As the swordsmen on the List continued to bicker, some of them seemingly a little addicted to the feeling of being "online" for the first time, the Golden List suddenly changed as the previous ranking disappeared and a new image emerged.
A blind man stood within the arena, his expression calm and almost serene as a sword rested at his side. His appearance alone didn't immediately attract much attention from the wider world, as unlike the famous swordsmen who had already appeared, the man's name carried little recognition beyond those who had personally encountered him.
[Golden List: Number Eight — Gravity Sword, Issho.]
"Issho?"
"Who the hell is that?"
"Gravity Sword?"
"Wait... isn't that the blind swordsman?"
Questions spread across the world as people tried to place the unfamiliar name. There were certainly those who recognized him, but for the majority, Issho remained nothing more than an unknown swordsman who had somehow been judged worthy of the eighth position among the strongest swordsmen in the world.
The scene shown by the Golden List soon changed, depicting the blind swordsman standing opposite a young man wearing a hat and wielding an iron pipe. Flames erupted around the boy as he launched himself forward, forcing Issho to draw his blade and respond.
Takumi's eyes widened the moment he saw the young man.
"Sabo..."
The name escaped his lips almost subconsciously.
Ain, who had been feeding him pieces of apple, paused midway through her next bite before looking at him with slight disbelief.
"Takumi-sama...?"
Takumi continued staring at the Golden List, his expression gradually becoming more complicated.
"Even things that haven't happened yet are being shown."
Ain's eyes widened.
"Is this really the future?"
"I'm certain."
There was still a trace of doubt in Ain's voice, but it quickly faded. Whatever doubts she possessed, one thing remained unquestionable in her mind.
Takumi-sama wouldn't lie to her.
Why would he need to?
Raki, who had been standing nearby, glanced toward Ain with an increasingly strange expression. She had begun to understand that this girl wasn't necessarily incapable of believing Takumi could lie; rather, Ain seemed to possess an almost absurd willingness to believe that even if Takumi did lie, there had to be some truth hidden behind his words.
Raki sighed quietly.
She's hopeless.
Meanwhile, the battle on the Golden List continued.
Issho's sword descended as an invisible force suddenly pressed down upon Sabo, restricting his movements and forcing him to struggle against the overwhelming pressure. Yet despite imposing such weight upon his opponent, Issho's own movements remained surprisingly light, his swordsmanship becoming faster and more fluid as he manipulated the force surrounding his body.
He wasn't simply using his Devil Fruit to overpower his opponent.
He was incorporating it directly into his swordsmanship.
Gravity restricted Sabo's movements while simultaneously allowing Issho to alter his own, creating an advantage that became increasingly difficult for the young revolutionary to overcome.
Then, for only a brief moment, the Golden List showed something that made even those who had remained relatively calm throughout the battle pause.
The sky opened.
Something enormous descended from above.
A meteor.
The scene disappeared almost immediately afterward, almost as though the Golden List had only intended to provide a glimpse of what Issho was capable of rather than fully reveal his abilities.
Yet that glimpse was enough.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
"Did he just pull down a meteor?!"
"That wasn't a normal attack!"
"You're telling me he can actually drag something like that out of the sky?!"
The reactions weren't born from the concept of controlling gravity itself. Devil Fruits capable of manipulating strange forces had existed for generations, and nobody who lived in the Grand Line was foolish enough to be surprised by another bizarre ability.
But a meteor?
That was different.
Pulling something of that scale down from the heavens wasn't something one casually expected from a Devil Fruit user.
Even among the Marines, the scene had caused considerable disturbance.
"A swordsman of this caliber..."
"How has someone like this remained unknown?"
"Find Issho."
"Locate him immediately."
Elsewhere, Gion continued staring at the Golden List with an increasingly curious expression.
"Issho..."
She had never encountered the man before.
That alone was strange.
As one of the strongest swordswomen within the Marines, Gion had crossed blades with countless capable fighters throughout her career. Someone possessing enough skill to reach eighth place on a worldwide ranking should have crossed her path at some point.
Yet this man had somehow remained outside her awareness.
"How have I never heard of him?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I certainly would've remembered crossing swords with someone like that."
Mihawk's reaction was considerably calmer, though even his eyes carried a faint trace of interest as he observed the blind swordsman.
"So the Marines eventually acquire another swordsman of such quality..."
