Following the direction of the pointer flower, the Wanderer sailed steadily onward.
Whenever the sea turned wild, Lind relied on his immense psychic power to weather the storms. Aside from the occasional boredom, the journey had been uneventful.
Well—almost. Not long ago, his Mutation Fruit had another unexpected outburst. A seagull happened to fly past Lind and got hit with a mutation. To Lind's surprise, it not only awakened psychic abilities but also gained remarkable intelligence.
It didn't take long for the bird to recognize Lind as someone worth sticking with. And once Lind saw that this little thing had potential—and a charming eagerness to please—he decided to take it in. He fed it some Dragon Bananas and Shenlong Coconuts. Just like that, he had his first official subordinate.
On this day, the sun was high, and the sea was unusually calm.
Lind was stretched out on the deck, soaking in the sunlight, when his advance scout—the giant bird—swooped back to the ship.
"Boss, spotted a ship up ahead. Skull and crossbones on the sail. Looks like one of those pirate ships you told me about."
Thanks to his powerful psychic abilities, Lind had developed a form of mental communication, just enough to hold rough conversations with intelligent creatures like the bird.
"Hahahaha, finally! After seven days out here, I was about to go insane!"
"Those anime shows are full of lies. The ocean's huge—where the hell do they get all these random ship encounters?"
Overwhelmed with relief, Lind's eyes misted slightly. Sailing alone was far more soul-crushing than he ever imagined.
"But now I don't have to gamble on luck anymore. Even if it's a pirate ship, as long as I'm strong enough, I'll get directions."
"Wanderer! Fetch my sword!"
At his command, a blade shimmering with a cold gleam soared out of the cabin.
Lind had put in a ridiculous amount of effort for that sword—eighty-one separate mutations on a wooden blade before he was finally satisfied.
As for the ship answering his command? Of course it wasn't alive. It was just Lind using psychic power to stage a little theatrics for his own amusement.
Still, the visual effect pleased him immensely. Without hesitation, he stepped onto the sword and flew in the direction the bird had pointed out.
Soon, the pirate ship came into view. As he approached, Lind took a deep breath, gathering his energy.
When he was fifty meters out, he projected his voice using psychic power, amplifying and enriching the sound until it echoed across the waves like a grand stage performance.
"Riding waves, I roam the skies,
Unfettered by the world or ties.
My scabbard stills a thousand sails,
My blade dims stars and moonlit trails.
One dance shocks the Seven Seas,
Another moves sun, sky, and breeze.
Against the tide, I stand alone,
The world's one sword—mine to own."
(Whatever, languages are a mess in the pirate world anyway. So what if I use Chinese poetry?)
(Let's just say the protagonist landed in the Chinese-dubbed parallel dimension.)
It felt a little embarrassing—but also incredibly satisfying. Years of solitude on the island had pushed Lind into crafting this dramatic entrance, inspired by knock-off versions of the legendary Drunken Sword Immortal.
He looked at the stunned pirates on the deck, let the silence sit a moment, then raised his voice again.
"Pirates ahead, listen well. I am the Red Dust Blade—Schildt Lind!"
But just as he was finishing his introduction, the cabin door opened, and out stepped a man nearly two meters tall, with a flowing mane of golden hair that hung behind him like a cloak.
Lind's eyes widened.
"Holy crap, the Golden Lion?!"
No hesitation. Lind instantly spun midair, using psychic power to yank both himself and his sword into a sharp U-turn and bolt in the opposite direction.
Back on the ship, the Golden Lion had been in the middle of reporting to his captain. Then he heard the arrogant poetry echoing from outside.
Ordinarily, something like this would be handled by the crew. But those lines were so bold—and ridiculous—that both Shiki and Rocks got curious and stepped out to see the source.
The Rocks Pirates needed eccentric talents like this.
Seeing Lind flee without a fight, Shiki actually smiled. The sheer intimidation factor pleased him.
Still, there were formalities to uphold. And if Rocks himself was interested, then Shiki wasn't about to let the guy get away.
Without pause, he launched into the air in pursuit.
Seeing the Golden Lion chase after him only made Lind fly faster.
He cursed internally. Had his luck all run out from overusing the Mutation Fruit back on the island?
Why the hell was the Golden Lion cruising along the sea instead of flying like usual?
If it were someone like Whitebeard, Lind would've had a fair chance of escape using psychic speed. But Shiki's Fuwa Fuwa no Mi consumed far less stamina than psychic flight ever could.
Lind could go full-throttle for maybe a day and a night. Shiki could float forever.
