Pokémon Breeder In One Piece!

"Hey, little guy, want to team up with us to challenge the boss room on the 13th floor?"

Dak casually threw his arm around Kirito's neck, as if they were long-time friends.

Though Kirito was depicted as a tall, 1.8-meter muscular guy in-game, the avatar Dak had chosen—designed to resemble Shirona aka: Cynthia—was also 1.8 meters tall, making the gesture effortless.

"Uh... this... um..."

A thirteen-year-old boy couldn't handle this kind of pressure. Kirito stumbled over his words, "I need to check with my teammates first."

Even though Kirito was a veteran gamer and knew the person in front of him was likely a guy playing a female character, this game was different. In this game... even if it were a boy...

"Of course, no problem!"

"Yeah, even though your levels aren't high, your skills are impressive. With the six of us together, there's no way we can't conquer the boss room today!"

Kirito's two teammates didn't have any objections and agreed immediately.

Dak glanced at the two of them. He didn't recognize them, so they likely hadn't appeared during the beta test.

Or perhaps...

They had changed their avatars and names by the time of the beta, so they didn't show up in the original anime.

"Great! Shall we head out now?"

Dak released Kirito, gave a thumbs-up to Madara and Izuna, and asked.

"OK!"

The 13th Floor Maze

While Madara and Izuna cleared out the monsters ahead and leveled up, Kirito and his two teammates stayed back, observing.

"Hey, what's the deal with those two? They're ridiculously strong!"

"Not just strong—their coordination is unreal, like they've truly fought side by side on the battlefield before."

"Shirona, aren't you joining the fight?"

Kirito noticed that Dak had no intention of engaging in combat and asked curiously. After all, Dak's level was only 17, increased slightly from the experience shared by Madara and Izuna.

"Me? Nah, I'm too strong. If I joined, they wouldn't even get a chance to fight."

Dak shrugged nonchalantly, exuding an air of mystery. "Look at my equipment. In most teams, only the strongest gets to wear the best gear, right?"

"...That's true."

Kirito glanced at Dak's small, unimpressive shield and then shifted his gaze to Izuna. "Izuna-san is unbelievably strong. I've never seen swordsmanship like his."

Dak could hear a hint of admiration in Kirito's tone.

In Japan, kendo holds a prestigious status, and those with high-ranking skills in the art are highly respected. At this moment, Kirito probably regarded Izuna as a master swordsman.

"Madara-san is even stronger! Didn't you see him take down that Minotaur barehanded earlier?"

"Yeah, and it seems like Madara-san doesn't even like using swords. He keeps trying to throw his greatsword like it's a kunai."

Kirito's two teammates were more focused on Madara.

Dak understood. Madara had a charisma that Izuna lacked—a leader's aura brimming with absolute confidence, drawing people to follow him.

"They're brothers," Dak said with a smirk, dropping a piece of gossip.

"Eh?!" x3

All three turned to Dak in surprise.

"No wonder they're so in sync!"

"Both brothers are this strong? By the way, do you all know each other in real life?"

Kirito rubbed his chin in thought, while the other two looked at Dak curiously.

"Yep, we're friends in real life too."

"You all managed to get beta test slots together? Was that luck or..."

Kirito eyed Dak, his expression full of speculation.

"We have our ways," Dak replied mysteriously. "As you can see, we're strong. Do you think people like us are ordinary? Getting three game accounts? ARGUS wouldn't dare refuse us."

Of course, Dak couldn't reveal that the three of them were lying unconscious in Kayaba Akihiko's lab.

After all, Kayaba Akihiko was set to appear as the main villain during the official launch. If Kirito and his friends knew they were allied with Kayaba, they'd probably become public enemies during the beta.

"... gulp"

The three swallowed nervously at Dak's bold response but didn't dare ask more.

"Shirona-san, can we add you as a friend?"

One of Kirito's teammates nervously sent a friend request.