He stroked the hilt of Yoru, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"...It seems I'll have quite a few people to fight in the coming years."
Mihawk's gaze remained fixed upon the Golden List, and for perhaps the first time since the rankings had begun, his interest in what the future held seemed to grow even stronger.
Issho himself simply listened to the reactions surrounding him, his expression remaining calm as he considered the strange future being displayed before him.
"Is this how things turn out for this old man in the future...?"
A quiet chuckle escaped him as he rested one hand against his cane before pulling slightly, revealing the sharp edge hidden within.
He had never possessed much interest in joining the Marines. Their method of advancement had always seemed unnecessarily tedious to him—climbing through ranks, following a rigid hierarchy, and waiting for recognition from people above him.
For an old man who had already spent enough time watching the world from the sidelines, such things held little appeal.
"I've never been fond of the way this world operates. The Marines wouldn't help me accomplish any of my goals, so I'd rather do things my own way, even if it means scooping a bucket of water out of the ocean."
Issho's smile became faintly thoughtful.
"But perhaps changing the world doesn't require following the same path as everyone else."
Before anyone could question him further, the Golden List began to change once again, the image of the blind swordsman disappearing as the next ranking prepared to be revealed.
The number appeared first.
Seven.
Then the image slowly formed beneath it.
A young man dressed in expensive silk stood within the arena, a sword resting at his hip while red hair framed a face that carried an unmistakably cold and imposing expression.
For several seconds, the world simply stared.
Then the reactions began.
"Oi, oi, oi..."
"What the hell?!"
"Red-Hair?!"
"Shanks?!"
"No way!"
"You're telling me he's number seven?!"
The disbelief spread rapidly as people recognized the famous red hair and immediately reached the obvious conclusion.
Red-Haired Shanks.
One of the Four Emperors.
One of the most infamous pirates in the world.
And according to the Golden List...
Only the seventh strongest swordsman.
"Wait a second! If he's seventh, then there are six people above him!"
"Six?!"
"Who the hell are they?!"
Ain stared at the screen before suddenly breaking into laughter.
[Ain: Ahahaha! Looks like this is his retribution for trying to fight Takumi-sama and losing! Even the Golden List is aggrieved!]
Ain felt as if heaven itself had finally answered her grievances. That bastard Red-Haired Shanks had been a little too friendly with her Master, especially for someone who had lost to him.
'Takumi-sama once said that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but some just need a thorough beating to get the job done.'
'THAT RED HAIR IS LUSTING AFTER TAKUMI-SAMA'S BODY! He deserves this! Fufufu~ Who does he think he is?!'
Takumi, however, didn't laugh.
He couldn't even muster a smile as he stared at the snickering girl beside him, his expression filled with indescribable pain.
In fact, he restrained the urge to whack her on the head with the hilt of his sword.
What the hell was this girl saying?
And what was going on inside that head of hers?!
He could already feel the secondhand embarrassment building.
Because Takumi knew something that almost nobody else in the world did.
That wasn't Shanks.
And when the situation was eventually cleared up, Ain's little comment was going to be slapped right back into his face.
This isn't retribution!
He wanted to scream it.
But instead, Takumi simply stared at the screen in silence.
The person depicted there was someone he recognized immediately.
The red hair.
The expensive clothing.
The sword.
The face.
Everything about him practically screamed Shanks.
Except for one very important detail.
That wasn't Red-Haired Shanks.
It was his twin brother.
[Golden List: Ranked 7 — Figarland Shamrock.]
[Rayleigh: Takumi, little brother.]
[Mihawk: Quite the disciple you've got there. She certainly has a "sharp eye."]
Takumi slowly closed his eyes.
The faint prayer that Ain was right was immediately destroyed.
Even though he knew exactly what was happening, he desperately hoped those bastards wouldn't notice her message among the dozens of others flooding the chatroom.
Unfortunately...
[Takumi: .....]
He could already imagine the teasing that was coming.
His reputation had suffered enough today.
Surely they could overlook one little mistake.
Right?
...
No.
Apparently not.
Takumi sighed, rubbing his forehead as he looked toward Ain.
"...Ain, is this some kind of hidden talent? How do you always find new ways to give these guys ammunition?"
His expression was one of genuine despair.
"This is so painful. My reputation is already dead!"
He stared helplessly at the Golden List.
"Why does it still hurt?!"
End pf chapter 10