One Piece: Starting With Flame-Flame Fruit

As Tony began to daydream about what he could achieve in this world, a familiar voice cut through his thoughts.

"Hey, Tony, what are you thinking about? I've called your name a few times, and you're not listening!"

It was Shakky, casually strolling over to the bar, cigarette dangling from her lips.

Once a pirate herself, Shakky had evaded the legendary Marine hero Garp many years ago. But over 40 years ago, she retired from piracy and had been living a quiet life on the Sabaody Archipelago, dealing in small-time information and enjoying a peaceful, relaxed existence.

Tony turned around, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, Shakky! Sorry, I got a bit distracted there, didn't notice you."

When it came to women, Tony always preferred to keep things polite. Even though Shakky was nearing 60, she didn't look a day older than when he first met her. Time had hardly left a mark on her.

Tony never dared call her old, and with all the care she'd given him over the years, she more than deserved the respect of being called "Big Sis." She had treated Tony like family, taking care of everything from his food and shelter to his personal well-being.

"Heh, still as smooth with your words as ever. It's fine, I'm not mad at you," Shakky chuckled. "But you're usually so punctual when it comes to training with Rayleigh. What's up today? Something good must have happened for you to forget the time."

"Ah, something like that," Tony said, a big grin spreading across his face. "Today's my luckiest day ever!"

With a gleam in his eye, he rushed out, Ryūjin Jakka – the legendary zanpakutō – held in his hands.

That's when Shakky noticed it.

"Those eyes... that sword..."

Her sharp instincts as a former pirate kicked in. She could sense the unusual aura emanating from both Tony's sword and his eyes. With a subtle sigh, she took another drag of her cigarette, a quiet smile creeping onto her face as she watched Tony run off.

"Tony… it looks like your time here might be coming to an end sooner than I expected..."

Not far from the bar, on a small patch of grass, Rayleigh was sitting, two wooden training swords beside him. He wasn't about to use anything dangerous on Tony, so these would do. Plus, he couldn't exactly afford the real deal at the moment.

Every now and then, Rayleigh would visit the gambling dens on the Sabaody Archipelago. He wasn't exactly a lucky gambler, though, and he often ended up having to pawn his own crew members just to get out of the pits. His life of seclusion had been as quiet as could be, with most people thinking of him as nothing more than a washed-up old man with a gambling problem. And Shakky had to bail him out regularly, much to her frustration.

"Rayleigh!" Tony called out, running towards the man he admired so much.

He'd always been in awe of Rayleigh's swordsmanship. A man who, without any Devil Fruit powers, had climbed to the top of the pirate world through sheer skill, becoming the Vice Captain of the Pirate King's crew. From the bottom to the very peak, Rayleigh had mastered the three Haki and could wield a sword like no other. Tony had always dreamed of learning every one of Rayleigh's moves.

"Huh? You seem different today," Rayleigh remarked as he eyed Tony's eyes and the sword in his hands, a curious look crossing his face. But there was no doubt about it – Tony had changed.

Without waiting for further comment, Rayleigh picked up one of the wooden swords and tossed the other towards Tony, signaling it was time for their usual sparring session.

"Heh, be careful today, Rayleigh! I'm not going easy on you! I've got the real deal with me today!"

With a confident grin, Tony slowly drew Ryūjin Jakka, the black blade shining like obsidian, its sharp white edge gleaming in the light.

Rayleigh, a swordsman of great experience, could tell at a glance that Tony's sword wasn't just any ordinary weapon. But he didn't show much concern – when you lived in seclusion for as long as he had, nothing really caught your eye anymore.

"...Huh? That's odd."

Tony frowned as he examined Ryūjin Jakka, noticing something was off. He expected flames to be flickering along the blade, but there was nothing.

"Strange..." he muttered.

[Ding! Host, your current level of progress isn't enough to unleash Ryūjin Jakka's full power.]

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T/N:

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