Three days later—
A piece of news shook the entire East Blue and even drew the attention of several forces in the first half of the Grand Line.
The reason was simple:
The largest newspaper agency in East Blue had finally collected solid information on the "Three Little Bounty Hunters."
To be more precise, they'd gathered intel on the main force among them.
And that information—printed in bold on the front page—was what made people on the Grand Line look twice.
The headline read:
"YOUNG SWORDSMAN!"
Beneath the title was a clear photo used as the cover image.
It showed a boy with baby fat still on his cheeks, wielding an obviously extraordinary sword, unleashing a massive cyan flying slash that cut down an entire pirate crew.
The article beneath it was full of praise for this young swordsman.
According to information disclosed by the Marine branch in Loguetown, the boy's name was El, and his real age…
Was only eight years old.
At eight, he was more a child than a boy.
And yet, this "child" was a swordsman who could unleash flying slashes.
Most ordinary people in East Blue had no idea what a flying slash really was—but that didn't stop El's name from spreading beyond the weakest sea and capturing the interest of powerful factions.
For example, Marine Headquarters, who had been rejected once when trying to recruit him, immediately ordered the Loguetown branch to send another invitation—with better conditions this time.
An eight-year-old swordsman capable of flying slashes was extremely rare, even in a world filled with different races, geniuses, and monsters.
Not just the Marines—even the CP organization in Mary Geoise was tempted.
This age was perfect for "education" and "training."
If they could lure him into CP, perhaps they could shape another living weapon similar to Rob Lucci.
Meanwhile, the more informed pirates in East Blue—those who understood what a Master Swordsman meant—quietly marked El down as a threat to be wary of.
El hadn't expected fame to come this quickly.
Originally, he'd just been trying to make some fast money.
He'd underestimated how much influence a big city like Loguetown had.
Before Smoker was ever dispatched here, Loguetown had been a swirling nest of chaos and opportunity.
In East Blue, every faction with halfway decent intelligence had people stationed here, constantly gathering information.
So the moment El started hunting pirates openly, he immediately became one of the town's hot topics.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly.
He'd had Nami hide and avoided letting anyone get clear shots of the girls' faces.
If all of them had been photographed together, it would've stirred up the waters far more than he wanted.
To avoid creating even more trouble, El limited himself to just two more hunts.
He took out a few pirate crews, delivered their heads and bounties to the Marine branch, stripped their ships of treasure—
Then retreated back to the hotel to wait for the new ship to be finished.
"Nii-san, you're famous!"
"Look, look… Nii-san, all these newspapers and magazines are calling you the strongest bounty hunter in East Blue!"
A few days later, inside their hotel suite—
Carina and Nami waved newspapers and glossy magazines in front of El's face, practically glowing with excitement.
"…Pointless."
El didn't even bother to glance at them.
His eyes stayed on the Armament Haki training manual in his hands.
In every world, it was the same—
Tabloids and minor magazines loved to chase trends and hype up whatever was popular, just to boost sales.
And right now, the thing everyone was curious about was him.
Article after article, coverage after coverage… they just kept printing his name.
Because El was a bounty hunter rather than a cruel pirate, reporters and paparazzi were practically camped outside their hotel, hoping to catch him for an interview.
That was exactly why El didn't feel like stepping outside.
Time passed quickly—
Soon, the morning came when their new ship was scheduled to be completed and released from the shipyard.
The three girls handled checking out of the hotel.
El, meanwhile, quietly pushed his speed to its MAX state, turning into a fleeting afterimage as he slipped out alone.
They regrouped in a side alley a short while later.
There, El donned a cloak Carina had bought in town—a little extra anonymity—and together the four of them headed for the shipyard.
They were greeted enthusiastically by the manager as soon as they arrived.
His attitude toward El was practically fawning.
Clearly, he already knew that the "customer kid" from a few days ago was now the talk of East Blue.
El wasn't interested in exchanging pleasantries.
He brushed off the manager's flatteries and simply asked to see the completed ship.
Soon, the five of them arrived in the rear dockyard.
Moored there, draped under a large black cover, was their new vessel.
It wasn't big—just a small ship with a single mast.
In general, unless a ship had some strange custom design, the easiest way to judge its class was by the number of masts:
One mast – small ship
Two masts – medium ship
Three masts – large ship
The Straw Hats' Going Merry had been a small ship.Their later ship, the Thousand Sunny, was a medium.
El's custom commission was also a small-class vessel.
However, unlike the Going Merry, which had a more compact internal layout, El's custom design was a bit more sophisticated:
Three cabins total
Two upper-deck cabins
One lower-deck cabin
The ship's height and length both pushed the maximum capacity for a single-mast vessel.
When the workers pulled away the black cloth, the four of them climbed aboard and inspected every corner with serious faces.
"Good. You did well."
After checking the structure, layout, and details, they were all very satisfied.
Once the final payment was settled, Nami immediately steered the new ship out toward the open port, a broad smile on her face.
At the same time, Carina took out the Den Den Mushi phone camera she'd bought during their first tour of Loguetown and began snapping photos of the ship from different angles.
After docking at the designated pier, a group of muscular movers—shirtless with red tattoos on their shoulders and backs—began hauling furniture aboard.
Tables, chairs, wardrobes, beds, a refrigerator, and various appliances all went up the gangplank.
Under Carina and Nami's directions, the movers placed everything in their proper spots.
The last item loaded was a large barrel filled with ordinary swords—spares and training weapons.
After everything was in place, El handed the movers a tip, and the four of them guided their new ship back toward where their old small sailboat was still moored.
They tied the two ships side by side.
Once Carina and Nami finished moving every last personal belonging off the old boat, El drew Sandai Kitetsu from his waist and stepped lightly onto the smaller vessel.
Swish—kacha!
A flash of cold light cut across the water.
In the next instant, the little sailboat—and a slice of sea beneath it—were split cleanly in two along a smooth, glass-like line.
The old boat that had carried them this far was now neatly… retired.
Ps:
Sandai Kitetsu (Cursed Sword)
A famous but cursed blade El purchased in Loguetown for 1.5 million Berries.
Not a Ryō Wazamono (Skillful Grade Sword), but still a true high-quality named sword.
Wado Ichimonji (Context Here)
Returned to Kuina after El obtained Sandai Kitetsu.
Its quality reinforces El's desire to transition fully to famous blades.
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