"What a hassle."
Watching the rebel army charge forward with no regard for their own lives, Bai Yu frowned, feeling the weight of trouble.
His grip tightened on the tachi in his hand, raising it slowly into the air.
But just as he was about to give the order to attack, something flashed in his mind.
Lowering his sword, Bai Yu turned contemplative.
"Commander, should we—"
A navy sergeant beside him asked, seeking confirmation to open fire.
"Wait."
Bai Yu raised a hand calmly, signaling them to hold off.
He closed his eyes slowly.
Inside his mind, he began to circulate the technique of Conqueror's Haki—Haoshoku Haki—as passed down by the system.
Beep!
A soft pulse echoed in his consciousness.
The next moment, Bai Yu's eyes snapped open, filled with a commanding aura.
An invisible shockwave of Haki surged from his body.
It spread at lightning speed, sweeping across the front lines of the rebel army.
Plop! Plop! Plop!
In the blink of an eye, over a hundred rebels dropped to the ground like puppets with their strings cut.
Their eyes rolled back, unconscious.
A single burst of Conqueror's Haki had knocked out hundreds.
"What just happened?!"
"Why did they collapse all at once?!"
The rebel soldiers were thrown into disarray, eyes wide in disbelief.
They hadn't seen Bai Yu make a single movement. So why had their comrades all fallen?
"This... this is terrifying!"
Meanwhile, the navy soldiers behind Bai Yu were used to such displays.
They remained composed, silently giving Bai Yu a thumbs-up.
What they just witnessed was Bai Yu's use of Haoshoku Haki.
A power that only a few individuals across the world possess.
Without sufficient willpower or strength, resisting it is impossible.
"Weiwei, it's your turn to speak."
After suppressing the rebel forces, Bai Yu nodded toward Princess Weiwei.
"Understood."
Weiwei stepped forward confidently.
Facing the rebel leader Koza, Bell, the Kingdom Guard, and the assembled rebel soldiers, she explained everything—the truth behind Alabasta's chaos.
"Crocodile… So all of this was his scheme?!"
"Impossible! He's a Shichibukai recognized by the World Government!"
"He even protected us from pirates once!"
The news caused an uproar.
Many were in disbelief.
To them, Crocodile had become a national hero.
Weiwei's brows furrowed with anxiety.
"Let me speak."
Bai Yu stepped forward, his voice calm but firm.
"Silence!"
His shout thundered across the battlefield.
Having seen his overwhelming strength, the rebels quickly fell silent.
"What Princess Weiwei said is the truth."
"Crocodile has already been stripped of his Shichibukai title."
"Do you still doubt the judgment of the Navy?"
His words were like iron, crashing down on their doubts.
Even if some still questioned Weiwei, none dared challenge the authority of the Navy.
"Bring him out."
With a look, Bai Yu signaled a navy soldier.
Moments later, a disheveled, unconscious Crocodile was dragged out—bloodied, humiliated, and broken.
"That's… Crocodile?!"
"What happened to him?"
"They actually took him down… Was everything really a lie?"
As the rebels stared at the defeated Warlord, their last bit of doubt shattered.
The great hero they once admired had manipulated them like pawns.
Plop!
Koza, leader of the rebel army, fell to one knee before Weiwei.
"This is my fault!"
"I blindly trusted Crocodile's lies!"
"From this moment on, all rebel forces will retreat from the capital!"
"I, Koza, take full responsibility. I await Princess Weiwei's judgment."
Koza's voice trembled with sincerity.
Clang! Clang!
With their leader kneeling, the rebel soldiers followed.
They dropped their weapons and surrendered.
Weiwei turned to Bai Yu, eyes filled with gratitude.
Alabasta's chaos had finally reached its end.
---
That evening, under the quiet skies of Alabasta, calm had returned.
After reuniting with her imprisoned father, King Cobra, Weiwei invited Bai Yu and the marines to the royal palace to offer her thanks.
At this moment, Bai Yu sat alone in a guest chamber.
Ding! The host has completed the system mission—[Alabasta Turmoil]
Rewards acquired: Azure Dragon Sword Intent +10%, Three-Colored Haki Proficiency +5%, "Forging Function" unlocked!
Bai Yu felt a surge of power fill his body.
His Qinglong Sword Intent, already refined through countless battles, advanced by another 10%.
The synchronization rate of his Haki also rose by 5%.
"Forging function?"
His interest piqued, Bai Yu opened the system menu to check the new feature.
It was exactly what it sounded like—a function that allowed the system to forge legendary swords.
Unlike traditional methods, it required no materials or smithing tools.
Only one condition: Bai Yu must swing his blade a specific number of times.
"The more I swing, the faster it completes…"
Curious, Bai Yu opened the full system panel.
---
[Strongest Swordsman System]
Host: Bai Yu
Swordsmanship: Basic Swordsmanship
Combat Techniques: Rokushiki, Azure Dragon Sword Intent (30%)
Weapon: Novice Tachi (Unranked)
Physique: Grade B
Haki: Armament Haki (15%), Observation Haki (15%), Conqueror's Haki (15%)
---
Looking at the panel, Bai Yu's stats had grown considerably since his arrival in Alabasta.
His original skills—Rokushiki and Basic Swordsmanship—had reached 100% mastery and were no longer displayed.
Qinglong Sword Intent had now risen to 30%.
And his Haki, all three colors, were steadily growing stronger.
"Huh? The tachi's quality is listed as 'unranked?'"
Bai Yu noticed something unusual in the weapon section.
He tapped on it to inspect further.
Just like the swords classified in the One Piece world, weapons forged by the system also carried tier ranks:
Supreme Grade
Great Grade
Skillful Grade
Sharp Grade
Unranked
His current weapon, the novice tachi, was unranked.
But because it was system-forged, it already surpassed typical swords of its class.
Though called a "novice" blade, its sharpness rivaled that of true graded weapons.
Now, with the forging function unlocked, Bai Yu had taken his first step toward creating a blade worthy of a true world-class swordsman.
And with Alabasta saved and his name spreading, the world had begun to take notice.