Skill Tree Chronicles: One Piece

Despite enduring brutal torture by multiple people, this Cipher Pol member remained silent!

"Tough one," Shen Yuan muttered, placing the bloodied knife down as he reached out for a mundane-looking object on the desk—

A toothpick.

That's right. A simple toothpick.

The wooden sliver was suddenly wrapped in a dense coating of Armament Haki (Busoshoku Haki).

In that instant, the ordinary toothpick transformed. No one would believe such overwhelming aura could burst forth from something so fragile.

Toothpick's inner monologue: "Did you see that, Grandpa? I've finally made something of myself!"

Following Shen Yuan's precise flick, the Haki-hardened toothpick shot forward—

Stabbing directly between the CP agent's fingers!

"AHHHHH!!!"

An earsplitting scream rang out.

CP felt the pain surge up from his fingers, through the meridians, piercing his nerves all the way to his heart!

As the saying goes—"The fingers connect to the heart."

"I'm not even asking for a lot," Shen Yuan said, twirling the next toothpick between his fingers. "Let's play a game.

I ask, you answer. Get it wrong—I stab. Get it right—I let you go."

CP's eyes were wide—filled with defiance, fear, and deep resentment.

"Captain, this…"

Joan entered, dragging in another unconscious Cipher Pol agent. One glance at the room, and her confident expression plummeted into cold dread.

"Captain, I—"

Tashigi and Kalifa arrived just behind, each tossing down their own defeated CP targets. Their expressions changed instantly upon entering the room.

"Kalifa," Shen Yuan said calmly, "wait outside. Everyone here must face this trial."

Kalifa was stunned.

But then, without a word, she shook her head and walked straight to Shen Yuan's side.

Standing behind him, she silently placed a hand on his arm in silent support.

"Alright, just don't interrupt," Shen Yuan said, eyes still on the agent.

Kalifa nodded quietly.

Shen Yuan reached for the Supreme Signature Lottery, flicking it in front of the agent like a dealer flipping a coin.

"First question—who is the child of the Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan?"

CP stared in confusion.

"…?"

The moment of hesitation was fatal.

Stab!

The second finger of his left hand was punctured with terrifying precision by the next Haki-coated toothpick!

"AHHHHHHH!!!"

"Second question. Black cat or white cat—which one catches mice?"

The CP agent looked utterly stunned. The absurdity of the question momentarily numbed his pain.

"Uh… maybe—"

STAB.

Another finger was impaled.

"AGHHHHH!!!"

"Why don't you ask something I might actually know?!" the CP agent screamed in frustration.

Shen Yuan nodded thoughtfully, as if considering his complaint.

"Alright… tell me this. If two Devil Fruit users have a child, can that child possess a body capable of eating two Devil Fruits?"

CP: "???"

"…Well… If the genes mutate—"

STAB.

Fourth finger gone.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Tears streamed down CP's face. The pain was beyond comprehension.

"Can you PLEASE just ask normal questions?!"

"Fine," Shen Yuan said, switching tone. "Tell me everything. Starting with the mission you're currently on—and all the World Government's hidden cards!"

CP gasped and exhaled all at once. As if a dam had broken, he began to talk rapidly:

"We…we were deployed to monitor you specifically! Another task involves tracking the Revolutionary Army's hideouts and…"

"Shut it!" yelled another CP agent in the room.

Shen Yuan didn't even blink.

A toothpick flashed through the air—

Straight into the speaker's throat.

He clutched at it, speech halted instantly. Blood leaked between his fingers as he dropped to the ground.

"Go on," Shen Yuan said to the first.

Out of toothpicks, Shen Yuan now casually reached for a fruit knife on the desk.

The agent, wide-eyed, nodded rapidly.

"The Five Elders… They're scared of you! That's why they authorized CP0 to monitor you!"

"Yeah, keep going."

"And… and this operation is also tied to the Op-Op Fruit (Ope Ope no Mi)! We were assigned to locate it!"

"Yeah, keep going."

"That's all I swear! I don't know anything else!"

"Keep talking."

"My…my uncle's brother-in-law is getting married today…I was planning to attend…"

"Mm-hmm…keep going."

"I…I bought a cigar yesterday. Didn't even get to smoke it! It's in my pocket—take it!"

"Keep going."

"I—!"

The blade of the fruit knife in Shen Yuan's hand turned pitch black.

Advanced Armament Haki—flowing like a current.

Shen Yuan calmly stabbed the CP agent's thigh.

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"Keep talking," Shen Yuan said flatly. "Unless you want to be cut into 3,000 pieces and fed to Sea Kings."

His tone was calm—deadly calm. His body was 37°C, but his words felt like glacial steel.

CP's brain went into overdrive. He had to spill something valuable!

"I got it! The blueprints of the Pluton—the ancient weapon! We believe it's hidden in Water 7!

We were tasked to go undercover and retrieve them!"

"Good," Shen Yuan said. "Keep going."

"…Just stab me instead…"

Silence.

Everyone froze.

"Remember our little game?" Shen Yuan said. "You answer wrong, I cut. Answer right—I stick it back on."

CP6: Stick what back on?!

Still, the CP agent nodded reluctantly.

"How many intelligence divisions does the World Government control?"

"The World Government governs through CP1 to CP9. CP9 was annihilated two years ago at Enies Lobby, and now they're rebuilding it—selecting new recruits."

Shen Yuan nodded.

"Any other special forces?"

"Y-Yes. There's the Holy Knights (God's Knights)—elite warriors directly under the Celestial Dragons. Then there are the Twelve Divine Guardians, most with powerful Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruits.

Their mission is to defend Mary Geoise at all times."

"Very good." Shen Yuan's gaze turned sharp. "Where is the Golden Lion, Shiki?"

"…We don't know. After he escaped Impel Down, he disappeared again. His Float-Float Fruit ability makes him hard to locate."

Shen Yuan clapped.

Enel, standing nearby, understood and stepped forward.

He took the knife from Shen Yuan's hand with trembling fingers.

"Put him to rest."

The CP agent's brow relaxed…as if finally freed from torment.

Shen Yuan turned and walked away.

"Do it."

SLASH!

A burst of blood exploded. CP6's body went limp.

"Uwaaa—" Enel staggered, dropping the knife.

"B-blood…it's blood!!!"

His pupils shook with panic.

"How do you expect to grow stronger," Shen Yuan said coldly, "if you've never been stained with an enemy's blood?"

Without pause, Joan delivered a crushing kick to the next agent.

Storm Kick—Rokushiki-enhanced version.

SPLAT.

The man was bisected, blood spraying across the floor like rain.

A crimson pool began to spread…

And the interrogation continued.