opponent is actually you."

Skate, the swordsman from yesterday, laughed heartily and said, "I specifically asked the arena's messenger to arrange for me to be with you."

"Ever since I saw you practicing swordsmanship on the street, I've really wanted to spar with you."

2

Kitahara Tsune simply smiled upon hearing this and gestured to the host that he was ready.

The host looked at Skate, who nodded in agreement, and then announced, "The match begins!"

The moment the host began to speak, Scart drew the large sword from his muscular waist and charged fiercely towards Kitahara Tsune.

The massive blade was a perfect match for his robust physique.

The immense force propelled the heavy blade toward Kitahara Tsune at an incredible speed.

Although the arena is a place to hone sword skills, no matter how much safety is emphasized, swords are indiscriminate objects, and some injuries are inevitable.

"bite""

Before anyone knew it, Kitahara Tsune had drawn his greatsword from his waist and blocked Skate's straight slash.

"Good block!"

Seeing this, Skate jumped back a step, increasing the distance between himself and Kitahara Tsune.

"Now, I'm getting serious," Scart laughed heartily, offering a reminder.

Kitahara Tsune chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Come on."

Seeing how serious the other party was, Kitahara Tsuneo didn't want to spoil their fun.

After all, the other party is the one who brought me into this arena, so it wouldn't hurt to give them some pointers.

No sooner had Kitahara Tsune finished speaking than Skate became even less polite.

He held the broadsword horizontally in front of him, took a deep breath, and his muscles bulged and veins stood out.

The next moment, he shot out like a cannonball, his broadsword whistling through the air as it slashed downwards.

Kitahara Tsune raised his sword to parry.

"clang--!"

The sound of metal clashing was deafening, and sparks flew everywhere.

Skate felt a tremendous force coming from the blade, his hand went numb, and he was forced back two steps.

He stared wide-eyed at Kitahara Tsuneo in disbelief.

While watching Kitahara Tsune practice swordsmanship on the street, he had no idea that the man possessed such immense strength.

"Such immense power—"

Skate was secretly alarmed, but his fighting spirit intensified.

----------

He steadied himself and charged forward again.

The broadsword swept horizontally at a tricky angle, aiming straight for Kitahara Tsune's side.

Kitahara Tsune dodged to the side, his eyes sharp, instantly spotting the slight drop in Skate's left shoulder as he exerted force.

If this strike is forcibly completed, Skate will have a half-breath gap under his left rib.

With Kitahara Tsune's speed, he could have easily cut in at that moment and placed the tip of his knife against Skate's throat.

But he didn't.

With a simple thrust of his longsword, he stopped precisely at the opponent's throat.

"Unfortunately, it's not long enough."

Kitahara Tsune sighed softly and sheathed his long sword.

Kitahara Tsune's actions immediately drew gasps from the crowd, with some even whistling.

"That last slash was so cool!"

"What a gentlemanly man!"

"His swordsmanship is amazing!"

Even Rick, who was sitting in the private room at the very top, nodded slightly, acknowledging Kitahara Tsune's swordsmanship and demeanor.

Scart was taken aback, then realized what was going on.

Suddenly, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.

The opponent could have won with a single blow, but chose to back down.

"You're too kind."

Skate took a deep breath and clasped his hands in greeting.

He changed his stance, preparing to use another set of sword techniques.

Skate wielded his broadsword with tremendous force, each strike infused with the power and speed of his entire body.

He launched an upward slash, followed by a slashing downward turn, and then a fierce thrust; his moves were continuous and relentless, like a raging storm.

Since pure brute force is no match, let's try technique.

However, Kitahara Tsune continued to move at a leisurely pace, his long sword acting like a shield, easily deflecting all of his opponent's attacks.

His inner light remained calm, for he had already seen through all of the opponent's attacks.

Finally, after Skate's swift diagonal slash, his body leaned forward slightly, revealing a brief opening in his back.

Kitahara Tsune flashed forward, his long sword emerging like a serpent from its hole, the tip of the blade precisely aimed at Skate's back.

With a soft splat, the blade sliced ​​through Scart's skin, and a trickle of blood slowly oozed from the shallow wound.

However, the referee did not declare him the loser, as such injuries are all too common in the dueling arena and do not affect the final victory.

The crowd erupted in cheers once again.

"So elegant!"

The swordsmen watching could all see that the navy officer was deliberately holding back.

This clearly demonstrates absolute confidence in one's own abilities.

Skate stood frozen in place, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

As Kitahara Tsune's opponent, he knew very well that this attack could have severely injured him, or even killed him if the opponent had been more ruthless.

He slowly turned around and saw that Kitahara Tsune had already taken his stance, his expression still gentle.

But this time, Skate showed no gratitude.

His face flushed red, his jaw clenched, and his eyes were filled with resentment and anger.

"Are you... are you toying with me?"

He growled, his voice filled with suppressed rage.

Kitahara Tsune shook his head and said calmly, "It was just a friendly spar."

Scart took a few deep breaths, his chest heaving violently.

He knew the other party meant no harm, but the feeling of being seen through and held back time and time again made his pride feel like it was being pricked by needles.

Scart, his eyes red, raised his broadsword once more.

He no longer cared about techniques or manners; he just wanted to go all out.

"what!"

He roared, raised his broadsword high above his head, and with the last of his strength, slashed it down at Kitahara Tsuneo's head.

This strike was powerful and heavy, yet it lacked any variation, revealing numerous flaws.

Kitahara Tsune slightly turned his body, and with a gentle flick of his longsword, he caused Skate's greatsword to strike empty air.

Immediately afterwards, he flipped the back of his knife and gently patted Skate's wrist.

Clang!

The broadsword slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a dull thud.

Scart was panting heavily, his hands resting on his knees, sweat dripping down his face.

The arena was completely silent.

A burst of enthusiastic cheers then erupted.

"Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!"

"Kitahara Tsunehito is so handsome!"

"It seems another strong player is about to emerge in the arena."

After a long while, Skate straightened up and looked at Kitahara Tsuneo.

His eyes held no anger, no resentment, only pure admiration.

"I lost."

His voice was hoarse, yet remarkably calm.

"It's not a loss in terms of strength, it's a loss in every aspect."

He bent down to pick up the broadsword, sheathed it, and then bowed deeply to Kitahara Tsuneo.

Thank you for your guidance.

Kitahara Tsune sheathed his long sword, reached out and put his hand on his shoulder, and smiled, "You have a good foundation, but you rely too much on strength. Go back and practice your footwork and variations of moves more, and we can spar again next time."

Scart looked up and grinned. "Okay."

The host paused for a moment, then announced loudly, "The winner of this match is Kitahara Tsuneo!"

Inside the VIP box at the very top of the arena.

King Richard Dordor III shook his head as he watched Kitahara Tsuneo and Skate fight.

"It's like an old man playing with a child."

"That swordsman named Skate is not bad in terms of swordsmanship alone. But compared to that navy man named Kitahara Tsune, he is no longer on the same level."

Throughout the battle, Rick seemed to recall a similar scene.

That was a long time ago, when his swordsmanship teacher was instructing him on his first swordsmanship practice.

He was like Scart at the time, and his teacher was like Kitahara Tsuneo.

"If Skate can carefully recall the entire battle after he goes back, his strength will improve by leaps and bounds."

"It makes me want to go up and try it out."

Rick said with a smile.

"Does Dad want to be like he was back then?"

Scarlett smiled and asked in return when she heard her father say that.

"I can't bear to embarrass myself again. Besides, I don't have the ability to do so now."

Rick shook his head, smiled, and said, "It was just a remark."