Skill Tree Chronicles: One Piece

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The two stood facing each other amid the misty mountain peaks.

After Shen Yuan's words, Sukiyaki remained silent, his weathered face weighed down by memories.

"Sukiyaki," Shen Yuan said calmly, "think carefully about the kind of men you've mentored. What kind of legacy have your two chosen successors left behind?"

Sukiyaki's face darkened instantly, his expression collapsing under guilt.

"I..."

Shen Yuan pressed on, voice steady:

"First, your good son, Kozuki Oden. He chased dreams across the sea while the country decayed in his absence, leaving Wano vulnerable to usurpation.

And Kurozumi Orochi—your oversight allowed a serpent to slither into power. You trained both, yet bore no accountability?"

Sukiyaki's brows furrowed, each word a nail to his soul.

He no longer cared how Shen Yuan knew these secrets.

Instead, he was consumed by reflection—by regret.

"I can care for Ayu," Shen Yuan added, "but you owe Wano Country an explanation."

Sukiyaki sighed. He could no longer avoid his role in the nation's descent. He needed to atone.

"...What would you have me do, sir?"

"We'll get to that later," Shen Yuan waved a hand. "Right now, I'm more interested in your sword—the Second Generation Kitetsu."

Sukiyaki nodded slowly, as though accepting an inevitable conclusion.

"…Very well. I will entrust the Nidai Kitetsu to you."

He unsheathed the curved blade from his side and held it out solemnly.

As a swordsmith of the famed Amatsuki line, he knew: a sword chooses its wielder. And Shen Yuan... had already proven himself more than worthy.

"But heed this," Sukiyaki warned. "The Nidai Kitetsu is a meito—a cursed blade. It will turn on those without resolve."

Shen Yuan reached out and grasped the hilt without hesitation.

"A beautiful piece."

As he unsheathed the demon blade, an ominous black-purple mist spiraled from the steel, licking at his arm like a hungry beast.

The cursed aura immediately attempted to siphon Shen Yuan's life essence.

"Oh? You dare?"

The candle-like light within his body—his inner flame—flared and surged into the blade.

The demon mist shrieked soundlessly, its evil being purified by Shen Yuan's overwhelming force of will. Within seconds, the aura was gone.

"Contaminated... but not irredeemable."

He sheathed the blade again with a click and handed it back to Sukiyaki.

"You've purified it?"

Sukiyaki stared in disbelief. This was the first time he'd seen someone tame a Kitetsu so swiftly.

"Every sword is a vessel. And every vessel can carry will—your own, or another's."

As he spoke, Shen Yuan unsheathed his own weapon—Tuntian, the Heaven-Swallowing Sword.

Black mist burst outward like a suffocating storm. The Nidai Kitetsu at Sukiyaki's side trembled in response, as if bowing to a superior presence.

"This blade…" Sukiyaki's voice quivered, eyes gleaming. "It's unlike any I've ever seen."

"A horizontal edge, forged in the style of the East Blue's curved sabers. It combines the grace of a sword and the brutality of a cleaver."

Shen Yuan swung the blade casually toward a distant mountain.

A black crescent wave burst forth, devouring the air, and split the peak in half.

"This sword carries the power of death itself. Few can withstand its will."

Sukiyaki was stunned.

He looked at the severed mountain and then back at the blade, captivated.

"...May I try it?"

"Don't blame me if you die."

Shen Yuan offered the hilt.

Sukiyaki grasped it with reverence.

But the moment his hand touched the hilt, a wave of cold black mist surged up his arm and into his chest.

His breath caught.

The sword wasn't just cursed—it was conscious.

It attacked his very soul.

"Urgh!"

His knees buckled as he dropped to the ground, as pale as a ghost.

"This blade's curse originates from me," Shen Yuan said calmly. "It responds only to the controller of death itself."

He retrieved the sword with one hand, and the black mist immediately withdrew, docile.

"More dangerous than the Kitetsu… This blade devours not flesh, but spirit."

Sukiyaki shivered. If Shen Yuan hadn't intervened, he would have lost more than consciousness—he would've lost himself.

After catching his breath, Sukiyaki sat upright once more.

"If there's still something I can do for Wano… then please, allow me."

Shen Yuan smirked.

Another plea for help—from Oden, from Momonosuke, and now the old man.

The whole family shared the same trait: desperation wrapped in honor.

The momentary sympathy he felt for Ayu was washed away in that instant.

"You want to help Wano?" Shen Yuan replied coolly. "Then sever your ties with Ayu. After that, I'll kill you. That should gain me Kaido's trust—and in turn, a position to rebuild Wano from within. Deal?"

Sukiyaki fell silent, caught between shame and strategy.

Eventually, he gave a slight nod.

"...Can I trust your word?"

"Of course."

Sukiyaki closed his eyes and bowed deeply.

"Then I'll do it. Please… hold to your end."

"Naturally."

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

Enel and Ayu were talking cheerfully.

Ayu's eyes sparkled as Enel described the world beyond Wano: skies filled with flying ships, seas with glowing fish, and food tastier than dreams.

Footsteps echoed down the hall.

Sukiyaki and Shen Yuan reentered the room.

The old man's gaze lingered on Ayu, heavy with sorrow.

"Ayu... you've grown strong. From this day forward, you'll follow the Lord of Death."

Shen Yuan stepped forward.

"Come with me, Ayu. I'll take care of you."

Ayu blinked, her young heart pounding. After losing her parents, her master had been her only home. Now…

"You really won't abandon me?"

Sukiyaki nodded slowly. This was his final act.

Shen Yuan's eyes softened as he knelt down, face kind.

Ayu, only three or four years old, sniffled as tears welled up.

"Brother Shen Yuan… Brother Enel said the world is really big. I want to see it. But Master..."

"Your Master has a mission. A very big one."

Shen Yuan gently touched her head.

"Alright then… I'll go with you!"

She didn't understand war, or legacy.

She only knew that this man was kind.

That was enough.

Tenguyama Hitetsu—her master—had long stopped feeding her properly. He only waited and waited, hoping someone would answer Wano's prayers.

Shen Yuan looked down at the child, then up at Enel.

"Take her to the Flower Capital first. That's our final stop."

"Understood."

Enel took Ayu's hand, and with a puppy bouncing behind them, they left the room.

He shot Sukiyaki a final glance—one laced with meaning.

Back in the mountain grove—

Before Sukiyaki could brace himself, a massive black hand appeared, gripping his throat.

"The Kozuki line is cursed. You, your son, and your grandson—failures, all of you."

Before he could respond—

CRACK.

With a sharp snap, the old shogun's neck was broken.

THUD.

His lifeless body hit the mossy ground. Shen Yuan stood over it briefly before digging a shallow grave.

[You have killed plot character Kozuki Sukiyaki. +3 Skill Points obtained.]

Shen Yuan glanced at the Nidai Kitetsu in his hand and smirked.

"Well, not a total loss."

JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCED 30+ CHAPTERS.

Currently at CHAPTER 100 on Patreon.

Two members on my patreon get a free book each month. A lucky draw,it can be you.

Five chapters every two days on Patreon.

One chapter everyday on webnovel.

patreon.com/FrancisMW

"I look forward to welcoming you as member"

ENJOY THE BENEFITS.