One Piece: Path to Power

[Two and a Half Months Later]

[Land of Wano]

The pleasant weather of the Flower Capital was ever-welcomed. The cheerful citizens enjoyed their day, busy with their own devices.

Birds chirped about, breathing in the fresh air of the unpolluted land. One such bird soared at great speeds, making its way to the Shogun's Estate.

*Chirp* it announced itself.

The blue-coloured bird then flew through a wide window and further on in. Its sharp talons maintained its balance as the winged animal sat on a young man's shoulder.

*Tweet Tweet*

Joyful chirps came out from its beak as it was pleased by the finger scratching the top of its head.

"Let's see what you have for me," the young man spoke, grabbing the scroll of paper strapped to the bird's leg.

Damien, who was the man in question, unrolled the paper and went over the contents. As per Wano's isolation, he needed an outside source to keep up with the chaos booming in the outer seas.

The main points outlined in the report could be summarized as such:

1. Black Arm Zephyr's return with a sea prism arm. His first act of business was pummeling a Supernova of the seas.

2. The Rocks Pirates absorbed Herja's Angelic Fleet and recuperated their losses.

3. A Clash between Whitebeard and Gol D. Roger that lasted two days and two nights.

4. The Grand Banquet of the Underworld that saw the rise of the new Emperor, the rumoured user of the Gravity Fruit.

5. Reverie faced delays.

.

"Quite the haul," Damien muttered. "And it looks like Zephyr is back in business, good," he said with amusement.

He then looked at the fourth piece of news and mused, "Gravity Fruit? Is that what you're using to mask your powers?" 

The smokescreen released by the new King of Shipping was followed by a hefty reward.

-----< WANTED >-----

< FULCRUM >

< 'Devil's Architect' >

< 𝔅 500,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

----------------------------

"Half a billion berries, I guess the government is relying on the shady rats to take her out before she does more harm to the chaotic balance of the Underworld," Damien deduced.

.

The last matter was special.

The year 1484 had begun for around two and a half months now.

By tradition, the Reverie happens every four years at the start of March, lasting a handful of days. However, it was now mid-March.

"Looks like Morgans got some insider knowledge," Damien said as he read a small note at the bottom.

{The current state of the world, stemming from the actions of the Rocks Pirates and the Amethyst Kingdom Crisis has led to some problems. It is highly probable for the Reverie to be further delayed and/or altered. The World Government cannot find the resources to escort every Member with appropriate levels of confidence in their safe arrival.}

Such news brought a smile to the pirate's young face.

"Rahaha! Looks like Kong is probably pulling out his hair trying to balance out his forces to accommodate both the rampaging Rocks Pirates and the Reverie."

[A/N: Luffy landed at the beach in Kuri, Wano on March 3, 1524 (date revealed in Vivre Card #1257). The Reverie happened and ended within a week or so of that date; I extrapolated these details.]

.

The Sin Incarnate then put away the papers and sent the bird out. He then stood up, embracing the warmth of the Flower Capital.

The door creaked as he left the famed building, making his way through the Capital.

The people were once again quite honoured by his appearance, giving out fresh foods and clothes.

Some parents even came with the wish to wed their daughter(s) to Damien, which he had to politely decline.

For whatever reason, the people of Wano had accepted some interesting facts.

For one, Toki was hailed as the most Beautiful Woman in Wano, carrying the rich genes of an extinct Noble Family. Her gentle smile and elegant demeanour had won the hearts of both men and women.

Though none approached her as they saw Damien as her "assumed partner". Added to the rumour of him being from outside Wano, it truly brought him quite a lot of appreciation.

…

"Yo, Raizen-sensei," Damien greeted as he walked into the dojo.

The old man was cooling his teacup with some dull breaths in hopes of not burning his tongue.

"Damien-boy, you've already learned everything I can teach," he admitted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The pirate sat on his knees, though his height eclipsed that of the senior swordsman. 

"I'm here to ask you about weapons, I need one fit for myself," he explained.

Raizen raised an eyebrow, nodding in understanding. "Wano is the best place for such requests, after all, we pride ourselves on our craftsmanship."

He continued after taking a loud sip of tea, "Have you put any thought on what type of weapon?"

Damien nodded, turning his attention to the sharp swords mounted on the walls of the dojo.

"Not a katana; my powers are far too destructive to work in tandem with such a long sharp edge."

"I want something robust, something that will fully concentrate both my Haki and pulverizing ability to its full potential."

Over the previous months, Damien had explained the idea of Devil Fruits, which also allowed Raizen to give him thoughts on aligning Ryuo with his powers.

*Slurp*

The old man once again took an annoyingly loud sip of his tea.

"I see. Well, regardless of any such design, I'm sure our artisans can make what you desire. However, the real question comes down to the quality of the metal used to forge it."

Damien was intrigued, "You mean like the Meito (Famed Swords)?" he asked.

Raizen returned a nod.

"The Meito are priceless weapons made by world-renowned blacksmiths. There are The Twelve Supreme Grade Blades, the Twenty-One Great Grade Blades, the Fifty Skillful Grade Blades and the Grade Blades."

Raizen continued, "A Great Grade weapon can also be brought to the Supreme level by turning it into a Black Blade (Kokuto). But since you are not a swordsman, this is not a possibility."

"If anything, a weapon for you is rather difficult."

Damien raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"To hold both your Ryuo and destructive sorcery, I suggest that it's best to forge the weapon rather than using one of these known weapons," the old man advised.

"Most of the famed blades were made to be held in the hands of a certain wielder. Anyone outside of that image can never fully showcase their full potential."

