[2184 words]

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The Balance Balance Fruit allows me to freely exchange 'A' to 'B' for as long as A = B. These special meteoric ore used in the Supreme Grade Meito may be very rare but must have a certain value in which I can trade for.

The old man returns and puts two cups of tea on the table and has a seat.

"So, brat, did you come to decision?" He asked.

*Slurp*

He took a loud sip and waited for my response.

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I grinned, "Old man, if I got you the Heavenly Rocks, can you make the sword or not?"

He scoffed, "Ha! Of course I can."

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I smiled at his resolve, "Old man, give me a few weeks and I'll get you the rocks. Don't ask how or where, just wait for me."

He squinted his aged eyes as they seemed to fall off his ancient face.

.

"Cheh, I don't know why I want to believe such foolish words but my instincts tell me to listen."

*Sigh*

"Fine, kid, return in 2 weeks, the handle of this weapon will be done with the wood you gave me. If you can miraculously find this ore then I will craft a weapon that stands above them all!"

.

The geezer's eyes lit up with fire as his Haki flared around.

I guess just like how my Conqueror's Haki does not allow me to mock another man's ambition, he too feels the same, instinctively.

.

I nodded to him after finishing the tea and left his smithy.

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I was going back to Yasuei's estate as I saw a similar scene.

"Damien!" Oden yelled out as he reached for his swords once more.

His face was extremely swelled up as it looked like a puffer fish of sorts.

.

I rolled my eyes and mocked him, "Oden, didn't you learn your lesson the first time around? Or did I just smack your head too hard?"

"WAHAHA! A samurai who fails to get up after his loss is nothing but a failure!"

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I slightly nodded at his words, "Well, whatever, stop reaching for your swords. I barely used a sixth of my strength before, this time I'll send you all the way back to the Flower Capital."

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He laughed at my threat, "WAHAHA! Good, I want to see Lord Shogun's face when I crash at his house."

"Say, I heard you came from the seas beyond Wano, is it true?!" He asked with excitement.

I kept walking as he towered beside me, "That's right."

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"GOOD! Take me with you when you leave!"

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Kin'emon and Denjiro gawked at his words and tried to change his mind.

I looked at the grinning fool and scoffed.

.

"I refuse."

.

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Yasuei had loaned me a room with Toki, though I was currently alone as the girl was busy reading the history of Hakumai right now.

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'Sibyl, I can trade for the ore with this fruit, right?' I asked as I eyed the devil fruit in my hands.

[Yes, you can trade for anything and everything, as long as the input item equates to the output.] She replied.

.

Other than just for a weapon, this can be useful for far broader things down the line, a very useful ability.

.

*DING*

[The System has detected an ability that meets the condition to being mimicked. Proceed?]

[Y/N]

.

I gave the green light with a nod.

*VWOOOO*

The wind picked up as the fruit started to float in the air, shaking constantly.

The purple colour started to glow brightly as it was being compressed and compacted.

.

After the flash of light, the only thing remaining was a purple wisp of energy as it gently floated before me.

I raised my right hand as it was absorbed into my middle finger.

A black substance flowed visibly through my veins as it went through my shoulder and into my heart.

.

[1 (Mimic Fruit Ability Token) has been deducted.]

[A new skill, {Equal Exchange}, has been acquired. Congratulations!]

.

I smirked as I read the notification.

Just like any devil fruit, once you eat it, you gain basic control over it as the information automatically flows into your mind.

---

{Equal Exchange} - This allows you to exchange for anything you desire as long as you have something(s) that equate to the desired object's value.

---

'Open the menu,' I asked my System.

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=

{Equal Exchange Menu}

X = Y

*Please input the X value and the System will generate the required items to most efficiently exchange for it.

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=

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I did as asked.

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*Ding*

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=

{Equal Exchange Menu}

X = Ore needed to craft Supreme Grade Blades for [Vanquisher Configuration]

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Loading…

Loading…

*Ding*

Items required for exchange have been calculated.

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Exchange Offer #1: Requires 5 Great Grade Meito

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Exchange Offer #2: Requires 2 Great Grade Meito that have become Black Blades

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Exchange Offer #3: Requires 3 Great Grade Meito & 1 Great Grade Sword that has become a Black Blade

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Exchange Offer #4: Requires 4 Great Grade Meito & 4 Skillful Grade Meito

…

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=

Well, the list went on as it mixed the initial offer with the other but they all had the same idea.

Since all the other Meito are replicas or failed attempts of created Supreme Grade Swords, then that means that they can be used to exchange for them.

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From what I can see, 1 Supreme = 5 Great and 1 Great = 4 Skillful.

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I currently have 1 Great Grade Meito and 2 Skillful Grade Meito in my {Inventory} from my raid at G-4.

So I plan to go for the fourth exchange offer.

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Fulcrum is already racking in a huge amount of treasure from the Underworld so naturally, I can use those channels to gather the swords easily, it's just a matter of time.

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[The Next Day]

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We were having breakfast while Oden crashed in and joined.

"*Munch* Damien, *Munch*, why won't you take me, *Munch*, with you?" Oden barraged me with questions as he ate away with little manners.

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I finished my meal and looked at the black-haired youth, "Tell me, Oden, how do you see Wano?"

He clicked his tongue and declared, "A prison! Leaving this country is my dream! Take me with you, let me see the world!"

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Yasuei was annoyed, "Oden! You're are the son of the Shogun and the future of Wano, how can you be caught up with such foolish ideas?"

Oden was indeed a failure when it comes to Wano, but I know that deep down that isn't completely true. He did throw away his pride to save his country later on, regardless of the outcome.

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"Tell me, Oden, if tomorrow a huge fleet of pirates were to attack Wano, what would you do?" I asked.

