17: Chapter 017 This Man…
He’s Truly Gentle 17: Chapter 017 This Man…
He’s Truly Gentle “Hidden edge…” Mihawk pondered those words.
Richard smiled gently, sitting grandly upon his throne as the black crystal-like raft drifted into the distance.
A hint of emotion and release flickered in his eyes.
He declared aloud: “A noble man should be like a sword.
The sharpness of a sword lies not in its exposed edge, but in its concealment…
hidden within, calm and steady as a mountain when still, yet capable of shaking heaven and earth when in motion.” These were Richard’s own insights.
[You have spread the way of the sword to the world.
Wisdom +100, Sword Comprehension +100.] Swordsmanship was an art form that comprehended the very laws of nature and the universe.
Richard had already experienced too many facets of life.
By now, his maturity, shaped by his age and the weight of his responsibilities, made him far more composed and steady than any of his peers.
And so, with a flask of wine, a blade, and a small boat, he sailed across the sea, practicing his swordsmanship and broadening his horizons.
It turned out to be quite a fulfilling journey.
Five years had passed.
He had taken this barren, desolate stretch of ruins and, using the empty castle as a foundation, built a home for over three thousand people…
and it continued to grow rapidly year by year.
Now, he could finally afford to relax a little.
This time, he brought along ten jars of Peach Purple Dew, ten jars of Mulberry Fall Wine, ten jars of Tusu Wine, and one exceptionally precious jar of Nine-Dan Golden Elixir, as they set out once more toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
…
Seven days later, following the next wave of pirates and merchant ships, they arrived at the central region of the Grand Line…
the seas surrounding the Sabaody Archipelago.
Here, wrecked pirate ships and Marine vessels had become increasingly common.
And without exception…
all the crews were unharmed, but their ships had been severed clean in half, the cuts so smooth they made one’s scalp tingle.
As if slicing through butter with hot knife.
The World Government’s intelligence division, Cipher Pol, as well as the underground taverns that served as the pirates’ information network, were all abuzz with rumors.
Two aloof swordsmen had appeared on the seas.
Their identities were unknown, but their strength was extraordinary.
They didn’t need a reason to act…
if any vessel blocked their course, it would be cleaved in two with a single slash.
Whether pirate or Marine…
it made no difference.
Yet merchant ships were spared entirely.
All across the Sabaody Archipelago, people were guessing the identities of these two swordsmen.
And at that very moment, inside the “Shakky’s Rip-off Bar” in Grove 13, the owner Shakky’s eye twitched violently.
The moment she received the news, she was utterly stunned.
Even after closing for the day, she was still mulling it over.
“It couldn’t be Little Richard…
could it?
No way, no way…” Shakky propped her chin up, staring blankly at the pile of intelligence spread across the table.
Marine Headquarters was currently undermanned, with only Fleet Admiral Kong holding the fort.
If a legendary pirate were to attack at this moment, they could inflict massive losses.
And if that happened, the pirates on the Sabaody Archipelago would have a much easier time.
It would practically be a season of revelry for them.
Besides that, the most talked-about topic was the appearance of the two swordsmen on the high seas.
After a moment of daze, footsteps halted outside the door.
Richard, the young man with his disheveled hair and the slim sword, Shintei at his waist, entered with a gentle smile.
Behind him followed his quiet, aloof younger brother Mihawk.
The contrast in their demeanors was like night and day.
The elder brother was as warm and gentle as a spring breeze…
his presence as soothing as the fragrance of fine aged liquor.
The younger brother, by contrast, was as cold as a winter mountain rain, his indifferent gaze enough to make one’s skin prickle.
“Sister Shakky…
we meet again,” Richard said cheerfully.
“Hello, Sister Shakky…” Mihawk nodded politely, bowing his upper body slightly.
“Ah…
so it really was you two…
Don’t tell me you came out here just to cut up some ships since nothing important was happening on the island?” Shakky tilted her head.
The only ones capable of slicing a three-masted ship in half with a single blow were definitely these two swordsman brothers.
Richard grinned.
“Who would come out just to cut ships?
They were just blocking my way.” And they liked to stand on deck, gawking and whistling.
Probably thought a lone raft drifting on the ocean was something incredible, so they couldn’t resist coming over to mess with him.
Curiosity killed the cat.
“Oh…
so you came here to bring me wine?” Richard had docked at Grove 60, and he and Mihawk carried ten large jars of Peach Purple Dew in wooden crates, placing them at the bar’s entrance.
As for what Shakky would do with them to “rip people off” later…
that was none of his business.
“Aha…
all excellent wines indeed,” Shakky’s expression immediately brightened at the sight.
She paid him the full amount…
Berry came in large denominations, so 45 million wasn’t much trouble.
But Richard left all the money on the table.
That made Shakky pause.
He didn’t want it?
Even Mihawk was puzzled.
What was Brother up to now?
Richard, wearing a warm and radiant smile, said solemnly: “Mihawk and I are still traveling.
So…
use this money to procure the resources and hiring funds on this list, and hire a cargo ship to deliver everything to Kuraigana Island.” “Is that so…” Shakky took the list and then smiled.
This man…
he was truly gentle.
The list included the funds needed to open shipping routes, stone materials for building castles and civilian homes, fees for hiring shipwrights, fees for agricultural irrigation experts, and a special request for a man named Tom from Water 7.
Shakky knew that name.
The total monetary cost was less than 10 million Berry…
most of it required calling in favors.
That way, the remaining money would be saved, but she would have to do him a favor.
It was just framed differently.
“There’s also a letter here…
addressed to Uncle Tom.
He’ll definitely come to help me.
And Sister Shakky…
no peeking,” Richard said with a smile.
“Alright,” Shakky gave this man a long, deep look.
He had shouldered the burden of the Black Rose Castle for nearly a decade now…
was he finally ready to expand and grow?