He then went to a small drawer, fiddled about with some scrolls, and handed two of them to Damien.

"This one documents the current known Meito, see to it as you see fit. Though for now, I suggest you pay a visit to the Northern Region of Ringo."

Raizen stroked his long eyebrows in nostalgia as he directed his pupil, "The cemetery there houses dozens of famed swords, and even a relic of Wano that we all revere with our hearts."

"Study the relic and understand it. It is currently in the realm of these Supreme Blades, you will know what I mean then," he said.

Damien took the scroll and aired out his curiosity.

"What relic do you mean, old man?"

Raizen's eyes then seemingly glowed brightly in reverence at the thought of said relic came to mind.

"It is a sword that rests beside its wielder, the one whom it was crafted for. His duels over hundreds of years ago shook all of Wano as he defended us from the invaders of whom you call the World Government."

The words shocked Damien.

Raizen grinned past his aged teeth and proudly declared, "He also used this blade to slay a dragon. It is named 'Shusui', used by the Sword God—Shimotsuki Ryuma!"

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[A While Later]

Damien reached back to his room while reading one of the scrolls.

'Sibyl, list the swords with this scroll and factor in my knowledge of them as well,' he inwardly said.

[Alright, here it is.]

Her words were followed by a green display opening up in his mind.

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Meito Index]

Saijō Ō Wazamono (The Supreme Grade Blades)

In the order of their creation.

.

1) 'First Blade' Ace.

Type: Cutlass.

Current Wielder: Gol D. Roger.

Location: The New World.

.

2) 'Molten Blade' Mokushiroku.

Type: Katana.

Current Wielder: Rocks D. Xebec.

Current Location: Death Valley, The New World.

.

3) Murakumogiri.

Type: Naginata.

Current Wielder: Edward Newgate.

Location: The New World.

.

4) ???

Type: ???

Current Wielder: ???

Location: ???

.

5) 'Cursed Blade' Shodai Kitetsu.

Type: Katana.

Current Wielder: Plausibly in the hands of Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro of the Five Elders. 

Location: Pangaea Castle, Mariejois.

.

6) Yoru.

Type: Oversized Kriegsmesser.

Current Wielder: None.

Location: Yozora Island, Paradise Sea.

.

7) Sacred Blade' Tenmei.

Type: Katana.

Current Wielder: In the possession of Pryde D. Sol.

Location: Superbia.

.

8) ???

Type: ???

Current Wielder: ???

Location: ???

.

9) 'Damned Blade' Konton. 

Type: Katana.

Current Wielder: ???

Location: ???

.

10) Enkōyari.

Type: Spear.

Current Wielder: ???

Location: ???

.

11) Yakuza Kasen.

Type: Cane Sword.

Current Wielder: ???

Location: ???

.

12) 'Misery Blade' Shinsei.

Type: Two-handed Sword.

Current Wielder: Vitalius Shaw.

Location: ???

.

[A/N: Only 4 of these weapons are canon. The other ones are original and will come up eventually throughout the fic. Weapons (4), (8) and (11) are left as placeholders.]

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

"Even after all my studies, I only was able to uncover so many names, added to the scroll's details, it's still incomplete."

Damien did not think too much of it, after all, it was not likely that a perfect weapon was out there that would be ideal for his powers.

*Creak*

The door slid open, halting Damien's train of thought.

"The most beautiful woman in Wano has arrived," the pirate teased.

"Damien-san, I told you to stop bringing that up," her embarrassed voice replied.

Damien's smirked, while his eyes traced down and fell onto the books in the girl's hands.

Biology, Microbiology, and Pharmacology. Toki had been inhaling the knowledge over the past few months, much to her enjoyment.

.

The red-eyed pirate nodded and then tried something out of impulse. He opened his palm in the girl's direction and actively turned off his strong vitality via Life Return.

*Purrup* Meanwhile, a red bubble was wrapped in the other's hand's index finger and whizzed ahead.

*Swish*

A clean cut from Damien's finger and across the palm, drawing fresh blood to drip down and onto the wooden boards below.

Toki knew his intention and sat down.

Her soft hands grabbed Damien's wounded palm. She closed her eyes and concentrated her powers.

The Sin Incarnate examined the wound as it was soon flushed with a soft, green light.

His sharp eyes and mastery over Life Return allowed him to pick up on the very cells that seemed to work dozens of times faster.

Blood stopped escaping, flesh regrew and the wound was healed.

"And… done!" Toki said with a bright smile and shining eyes.

Damien wiped the blood and indeed, the wound had fully closed; good as new.

.

However, the confidence in Toki's voice dropped as she muttered, "Though your cells are far beyond what's written in these books if it was someone else, I'm afraid it would take much longer to heal the wounds."

Damien didn't allow her to continue as he flicked her forehead.

"My cells may be quite vigorous, but they are also more complicated than anyone else. If you can mend my injury then I'm sure it'll be just as fast for anyone else."

He gestured at the stack of books, "For now, just focus on the more complicated injuries that dig into the nerves and sensitive areas of the body."

Toki nodded without interruption like a child, all the while massaging her red forehead.

.

Damien then switched the subject, "We've been cooped up in here for a few months now, I'm going to Ringo to study the revered Shusui, you coming?"

Toki's eyes brightened as she clenched her hands in excitement. "Of course! I haven't been to Ringo yet!"

Her earlier enthusiasm for exploring the entirety of Wano had returned.

Damien nodded, expecting the answer from a mile away and he resolutely said, "Then let's get going."

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

Thus begins the journey to acquire a weapon fit for Damien. Hopefully, Wano has what he's looking for.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q