"Sure. Let's hope we can play together during the official release."

Dak accepted the request without putting on airs, which relieved the three.

"Can I ask which sword style Izuna-san uses?"

Kirito asked the question that had been on his mind.

In Japan, kendo has various schools, though many are obscure, with some only existing in name due to the lack of remarkable achievements by their founders.

The more famous styles include Kashima Shinto-ryu, Hokushin Itto-ryu, Shinto Munen-ryu, and Katori Shinto-ryu.

Kirito had some knowledge of these renowned styles, but Izuna's techniques didn't match any of them.

"..."

Dak hesitated.

"Ah! I didn't mean to pry into Izuna-san's real-life identity!"

Kirito quickly clarified, worried Dak might think he was trying to uncover Izuna's identity.

After all, someone as skilled as Izuna would undoubtedly be famous in the real world, and knowing his style would make identifying him easier.

"Oh, no. It's just that his swordsmanship is self-taught, so I don't know its name either."

"Eh?!"

"Don't be so surprised. With Izuna's skill level, creating his own style is perfectly normal, right?"

Dak patted Kirito on the shoulder with a grin.

"That's true."

Kirito nodded blankly, though he was inwardly thrilled.

Though his grandfather had forced him to practice kendo, the years of training had instilled a deep respect for master swordsmen capable of creating their own styles.

"So, Kirito, want to become Izuna's disciple? He doesn't have any successors yet. If you become his apprentice, you'd be the senior disciple of his style."

Dak threw his arm around Kirito again, activating his increasingly refined [Persuasion] skill.

Since becoming the Alliance Leader, Dak had mastered the art of manipulating people with words. In the past, he had pushed this skill to its peak back in the Shinobi World.

"Uh, becoming his disciple in a game?"

Kirito hesitated, unsure if it was too rash.

"Don't worry. Technology these days allows for this kind of thing. Once you master it, you can always visit him in real life later."

Dak waved dismissively, concealing the fact that they weren't even from the same world.

For Kirito to meet Izuna in person, he'd need to clear SAO, reach the 101st floor, and choose to travel to a new world.

"I... I think I'll pass."

Though tempted, Kirito ultimately declined.

If he were genuinely interested in kendo, he wouldn't have locked himself in his room to play games all day in the real world.

"Kirito, you have no idea what you're missing out on!"

"Yeah! I wonder if Izuna-san would accept me instead."

Kirito's teammates looked at him with exasperation, though their true thoughts were likely different.

"Alright, suit yourself."

Dak waved it off casually.

It was as expected. Kirito was just a kid right now. He wouldn't understand the value of opportunities until he grew through the challenges of the SAO official launch.

For now, Dak was just laying the groundwork for future events.

The group soon arrived at the boss room.

"How about working together?"

"No need."

Madara, as blunt as ever, entered the room with Izuna, clearly intending to handle the boss themselves.

After mowing down countless monsters, Madara and Izuna's levels had reached 25. The 13th floor boss was only level 30 at most—nothing more than a beefed-up regular monster for the duo.

"Eh?"

Kirito's teammate was dumbfounded.

"Hahaha, they're just having too much fun."

Dak chuckled and explained, then raised his small shield. "Still, there's no need to coordinate. Just attack when you see an opening."

With that, he stepped forward, using his little shield to tank the boss's seven-hit combo, creating an opening for Madara and Izuna to unleash a storm of attacks.

"Go, go! If we don't join now, the boss will be dead!"

"I get it now. They only teamed up with us because they didn't have the map unlocked. Otherwise, they could've soloed this whole thing."

Kirito's teammates realized the situation and charged in, eager to snag some experience and loot.

Meanwhile, Kirito paid close attention to Izuna's every move, even trying to imitate his techniques.

Izuna noticed but didn't mind Kirito's attempts to learn, letting him observe freely.

The battle lasted no more than six or seven minutes before it was over.

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/zaelum]

[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[Thank You For Your Support!]