One Piece: The Strongest Trait System

~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon

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On the outskirts of Jaya Island.

A peculiar house stood here—Only half a structure, the missing wall replaced with wooden planks, which also extended the building, decorated with a fairytale-like castle painting, giving it a very flamboyant look.

This was the headquarters of the Saruyama Alliance.

"Boss! I heard that Sky Sovereign Rowen went on a rampage in Mock Town! Many famous pirates died at his hands! Even Bellamy the Hyena, that vicious pirate with a 55 million Beri bounty, got his entire crew wiped out just for jumping in front of the man... That guy—is the most vicious, super great pirate on the seas right now! What if he decides to just massacre everyone on Jaya Island?! Let's get out of here and lay low for a while!"

Masira, who had encountered Rowen's crew earlier, now stared fearfully at the two figures before him.

One looked like a orangutan—Shoujou, captain of the Shoujou Pirates, another faction of the Saruyama Alliance.

The other was a man with a distinctive diamond-shaped face.

—Montblanc Cricket, descendant of Montblanc Noland, the protagonist of the 400-year-old "Liar Noland" story.

"Calm down! He just killed a Warlord, that's all! I bet I could become a Warlord too!" Shoujou declared, though his voice wavered slightly, trying to sound tough.

"THIS IS NO TIME FOR JOKES! Confidence is one thing, but that man can casually cause terrifying natural disasters—If you really faced him, you wouldn't even know how you died!"

Masira yelled, spittle flying as he berated Shoujou.

Does this idiot have any sense? Bellamy the Hyena, a notorious pirate in these waters, got his entire crew annihilated just for jumping in front of Rowen!

According to his men who scouted Mock Town and barely escaped, the entire town had become that vicious pirate's domain!

For all they knew, that ruthless monster was probably conducting a horrifying, inhumane massacre right now.

If he sensed their presence here... he might come slaughtering his way to their doorstep!

This was the pirate rumored to slaughter countless people at the slightest whim—the most vicious pirate on the seas!

The thought of that horrifying consequence made Masira tremble with fear.

"Calm down. Those are just rumors. You can't believe everything you hear," Cricket stated, exhaling a puff of smoke, his eyes holding a complex emotion.

He was here because of his ancestor from four hundred years ago, Montblanc Noland, who claimed this island held a city of gold.

When the king found nothing, and Noland, even facing death, refused to deny the city's existence, he was executed.

Noland had been branded a liar for centuries, a name that shamed his descendants.

Cricket himself had borne this stigma since childhood.

To clear his ancestor's and family's name, he gave up being a pirate, came to Jaya, and had been diving in these waters ever since—searching for proof of the City of Gold. Unfortunately, he had found nothing so far.

Because of his own experiences, Cricket knew how destructive rumors could be—a linguistic force capable of ruining a person, even an entire family...

He inherently distrusted such tales; otherwise, why would he still be here, searching for a city of gold?