"Summon!"
Auguro shouted impatiently.
A dazzling purple star, more than twice the size of the one that had summoned Hanatarō Yamada, appeared before Auguro. Auguro even caught glimpses of shimmering gold within it! Truly worthy of a Vice-Captain; even the special effects were superior!
Soon, the light receded, and Rukia Kuchiki, clad in her Shinigami robes, appeared before Auguro.
"Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Rukia Kuchiki, greets my Lord Soul King!"
Having received a noble education from the Kuchiki family since childhood, Rukia's demeanor carried an innate elegance.
Auguro nodded in satisfaction. "Good! Rise."
"Go find the mayor, have him prepare a ship for me. Ōura will stay behind, but you and Hanatarō Yamada will accompany me on a voyage!"
"Yes!" Rukia Kuchiki immediately acknowledged the order and departed.
With Rukia Kuchiki, a Vice-Captain skilled in combat, joining his ranks, Auguro could finally accelerate some of his plans!
After Rukia left, Auguro brought up the System interface.
Host: Xite Auguro
Identity: Soul King (Reio)
Divine Realm Template: Soul Society
Divine Realm Level:1
Territory: Papaloko Island
Population:5,631
Abilities: Reiatsu (Normal), Swordsmanship (Normal), Hand-to-Hand Combat (Hakuda) (Beginner), Flash Step (Shunpo) (Normal), Demon Arts (Kidō) (Normal)
Zanpakutō:The Origin (Yuan) (Now Awakened: Hisagomaru, Sode no Shirayuki)
Subordinates: Rukia Kuchiki (Epic), Hanatarō Yamada (Epic), Ōura (Rare),... (Twenty-four Common)
Achievement Points:1,038
Truly worthy of a Vice-Captain's feedback: the four combat fundamentals (Zanjutsu, Shunpo, Kidō), excluding Hakuda, had all reached the Normal rank! The current Auguro was now a competent Soul Reaper even by Soul Society standards!
Half a day later, Rukia Kuchiki returned.
"Reporting, Lord Soul King, the ship is ready! We can depart at any moment!"
Auguro nodded and went to the town docks. It was a small cargo ship used by the town for trade, not fast, but reliable.
"Lord Auguro, do you need me to assign any personnel to you?" the mayor asked somewhat nervously. He had initially thought Auguro only had Hanatarō and Ōura. Now, Rukia Kuchiki had appeared! Her naturally refined elegance and intimidating presence startled the mayor, a man experienced in judging people.
A noble! A true, high-ranking noble! Since even such a person was subservient to Auguro, the mayor no longer dared to question Auguro's new status as Lord.
"No need!" Auguro waved his hand, declining the offer. The business he was embarking on wasn't suitable for too many onlookers.
For his first voyage, Auguro felt a rush of excitement initially. However, after several days of nothing but endless sea, his enthusiasm quickly waned. Instead, he focused his energy on practicing Armament Haki against a heavy rock he had brought onto the ship. He felt that his Armament Haki was nearing a breakthrough!
That day, as Auguro was concentrating on smashing the rock, Hanatarō Yamada, who was piloting the ship, suddenly called out, "Lord Soul King, I see Cocoyasi Village!"
"We're finally here!"
Auguro stopped training and let out a long breath. Rukia Kuchiki immediately handed him a clean towel.
Looking at the island gradually emerging in the distance, Auguro's eyes held a subtle glint.
Cocoyasi Village, the hometown of the One Piece protagonist Nami. It should currently be under the tyrannical rule of the Arlong Pirates!
The year was now 1521, according to the calendar. Based on the timeline, Cocoyasi Village would be saved by Luffy next year. But Auguro didn't intend to trouble the future Pirate King.
The reason was simple: he planned to recruit Nami!
In the world of One Piece, especially in the unpredictable climate of the Grand Line, sailing without an excellent navigator was suicide. Since he intended to establish a Supreme Divine Realm, and the Grand Line was his inevitable destination, Nami was an indispensable talent.
As for the Pirate King—while he might seem goofy most of the time—he was the favored Child of Fortune of this world. Even without Nami, he would manage his journey just fine. Just look at his moss-headed fanboy (Zoro), who navigated the New World purely on luck! It was ridiculous!
Soon, the cargo ship docked at the pier of Cocoyasi Village.
A man wearing a police cap walked over and asked, "What brings you all to our Cocoyasi Village?"
Auguro looked at him and recognized him as the village patrolman, Genzo. He was a father figure to Nami.
"Hello, my name is Auguro. I've come to Cocoyasi Village to replenish some supplies. Do you have any fruits for sale? Oranges would be best!" Auguro inquired gracefully.
He had changed into the Soul King's Haori given by the System. Although his appearance was still youthful, the innate noble aura emanating from him made Genzo unable to look him directly in the eye.
Genzo stammered, "I'm Genzo, the village patrolman! We do have some oranges for sale in the village, but I'm not sure…"
Before Genzo could finish, a voice abruptly cut in.
"My family sells oranges, and ours are the best in the entire village! Buy them from my house!"
A girl with short, orange hair suddenly darted out from somewhere, eagerly promoting her wares to Auguro.
Seeing who it was, Auguro's lips curved into a slight smile. It was Nami! He remembered Nami's family having many orange trees, which was why he had deliberately asked for oranges, hoping Genzo would lead him there. He hadn't expected Nami to come straight to him!
"In that case, let's go see your place!" Auguro agreed immediately.
Genzo offered no objection. He already looked out for Nami's family, so he wouldn't interfere with a good sale for them.
Nami led Auguro and the others toward her home, occasionally sneaking glances at Auguro along the way.
Don't misunderstand; she wasn't attracted by Auguro's appearance. She was eyeing the Soul King's Haori! As a System-produced, exclusive garment for the Soul King, its material and craftsmanship were of the highest quality.
"If I could sell this robe, it would fetch an astronomical price!"
Nami's eyes were gleaming, and she was nearly drooling. Due to her agreement with Arlong, she was constantly hustling to gather 100 million Berries for the village's freedom. If she could steal this haori, she could instantly raise the full amount!
Noticing the greedy gleam in Nami's eyes, Auguro chuckled internally.
She took the bait!
He had deliberately worn the robe, anticipating that Nami would try to steal it! That would give him the perfect reason to intervene in the conflict between Cocoyasi Village and the Arlong Pirates!
When they reached Nami's home, a tall woman with blue hair, Nojiko (Nami's older sister), stepped out.
"Nojiko, this is the customer I found! He wants to buy our oranges!" Nami announced.
Nojiko was delighted and immediately led Auguro and the two Soul Reapers to the orange grove, offering to pick their finest oranges.
Meanwhile, Nami, who was harboring ulterior motives, quietly slipped away. It didn't take a genius to guess she was plotting something!
Sure enough, after Nojiko spent an hour or two carefully selecting enough oranges, Nami reappeared in the grove. She smiled ingratiatingly at Auguro.
"Young Master, it's rare for us to have such a distinguished client. Please stay and join us for a simple meal!"