He was stumped.

"Will you use the opportunity to escape this 'prison', or will you protect your home?" I asked once more.

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He thought for a moment while I went on,

"Wano is a beautiful place of great resources. Many centuries ago the Sword God Ryuma protected the borders with his sword against the World Government, can you do the same?"

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I finished my tea.

I looked around, Oden, Toki, Yasuei, Kin'emon and Dejiro were all thinking of my words.

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I continued, "Wano is safe, it's open and it's pure, excluding Kuri I suppose. That aside, the Samurai have grown complacent of that peace and if it wasn't for the certain hidden reasons, the Government would have raided this land without a doubt."

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I wiped my mouth with a napkin.

I squinted my eyes at the wannabe-pirate and gave him a grin.

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"You can hear it, can't you?"

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His eyes widened as he looked at me.

"Y-You have it too?"

I nodded.

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"The Voice of Wano is calm and soothing but your narrow sightedness blinds you from what's happening around you. Open your ears!"

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Kozuki Oden was one of the very few humans to hear the Voice of All Things. This means he should be able to sense a lot more than he does. His stupidity is the reason for his failure.

Kaido said it himself when he took over this country and made it his own, he called Oden naive as he agreed to the words of a pirate and a traitor, making a fool of himself in the process, ultimately leading to his country being thrown into chaos and finally his dishonourable death.

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Oden was quiet.

He closed his eyes as he thought over my words.

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Yasuei and the rest didn't intervene as they too were wondering what he was doing.

I felt it, he was using his ears to listen.

I felt a similarity in his Observation.

.

Alas, his ears perked up as he felt it.

I glared at his solemn face, "You feel it now?"

"The parasite living in this estate?"

.

Oden looked up with seriousness and nodded, "I didn't think that creep was carrying such thoughts…"

The disowned youth got up as he seemed quite pissed.

.

There it is, he finally feels it.

The Voice of All Things can also be used to hear the thoughts of inanimate objects.

It also allows you to 'hear' the fragmented thoughts of all those with weaker Observation Haki than you, allowing you to know who they truly are.

.

I heard it as soon as I walked in here to first meet Yasuei a day ago.

The sound of scheming, the sound of betrayal and the squeaks of a rat.

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*Thud*

A small child is carried into the hall and thrown to the ground as he quivers.

The boy was rather pudgy yet small with a large purple afro wearing a golden kimono.

"Oden-sama… d-did I do something w-wrong?!" He cried out in fear as he retreated in fear.

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"Orochi!" Oden yelled as the boy cowered.

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"Oden, what are you doing to my servant?" Yasuei yelled out. He may see Oden as a potential Shogun but attacking a Daimyo's servant is very disrespectful.

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The tall youth turned to the Daimyo of Hakumai.

"Uncle… I don't know why but the Voice of this boy is telling me to stop him right away… he is dangerous!" Oden claimed.

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Yasuei was not convinced, "How could a weak and pitiful boy be dangerous? Just look at him?"

[A/N: Orochi Image]

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Toki nodded as she saw Orochi leak his pants in fear as he was wailing under Oden's shadow.

She was about to rush out and put an end to his terror but I grabbed her hand and gestured her to wait.

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*Stand*

I stood up and slowly walked towards the shaking boy.

I looked at him in the eyes, "Tell me, boy, what is your name?"

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He was shivering as his arms and hands shook at great speeds, "M-M-My lord, I-I am Orochi…!" He finally said.

I gave him an evil grin.

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"I said…"

{{Tell me... your name.}}

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This time, I laced my words with coercion of the {Ancient Voice}.

The results were immediate.

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He froze, his shaking stopped as he straightened his back.

"My name is Kurozumi Orochi. One of the last surviving members of the Kurozumi Family."

His words broke out and caused everyone else to grow shocked.

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Yasuei stood up and disbelief.

"Kurozumi?!"

They were one of the six ruling families in Wano but lost their power after a failed attempt to seize the shogunate. Orochi's grandfather tried to poison a fellow Daimyo and take over Wano, yet he failed and was sentenced to seppuku.

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{{What is your purpose here?}}

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He replies once more with full transparency, "I want to become the Shogun. I was hunted down like a dog and lived in the darkest corners of Wano."

"Yet last year I was approached by a distant relative of mine, Kurozumi Higurashi, she had the power to change her appearance into anyone else and promised to make me Shogun."

"I followed her orders and ended up here. Higurashi told me to hoard gold and produce weapons in order to gain powerful allies. And I did so by stealing from Yasuei and blaming it on Oden."

---

Orochi's face changed from the robotic version to the fearful one as he got control of his body.

His secrets revealed, he broke and ran out in fear.

.

I looked at him run as I then turned my attention to the rest.

Toki was covering her mouth with her hand as she had read of the traitorous family.

Yasuei was solemn as he squinted his eyes.

Oden was thinking deeply.

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"Bring him back here!" Yasuei yelled as some guards chased after him.

---

I sat back down and resumed my meal.

"You see, Oden, snakes like to hide in the shadows and to strike when you are least prepared. That boy may be weak now but with someone who can freely change their appearance, Wano may be doomed." I said and it was true.

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Oden sat down and eyed me.

"Damien…" He then lowered his head to me and spoke.

.

"Thank you for opening my eyes... Or my ears in this case." He chuckled.

His face warped from seriousness to glee as he looked back up.

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"So can you take me out of Wano now?"

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Yasuei facepalmed, Toki giggled and Oden's 2 retainers sighed.

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[The following is excluded from word count]

Author's Corner:

I did add some original content into the Voice of All Things with the inner thoughts and all but it works on those with significantly weaker Observation than yours.

Orochi isn't really memorable, without Higurashi and Kaido, he's just a giant-headed fool.

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