And he had no idea how fast Shiki's flight was—but he wasn't willing to bet that his two and a half years of psychic training would be enough to outrun him.
After much mental debate, Lind finally accepted the truth.
A wise man adapts to circumstances.
Maybe it's time to surrender.
Countless transmigrator protagonists had joined the Rocks Pirates before. One more wouldn't hurt.
Besides, he had only made a flashy entrance. There was no real animosity. The odds of them accepting his surrender were pretty decent.
Running could only make things worse. If he annoyed the Golden Lion, who knew what might happen?
And if he joined the Rocks Pirates and proved himself useful, they might give him a private island. That would be perfect for farming.
Without protection, he'd constantly be harassed by random enemies. A faction backing him would make development much easier.
As he tried to psych himself up for joining, Lind reassured himself again and again.
If things go south, I'll just run later. Surrendering now doesn't lock me in forever.
Still, if he was going to surrender, should he at least put on a good show?
If Shiki offered to recruit him, then Lind wouldn't have to awkwardly offer himself up.
Deciding to take the gamble, Lind suddenly stopped midair. He suspended himself with psychic force, while the blade hovered protectively in orbit around him.
Damn. I should've made two swords. One for flair, one for battle.
Now I have to choose between flying cool and fighting properly.
Shiki closed the distance. They hovered opposite each other, facing off in the open sky.
"Jihahahaha! Kid, not running anymore?"
"I liked that bit you said earlier. How about joining our Rocks Pirates?"
"Our captain personally asked for you. We need someone with your flair."
Lind nearly stumbled in the air.
That sounded like a straight-up propaganda line from some imperial secret police unit. For a second, he genuinely wondered if Shiki might be from his home world.
He had the sudden urge to shout "Imperial jade wine!" or "Odd equals unchanged!" just to see if they'd recognize the code.
But he shook it off. Probably just a coincidence.
Clearing his mind, he said simply:
"Let's spar first."
Before the words finished leaving his mouth, the Kunpeng Sword shot toward Shiki.
"Jihahaha! Feisty! Let's see what you've got!"
As the sword flew toward him, Shiki unsheathed Oto and Kogarashi.
One blade blocked the Kunpeng Sword, while the other unleashed a sweeping flying slash.
A wave of cutting force, dozens of meters long, ripped through the air toward Lind.
He dodged instantly, weaving midair as he cursed under his breath.
A swordsman who fights like a damn spellcaster...
Multitasking with refined control, Lind dodged the attacks while directing the Kunpeng Sword to clash with Shiki.
Thanks to psychic precision, his reaction speed far exceeded normal human limits. He stayed elusive, always a step out of reach.
He couldn't land a clean hit, but at least he wasn't getting crushed either. Shiki's overwhelming force was undeniable, but Lind had stamina and tricks on his side.
Still, Lind's unorthodox, almost shameless fighting style was starting to annoy Shiki.
"Jihahaha! What's this, kid? All you can do is dodge? What kind of swordsman are you? Fight me head-on!"
Lind wanted to scream back, I'm not a swordsman! I haven't even learned how to release sword energy!
The Kunpeng Sword could go toe-to-toe with Shiki's blades only because of raw psychic power and the weapon's reinforced material.
Even then, Lind wasn't confident it would last long.
If Shiki hadn't been holding back, Lind would've surrendered already.
Noticing that Lind continued his hit-and-run style, Shiki decided it was time to escalate.
"Lion... Senjikitani!"
Suddenly, Shiki batted away the Kunpeng Sword and unleashed a barrage—dozens of slashes streaking through the sky, all aimed at Lind.
"Crap!!"
Lind's face paled. He maxed out his psychic output, forming a shimmering barrier around himself just in time.
Dozens of slashes collided with the translucent shield. It flickered violently and shattered in seconds.
Fortunately, Lind's time on the island hadn't been wasted. His rigorous training had awakened Armament Haki.
Coating his body in it, reinforced by sheer physical resilience, he barely withstood the attack.
Shiki paused, eyes narrowing.
Something wasn't right.
Lind didn't seem to know proper swordsmanship at all.
Still, that last move had satisfied him. He had vented his irritation. No need to press further.
"Jihahahaha! Not bad, kid. You've got guts. How about you join me? I'll make you my vice-captain!"
Right now, Shiki wasn't the renowned Pirate Admiral of the future. He didn't have many capable subordinates yet.
To find someone who could survive one of his signature moves—especially someone this young—was a rare treasure.
He saw potential. And he wanted it on his side.
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!